Blossom drop is almost always caused by 1 of 2 things: temperature stress, or moisture stress. Like I mentioned, below 60 at night, or above 90 during the day, and they toss their flowers. From what I understand, nighttime temps above 75 can also cause blossom drop, but here in WI, it's rare to be above 75 at night. As for moisture, they will toss flowers if he soil dries out too much, so they must be kept moist, but not soggy. As for your plants now, well, you have to hope for some temperatures under 90 for a while, so you can get some blossoms to set fruit. You could try a translucent shade cloth, to at least provide a little relief from the sun, or you can just cross your fingers and wait on mother nature. Joe

Can someone fill me in on Matt's wild tomatoes? I always see y'all taking about them but not sure why you say, if you dare. Also where would I get seeds because I think I just might dare. Thanks! Joy Hi Joy, We have a saying, "Friends don't let friends grow Matt's". That because once you grow one you'll NEVER get rid of them. I made the mistake of putting one in a few years ago, thought I could control it in a container.... now not only do I have volunteers coming up all over the yard year around, my neighbors on both sides do too. Sure, you always have tomatoes, but they are the size of a medium pearl and not enough to make a meal out of, the vines just sprawl and crawl over everything, reminds me of Little Shop of Horrors. I just sent 95% of my mater seeds to Silvia and there were some Matt's & Everglades in there. If your h*** bent on making this mistake maybe she can send you some. Tom

I thought I would update, Thanks for all the responses. My peppers are still doing well and giving me a big crop. Still going strong even now. Also, my 3 varities of eggplants did well also. I still have more to harvest in the next few weeks. My cucumbers died as well as my summer squash (mildew) and... my tomatoes got really really infested with aphids and some green worms of some kind along with my cherry tomatoes splitting...have to read some more on the tomato forum to figure out tomatoes more. My cucumber plant had an okra plant in it so I was able to have the surprise of some really nice okra, and my strawberries are growing, but no fruit yet! They are still going strong though. I will do my fall garden in Sept. and see how it does in the fall. I am planning to throw in some worm casings this time, as well as sea kelp, and a few bags of cow manure and garden soil. I will add in some 6-6-6 to get some nutrients back in. Please let me know if I am leaving anything out here! :) TY I want to cover with plastic for a few weeks, but since the okra, eggplant, and strawberries are doing so well I am not quite sure how to get rid of anything bad in the soil, have to think about that a bit more.

Sorry for the delay. Thank you for the comments :) Cnetter - I picked and ate a steamed cauliflower tonight for dinner that was delicious because I picked earlier (broccoli too). When I plunged it in water in the kitchen sink to wash, a million earwigs came out. Yuck! Lilacs - my garden has been enjoying the rain too. I should take pics again as it seems everything is twice the size in just the past ten days or so. Michelle - I like the raised beds for their ease and also for the look. My dream for the garden was to be French Potager style but the flower seeds I planted didn't work out like I'd hoped. Better luck next year eh! Digit - Thank you for your thoughtful comments and the time to browse. Parsley- anyway to get those greens in! You can't taste it with all the fruit. Parsley pesto - no recipe just to taste: olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesean cheese and a little basil. The long skinny eggplant is 'Ichiban Hybrid' and the round one is 'Satin Beauty'. It's been really prolific this year. I've eaten a bunch and there are quite a few ripening with new ones forming. I did cut some of the dill for drying, thank you. My new oven has a dehydrating setting, so I'll try it and see how it works. I finally got two cukes today. We ate some green beans, a few carrots, and a purple pepper as well as gypsy pepper. I used a cherry bomb pepper in a saute. Something is eating my cabbage. I suspect earwigs; they are everywhere ick. I'm going to make some cole slaw tomorrow before they get it all. I planted swiss chard, spinach, leaf lettuce, beets and more carrots for a fall harvest hopefully. Happy Gardening :) Charlene