strange so far, quite a few dissapointments!

11 years ago

We have had a very hot and dry summer. Highs 90 to 110, lows 70 to 80, essentially no rain. I dont even remember the last time it rained.....

All of the tomatoes have done well( big beef brandywine sweet 100s green zebra). The san marzano started out the strongest but mostly developed ber. We lost half the acorn squash to borers and the remaining plants refuse to even bloom in this heat, same with the zucs. Even watering every other day they are shriveled by 1pm. Between my 15 pepper plants i have maybe 15 actual peppers, no bell peppersat all. Only pimento and poblano and they are all tiny. I have 5 eggplants and maybe 3 fruit between them but i know from experience that eggplants do better in early fall here. Fortex beans have a disappointment in production. Idk if its the heat or what but they are not setting pods well. My two gigantic cuke plants have only produced 3 cukes. : / and i have not been able to get ANYTHING for fall crops to germinate in rhe ground so any tips for germinating carrots and beets would be great and yes weve tried mulching with straw and the ground still gets bone dry within a few hours.

Good stuff.....not much. Tons of tomatoes, but i dont really like tomatoes. Leeks and celery are still doing ok. Ive counted 9 butternut squash but only 1 visible pumpkin. Melons WERE putting on lots of fruit but are starting to look beat up by this heat. And i have yet to master telling when a melon is ripe so of the 5 ive picked only 3 had any color and the charentais that LOOKED ripe even after cutting tasted like cardboard. My dry bean experiment was interesting. I only got 1 cup dry from the beans i already shelled and i imagine another 2 cups worth still need shelling. Ill probably use the space to plant more squash and melons next year. Still waiting to see if my small corn patch ever produces silks but im not betting on it as i watch farmers abandon theirs.

Also, not a fan of sugar baby, too seedy. And while i like the space saving bush type squashes, the fruit are borderline to small but ripen really fast!

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Comments (4)

howelbama
11 years ago
You could try saturating burlap and laying it over the soil you are germinating the seeds in. Just make sure you remove the burlap as soon as the seeds sprout underneath or they will probably damp off and die.

It might take a couple layers of burlap so it stays moist all day.
Anne Wolfley
11 years ago
How long do you water when you water? And how do you water?

Regarding borers on squash, it's been a pretty bad year for me too. It's important to keep an eye on them and kill then when you find them. They can do damage, but if the plant is big enough and if you kill them when you find them then you can save the plant. You need a sharp knife. Look for the frass (that orange slimy crap that they leave behind) and look for the frass that's furthest up the stem (i.e. furthest away from where the stem comes out of the ground. They migrate up the plant.) Take the knife and very carefully make a cut...make the smallest cut you can. Once you find the borer, cut it in half, or as many pieces as you want. It's disgusting, but it works.

Here's a tip from Texas A&M about when to harvest cantaloupe: The cantaloupe is ready to harvest when the stem easily separates from the fruit. To avoid over-ripening, harvest cantaloupes before they naturally separate from the vine. The best way to check maturity of cantaloupes is to place your thumb beside the stem and gently apply pressure to the side. If the stem separates easily, the cantaloupe is ripe.

Regarding the peppers, do you have row cover? This year I made a tent over my bell peppers and it's prevented sun scald and kept them cooler. Bell peppers don't like being very hot. You might want to try that. It's not too late.

Hope this helps.
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Mindyw3
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks guys.

I water on average twice a week sometimes three times. Part is a soaker hose the rest get hand watered or if im lazy and i usually am they get the sprinkler for about an hour.

Im going to try carrots and beets again next week when we have a few daysin the 80s.
foolishpleasure
11 years ago
Welcome to the club this year is nothing but disappointments. CUCUMBER, PEPPER, EGGPLANTS, TOMATOES, ZUCCINI all but disappointments.

strange so far, quite a few dissapointments!

Comments (4)

howelbama

Anne Wolfley

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strange so far, quite a few dissapointments!

Comments (4)

howelbama

Anne Wolfley

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foolishpleasure

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Mindyw3
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