.?? Sfg to conventional bearing vegetables

Simso 1/15/2022, 3:12 am

So planted some zucchinis in the sfg and my conventional graden beds.

My garden beds, have three to four zucchinis at about 1 inch in length

My sfg has 1 zucchini 12 inches long and keeps dropping all the other little ones that appear.

I also noticed my watermelon keeps dropping all the other juvenile melons and is pushing the one which is about 8 inches round now, my conventional planted melons have a few on the vines albeit 1/2 an inch in size

Is this normal for sfg.

Steve

OhioGardener 1/15/2022, 8:49 am

Simso wrote:Is this normal for sfg.

It is not normal, but nor is it unusual. Because of the nature of the soilless mixture that is used in SFG, it takes a period of time for the microbial life to make the nutrients fully available to the plant roots. The productivity of the SFG beds should continue to improve as the compost matures.

**sanderson** 1/15/2022, 7:10 pm

+1

What OG said about new Mel's Mix. Sometimes it takes a little time for the microbes to multiply and the compost to continue breaking down before optimum nutrition is available. Each year my MM seems to improve nutrient-wise.

I forgot if you have mulch on the MM? Keeping the roots cool is important during your hot summers. In-ground plants have the mass of the dirt to keep them cooler. Where as raised beds can benefit from mulch.

Simso 1/15/2022, 7:33 pm

.?? Sfg to conventional bearing vegetables 162d4410

So weird, one zuke and i picked him as per photo, the ones in the conventional garden are barely one inch, tea last night comprised of baby beets and roasted zucchini

**sanderson** 1/16/2022, 2:26 pm

Good looking zucchini. By tea, do you mean a light meal?

Yardslave 1/16/2022, 4:44 pm

Small Zucs that drop off or zucchini fruit that are "fluted" are the result of poor fertilization. Either by not enough bees visiting your garden, or you are top watering and filling the female flower stigma with water preventing pollen from making contact with the stigma. I have had to alter my watering schedule a bit to only water when the flowers are closed up (usually at daybreak or early afternoon).

Simso 1/16/2022, 6:34 pm

sanderson wrote:Good looking zucchini. By tea, do you mean a light meal?

We added a store bought butternut squash with onions and potatos and a leg of lamb and had a roast dinner .?? Sfg to conventional bearing vegetables 3170584802

.?? Sfg to conventional bearing vegetables 3170584802

Simso 1/16/2022, 6:36 pm

I wish that was the problem, hand pollinated every flower, water the root area only, rain cannot get in the area as well

**sanderson** 1/17/2022, 1:32 pm

Simso wrote:
sanderson wrote:Good looking zucchini. By tea, do you mean a light meal?
We added a store bought butternut squash with onions and potatos and a leg of lamb and had a roast dinner

Ah, ha! Aussie "tea" Razz

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.?? Sfg to conventional bearing vegetables

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