Zone 6 gardners wanna help a newbie at gardening.

[Mskayladog]

I have 5 different spots tilled and ready to go and n the deck I have a broken kids pool with radishes spinach and lettuce leaf coming up.

Back by the chikens in the old horse field I plan on planting pumpkins and in another spot back there some corn in squares not rows.
In a raised garden I'm planting tomatos and squash.
In the side yard I'm planting Kentucky wonder snap beans.
In another spot I have brussel sprouts planted.

Wondering if I made a mistake, I started the beans,squash and pumpkins in pots and now I read that pumpkins and beans do not transplant well. I think I started the seeds to early as the squash plants are showing signs of getting their first flower.

I could really use some advice .

 

[mlongworth]

Most of the pumpkin, squash, melon dont like having their roots disturbed so you need to be very gentle when you transplant them. Usually some of mine make it and some dont. So I also direct sow some. I do the same with beans. I figure anything that makes it gives me a head start. You can pinch the flowers of your pumpkin you will do this anyways especially if you want larger pumpkins. It wont hurt anything.

 

[Mskayladog]

When do you start putting plants out in the garden?

 

[mlongworth]

With the weather ive had this year nothing is in yet just going crazy in the house. Cold weather stuff will go out this weekend. Please no rain! Your peppers tomatoes squash and such wont go out just yet still been getting pretty cold at night.

 

[erinszoo]

I do winter squash and summer squash in pots indoors and transplant with no problems. Melons and cukes really do best if direct planted though but they need soil temps of at least 60 - 65° to germinate. Usually about now would work but not this year. I always direct seed beans in the ground. They are a short season warm weather crop so they don't take long to grow anyway. Tomatoes can go out when night temps are above 45° consistently. Or you can wrap their cages in plastic leaving the top open during the day but covering at night for an earlier crop. If they spend much time below 50° it slows them down and will actually give you a later harvest. Don't plant corn until memorial day. It needs warm rich soil to grow well.

I have almost everything already planted except corn and okra but I'm an insane gardener who doesn't mind adding hot water bottles to my tented tomato beds every night for a month if have to ... so you probably shouldn't do what I do. I have been gardening for 34 years though and l

 

[erinszoo]

Hit the wrong button on my nook ... sigh ... anyway I love helping new gardeners out so keep asking questions. There's a lot of dedicated gardeners on here.

 

[Mskayladog]

Been very busy with the new chicks and dividing up the coop so when it's time to put them out there the older girls can't get to them.
We put out the squash pumpkins, tomatos and cuckes. The squash leaves are turning yellow....was so depressed all day over it lol. Finally decided they needed nitrogen and added some to the soil around the plant.

I wish I had started gardening early in life instead of waiting so late in life.

 

[Mattemma]

Try some tomatillos and ground cherries.For the fall get some kale going. I like to plant throughout the summer so I have crops coming in.The zukes and other summer squashes are easy to grow.Get some fruit plants in as they will take a few years to start producing well.

Do a strawberry bed.It spreads like a weed so it is not very good to mix into a gaden bed with other plants. Oh asparagus is pretty neat to grow.Have fun!

 

[erinszoo]

We did our strawberries in hanging gutters which serve several purposes ... chickens can't reach them, bugs can't crawl on them (roly poly ick), and they take up way less space. Asparagus is a great crop for zone 6 and apple trees and berries of all kinds.