23,822 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening


I agree with those who say to wait until garden advice is solicited, it will be both really heard and appreciated then.
I think it is disrespectful to personally confront people about their grocery choices, that is like telling them that they are children and cannot make their own decisions.
If one has strong feelings about nutrition, write articles, contribute posts here, etc.
Do not approach people in person in public about their grocery choices because they 'might not know'. For one thing, there are scientific disagreements and just because one reads a few articles, does not make one the purveyor of the absolute truth.

UPDATE ON MY TOMATILLO PLANT
As I mentioned in my previous posting, I suspected that tomatillo (or at least some cultivar of it) is DAY LENGTH SENSITIVE. I was right.
REPORT:
My lone tomatillo has been growing since early June, producing hundreds and hundreds of flowers. Until in mid august I just saw one balloon. .
Come mid September, the plant is loaded with pods. The timing coincides with the day length nearing 12 hours. On the tag om my plan said: MEXICAN variety. So no wonder, that it did not do anything when we had 16 hours of day light and warmer weather.
I have challenged the theory that you need more than one plant to fruit, in the past and this is the second time I have proven it otherwise.
---------------------- P.S
as I read more posts , i can tell that a lot of growers reporting that their tomatilloes are suddenly producing lanterns from early September on. Again this is when daylight length approaches 12 hours.
This post was edited by seysonn on Sun, Sep 22, 13 at 5:17

Bump it!
This thread satrted 8 years ago.
There are a lot of interesting discussions and reports. The subject of tomatillo's fertility seems to be still not well understood. I, myself, have experimented with SINGLE plant , 3 times in 3 different season and have gotton the results proving that a single tomatillo plant is self pollinating and fertile. My last experiment was in 2013 season. Albeit , it came too late in the season here in PNW and the fruits inside the husk did not grow to full size
I was going NOT TO plant tomatillo this year, but just to prove myself for the 4th time, I am going to plant JUST ONE again this year. I am going to plant it in a pot this time.
I suspect, MAYBE, tomatillo is daylight/length sensitive and it won't set fruits when daylight is like 13 to 16 hours. That is why my plant last year suddenly burst into husks in August.
Anther issue maybe the variety. As there are tomatoes that are tolerant to cold or hot weather probably there are similar tomatillos too. I will do a search about it and will report it here.

Do you think it's too late for bean seeds then, should I look for plants and get them in the ground as soon as possible? My plan is to wait a week or two to plant tomatoe and pepper plants and get some beet and cucumber seeds in the ground this weekend. Do I need to stager plantings, mostly tomatoes and peppers I mean, so all plants don't ripen and provide at the same time. Thanks so much everyone, you been so helpful so far. I really appreciate it.

Do you think it's too late for bean seeds then,
Not at all. Beans prefer warmer soil or they just rot. Even down here we are are just now planting beans. jimmy56 may be in a very different garden zone than you are.
You don't need to stagger plant tomatoes or peppers as even determinate tomato types will produce for the season. Indeterminate types will produce until killed by frost or disease.
Please keep in mind that as mentioned above you need to research how to grow each of these vegetables individually and there are lots of "how to grow ______ in a home garden" info sites. Each vegetable has different needs.
And expect some set backs too and roll with them. It is impossible to learn everything you need to know in 2 weeks or even 2 years.
Dave


I'm wondering if it might be the fertilizer. How much did you put down and what kind? Has it rained more than it did last year? Is it hotter? What's in your compost? That sounds like an awful lot of watering to me. I know it is really hot there, but still...

I have had the same problem with raccoons in the past. I am now trying "The Three Sisters." The squash should deter the raccoons.
Here is a link that might be useful: Three Sisters Garden

So i think i am about to have some major pollination issues with my corn. I only plant 8 at a time in 2 sq feet. I always hand pollinate and never have had any issues, but this year it has been raining monsoon style during my pollination period and I can't seem to get any pollen to drop from the tassels. I was able to get a little dust in my glass only one morning and I think I was able to successfully pollinate only one set of silks. Does anyone know if the rain may have actually helped pollinate them by washing the pollen over the silks? by the way Her name was Magil and she called herself Lil

If you can't divert the run off to that location can you haul in dirt and raise the whole elevation of the yard? You'd have to grade it so it sloped away from the house and toward the fence line so that might mean building a low retaining wall of some sort on the outside edge of the patio/sidewalk. A landscape contractor can give you an evaluation, suggestions, and estimate - usually for free.
Dave

You may have better luck in your second year. I'm a big advocate of planting over grass, as it will compost down and create rich soil. But it's always best to give it several months to decompose before planting. I probably would have gone 2' wide at a minimum, though I don't know how much the narrow width will hinder your garden.
I'm in agreement that your wilting is most likely heat. That temp is awfully hot for new plants. If they're turning yellow and wilting, they're getting too much water. If they're staying green and wilting, they're not getting enough water. I always give my plants extra water when the temps go over 90 like they have this week.

:) Thanks All!
This tomato plant is just crazy!
I put manure around it when planted, that has been it. I really have neglected it.
Was planted where a barn/horse stall used to be so maybe that has something to do with the health/growth.
And believe it or not it is just one stalk.....has not rooted anywhere else.
The wind this past week did a real number on it....almost knocked it over (Thank god I had a post behind it to catch it). Some of my other mater plants will be producing in a month so I won't be so upset when the time comes to rip it out.
Jennifer

It does not appear that your peas are close to the 30 percent defoliation level, which is how much damage is needed to affect productivity. The mulch is harboring slugs, earwigs or both, so I'd be inclined to simply do a little first aid by sprinkling diatomaceous earth under the vines between rains. I love peas!

Being an organic gardener, I try to be pro active. By that I mean, I watch the garden for any problems that are just starting and get busy taking care of it before it becomes a bigger problem. I agree with Dave, that the first step is to identify what the pest is. I've had damage from earwigs in the past and couldn't figure it out until I went out with a flashlight at night and then ohâ¦so that's what's been doing it. :-) At that point, I will search the internet for a solution that doesn't require a pesticide. In the case of earwigs, it's a simple cup of soapy water and with a gloved hand, just knocking them off the plant into the soapy water. About four nights of that and I could hardly find an earwig in the garden. End of problem.
Oddly, one instance of not following my own rule to act quickly allowed for a solution without my intervention. Aphids. I kept seeing them and let them build up and the next thing I knew, I started seeing ladybugs in the garden and voila, no more aphids. Aphids also can be controlled by just knocking them off a plant with a stream of water. At this point, I don't worry when I see aphids, ladybugs eat a lot of aphids and I could almost worry that the ladybugs won't get enough food and go somewhere else. lol


If "few" means 2, yes. But no more than that. Many tomatillo plants get huge, bigger than tomato plants.
Personally I'd only plant one per container of that size and group 2 or 3 of them - in separate containers - near each other for better pollination, production, and better control of the nutrients and watering needs.
Dave


Floral: it's Red Cross from Johnny's. I grew it last year too. Didn't have any problems last year.
Oh dear - you're right. Picture two certainly shows something going very wrong.