Gardening Gardening

my bell peppers that aren't fruiting are getting a lot of shade from the tomatoes in the morning. The tomato plants are really big.
The hot banana peppers are practically being overran by the july tomato plants. Never saw tomato plants as big as those! But the peppers on those are going crazy.

 

Really weird. We’re polar opposites. My tomato plants are growing huge, like yours but very very little fruit. Peppers on the other hand are off the charts.

 

will calcium help tomatoes and peppers?

 

It depends on your soil pH. If it is below 6.5 you probably should add lime. Calcium is what helps prevent blossom end rot but the plants need to be watered regularly for the plant to absorb the calcium from the soil. You can save you egg shells and grind them in a blender and sprinkle them around your plants.

 

I just got a ph meter. I better go try it.
Thanks

 

Our you can use calcium pills. Either grind up powder or the gel ones. Then dilute with water. Spray on leaves or water the plants as normal with it. Eggshells take quite some time to break down. Maybe more than a year and you'll need a lot of shells. Only 4 pills did all of my tomato and peppers. Tomatoes are getting huge, both plants and the fruit.

With our stupid heat wave, I did see some peppers bailed blossoms. Not many, but some did. Good thing I planted a lot of peppers. Not farmer Steve level, but a lot for my level

 

Pumpkins and acorn squash. Won't be long. Think fall.

 

My roma type tomato plant is producing intermittent blossom end rot. Weird really how out of a group, 1 or 2 will be affected and the rest just fine (they are still green), but there is at least 1 6'+ runner that hasn't had that issue (same plant).

The other, slicer tomato plant that is in the same planter, right next to it, doesn't have an issue. New soil bagged garden soil (first year using the planter), has a water reservoir underneath so the water wicks up to the soil, and cedar wood mulch. IDK what the cause is. I figure if it was a nutrient, then more would be affected, or at least both plants. Maybe there are a couple of causes.

Doesn't help that the bumper crop of caterpillars and bugs are eating everything in sight (my peppers got hit hard - you can't tell me that bugs don't like hots), the tomatoes have early blight (still gonna get plenty of produce though), and chippy or squirrels are rooting around in the dirt of the planter, and all my flower beds, like their looking for gold.

 

It's awfully frustrating to go through all the effort to plant things and not have the results that are expected.

 

Salsa time

 

Last 900 Cole crops in last evening. You can see the difference 3 weeks of heat and water make.

 

Oh, i have been!

 

Did you plant the cauliflower that grows in a spiral?

 

Yes. Romanesco. About 100 plants in each planting.

 

All you gardeners out there
,check your local Wal-Mart stores. Picked this up on clearance today for a $1 a bag. Getting ready for next year. 20 lb. bag. Got the last 7 bags they had.

 

Sorry, didn't see your question til now! The bagged summer squash got the same scheduled feedings as the in-ground zukes. I've come to learn from a local garden facebook group that everyone in the area is having a tough time with cucumber beetles this year. I've noticed mine have thinned out a bit, I wouldn't even call it an issue at this point. Just this morning I picked my 32nd zuke of the season so even if they died off I can't say they didn't work their magic for the entire month of July.

I have one big brandy wine tomato in a grow bag and a bell pepper. The tomato is doing fine, although it's so top heavy now when it's windy out it kept blowing over, so now I just have it bungee corded from the tomato cage to my fence. The pepper seems to be doing a lot better in the grow bag than the ones in my raised bed. All are healthy, but the one in the grow bag has the first very prominent pepper growing.

I gotta say as my first year of having a mostly successful garden at my house I'm pretty hooked. Not only is it satisfying but it's gotten me closer with a few different neighbors who are into it, now we all trade produce and seeds and what not, and just help eachother out the way neighbors should.

 

I have a decent-sized area on my property that the power company cleared last year for their easement. I'm going to let the far half grow back for privacy from the main road (the power co. can clear it again in 5-10 years) however I had them dump about ten loads of woodchips for the area closer to the house. The goal is to plant a selection of dwarf apple trees there (they are allowed under the power lines since their height won't impact the wires). I finally got six in last week so we'll see how they take. If they live, I'll plant more.

 

I'm ignorant on how that clearing goes for the power lines - it seems to me they just go thru and cut everything so I would think they would take out your dwarf apple trees too. I'm guessing you know more than I do, so I hope your trees thrive!

 

When they came through last year, I had their arborist come up in order to talk to him directly. I was hoping to get them to leave some of the swamp maple along the road as a privacy buffer however due to the species, no joy. He did tell me there is a fairly large list of trees, shrubs, etc., that can be planted underneath the lines. Their website has a partial list of allowed items as well. Dwarf fruit trees are allowed since they do not grow high enough to interfere with the lines.

I think in a lot areas they just clear cut their easement (15' to each side of the lines) for simplicity's sake. When it goes through private property however, they are willing to work with the property owners (at least up here). Depending on the area, they also go through after cutting and spray a chemical to stop regrowth. They couldn't in my area due to the proximity to wells so the ground is safe for planting fruit trees.

 

That's how it works here too. In this state, you can simply opt out of the chemical at your residence to prevent plant/ tree growth. Here you can put a shed or other structure, but it can't be " permanent" so no footings and has to be " moveable". They don't need to be easily moved though. They also can't be more than 15' tall. Plants and shrubs and some trees can be planted. They can't grow very high though. Helicopters will occasionally fly low to inspect the lines and verify nothing will be an issue.