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To: Red_Devil 232
It's barely 60 degrees here and calls for mid-50's the next few nights. My tomatoes won't ripen, my zuchini won't zuke, my okra won't oak, and it's a contant battle with the fungus. We've had only 5 days of temps in the 90's and have had the AC off most all the time. If this gets much worse it's going to snow.

I want my Global Warming, NOW!

13 posted on 07/17/2009 4:36:13 AM PDT by CH3CN
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To: CH3CN

Same here in Wisconsin.

OTOH, this year I planted tomatoes that all have a 65-68 day planting out to harvest period. I can add 2 weeks for my microclimate. Today is day 47. We are eating the container tomatoes planted from seed indoors in March. The garden plants have fruit and it is slowly growing. The cool nights and constant winds are not a help.

Last week, I pruned the tomatoes, clipping off all the suckers. It helped by opening up the plants so the sun could reach inside and diverting energy from leaf to fruit production. I also gave them all Jobe spikes with low N and high phosphate. (did the same with the container plants) Yesterday, I could see some positive results in fruit size, but I need to prune them again. I will wait until it warms back up, though. No sense inviting disease. I don’t expect ripe tomatoes until the end of August.

No repeat of blossom end rot in the indeterminate container tomatoes since the affected plants got their calcium treatment.

The sweet corn is about 3 feet high, but strong and green. It gets high nitrogen fertilizer every 7-10 days. It is 68-day corn. None of it is showing signs of tasseling.

Once we are sunny and in the 70s, again, I will water. The ground is moist under the mulch around the tomatoes and while I had to go in an inch on the corn rows to find moisture, it is there and I am sure from the looks of the plants that the roots have found water.

I just replanted my hydroponic tomatoes for Fall, so there is a lot of clear space on the grow surface. I placed a half-ripe tomato under the lights yesterday and this morning I can see that the lights accelerated the ripening. Fairly strong compact florescents, set about 4 inches above the surface, for anyone needing to ripen fruits that have passed the breaker stage (1/2 pink).

We have 1 gallon of sauce and 8 oz of dried tomatoes left from last year. I made spaghetti sauce last night and will use up last year’s harvest by August 15. Anyone with a good recipe for homemade tomato soup, please post!

It seems there is always something for a gardener to worry about! High winds have meant fewer bugs, though! Also, we are overrun with Asian Lady Beetles, so aphids are nowhere to be found.


29 posted on 07/17/2009 5:33:02 AM PDT by reformedliberal (Are we at high crimes or misdemeanors, yet?)
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