OK, after losing all my gypsy peppers, I'm now seeing the same symptoms on a Banana pepper plant. Curiously, in between those varieties is a stand of TAM jalapenos, which seem unaffected. I'm beginning to suspect some blight, perhaps phytophthora, to which TAM jalapenos are known to have some resistance. There is no consumer chemical treatment, but deep digging is considered to be a way to prevent it, as the spores don't survive when buried more than 6 inches. Perhaps not coincidentally, this area of my garden has seen minimal deep digging, as the TAMs and the bananas as well are hold-overs from last year. The soil compaction may have interfered somewhat with drainage, and poor drainage is a good way to get this problem. Blights seem to be a really good reason to dig your garden deep. So much for small tillers.

malaec. I make red currant jelly every year. Jelly won't set without heat. Heat up the currants with a little water until the juice runs. Pour the berries into a clean jelly bag, old pillow case or muslin square and hang over a bowl over night. Don't be tempted to push or squeeze the pulp or the jelly will be cloudy. Measure the juice. For every pint of juice add a pound of sugar. Bring to the boil until setting point is reached. Being a lackadaisical, germ-laden European I then pour the jelly into sterilized jars, put a lid on and stick it on a shelf. The people on the Harvest Forum would be horrified so you'd better ask over there for the safe, hygienic US way of canning jams and jellies. Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest Forum

There are various reasons plants wilt, and since you are the only one who knows the nitty gritty details about the type of soil you have, how often you water, how deeply you water, etc., all we can do is suggest possible causes and you'll have to evaluate your plants and practices and figure out which one it is. First of all, it has been exceptionally hot and the sunlight is very intense at this time of year, so heat stress is a possibility. If your plants wilt during the heat of the day and then begin to perk up in the late evening around sunset, then heat stress is the likely culprit. Secondly, if you are watering very heavily and have heavy soil containing a lot of clay, you could be overwatering. Plants that are too wet will wilt the same way that plants that are too dry will wilt. Check your soil by sticking your finger down in it. If it is sopping wet, you may be overwatering for the type of soil that you have. Third, if you have very fast-draining sandy soil, you may be underwatering. For pumpkins, you want to water deeply because their roots can go quite deeply. Fourth, it could be one of the bacterial diseaeses spread by insects. If so, you should be seeing some discoloration on the leave and also you'll see some wilted leaves that don't recover overnight. Fifth, it could be squash vine borers on the pumpkins and, more rarely but occasionally, on the cucumbers as well. With the tomatoes, we don't know enough about their plants and your plants to know why their plants are producing tomatoes and yours are not. There are a lot of possibilities, including the following: DAYS TO MATURITY: Different Varieties Have Different "Days To Maturity": Every tomato variety has different days to maturity and it varies wildly. If it takes your variety 80 days to mature, and theirs 60 days to mature, they could be part of it. It is more complicated than that though. The recommended planting dates for spring tomato plants in Oklahoma are April 10-30, so you planted at least a month late, and that really matters with some varieties, though not as much with others. SIZE OF PLANTS: It could be you set out a younger, smaller plant that wasn't physically ready to bloom and their plant was older and closer to being ready to bloom. It could be their plant had already formed blooms while at the wholesaler or retailer. TYPE OF PLANT: Y'all may have different types of plants....theirs could be an inderminate that sets fruits all along as it grows, and yours could be a determinate that sets a lot of fruit at once. Theirs could be a cherry, grape, currant or small pear-sized type of tomato and yours might be a full-sized large slicing type. If so, the large tomatoes have trouble setting fruit (see 'pollination' paragraph below) in higher temperatures than the smaller ones do. POLLINATION ISSUES: In general, most large, slicing-type tomatoes will bloom and form fruit only as long as daytime highs remain below about 92 degrees (up to 95 degrees for some varieties) and nightime lows remain below 72-75 degrees, but above 55 degrees. So, depending on where your plants and their plants were grown by the wholesaler and kept by the retailer, that could account for the difference. When I buy plants, I like to buy them early in the season when they haven't been sitting outside baking on hot concrete sidewalks, parking lots, etc. Once temperatures are high, the pollen inside the flowers loses viability and blossoms will form, fail to pollinate, and fall off. Once again, different varieties perform better at different temperatures. It could be that theirs don't mind the hotter temps as much as yours do. TOO MUCH NITROGEN: If your plants are lush, green, and have tons of foliage but are failing to flower and set fruit, there is a good possibility they've been overfed nitrogen. When plants get too much nitrogen, they make leaves and don't make fruit. Tomato varieties are highly variable and even two or more plants of the exact same variety will not peform exactly the same. I planted 85 tomato plants representing about 45 or 50 varieties and no two of them have behaved the same. Some have produced tons of tomatoes while others haven't formed a single fruit. Some made a lot of tomatoes early on and we are already harvesting those tomatoes while other plants have only recently formed fruit. So, without knowing which variety each of you planted, and the size and age that each was at planting time and the soil they're in and the amount they've each been fed and watered, it is impossible to guess just why their plants are setting fruit and yours are not, but it is most likely...if I had to make a blind guess...related to the variety and the weather. Dawn

There are many reasons why this could happen, but here are the usual suspects: 1. Genetics: Many Phals with pink, purple or red toned flowers have red/purple tinted leaves. Also many Doritaenopsis (Doritis x Phalaenopsis, abbreviated as Dtps) plant have tinted leaves regardless of bloom color, this is because Doritis pulcherrima has the purple undersides on its leaves and passes this trait easily.. This is due to the color pigment in the plant called anthocyanin. This pigment can build up in the leaves or may just be a normal part of the plants coloring. As the leaf ages, it may become more red in color. This coloring is often most notable on the undersides of leaves, the leaf edges or margins, and the flower spike may appear to be a greenish purple in color. This coloring can be intensified by sunlight as will be explained below. Most plants with this leaf coloring have very dark green leaves, and may be more prone to leaf burn. But many plants naturally have this coloring in their leaves and it is not indicative of a problem with the plant. It is not know whether this is some sort of dominant trait (leaf color) in Phalaenopsis, but due to its propensity it wouldnt be surprising. Many mottled leaf Phals also have this reddish hue on the leaf undersides, examples of these species being: lindenii, schillerinan and stuartiana. 2. Sunlight: Some Phals, when exposed to high levels of light, may get a red/purple ring around the leaves. This is often a sign that the plant is receiving a very high amount of light, which eventually, may lead to leaf burn and cellular damage. The way to stop it is to reduce the amount of light the plant receives. This should be done in a gradual fashion, just as increasing light should be done. A slight increase can stop this from leading to leaf burn. A reddish purple line, which does not develop into leaf burn, is fine and should be regarded as the plants upper light register. Some Phals when getting too little light may have a severe darkening of the leaves, which will lead to them appearing to have a red/purple cast. In this case light should be gradually increased over a period of weeks so as to protect from leaf burn. Limey green leafed Phals often do not develop the red/purple line, but instead may develop a yellow/white line around the leaves when exposed to very high light levels, and this should be treated the same way as the red line. The main difference is when limey green leaved Phals get less than adequate light their leaves will darken to a dark Kelly green, and not take on the reddish hue. This may seem confusing, but experimenting with light, and understanding your plants genetic heritage can help you better understand what is going on. If the plant has red, pink or purple flowers it is pretty much a given that the leaves are darker and purple on the undersides, but many whites, sunsets, art shades, spotted, and yellow Phals also have this characteristic. With increased breeding and the wide selection of hybrids available it is no surprise that it is getting more difficult to determine if the coloring is genetic or not. If your plant goes through a sudden color change in the leaves it is best to ride on the side of caution and pull it back from its light source. Occasionally the red leaves will follow a softening and wilting of the leaves. This is because the plant is ill or infected with insects, which is slowing down its growth. You should then inspect for insects, crown rot, root rot or some other issue such as a sudden drop (freeze) in temperature or a sudden increase (20 deg) in temperature. All can cause leaf changes to which coloration changes may be a secondary characteristic of the problem. Provided by Adrianna Bast