Tomato Woes Part 2:

On  Saturday, I finally picked my first tomato that did not have blossom end rot.  It was one of my romas.  This weekend, I've picked about 12 ripe ones.  I've managed to solve the blossom end rot issue.  My plants just needed more water.  However, in giving them more water, some fruits have split a little on top.  But only a few are affected.

The next problem to manifest itself is Cloudy Spot.  I need to get a picture of this.  My tomatoes are covered with tiny little yellow spots.  Apparently this means I have visitors called Stink Bugs that are feasting on the tomatoes.  Dang it.  I've gardened for such a long time and I don't ever recall this huge of an infestation.  My plants are covered with these little bugs.  

I've read up on them and have watched a few Youtube videos.  The answers are these:
Neem oil
Canola oil 1:4 ratio with water
Liquid dish soap mixed with water
DIY traps

I'm making 2 traps as an experiment.  I'm spraying half of my tomato plants in the canola oil and half in dish soap.  We will see how it works.    

The fruits are still edible, but they are not very pretty.  This is a problem that plagues many commercial growers, drastically reducing the value of their crops.  Affected produce is often only sold for processing.  

I'll still can mine, I just wish they looked better.  

Tomato Woes

I've picked about 30 tomatoes from my garden....all with blossom end rot.  A few things can cause this: not enough calcium being absorbed, not enough watering in the cycle, a period of drought, some varieties are more likely to have this problem, and just google this to get even more possible causes.  I'm guessing my problem lies within the watering issue.  I purchased soaker hoses for the first time this year and I don't think I have set it to the correct watering time to give these plants enough water.  It worked fine, when they were much smaller plants....and I haven't increased the length in watering time, since they have grown.  I also need to take into account the high temperatures.  It has been over 100 degrees for quite a few days this month. So, I have now increased the length of the watering time....we'll see if that corrects the problem. 

My cucumbers are producing very well.  I have been trying lots of new recipes containing cucumbers.  I may have to start canning them as relish.  My zucchini is also doing well.  I haven't canned any yet...but I have given several away. 

My pumpkins are looking cute.  I have also frozen several of my hot peppers.  I'll post a how-to soon.  

Baby, It's Hot Outside

A little cucumber vine sought shelter in the pumpkin plants, and this cucumber went unnoticed.

the 'Sweet Success' variety

Sweet Success also gave me my first cucumber of the season.  Sweeter Yet, though, has completely out produced Sweet Success and Sweet Slice.  

I picked my first jalapenos today.  
I made my third batch of pesto.
The tomatillos are plentiful. 
My cherry tomatoes are ripening (we've eaten a few already.)  All varieties will be ripening soon.

I have a lot of green tomatoes; two, however, are almost red (they are the romas). 

I have noticed the dreaded squash bug in my garden. That is so sad.  I stopped laying down the grass clippings because they seem to like that.  I don't use any pesticides so I have to be diligent in checking under the leaves for the eggs. I scrape the eggs off, crush them and put them in soapy water, along with any adolescent and adult bugs (which aren't many because they scuttle away fast.)  I use a turkey baster to suck them up, as I am a bit squeamish when it comes to touching bugs, even with gardening gloves on.

I've picked several summer squash.  I gave my neighbor three plants, and this variety, (Barq), is out producing her other summer squash.  It is definitely worthwhile to grow. 

SUMMER TOMATOES:

The earliest I've ever been able to pick a garden ripe tomato was on July 18th.  It doesn't look like I'll beat that this year.  But here are some pictures of my green ones.

Yaqui Tomatoes (roma)

Yaqui Tomatoes 

Costoluto Genevese Tomatoes

Today I picked 4 Garden Salsa Peppers, a zucchini, a cucumber and about 3 cups of raspberries.

Yesterday, I picked my first zucchini, my first cucumber, a bowl of raspberries (my kids and husband ate more than a few, but I managed to get a picture of what was left), and a bowl of basil.

I made some pesto, put the raspberries on a homemade cheesecake, turned the zucchini into zoodles and ate it with the pesto, and the cucumber went in today's salad.  

I also laid a thin layer of grass clippings down in the garden to help hold in the moisture and keep weeds away because it is warming up fast.  I will add to it, to make it a thicker layer, but I want to build it up slowly to give the grass time to dry out.  I don't want it rotting; I just want it dry.

I have fruit on my tomatillos, romas, cherry tomatoes, and my Holy Mole peppers.  I also have flowers on all of the pepper plants, one cucumber plant and my Barq summer squash and only male flowers on my pumpkins.

Pumpkin Blossom

Another pumpkin blossom

Some of these tomato blossoms are huge

Tomato Blossoms

Tomatillo Blossoms

The weather has been over 100 degrees three times at my house this month.  Most of the time the temperatures have been in the 90's.  I see lots of flowers, so I'm not worried about production. 

My ornamental peppers are looking cute with their little peppers jutting upwards.  So far they are small and only green.  I'll have to take a pic when they are in their full color glory.

We have had one day of 100+ degree weather so far this month.  Thankfully it was only one.  Usually, where I live, it doesn't hit 100 until the end of July to early August.  However, there are more hot temperatures on the horizon next week with the possibility of more 100 degree days.  (SIGH).  The problem with high temperatures so soon, is that the plants are not encouraged to set fruit when it is hot.  I checked my plants today, and many already have lots of blossoms on them, but sadly some do not have any. 


The four tomato plants I thought I lost in the snow storm, well it turns out I only lost one of them.  The three survivors are way behind in development than the other tomato plants, but they hung in there.  I was going to rip them out and put in some store-bought plants, but I thought I would just see how they did.  Below is a picture of them.  They are tiny plants 

(the three that survived the snow)

                                       (here are the sizes of the others)

I guess in this case, size does matter.  If the ones exposed to the snow were my only tomato plants, then ripping them out and planting new ones, would have been been the best idea.  I doubt the survivors will produce much.  By the time they are ready to flower, we will be in the middle of the high heat summer.  

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My zucchini did come up, but not the Papaya Pear.  All of my pumpkins sprouted except for Hooligan.  My cucumbers are present and accounted for.  

Here is the mound of my Jack O'Lanterns

The different types of pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers are all about the same size as the above picture.  

Okay.  We did get snow for two days last week.  I covered all the plants with a tarp (4 tarps to be exact).  To my rude awakening, I wasn't expecting so much snow.  The snow was so wet and heavy on the tarp causing the tarp to settle in the path on the back side, which pulled it right off of the back row of tomatoes, leaving them exposed to the elements.

Since I had to leave for work I didn't have a lot of time to fix the problem.  I brushed off the leaves and covered the row with a plastic sheet I found in the garage, 2 rain ponchos, 1 emergency blanket (the kind that looks like a piece of tin foil) and 2 extra large garbage sacks.  My garden was 'stylin'.  It may not have won any beauty awards, me either for that matter, but it saved the plants the next day from more snow.  Thankfully I only lost 4 (all on that back row).  

I lost:
my one and only Early girl
my one and only New girl
my one and only Beef Master and
1 Delicious

I have good news though.  The plants I thought I lost in the hail storm, actually came back.  They had the whole tops chopped off, and yet they survived.  So yay.  They are much smaller since they practically started over, but they are in fact alive.

My plants are doing very well in the garden.  This week, however, it is supposed to be in the 30's with a chance of snow.  I will be covering them at night with a huge tarp, to help trap the heat of the soil in.  I don't want them to freeze.

All of my cucumbers came up.  Two varieties of pumpkins didn't come up (Hooligan & Jack-Be-Little).  The seeds were older, so maybe that is why.  I don't plan on replanting those because they also didn't come up last year.  My Summer Squash also didn't come up.  Here again, the seeds were older than most of the others.  So, I'll have to get new Barq seeds next year.  My family won't miss it at all, but I will.  I will see what variety of zucchini my local nursery has and buy one or two.



On the north side of my house, is a lot of shade.  I cleared a space that was weed ridden, and planted the following:

Ground Ivy - hiedra terrestre - variegata glechoma hederacea
Snow in Summer - cerastium (this will get some sun)
Purple Chablis - lamium maculatum
Anemome Harmony Orchid 
Columbine Swan Blue & White
Bleeding Heart Pink
Creeping Jenny 
Woodland Phlox Blue Moon - phlox divaricata
Columbine Origami Red & White