23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Here's a pic of them

Well the tops of them have what is called yellow shoulders and uneven ripening. Those conditions are caused by poor growing conditions - primarily overly wet soil, temperature extremes, low potassium, inconsistent soil moisture levels and periods of excessive heat or cold. You can learn much more about it over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here..

The one bottom showing that looks like it might have some soft spots is also caused by uneven ripening. The soft spots have ripened much faster than the rest of the fruit. Just cut the soft spots out and eat the rest.

Again you can eliminate some of this by picking the fruit at color break so that it isn't exposed to the temperature extremes and by stabilizing your soil moisture levels better.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Causes of uneven ripening and yellow shoulders

Thanks for the link! Mine have a ways to go, I guess. Hope they make it.

You're welcome :)! He told me one day they were dark and the next day they just turned so I think yours will make it. Fun melon. I might grow this next year. Has a nice flavor.

This plant is actually one that my mother planted in her garden last year and is one of two that survived the heatwave last summer. It mostly has been left to it's own devices. I am just getting into gardening now and I am planning to fertilise and use a homemade pesticide for the bugs that have chewed some of the leaves.

What I didn't know is if the capsicums themselves were going to be okay, and if there was something I could do to help. I've just read that either over-watering them or under-watering could cause green capsicums to turn black too, so maybe that is the problem?

Never heard of over or under watering would cause blackening. I'm still going with sunburn. Although, the aperture of the sun right now in the southern hemi is low, all it takes is real bright days for them to burn. With a lot of varieties of peppers, the foliage protects the fruit, but bells stick out there exposed. if you're seeing the black only on the side of the fruit that the sun hits, it's sunburn.

Regarding watering --- Peppers like water just like any vegetable, but they hate WET feet. So, your watering schedule should be drench, dry out, drench, dry out, and so on.

Do the finger test. Stick your finger in the soil about 2 inches If it's dry, water. If moist, don't. Or you can let the plants wilt in between waterings. You'll get the hang of when they need it.

Kevin

The rain, rain, rain led to a bodacious outbreak of late blight here in the Southern Appalachians this year, and most tomatoes were dead by Aug. 1. Not Mountain Magic, a blight-resistant cherry tomato developed at NC State. It's still pumping out golf ball-size tomatoes like crazy, with not hint of late blight on a single leaf or fruit, and no cracked fruits either. I am impressed!

Here is a link that might be useful: Mountain magic tomato

Burpee Hybrid II cucumber has been very prolific. 3 plants planted 3 inches apart. The vines branch and have grown over 12 feet. No bitter taste. The were planted late May and are still flowering August 30th. Picked over 40 cucumbers. There is now some yellowing of the leaves but 70% of the leaves are still very healthy. The have not been sprayed with any insecticide. Squash 6 feet away had powdery mildew 3 weeks ago but there is none on the cucumber plants.

I haven't grown too many varieties of corn, but I really like Sugar Dots. Not going to plant Silver Queen. SQ grows well, but SDs are much sweeter and have far better germination rate for me.

Thanks all! I will do a search, and then start a new thread.

This is my first year for bells too and I have lost count on how many I have harvested, I was impressed! Just so you know if you let the fruit turn red the plant will slow down production because it will think it has done it's job by producing mature seed. I pick mine about the size yours are now, As we near frost I will let the larger ones go red.
Good luck!!

That is the problem with most bell pappers; They set 2- 3 fruits and sit on them for ever. Unless you pick them, Them you get them back to work but even then it will take a while. I have just one of those. I picked 3 and then so far nothing.
That is why I never liked growing bells. Instead grow cubanelle, gypsy, yellow wax, poblano , Holy moley, Carmen...

This post was edited by seysonn on Fri, Aug 30, 13 at 5:54

Thanks everyone. I guess I will just cure them on the upper floor of my home (basement is around 55 degrees).
Glib, I'm in Saskatchewan :). Our absolute lows in winter are not much warmer than in the Yukon, but we have warmer summers and a somewhat longer growing season. Actually, we're going through an unusual late summer heatwave with highs in the mid- 80s for at least 10 days now. I haven't checked all the SPs yet but one of the plants I checked has a tuber the size of a smallish grocery store carrot. So, pretty small but there's still a month left before I dig them. I'll even be happy if they're all carrot-sized.

I think your idea for the fridge will work fine. I've done it in a small closet with a heater and some moist towels and cured 3-4 hundred pounds like that. If I remember right, I left them in there for a week and the flavor was radically different after curing. The sugar levels jumped and the skins became much less likely to scuff. They held all winter long with very little rot.
If you're worried about lack of air flow, just open the door briefly a few times a day.

-Mark

25 lbs is a lunker for Crimson Sweet. They are good at 15-20 lbs. 22 lbs is ideal. Yours look really good.

I agree with madroneb . The splitting of fruit is a major concern when growing watermelon.

Thanks all. I planted Silver Queen and Golden Jubilee in mid-April, staggered dates. Likely not enough nitrogen, but water ample. My planting configuration was the best I could do, I have read square is better than rectangular. I also attempted to grow the three sisters. That too didn't turn out so well. Back to the old drawing board for next year! BTW avocado 1 where are you in zone 9? I'm in Walnut Creek.

I live near Diamond Bar in Southern California. The weather has been cooler than usual, until now. It's really hot; hitting 99 degrees today. As long as I can remember, it is always hot around Labor Day.

They are so-called "fall" crops because that is when they are intended to mature, not that they are sowed in fall. Fall brassicas, for instance, in the middle latitudes are sown in July.

I agree. You missed you chance for many things already. You may still have time to transplant kale and lettuce starts as well as direct seed fast growing, cold hardy things like what Glib mentioned as well as radish and other greens in the mustard family (tatsoi, mizuna, boc choi, etc).
-Mark

Well.....they are a gift from Mother Earth and beautiful potatoes however they ended up in the dirt. I hope you enjoy them.

I planted some purple potatoes a couple of weeks ago in my canvas pots. It's interesting that the little shoot coming up is very dark colored. Not green like from the red potatoes.

On another note...the tomato fairy gave me a present! Don't know when she dropped it off cuz that thing is almost 3 inches long!

lonmower - I just think it's a strange occurence, and inexplicable. It doesn't make any sense, yet there they are.

Maybe I should put those littlest ones back under the mulch ...

Double post.......

This post was edited by madroneb on Mon, Aug 26, 13 at 23:44

Best thing about the Red Kuri and other japanese Kabocha (besides the sweet flavor!) is the thin skin, which is perfectly edible. I tend to like the green kabocha, but the Red Kuri sure is pretty.

Butternuts and Acorns are a PITA to peel, for anything other than splitting in half and roasting.