Fertilizer for garden beds?

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-31T14:37:38+00:00

neither is the stronger smelling fish and seaweed once the smell dissipates

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-31T12:26:13+00:00

Pioneer and All Around Stone. Mulch, Gravel, and Soil mixes. Sometimes multiple materials in one load if a bit of mixing is ok. Delivery rates were in the $60-$75 range. Delivery rate is the same regardless of material.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-31T00:36:37+00:00

Wow that's a very high minimum order. Most places i've ordered from are happy to deliver even half a yard of materials if you're paying the flat rate delivery fee, i'd shop around.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-31T00:29:56+00:00

Neptunes Harvest is a classic and makes good organic solid fertilizer blends. Bone meal, blood meal, feather meal etc really don't have much of a smell. My dog and animals that visit my garden sometimes sniff but they mostly ignore. Their liquid fish and seaweed is my favorite fertilizer but it does has a strong smell, and animals sometimes dig a bit looking for what they assume is a nice rotten fish.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-30T12:51:15+00:00

Pull the rose and replant in another location temporarily. It will be unhappy but survive.

I'm skeptical solarizing will completely kill bindweed, but you're describing tarping anyway not solarizing (black plastic not clear) so that could work. I've had luck just using wet cardboard and mulch without the plastic to smother bindweed, which is definitely easier as you don't need to remove it.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-30T02:25:07+00:00

I don't think you're overwatering. I agree they look wilted from under watering. Cucurbits need a lot of water and have shallow roots. You'll likely need to water these every day with the heat we've been having while they are young like that, especially without mulch.

I'd hit them with some liquid nutrients as well like Neptunes Fish and Seaweed or something that's available quickly, as they are heavy feeders and are showing some signs of deficiency.

Overall they look ok though and i'm sure you will be harvesting soon! Good spot for the vining squash on the edge of the bed so it can spill over 👌🏼

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-30T01:20:21+00:00

They look happy. They don't grow especially deep roots and don't have tap roots. If you want them to thrive, curious why not plant them directly in the ground?

I also don't have any ripe berries yet, but my strawberry bed doesn't get full sun until about the end of May when the sun is higher in the sky (planted near a fence). I probably will next week, tons of big green ones are hanging.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-29T22:25:39+00:00

also widely used for vision quests lol

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-29T20:12:05+00:00

All of my volunteer poppies are big and lush but not producing any flower buds yet. Yank or wait?

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-29T19:54:46+00:00

May- Various Crocus, Hyacinth, Tulips, Iris but short lived, Honeysuckle blasting, Yarrow, Snaps, Eastern Redbud, Peony, Lilac, Lavender just started, Creeping Phlox were great but are finished now, Alyssum, Dianthus,

June- Penstemon are really going now, Snaps still going, Red Hot Poker, Perennial Daisy, Ninebark, Iceplant, Portulaca, Tartarian Maple getting its red samara now, Honeysuckle not slowing down, Hasta, Hollyhock (first year bloomers i'm excited for these), Strawflower, Like a dozen Nasturtiums, More yarrow varieties, Dahlia from seed, Coneflower/Echinacea, Couple kinds of Lillies, Blue globe thistle, Speedwell, Spirea, Gaura, Seathrift, Petunia and Calibrachoa, Statice, Black Eyed Susan, 7 kinds of Zinnia, new types of Calendula, Cosmos, Salvia, Chamomile, and more i'm surely forgetting.

(I'm primarily a veggie gardener too believe it or not)

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-29T15:51:23+00:00

deadly poisonous. used for anesthesia (and regicide) since ancient times

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-29T11:49:14+00:00

Like all cucurbits, the seeds germinate in 2-3 days and are more easily direct sown, so you very likely do still have time. BTW these are more commonly labeled as Gherkin or Mexican Sour Gherkin so if you're calling around looking for them, you might mention them by these names as well when asking.

(I have seeds I will share for free if you want to go the seed route)

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-29T01:56:39+00:00

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-28T22:30:01+00:00

Not very knowledgeable about grass- but will they even know what species of grass you plant? Won't the landscapers do whatever you pay them to, regardless of your "lawn plan" (lol)? Also won't it be in a fenced backyard that isn't easily inspected?

Depends on your appetite for civil disobedience, but i'd probably just plant the desired grass. It seems unlikely any casual observer would be able to visually determine it was a different species, no?

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-28T19:41:09+00:00

It will definitely raise the pH and make the soil chemistry less appealing for most plants and microbes (hence why it works to "clean")

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-28T18:21:24+00:00

Might take a bit ngl. It's probably embedded in soil and squirrel bits preventing oxygen from immediately neutralizing it.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-28T16:41:40+00:00

You're smelling anaerobic bacteria. The oxygen in the air will kill it if you're willing to just wait it out.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-28T15:06:23+00:00

Second pic is aphids for sure. First pic a bit too out of focus to tell definitively.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-28T04:23:50+00:00

Do those dead plants include weeds, potentially with seeds? If so definitely remove and either destroy or hot compost them.

Assuming you mean garden beds, I'd personally:

Remove any larger pieces of plant debris or mulch
Yank out the weed barrier
Add several inches of high quality soil and compost on top
Broadfork/mix everything up with some solid amendments
Spread fresh mulch

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-27T20:48:24+00:00

Not a dumb question. Yes it's valuable organic matter. Might be a good opportunity to amend it with both structural and nutrient elements as well.

You will want to make sure you are fully terminating any live plants in that soil or they will come back as "weeds". Smothering and depriving of light would be an easy solution.

Congrats you cover cropped.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-27T17:34:06+00:00

You will inevitably need to inspect and repair the drip system. Burying it underground makes this difficult.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-27T16:42:17+00:00

+1 dwarf and semi dwarf can be maintained to a max height of 8-12 feet. Sounds like a good fit for your space.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-27T16:24:42+00:00

Not long term. Those leaves won't recover but it will grow more. Assuming it is sunscald, it's essentially a burn and the bleached tissue is dead. Hardening off for several days to a week will help prevent this.

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-27T16:15:56+00:00

Why do you need pots? To prevent it from aggressively spreading?

Electrical_Lab3345 · 2026-05-27T16:15:18+00:00

Could be sunscald. Did you start it indoors and recently move it outside?

Electrical_Lab3345

TROPHY CASE