24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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aniajs(Z6 Reno NV foothills)

We're only officially in year 3 of declared drought, but I have noticed an impact on my backyard garden. Mostly because they switched my municipal water supply in mid-July from Truckee River water to piped groundwater/surface water from Honey Lake, which is way worse in terms of higher pH, higher TDS, higher boron, higher arsenic, higher etc. Results? Everything took a dive right about mid July/early August. My foster garden in Reno proper, which has plants from the same seeds, the same soil and fertilizer regime, and is still on river water supply, is going gonzo.

Grrr. I've been so careful to cut my water use and reuse as much as possible, and it really doesn't matter because I can't do anything about where I get my water.

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Marianne W (zone 10A)

Welcome to the desert. You'll adapt. Grow things in the shade and find stuff that isn't as thirsty. No more tomatoes in the summer, it's a waste of water. That's now a spring or fall crop when the evap rate isn't as bad.

Research what crops people grow in arid parts of the world and learn to love them. It will mean changing your habits and learning new ways. Contact the Us to see what the AG departments suggest. University of Arizona has excellent resources for arid gardening and I bet your local U is working on doing the same--ask them if you can participate in crop trials or go to a class.

You can still garden. But, big tomatoes are now for March/April and summer is for basil.

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Peter (6b SE NY)

As a crow flies? What is this, Lord of the Rings? :)

30-50 tomatoes non-stop from 4 plants is not possible... your friend is boasting. Unless they are Sungolds! :)

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Jason B

I knew it was BS....

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veronica_p8(6/7 Pittsburgh)

I'm thinking your "yellow ladybugs" are cucumber bugs. I have both striped and spotted (saw spotted for the first time yesterday) but I've been keeping their numbers low (fingers crossed) with neem oil spray.

They transmit bacterial wilt, which may be what's going on with your plants. I was given this link when I was questioning what the pests were on my pumpkins, and I've seen a few now on my cucumber and zucchini blossoms. When I see them, I spray them with insecticidal soap (being sure to shoo away the bees first) and then apply neem oil, which I don't think kills them right off, but keeps them from "feeding".

See if this seems accurate.

-veronica

Here is a link that might be useful: Cucumber Beetle/Bug

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amysaj

Aphids they ruined my squash plants every year! look under the leaves they leave tiny black eggs all over the bottom of the leaves. They're extremely hard to stop.

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naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan(5B SW Michigan)
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Mache?? (Not a broccoli) Orach ?(Also not a Broccoli)

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ilodato(6b)

I grew most of my tomatoes this summer w/o staking. no issues. i'd let them be.

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Jason B

I just used 2 papa John's pizza boxes to elevate the the collapsed plant, wasn't easy, but at least it's off the ground now

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Tiffany Regan

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Maybe Downey Mildew (based on just that one leaf in the center) but can't be sure from the photo. You can Google lots of pics of it to compare to your plants. I would also check the undersides of the leaves carefully as aphids and especially spider mites can have that same effect on leaves.

Dave

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farmerdill

There are varieties that are both little and round. If you have a "bunch" you most likely have a small variety. Yes they do need to be picked before seed formation. Incomplete pollination does occur when there are not enough pollinators around. Usually does not apply to the whole crop, just one fruit here and there. Each seed has to be pollinated and can be missed by an insect in a hurry with no back up.

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catherinet(5 IN)

Thanks farmerdill.

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ilodato(6b)

ok thank you! just want to make sure they're not poisonous or anything in the off chance i left one in. there were only a couple between 5 eggplant and i cut them right out. UGH!!!!

making the most delicious smelling eggplant parm right now using home made tomato sauce with tomatoes and basil from the garden! can't let those worms stop me!!

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Marianne W (zone 10A)

Its a matter of taste. My grandparents would say it was "still good" or "it's fine." My husband would hit the roof. So, if you're ok with it, there you go.

considering they're eating eggplant, they're probably not poisonous to humans.

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nzcountrybumpkin

>> Donna R(5), Glad to be of help. Anyway I was trying to think of how to explain it as I can not get a photo at the mo as the irrigation lines are not in place - just doing a new garden - so here is attached a rough picture of the plan. The blue lines are the water flow, the pink are the connectors - a mix of Elbows (the corner ones), and Tees and the Cross (4 way) and where the black line is is where the hose connector goes.

So the water flows all ways and will equalise itself instead of just running along the top line (where the hose is) then down the lines and stopping at the bottom line like the next pic.

The squares at the end of the lines are the stops. As my long lines are only 3m (about 10ft) I do not have the line going across the middle like in the top picture.

The hose is short and right there also is the seaweed fertiliser barrel so every now and again I just change the tap hose to the seaweed hose and all plants get their seaweed fertiliser delivered the same way!

I also run everything on timer so I do not forget to turn off the hose and use up all of my tank water or seaweed fert in one go!

Feel free to ask for any other clarification or anything else that you may want to know :D

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Donna R(5)

Got it! Thank you!!

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Have the same problem here and it will be to your advantage in the long run to get them out of there if at all possible. Otherwise build a raised bed on top of the area and incorporate the existing 10" of soil into it.

Dave

PS: Tomatoes are tap root.

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rgreen48(7a)

I agree with Dan. Slightly shallow spot, but workable. Edit: also agree with Dave, if you want deeper rooted crops, try to remove. or...

If you want to put in some elbow grease, you can rent a drill with a masonry bit (preferably a hammer drill) and for a small amount, you can buy a set of wedges and feathers. You just drill holes in the rock, insert the feathers, and fairly lightly tap in the wedges. It takes a little work, but not too bad. After exposing some of it, in half a day or so even a fairly large rock can be knocked back quite a bit. Just watch a DIY vid to learn how to take pieces off of larger stones.

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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

Cantaloupes have 4 or 5 main vines. Then after the males blossoms start flowering along the main vine, little short side vines appear. The female blossoms are on the side shoots.

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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

That's interesting. I'll try to keep things a little more organized next year and look for that. It really is a PIA to have to examine every flower in detail to have any success with hand pollination. Cantaloupe flowers are small, and the m/f distinction is subtle.

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Marianne W (zone 10A)

If you look closely in your 2nd picture you can see how the big, dying leaf is blocking the sunlight from a set of smaller new growth--probably why the plant is dropping some leaves.

The droopyness can be from watering problems. It is ok for eggplants to go a bit between waterings. Are you watering it everyday and it isn't +100 out everyday? You might be watering too much. Let them go a day or two between waterings to see if that helps. They shouldn't need quite as much/often water as tomatoes and there's a decent chance that the roots are clogging up the pot's drain hole preventing the water from properly draining now that they're so big (I assume your pot has a drain). A mature eggplant's root ball will easily fill a 5 gallon pot.

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tomtuxman(6bNY)

Sounds like an awful lot of fertilizers unless in very weak doses.

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Plant foodShould I feed plants with sugar?
Posted by Smugung Smungung(Zone 6)
9 Comments
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purslanegarden(Zone 8)

The plants won't use that sugar the way that you think, but the microbes and bacteria will. That in turn, makes the soil better, which may result in a better plant.

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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

Wish it were that simple. If it was, I'll repeat, sugar would be a standard ingredient in fertilizer. It is fantastically cheap, so if it worked at all, fertilizer manufacturers wouldn't hesitate to use it, and mark it up accordingly. It isn't a standard ingredient, for good reason. It has been studied, and it doesn't work.

http://www.petrik.com/PUBLIC/library/misc/sugar.htm

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jensubzero1(z9 CA)

With any of these diseases, is it safe to save the tomatoes to ripen and eat?

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Peter (6b SE NY)

They won't affect people, if that's what you mean, but obviously don't eat any rotted fruit (though you some types of rot you can cut off.)

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hoovb zone 9 sunset 23

We ripen them every year at the end of the season, when we want to clean out the veggie garden but there are a bunch of green tomatoes left. Spread them out on sheets of clean newspaper in a cool dry place, not touching. Check and remove any that are going bad. They will all ripen. They won't be as good as vine ripe, but they will still be way, way, way better than any tomato you can buy at the store.

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lkzz(7b)

Green Tomato Hot Dog Relish

Flavorful green tomato relish is the perfect relish for hot dogs and hamburgers, or stir some into your dressing for pasta or potato salad.

Ingredients:

•8 cups finely chopped (processed or ground) cored green tomatoes

•2 cups finely chopped (processed or ground) peeled onions

•4 bell peppers, part red, finely chopped (processed or ground)

•1/3 cup pickling salt

•2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices

•1/2 teaspoon celery seed

•1 clove garlic, chopped

•2 1/4 cups white vinegar

•1 2/3 cups packed light brown sugar

Preparation:

Combine the chopped vegetables and salt in a large stainless steel pan. Cover and let stand in a cool place (about 65° tF to 70° F) for 10 to 12 hours, or overnight.

Pour the vegetables in a colander over the sink and let drain. Rinse with cool water and use your hands to squeeze out any excess liquids.

Tie the pickling spices and celery seeds in a cheesecloth spice bag.

In a large stainless steel or enamel-lined pan, combine the vinegar, the spice bag, chopped garlic, and the vinegar. Put the vinegar mixture over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the drained green tomato mixture and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil gently, stirring often, for 1 hour.

While the mixture is cooking, prepare the work area, canner, jars, and lids. See Preparing Jars for Canning and Boiling Water Processing.

Fill hot, prepared jars and remove any air bubbles with a small plastic spatula, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Clean jar rims and fit with lids and rings. Process in a covered boiling-water bath canner for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove the cover, and let jars stand in the hot water for 5 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Makes about 7 half-pint jars of relish.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/picklesrelishes/r/r90712a.htm

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