New Vegetable/Herb Gardner

[GatorDad82]

New Gardner in zone 10 of Florida. Growing 6 tomatoe plants, 1 cube of radishes, 2 cubes of marigolds, 1 cube of banana peppers, 1 cube of red bell peppers, 1 cube of yellow and green bell peppers, 2 cubes of carrots, 2 cubes of onions, 1 cube of parsley, and a shared cube of dill and sweet basil.

First time trying to garden, I've been doing some reading but would love some tips or things to be aware of from amy experienced Gardners. Thank you in advance!

 

[Chuck]

I see you are a devotee of square foot gardening. Where most gardeners fail is placing plants too close together. Some plants like to be fairly close like herbs while tomatoes like to be separated by a minimum of 1 1/2 feet. Otherwise production will be limited on the tomatoes. Tomatoes will grow to a width of at least 2 feet and thus will shade plants all around it and they will also grow to a height of at least 3 ft. You would be better off by growing your tomatoes in a container such as a 5 gallon bucket. Banana peppers normally grow to about 2 1/2 ft tall and should be planted on the east side of your bed to give close by plant as much sun as possible. They should also be planted no closer than 1 foot apart for best results. Carrots are a cool weather corps and in your case a cold weather crop. I a afraid you will be disappointed growing carrots at this time of year as it will get too hot too soon for good production. And IMO planting marigolds in a vegetable be is just asking for insect trouble. I know the old wives tale about marigolds repelling insects but it just ain't so. In fact they attract insects. Been there and done that.

 

[GatorDad82]

I see you are a devotee of square foot gardening. Where most gardeners fail is placing plants too close together. Some plants like to be fairly close like herbs while tomatoes like to be separated by a minimum of 1 1/2 feet. Otherwise production will be limited on the tomatoes. Tomatoes will grow to a width of at least 2 feet and thus will shade plants all around it and they will also grow to a height of at least 3 ft. You would be better off by growing your tomatoes in a container such as a 5 gallon bucket. Banana peppers normally grow to about 2 1/2 ft tall and should be planted on the east side of your bed to give close by plant as much sun as possible. They should also be planted no closer than 1 foot apart for best results. Carrots are a cool weather corps and in your case a cold weather crop. I a afraid you will be disappointed growing carrots at this time of year as it will get too hot too soon for good production. And IMO planting marigolds in a vegetable be is just asking for insect trouble. I know the old wives tale about marigolds repelling insects but it just ain't so. In fact they attract insects. Been there and done that.

Thank you very much! I put tomatoes where they're all 2-3ft apart hoping to avoid that. Being to close together was my major concern so glad you validated that.

You're exactly right on marigolds as I read that they're fantastic at repelling insects from my vegetables in a book I ordered so that is why I did it. Very disappointing to hear that does not work.

 

[Chuck]

Thank you very much! I put tomatoes where they're all 2-3ft apart hoping to avoid that. Being to close together was my major concern so glad you validated that.

You're exactly right on marigolds as I read that they're fantastic at repelling insects from my vegetables in a book I ordered so that is why I did it. Very disappointing to hear that does not work.

Marigolds aren't all bad as they kill certain types of nematodes but not in the year they are planted. The aroma of marigolds does attract beneficial insects but along with the good comes the bad. There has been a lot or research about marigolds in the garden from different universities and they all agree about the nematodes and they all agree that they look pretty but they don't help at all in controlling your basic harmful insects. The home gardener needs 3 things to combat any and all insects and caterpillars. Bt (Bacillus thuringensis), Neem Oil and a spinosad based insecticide. All of these products are safe for pets and humans even up to moment of harvest.