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Could you clarify? Your title says stem split but your post talks about upper portion of the fruit itself has split. Different situations with different results.
A stem split usually poses no problems and will scab over and heal itself. It is usually caused by inconsistent soil moisture levels that cause it to swell and shrink, swell and split.
But if the fruit itself is split and damaged there really isn't much you can do - leave it for the bugs and bacteria to invade or harvest it and if ripe, cut out the damaged area and eat it. But you can't really store a damaged fruit without molds and bacteria developing and further spreading. If it isn't ripe then you might as well just compost it.
Dave

I stumbled upon this thread, and in case anyone still follows it, I'm resurrecting it. Here's what I just posted regarding my efforts with squash in containers. In my case, it's a 30 gallon trash can, about 3/4 full. Imho, 1-- thirty gallon container for 5 plants is far better than 6 fivers.
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/3286405#15531435
Rick in CT

People often try to grow large, vining squashes in restricted root zone areas. I have done it myself by cultivating, watering, and fertilizing a 3x3 patch of soil and letting the vines spread out over the surrounding weedy hardpan. It doesn't work. Wilting is one problem. In the end I got nice looking squashes with miserable quality. I can't imagine pots being much better. The roots need just as much space as the vines do. If they don't get it, your squash plants simply can't produce fully ripened, high quality fruits. Maybe zucchinis, but not winter squashes.

I tried to post a picture, but it appears I don't have the know-how to accomplish that task.
A few answers: I think it's a clear substance...shiny. It's just in areas of the patch now. Yes, the vines are blooming and setting fruit. At least a couple melin have the sticky stuff on them. From the 2 plants, I have identified 18 different melons. I have lost a couple that split open, a couple that have wrinkled up and withered after they'd started to grow. I do believe it is a case of aphids. I was in the patch checking and picking a melon this morning and when I came out, I realized that I had many very small crawly things on my arms. I'd say infestation, it is!
I tackled the situation with horticultural oil spray, doing the best I could to hit the underside of the leaves with the spray. Do you suppose that will be enough to knock back the population?
Can aphids destroy the vine? I already lost my cantaloupe this year before I was able to harvest any because of bacterial wilt. I'm hoping that the watermelon will make it.

I just eat them raw. I'll grab a bundle of them, roll them up, and just take bites outta them. This is what I did with a huge squash plant. I think the taste is pretty decent, the hairs don't bother me at all - although I was kinda hesitant the first time I was about to eat them - but before I consumed them I did a lot of reading and a lot articles/blogs mentioned boiling them in water. Personally I enjoy raw foods so I just ended up eating them all raw. But if I was to preserve them over winter, which is what I wanna do with some pumpkin leaves, I would let the sun dry them out, and then in a few months I would soak them, and perhaps even boil them in water so they regain there natural texture back. Of course I haven't tried this yet, but people dry out kale leaves and other greens to preserve them so the idea is the same.


You can plant strawberries bare root runners till end of august - latest would be September 10th in your area. But you may need to cover them for winter with straw. Blueberries and raspberries can be planted in October , or even November if they are BARE ROOT. If you buy them in pots - you can plant them any time, just make sure water well if you plant in summer.

There is also a California Wonder variety that ripen to orange too. I am growing Carmen this year for the first time that is a large bulls horn shape and very sweet pepper when ripe. They are prolific but only started ripening to red in the last week or so which was a couple weeks later than the listed DTM I think due to the cool and wet spring.

I have peppers in pots and peppers in the garden. I have a mix of sweet varieties, but I have some of each variety in each location. The garden pepper plants are bigger as are the peppers on the plants. I'm not much of a container gardener, and it's more of a location test on the side of the house but my point is smaller plants do appear to produce smaller peppers.


This may be a be the time to prepare for more tomatoes ...
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2229127/can-we-pick-our-tomatoes-while-still-green
A link worth reading ...
How to Grow the Tomato and 115 Ways to Prepare it for the Table

The most common cause of mealy tomatoes is lack of or inconsistent soil moisture available. Excess day heat followed by overly cool night temps during the early stages of development can also cause it. So can micronutrient issues - specifically insufficient zinc and/or copper.
And reduced size and production is almost always insufficient nutrient issues.
TSWV fruit have a very distinctive external appearance - as in the pic above - but it isn't normally related to fruit size or texture and they do not taste good.
Dave

I'm pretty consistent with my watering. I do a deep watering about 1x per week. I did plant a month early this year cause the drought gave us the temps to do so. We do have cool evenings and warm days here in Sonoma Co, CA.
I didn't go out and search for the bugs .
I guess I'm going to finally get a soil test done, but I have 7 4x8 raised beds and 3 3x8 raised up off the ground beds and can't afford to test them all!
I use my own compost in a few beds per year and have been using the landfill compost (certified organic) for quite awhile. I also get free compost tea.
Unfortunately, our landfill compost is going to be moved due to a lawsuit and we have to use the place that costs twice as much to top our beds!
How would I add zink or copper? Nancy

Routinely you begin a weekly spraying program with fungicide of your choice as well as removing all the affected leaves.
But that's when you catch it early. From your description it is already well established so salvaging the plants now may not be possible.
Dave


These pics of the orange pumpkins also tell a tale about the weight issue from earlier in the year...
In the 3rd pic, it seems to clearly show that as long as the vine itself is adequately supported, the stem will hold the weight of these medium size fruits.
However, in the second and 4th pic (they may be the same from different angles) the vine looks like it may have given way if the pumpkin wasn't supported. Looks like gumby's point from earlier in the year about the stem is borne out, and yet, it also seems that when climbing, the vine itself needs to be secured fast to the trellis.

Tina John, I am in SE Mich and I have them bad. They were present last year but worse this year. They are getting my herbs, peppers, flowers. It's maddening! I am going to try to set out some sort of light traps. I tried to catch them with the soapy water idea last year but didn't have much luck. I see them a lot in my soil when I am weeding.

Hi Fellow Asiatic Garden beetle suffers. I've had these guys in my garden forever! So this is what I do: IN the spring, I hand turn my soil and pick out the grubs as I see them. This will help but not solve your problem. Then, as soon as I start to notice damage to the leaves of my flowers and veggies, I get a large oval dish and fill it with soapy water. Then I drape a light over a chair and hang it very close to the water. You turn this on at night and the beetles are attracted to the light and so they fly into it and drop into the soapy water. I also go out at night and hand pick them and drop them into a cup of soapy water. In the morning you will see the results... or not. Sometimes the birds catch on and eat the dead beetles before you get a chance to see them.
This will help a lot. Good luck!
Mimi

Tiny zucchini are the result of plant stress. The plant just pumps what it can into the fruit, and then it gives up. I've seen this with plants that are planted to close together or (maybe this pertains to you, if I'm not reading too much into the picture you posted), in pots that are just too small. Zucchini are big plants, and they have big root systems. Nothing to do with calcium.
You might try to repot in a bigger pot, and I'm guessing you'll see a very root-bound plant when you remove it.



I also had good luck with the Sparx romaine. It formed really nice heads and held until late July.
I need to try this. Thanks. I have had good luck with slo-bolt from baker creek. Also, Rogue D'Hiver is support to be a cold weather variety but it's still growing for me in 85-90 weather. Go figure.