4-14-2010 Succesion Planting

4-14-2010 Succesion Planting

by Farmer Dave
(Northern California)

succession planting

Succession Planting
If you would like to have a continual supply of garden veggies its time for some succession planting. I just got done planting another succession of sugar snap peas and another flat of lettuce, broccoli and cabbage. I also planted some Swiss chard and spinage in another flat. I transplanted some tomato starts from our starter flat to small pots. We have had a very cold spring so my plants are growing very slowly.
I am visiting a friend and helping them out in their garden, we are going to seed some of their garden beds outside with lettuce, spinage, swiss chard, beets and carrots. We also transplanted some large tomato plants into wall of waters which is a new thing for me. The wall of waters are plastic collars that you fill with water and they surround the tomato plants and keep them warm even in cold weather and frosts.
I am transplanting some lettuce into garden beds that I started in a flat in mid February.
Looking forward to some sunny days…..

"The early Planter eats the early fruit"
Farmer Dave

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4-14-2010 Succesion Planting

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Apr 24, 2010
Lettuce and Lemons
by: Farmer Dave

Greetings Beth
Glad to know the lettuce is working out well for you are you a teacher or do you work with kids.
We have a Myer lemon tree and it does well in our green house and flowers in the late spring and early summer. We usually get a very abundant crop of lemons. Does your tree flower? It is possible that it is not getting good pollination? If that is the problem you can hand pollinate. It also needs to get cold enough during the winter. It is only through a process called "differentiation" which is a modification of the bud tissues in structure and function whereby a vegetative bud in changed into a flower bud. If differentiation does not occur a citrus tree will only, and always, produce vegetative growth, and therefore will not bloom. For a vegetative citrus bud to differentiate into a flower bud, the tree must endure temperatures at or below 68F. Under normal conditions, sufficient flower bud induction should be achieved when total uninterrupted, accumulated hours of low temperatures exceed 850 hours below 68 degrees F. if the previous crop was heavy. If the pervious crop load was light, sufficient flower bud induction (differentiation) can occur after 750 hours of accumulated low temperatures. After the required cool period, a warm period of one to two weeks with maximum temperatures of 75F. to 80F. can trigger bloom. In the case of Leapfrog's Meyer lemon tree, the TOTAL accumulated hours must not have been attained because of two reasons. First, the tree was growing against a southern wall, but more importantly the tree was kept warm during the cold spells by the use of Christmas lights, and a protective tent. Had the tree achieved the accumulated hours of cool treatment it surely would have produced blooms. Therefore, the foliage buds remained foliage buds and did not differentiate into flower buds. Non blooming, or a very light bloom, is a common problem with citrus trees that are grown inside a warm home or office building.
If you have more details on your tree and its condition's I may be able to help more with trouble shooting.
Good luck and let me know if this info helps.

Farmer Dave

Apr 24, 2010
Lettus small pots and Lemon Tree
by: Beth

The children loved having lettus to take home in small pots. Next year I will start only three weeks ahead, so the plants are not so far along. Let them see more growth. The Lettus was great suggestion. How do you get your Lemon Tree to produce? Our Tree is growing but no Lemons. Help Please.

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4-14-2010 Succesion Planting

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4-14-2010 Succesion Planting

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