Wow it's been so cool in the OH valley!

15 years ago

So who else is here suffering with me in the great OH valley? I've got about 100 tomatoes growing on the vine and I'm not sure if any of them will ever ripen. My WSed peppers are about 2 feet high where last year they were almost twice that big and just bursting with fruit. I couldn't even use all the tomatoes that I got last year and this year I've yet to see a ripe tomato! My geraniums are actually full of blooms but the plants in general have grown very little in fact I was trying to pull a dead bloom off one the other day and almost pulled the whole plant out of the ground because the roots are so small. I've only been growing things for 4 years but I've been in this area all my whole life and I never remember a summer that's been this cool. The dog days of summer and our high today was 79 and we're looking at the mid 50's tonight! Last year was so hot and dry this year it's cold and wet! Talk about weird.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

sudzy
15 years ago
I'm not in the Ohio Valley but, I'm sharing your pain here in central IL. The low for tonight is suppose to be 52!!! We only got up to 78! today. (Should be around ninty and humid) Something, huh. This whole upcoming week is about the same around 80 and low around 60. We are 15 in. above normal for rainfall.
Yes, I have tomatoes and peppers that I'm concerned about. And this year I planted a fall garden. Don't know what will become of that! Sheesh, nothing about this spring/summer/ has been normal. I pray we don't have a early and cold/snowy winter. Wishing you the best. Sudzy
kqcrna
15 years ago
Are you kidding me? After last year's heat and drought you guys are complaining about THIS???

I'm loving it. My husband and I have been walking in the evenings, enjoying the weather. Last night I was so cold I had to wear long pants! Whereas last year I did nothing but water plants, I've only done it a couple of times this year. As of today we are still 8 in. above normal precipitation for the year. I'm loving it. The air is crisp and clear. True, the 'maters are late but I find that a small price to pay for this beautiful weather. Besides, the stupid critters are eating my tomatoes anyway. I'd like this all year.

Our forecast is much the same for the week, highs of 80ish and lows in the upper 50s to low 60s. I hope this lasts 'till Christmas!

Karen
Related Discussions
Ok so it's just another mosaic site... but WOW!!
Q
Comments (10)
I did a quick look see and saved it to favs. I wish I could get into Shabby Chic w/white grout but just can't. I love to LOOK at it but can't DO it. The thing I LOVE about her style is the way she uses the wonderful plate edges, circular designs, entertwined, and most of all I love the way she just mosaics part of an old fence piece, and not cover the whole thing. Great site, beautiful stuff.
...See More
Its been so long..
Q
Comments (11)
Beetle, thanks for the kind words about the Phal. Love those peach/apricot/salmon colors. If you could post pix of your Phal blooming and of the entire plant as it is now, those might be helpful. What direction does your window face? Do you know about how many hours a day sunlight falls directly on the leaves of your Phal? This year, my orchids stayed inside, so they didnÃ¢ÂÂt get the temp drops they would have outside. However, the windows in the orchid room were open when it got down in the low 60s, and everything seems to be spiking about on schedule. As an aside, because your PhalÃ¢ÂÂs in sphag, you might want to reconsider the fertilizing schedule. Even with weak fertilizer, salts can build up in the medium. More than one commercial grower suggests this schedule, and so far, itÃ¢ÂÂs working for me with everything in sphag: 1st watering, plain water - often tap water, RO (reverse osmosis), whatever you water with 2nd watering, plain water and fertilizer. If youÃ¢ÂÂre using a fertilizer formulated for orchids, follow the label for ratios. If youÃ¢ÂÂre using a non-orchid fertilizer, the rule of thumb is to use 25% the recommended amount, and you might want to check here for your particular brand. 3rd watering, flush with tap water, if itÃ¢ÂÂs not softened. Flushing means you take the plant to the sink and pour tepid water through the pot to equal filling up the pot 4 times. Note - if youÃ¢ÂÂre able to use your tap water for watering, then Ã¢ÂÂplain waterÃ¢ÂÂ will be the same as tap water. If youÃ¢ÂÂre using RO for watering, then many recommend unsoftened tap water for flushing so the orchid gets more diversity of minerals and trace elements. One other thought - your sphag looks fresh. When did you last pot the Phal, and what kind of pot, i.e., what number and size are the drainage holes on the bottom? Do you remember about how much space there was between the roots and the sides of the pot? Then between the bottom of the roots and the bottom of the pot? Also, what's the dampness or dryness of the sphag when you water? Where in your house does the pot drain? Does the pot usually sit inside another pot - maybe a decorative pot? What does the pot sit on when it's in front of the window? Trying to think of all the variables... If everything else is favorable, your Phal's blooming time may be a factor of its adjusting to life at your place and resetting its schedule. Some orchids' environments are manipulated so they'll bloom at a certain time - a summer vendor opportunity, winter holidays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, etc. And sometimes, conditions at the grower's are different enough that in a personÃ¢ÂÂs house, the orchid adjusts to its own schedule. If light, temps, drainage, watering schedule, and fertilizer ratios are good, it could be your orchid skipped blooming last year for one of these reasons. Apologies if...
...See More
Oh WOW! What a place!
Q
Comments (15)
Lol...mrgpag, I didn't. I have NO idea where the best places are...perhaps I should start a thread...I think I will... To tell you the truth, I'm still clutching Mapquest directions in one hand and an OH map in the other, and driving with my knees (not really, but I usually take along someone to be a navigator....usually my terribly bored 12 year old.....
...See More
A few oh, wow's and a couple oh, dear's
Q
Comments (19)
I think that noxious weed growing on the ground is called ground ivy. I am not sure exactly what it is, but I just call it yard cancer because it spreads all over the place. I pull it out literally by the buckets. That is not the worst problem. If you look at the Freisinger Morgenrote and Olympiad pictures, in the background growing up the tree trunk and not limited to that location, it is what looks to me like a sizeable stand of poison ivy. It grows all over here. It is trying to spread into the yard also. I sprayed it with an appropriate weed killer. Hopefully it will die off. I have a creek running through the property, and there is all sorts of stuff and sometimes critters back there where I don't even mess with it. That situation might change if I were to win the lottery and have some money to somehow integrate both sides of the property into a unit, but the area is a wooded area amidst all the houses and businesses. I would like to be able to keep all the trees, and the city might also have final say as to what can and cannot be done with the creek.
...See More
rosepedal
15 years ago
Central WI has been the same way nothing but spring waether. Our low saturday night was 47 (tropicals made it outside shooo) We actually built a little fire to take the chill out. Last year it was a hundred. Climate warming my big toe. Not here in WI....It has been a strange growing season everything is late..... I am looking out the window right now at fog at 7:30 in the morning Barb
strouper2
Original Author
15 years ago
Don't get me wrong Karen I would much rather have this than what we had last summer that was brutal especially on the trees. But yes I really really do miss my fresh tomatoes and peppers. What's been strange to me is that most of my other plants aren't doing that great neither you'd think that they would just love this weather. Now I can understand the Geraniums because just like tomatoes they love that hot weather but most of my other plants are fair at best. My bells, Portulaca (which doesn't count because it always does well) and my Zinnias are the only 3 that are really going gang busters. Oh and I really really don't miss doing all that watering. I guess either weather has it's advantages and disadvantages.
lblack61
15 years ago
It's been cool and WET in Upstate NY. It's a good thing I got my plants in early, because that was when we were getting all the heat.
Now the Tomatoes are starting to get that blight or yellow spot thingy, because we've had so much rain and the nights have been as cool as the 50s. So much for Dog Days.
--my dog is shedding already...something tells me it's going to stay this cool. But I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to get at least a few tomatoes before the plants conk out. Lots of green ones, but no heat to ripen them up!

Linda
booberry85
15 years ago
I'm in Linda's neck of the woods. Our July was the 10th wettest on record. We also had our hottest days in April & June - very unusual! I think the dog days of summer have bypassed us.
carmen_grower_2007
15 years ago
We also have been having nights in the low 50's and it is downright cold in the mornings! So much for global warming. I too am hoping we will have ripe tomatoes before the first frost. With the cold late spring, the tomatoes are way behind. I got one ripe tomato so far and won't see lots for another month!
tepelus
15 years ago
I like this cooler weather, it feels better to me than the hot and humid. However, up here in N. Ohio, we haven't seen hardly anything for rain in a month. A couple days ago we got a nice five minute downpour, then an hour later, what actually made it to the ground through the trees, dried up. So, a watering I go! And tired of it too!

Karen
kqcrna
15 years ago
It was 57 degrees when I got up this morning. I was out on my porch for a while watching the hummingbirds duke it out for my flowers. I got so cold I came in and made oatmeal for breakfast. Right now I'm drinking hot chocolate. I haven't had either of these since last winter.

Karen
floodthelast
15 years ago
This morning when I carried my toddler outside to check my garden I left the back door open because it was cool enough I didn't think the air conditioner would kick on.
strouper2
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes I finally got my 1st tomato a couple of days ago I was looking at it and it just kind of fell of the vine I guess it was tired of hanging on there. It was ripe enough and my dad ate it that day & then he hits me with the worst part "it really wasn't that good"! Holly cow I wait months for my 1st tomato and now it wasn't even that good. Oh well there's always next year & I'm going to start at least 2 or 3 indoors come next year.
bakemom_gw
15 years ago
Dry dry dry again. Watered for several hours today and need to hit the back tomorrow. ARUGH.
floodthelast
15 years ago
Ack it flooded here yesterday, the rain that has been hanging around and not falling finally did. Wow was it a mess in front of my house, I took pics of the cars that got stuck in the low puddle on the street, the back of my house just flooded and my poor garden was all afloat. I'm glad I mounded it this year but still, ouch.
kqcrna
15 years ago
It looks like my luck with the rain has come to an end. No rain for the past 10 days and none forecast for the next 10 days. It looks like that generous faucet in the sky has dried up for this year. I spent a long time watering today.

Karen

Wow it's been so cool in the OH valley!

Comments (14)

sudzy

kqcrna

Related Discussions

rosepedal

strouper2
Original Author

lblack61

booberry85

carmen_grower_2007

tepelus

kqcrna

floodthelast

strouper2
Original Author

bakemom_gw

floodthelast

kqcrna

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Wow it's been so cool in the OH valley!

Comments (14)

Related Discussions

strouper2Original Author

strouper2Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

strouper2
Original Author

strouper2
Original Author