Posted on 06/17/2011 5:12:35 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Good morning gardeners. My tomato plants are struggling to survive these hot brutal sunny days. Their leaves are all curled up trying to save water. Temperatures are consistently in the mid to high 90s. My winter and summer squash along with all of my hot and sweet pepper plants are doing great. It does not look like any of my Opailka or Viva Italia paste tomatoes will make it through so I have restarted some more seeds in the hopes I can get them transplanted in time for a late harvest. I have about 4 Marion tomato plants that are in the rear of my garden that are doing well for now. They get some shade in the late afternoon so I will put my new paste tomato transplants in that same area of the garden. I may be down but not out!
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If you haven’t already, I’d mulch them asap. It really helped the little ones we’ve set out this spring tolerate the recent drought/heat. There’s a noticeable difference between their overall health and those few that haven’t been mulched just yet.
We are sooooo behind the curve here too. Just too cold and wet all during Spring here in Missouri. Then “bam” record heat. This week has been great though, except for the strong winds today.
Will do.
I have not mulched them.
We learned the hard way that even with surge protector the computer is vulnerable. Lightening strike got 3 computers and 3 satellite receivers and VCR’s even though they were all plugged into surge protectors. Zapped through the phone line and into the router to all the computers.
“.. it’s struggled since March but it looks like it’s finally given up”.
It is a gardener’s battle, isn’t it? It is especially perplexing when you’ve done everything right (or think you have) and took a lot of time. My one tea rose of fifteen years finally waved the white flag of doom. I cried since I planted it right after my first child was born. That’s okay... I’m going to let him pick out the replacement!
The sun is shining here now. Typical Missouri weather.
LOL. Ain’t it the truth? We have sunshine too. I’ll be heading out in about 30 min. or so.
I have one garden bed planted, the seedlings are starting to show their first set of true leaves.
The second garden bed is built, I got the last bag of dirt in it this morning. I’m only able to work outside for a little bit every day, due to certain physical limitations, but I hope to have that bed planted by Wednesday.
In the front garden, the strawberries are going gangbusters! I haven’t been able to keep them picked, this morning I picked a big mixing bowl full and only got through 1/4 of the garden. It’s not really designed for easy picking, so it hurts if I push to pick more.
Hey Diana, would you like to come pick some strawberries?
The shading cloth is doing its job.
These poor Opailka tomatoes on the left have bit the dust. In front are two jalapeno pepper plants that need a little water. Once the new Opailka I started from seed are ready to transplant I will put them at the back of the garden that is receiving natural shade from an oak tree. Plenty of room left back there to plant.
Sorry the Opailka’s are on the right!!!
That sounds really interesting. I have a big, ol’ willow; and it needs trimming. I could probably sell willow tree water by the 5 gal. jug. LOL
We took the row covers of of the corn, weeded and fertilized with 10-10-10 then I hilled them for the first time and they look great. Dug the soft neck garlic yesterday (Inchelium and Susanville) and hung them in the fence to dry and also cut the scapes off the stiff neck varieties but they need a couple of weeks more to size up. Am slowly getting the drip lines put on the flower beds and the corn and potatoes are next. Of course there are the hundreds of little “oh yeahs” thrown in there somewhere.
http://www.bluestem.ca/willow-article1.htm
Make your own willow water:
Easily root azaleas, lilacs, summersweets (Clethra spp.) and roses by gathering about two cups of pencil-thin willow branches cut to 1-3 inch lengths. Steep twigs in a half-gallon of boiling water overnight. Refrigerated liquid kept in a jar with a tight-fitting lid will remain effective up to two months. (Label jar so you won’t confuse it with your homemade moonshine.) Overnight, soak cuttings you wish to root. Or water soil into which you have planted your cuttings with the willow water. Two applications should be sufficient. Some cuttings root directly in a jar of willow water. Make a fresh batch for each use. You can also use lukewarm water and let twigs soak for 24-48 hours.
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I have seen other approaches to doing this, this is but one method and it is simple to do. And it works on most plants that can be rooted from green cuttings.
Good news is that we are heading toward lower temps in a few days. The highs are supposed to drop to high 80's and 90 for a few days of respite and possible rain.
Is that just straw you have over your landscape fabric? Are you throwing any soil over it as well (That straw looks like you would have problems with it with any wind)?
We have ours down and are still planting... then I read the literature that came with the fabric and it said the fabric itself must be covered... like you did with the straw.
Also, do you roll your fabric up and store it in the winter/off season time, or do you leave it down?
Thanks in advance!
we had to turn our heat back on because here in eastern Washington it been cold and rainy....it got down to about 41 and inside our house it was only about 64....we haven’t hit 80 yet which is unusual....but we’ll get there....the tomatoes and peppers sure hope so...
Without fail...!
I’m married to a pilot. We’ve joked for years that anytime I try to plant something, we move. The bigger the planting, the bigger the move. This year has been no different. Thankfully, I have a neighbor who is an avid gardener that took my heirloom peppers, tomatoes and squashes. Just once I’d like to harvest one of my gardens. I was really looking forward to home grown tomatoes this year. They’ve been traded for Las Vegas, a pool, and a weekly gardener to take care of inedible plants. I swear- I’ve moved so many times this was the last @#$% time I plant anything. LOL. You’d think I’d know better by now. Happy gardening all and pray for me that I get over the guilt of planticide. The screams of my lettuces....
Maybe just plant 3 or 4 pots, so you can take them with you next time. Tomato and basil in one or two, Pepper plant, spinach. I grew tomatoes and spinach indoors this past winter as well as several herbs. I had one regular size, and one cherry size tomato, and other stems I cut off and stuck in a pot so the green tomatoes could ripen.
“Maybe just plant 3 or 4 pots, so you can take them with you next time.”
That would be a cross town move. I’m cursed no matter what. LOL. I’d rather not move than have home grown veggies.
Yes it is wheat straw. Once it gets rained on it kind of gets matted. Wind does not bother it. I pick the fabric up when the garden gets cleaned up in the fall and the straw goes on the soil and gets tilled in.
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