welcome to Lower South 2016

Guess what?  I bought my first 2016 seeds on Mon, tangerine dream sweet pepper, red kuri squash, bushsteak tomato.  Heading for Philippines on Jan 18 and planning to try them there first.  I was looking for just plain ole Patio tomato and found the bushsteak another short stubby plant for containers.  Also received my Park seed order today which included mega bite container tomato and partenon zuchinni which is made for green house growing and  does not need pollination. 

When I get back in late April, I will have missed the spring greens growing season, but still hope to get some collards and swiss chard for summer.  The Zuke seeds are part of a plan to make a new bed with all new MM and cover it up from the beginning.  I'm tired of no squash.

Kay

I had actually decided on the red kuri squash but changed my mind.  I am going to grow Cucurbita Moschata varieties this year.   I do have some partenon seeds left from last year but I never got around to covering it so I got no squash/zucchini last year.

What happened to the zukes?

Scorpio Rising wrote:What happened to the zukes?  

Here in the south, we have five things that attack summer squash/zukes.  Downey Mildew and Powdery Mildew, then the dreaded Squash Vine Borer and Squash Bugs, and if they survive all that, the pickle worms show up in July to burrow into any squash/zukes that have managed to survive all the other things.  You can cover the Squash/Zukes with row cover or tulle and if you hand pollinate you will get a good harvest (if you can keep down the mildew's).  Some parts of the country do not have squash vine borers and other parts of the county only have one generation each summer.  But here in the south, we get at least 2 generations.  

This year I am going to try to grow some Cucurbita Moschata (winter squash ususally) which are somewhat resistant to Squash Vine Borers.  So is Tromboncino Summer Squash.  Almost all the Cucurbita Pepo (mostly summer squash/zukes) are all susceptible to being attacked by the squash vine borer.  If you plant the winter squash as early as you possibly can and they survive everything else, it becomes difficult for the pickle worms (which attack in July)  to burrow into the fruit because the winter squash starts to develop a tuff skin.

The SVBs are part of the reason I started SFGing. I lost about 9 years' worth of my beloved patty pans to what turned out to be SVBs. Toward the end of the growing season last year, my pans got some PM, but not enough to stop production.

Good luck! Hope the new cultivars help!

Wow...I am amazed how everyone's planning going and a bit jealous. I got two areogardens for Christmas, thanks hubby, and have already harvested my basil and dill. Those are in the herb areo, which I opened early hee hee, they were started the week before christmas. My second was started the day after christmas with tomatoes. They already have their first set of true leave on them. My son is eagerly watching that the tomatoes because he is determined to have the first one.

I have gotten two seeds catalogs and wish I got just a little sun to be able to grow something. I am thinking, hubby doesn't know yet sshh, that I will try to grow some root crops and lettuces in pots on the porch. They don't need direct sunlight right, lol.

Happy Gardening All!!!

Not sure about ya'll weather be its getting cold here for the next little bit. They are even calling snow up in the mountains. If you have plants outside check your weather you might need to cover them this week