My poor potatoes

The worm on my potatoes

My sad honey crisp tree

Crazy corn

Start with a good reliable soil test for soil pH and major nutrients and dig in with these simple soil tests,
1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsâ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.
to see what else might need be done to start making that soil into something that will grow plants that will produce edible fruit.
The people at your local office of the University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension Service will be able to help as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: UMN CES

My sympathies! Veggie gardening can be discouraging, but it can also be quite rewarding!

Google corn smut for information on the stuff on your corn.

I second the suggestions both for working on your soil and going to the U of MN Cooperative Extension for specific help, such as what to do to help your apple. Taking some leaves may assist in diagnosing the problem.

Using mulch under your tomatoes to prevent soil from splashing onto foliage when it rains (or removing all lower leaves within splashing range) may help prevent or reduce foliage diseases on tomatoes. I only grow indeterminate tomatoes since I find they produce better with new foliage always growing at the top.

If I am growing squash with long vines, I usually trellis them rather than leaving them on the ground since it keeps critters from eating them.

Don't you dare give up!

The advice to visit your local university Extension office or, at the very least, patrol its website for fact sheets, pest information, and vegetable guides.

I have NO idea what you mean by the observation that your soil is bad.
Evaluating that situation and improving it should be your first step. You need to understand that soil improvement is a forever job. We gardeners add compost or other organic amendments on a regular basis. But you need to know your soil....it's the backbone of your garden. The Extension service will help you.

Looks like corn smut, a fungus that infects the corn early on in ear development. It's highly contagious but there are corn varieties bred tl be resistant. You'll learn to rotate your crops and select different varieties. By the way, corn smut is considered a delicacy by some.

There's no telling what the situation might be with the apple. I'd evaluate the soil and drainage, your planting techniques (improper planting causes most of the problems with new trees) . What about the condition of your other apple varieties used as pollinizers for the Honeycrisp?

Does the apple tree have apple rust fungus? Google that and you can compare photos of it.

No, the apple doesn't have rust. May be as simple as end of the year leaves which are getting ready to fall.

In any event, locate your county's Extension Service office and take then a sample branch, affected leaves attached.

Locate your county's office at the link below -

Here is a link that might be useful: Locate your county's Extension Service office

Like the others have said before me, get your soil tested at your local agricultural center. The results were too complicated for me to understand. The horticulturist that works there can explain it all and make recommendations. Please tell them all of the problems you had this year. I never had corn smut. Certain varieties of veggies are resistant to viruses and such. It is always a learning experience for me and I have gardened since the 1980's. Don't give up! Some years in the garden are simply awesome! Everything clicks!!

Smut in corn is usually attributed to excess Nitrogen in soil, too much manure or too much fertilizer, but is also known as a delicacy in some places. The spores that cause this fungus live in the soil and infect plants through wounds made by insects or cultivation.

Here is a link that might be useful: About corn smut

This post was edited by kimmsr on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 7:31

You said you're growing only heirloom varieties and that may be your problem (aside from soil improvement and other tips given above). Newer varieties are bred to resist a lot of diseases and are not genetically modified, just hybridized, which is natural. I never had luck with heirlooms and all their diseases.

It takes a lot of research and experience with failures to be a successful gardener, plus, every year there are new challenges given to you by Mother Nature. Learn from it all, try new things, and enjoy what works.