Transplants? Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and Swiss Chard- Oh My!

Discussion in 'Fruit and Veg Gardening' started by DogThumbs, Oct 17, 2018.

  1. DogThumbs

    DogThumbs New Seed

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    Today I spent a good bit of time, and unfortunately more money than expected, on a surprise transplant. I am not very knowledgeable about gardening so when I bought my 6 pack of broccoli and Brussels sprouts, I planted all six of each in two planters just a couple of inches apart.

    Yesterday I learned that this is not supposed to be! So I bought some new pots and transplanted them into those, one each. I've included pictures of them. Do they look OK for what I've done? Is there anything I did wrong with these?

    On to the Swiss chard: I looked closely and it actually seems like there are three or four different plants in the pot! They are different colors, some stalks are red and some are yellow. Do I need to break these guys up and put them in their own pots, or are they fine together like this? They were sold in the same pot, and I simply put them in a larger pot when I got them home. I thought it was just one plant at the time!

    Bonus: my jalapeno is in one of these pictures. I got scared the other night when the cold front really moved in and the wind started to whip it around. The stem has actually grown thicker just in the last few days and it's not moving around in the wind very much at all anymore! If I feel it is in any more danger of falling over I will get a stake for it though.

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  3. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    The Swiss Chard should be fine with neighbors in the same pot. It looks as if you could harvest some (more leaves will come up from the middle of the plants).
    Broccoli gets a pretty large root system. What size pots are they in? If they are in any pot less than 3 gallons, move them now to a bigger pot. Later you'll lose roots, set the plant's development back, and possibly not get a broccoli head.
    All I know about Brussels Sprout is that they get tall and smell awful. I'm sure another gardener here will be able to help.
     
  4. DogThumbs

    DogThumbs New Seed

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    Thanks marlin! I am quite sure these guys are not in 3 gallon pots unfortunately! However due to how much I spent today getting these, I'll have to wait a bit before I can splurge on bigger pots. I hope these guys are going to be OK for a week or more while I wait. They're still fairly small and the root systems weren't that big yet (about the size of a softball right now).

    These pots won't go to waste though, because I have some herbs that I'll be trying to germinate soon!

    Thanks for the advice on the chard as well! I am having a caterpillar issue with it at the moment so I am not harvesting any leaves to eat. Should I harvest some just to encourage the plant to produce more? I won't be eating them if I do since many are full of holes (possibly compost them into some soil? I do not know).
     
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  5. DogThumbs

    DogThumbs New Seed

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    OK, I'm getting some conflicting information online. Some sites say 10" pots are 1.3 gallon, but other sites are saying 10" pots are 3 gallons. Not sure what to think about that.
     



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  6. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    Dog thumbs, you don't need to purchase bigger pots. If there is a construction site near you, or a company that does renovations, ask if they have any empty 5 gallon pots (drywall spackle comes in those, and is easily cleaned off by soaking, or you could try a fast-food restaurant. Mayo, pickles, etc. come in big containers. They may not be beautiful, but they sure work well with a few holes poked about 1" above the bottom.
    I think the conflicting information is about the depth of the pot. I have a shallow 10" pot that holds much less soil than a 10" pot that is about 18" deep.
    I adore herbs--which ones are you germinating?
     
  7. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    It sounds like you've got some good advice up above.
    I will only add that you ought to be sure that the pots or buckets that you transplant these plants into have holes in the bottom of them for drainage. You also should have a shallow container (reservoir) to place under your pots so that water and soil will not run all over your balcony.
    BTW--I see your pepper plant and it looks good.
     
  8. DogThumbs

    DogThumbs New Seed

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    I'll be trying oregano, sweet basil, and sage! I have some over-the-rail pots to put these guys in once they get big enough. It's all an experiment, I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing so it's all a big adventure, lol!

    @Sjoerd I'm going to be checking out the local restaurants to see if I can find some! Thank you for the advice! Also thanks for checking out the pepper :D
     
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  9. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    You have chosen three of the most useful herbs to grow. Sage is perennial, so make sure it is protected during the winter (we put ours in the barn). Basil is annual, but it's easy to start from seed, so losing it over winter is just temporary. We grow Mexican oregano because it can withstand our humidity. I don't know where you are, so Italian oregano may work for you. Have you considered adding thyme to your herb garden? It is so fragrant, so useful in cooking, and pretty, too!
     
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  10. DogThumbs

    DogThumbs New Seed

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    I'm not sure what kind of oregano this is, actually! It just says "oregano" on the packet. I live in Texas on the Gulf coast, so the humidity is usually fairly high.

    What temps can sage withstand? Winters are pretty mild here, with only a few nights dipping below 50 per season (and I can pull them inside on those nights).

    Glad to know that the basil is easy to start! I'll have everyone in the window until they look big enough to do anything else with. I also do have thyme seeds! In fact I have a 12 pack of different herbs that I got on sale the other day, but a few I might not be able to plant. I would have liked to do the lavender that came in it, but everywhere I read says it prefers a low humidity environment, and that's definitely not what I have here!
     
  11. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    You never know until you try--so plant your oregano, and if it doesn't work out, get some Mexican oregano (lippia graveolens). I bought mine as a start and have had it for several years. It does need a severe haircut in the late fall/early winter or it gets woody and leggy.
    Sage will do fine outdoors in your area. Temps at 50 degrees won't hurt it at all.
    You are right--lavender just doesn't like our humidity and will be an annual, at best.
    If you are serious about herbs, may I suggest you get a copy of Southern Herb Growing by Madeline Hill and Gwen Barclay. Madeline was the maven of herbs and got many Texas gardeners hooked on herb growing. It's fascinating reading, very informative, and has some really great recipes, too!
     
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  12. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    I had sage at my old house and it even did well in snow ! But it needs regular pruning before it gets woody ! Just pick the leaves and freeze them ! Chard looks great and yes,, there can be color variations but its all the same plant ! I find the same color differences in mine and they are in my garden.
    Broccoli and brussell sprouts can get to be huge plants !! In full sun in my garden,, brussell sprouts can get to be 3 to 4 feet tall and take a long time to produce the sprouts ! Broccoli are slightly smaller but wider ! After you harvest the central head do not remove the plant,, they will continue to produce side shoots that can be picked until the plant dies or you just get tired of broccoli ! Whichever comes first !
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2018
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  13. DogThumbs

    DogThumbs New Seed

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    Good news: I got three 4 gallon buckets today to experiment with. I'm going to try to drill some holes in them tomorrow and replant some things. In terms of holes, I'm going for maybe six/eight on the bottom, and a ring of them 1" above the bottom on the sides. Should I put more than one ring of holes on the side farther up, or is one ring enough?

    I am not able to do anything on the weekends because I am not there. It didn't rain this weekend so I am worried about my Swiss chard. It was raining during the last few weekends so I didn't worry about water. Is there anything I can set up to keep the plant moist over the weekend when I'm gone? I don't have any electronic drippers or anything (and there is no outlet out there anyways), but is there maybe other ways? Or should it be fine without water from Thursday-Sunday?
     
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  14. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    We must have been typing at the same time ! Read above your post ! Swiss Chard should be fine for three days if you set the pot in a pan of water and let it soak up the moisture then remove and let the excess drain out !! It is not difficult and does well here in the Texas heat with minimal water ! It is cool enough now that not much water will evaporate in that time ! Check when you get back and if its still moist below the surface of the soil it is fine for another couple of days ! Too much water is worse than not enough water !
     
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  15. DogThumbs

    DogThumbs New Seed

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    The Swiss chard did great over the weekend! It was quite dry when I got home so I gave it some water.

    I did come back with a few questions and concerns about the rest of my guys, though. This is going to be long and it has lots of pictures.

    First, have a pic of the very healthy and happy chard!

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    Now, onto my concerns. I just finished drilling holes in three pails and transplanting three Brussels sprouts. Two look great! One looked a little sad though, and it seems some of the leaves are turning brown.

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    Before transplant

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    After transplant

    The soil is the same as in my other Brussels sprout pots and has drainage at the bottom. What could this be? Could the plant recover if I just ignore it or do I need to do something?

    Here are my other two transplanted guys (and one I haven't done yet because I have no more pots yet):

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    They have much more space than they did when they were in the black pots! I also like how these mop pails have handles so they were easier for me to move around. It was also my first time ever using a drill, so that was fun! There are holes along the sides of the pails and also nine holes along the very bottom.

    Now onto my peppermint. It was caught out in the rain for several days in a row, but I figured it had good drainage. I was wrong! I didn't realize that the bottom of the pot was covered with a dish that came on it, and the soil was absolutely saturated. I pulled the dish off and a TON of water poured out and I've let it just sit and drain. What happened was that the soil sunk way down after it drained. Is this bad for the plant? Is there anything I should do?

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    I also have a bit of browning on the leaf of one of my broccoli, and I'm not sure what is causing it:

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    My pepper plant is making me really happy but today I noticed some holes in the leaves. Anyone know what could have caused this?

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    If these questions should go into the pests/diseases area please tell me. I figured since this thread was already open I could post these here without making more threads. Thanks so much for all the help you guys have given me!!

    One more picture. Am I being too optimistic in thinking these little buds might be potential flowers on my pepper? I am very excited!!!

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  16. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    You need to pick the larger leaves of the chard and just put them in a plastic refrigerator bag or use them now as you wish !! The smaller leaves will grow to fill in the space and you can continue the process ! The brussel sprouts look fine,, it is normal for them to lose a few bottom leaves as they begin to grow taller ! Mine always do that ! I just leave them alone and let nature take care of that. Transplanting will cause them to lose a few leaves as well ! The holes look like a normal thing and I would not worry too much about those ! The mint will recover if you let it dry out but it may shed the top leaves ! As I said before too much water is worse than not enough water ! It does not hurt plants to dry out a bit.
     
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