Any luck growing vegies this year?

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by azaleafan, Jul 23, 2006.

  1. azaleafan

    azaleafan Active Member

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    We planted several types of vegies this year, cucumbers, several types of tomatoes, peppers, squash, and beans (possibly others, can't remember). Everything was growing just fine. When it came time for them to fruit, the plants started to go downhill. We haven't got very many of anything. The only thing that did decent was the beans but we had to pull them out after the second crop came in. Half of the tomatoes dropped of before they got ripe, the cucumbers hardly put on any fruit, we only got two bell and a handful of banana peppers (the cilli peppers are doing better than the regular peppers), and we only got a few squash. The few bell peppers we got grew to about half the size they were supposed to and we grew California wonder and Golden Calwonder peppers and they didn't fruit at all. The tomato and cucumber plants started to wilt when they were setting fruit. At the beginning of the season we did have more rain than normal but I don't think that caused any problems other than possibly leaching the soil. The best thing we can think of is taking a soil sample to get it analized at the local horticulture agency but I thought I'd ask for your oppenions first. What do you think would be causing our problems and how would you remidy it?
     
  2. shelli

    shelli Active Member

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    Wow, that sounds like a lot! It almost sounds like the plants aren't being adequately pollenated which would account for smaller (and fewer) fruit, but as for the plants wilting???? Unless there's not enough water, or, with the cucumbers, if the plants have been attacked by the cucumber beetle they might wilt. I honestly have never had a tomato plant wilt so I don't know what that's all about. In fact it's usually pretty hard to kill a tomato plant. I've broken off branches, stuck them in the ground and watered... presto... new tomato plant. With squash, you can get a bore that eats into the stem of the plant and slowly works it's way up the plant till it kills it. If this is the case... look for a sawdust appearance and hole near the base of the stem... follow up the stem squeezing lightly till the stem feels firm again... cut into the stem and remove the bore (yes, a lovely procedure, I know) then the plant will live and continue to produce. I think soil testing is a great idea.. a good place to start. As for pollenation... have you noticed whether there are a lot of bees in the garden? They usually do their work in the morning so it's best to avoid watering at that time so as not to disrupt them.

    As for my garden, it's just starting to produce fruit so I don't know how well it will do yet. Our bean plants are rather small and sad this year, but we had a terribly cold and wet spring until July began. My cucs, squash, and tomatoes had to be started in the house because it wouldn't stop raining!!! I couldn't plant seeds in the ground... they would have washed away. The tomato leaves started to curl from all the rain, but are doing much better now.

    Wish I could be of more help.
     
  3. azaleafan

    azaleafan Active Member

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    I don't think it was a polination problem with the tomatoes we see tons of them but, as mentioned before, they just fall off before the ripen/start to ripen. The cuces and squash maybe, but not the tomatoes. Not too sure about the peppers though. I agree the soil testing is a good idea and I'll try to talk my gramps into taking one there. If I recall, soil testing is free, unless they changed it.
     
  4. Durgan

    Durgan Contributor 10 Years

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    Your previous experience with the garden area would be helpful, also your personal experience with growing vegetables. Were vegetables grown in the area previously? How large is the vegetable garden?

    Growing vegetables is a lot different than fixing a computer. Couch potatoes think all one has to do if drop the seeds into the row, and low and behold, the produce looks like the stuff that appears in a supermart, even as gross as some of that is.

    An experienced vegetable grower can usually tell at a glance, what is going wrong, or at least make a calculated guess. Vegetable growing is not rocket science to use the normal cliche, but it takes a lot of experience to obtain maximium growth. Trial and error plays a large part.

    After all that, one has to contend with the weather, and God's loving creatures called bugs and fungi, and other growth called weeds, plus hungry animals. A few pictures are worth a thousand or more words.

    Durgan.
     
  5. shelli

    shelli Active Member

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    This is true... and kind of funny if you keep your sense of humor.... especially battling the hungry animals. I currently have a very hungry baby bunny visiting! I gave up on "perfection" a long time ago... it was just too frustrating and I wasn't sure I was doing myself any favors with the pesticides and fungacides... now I'm growing organic and inevitably all the plants weaken by the end of the season, but since this isn't a commercial venture for me I just enjoy the fresh produce while it lasts.

    Yes, a picture would help. You may have a tomato fungus or virus. I looked up info on poor tomato fruit production and the cause was listed as conditions being unfavorable: too hot, too cold or too dry. I'm guessing it's not too cold at the moment in VA :). For too hot it is suggested that you use a shade cloth and be sure to water adequately.

    Also crop rotation is important to make it more difficult for pests and disease to find their favorite plants.
     
  6. azaleafan

    azaleafan Active Member

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    Well, I wouldn't go as far to say we are complete novices. We've been growing a vegitable garden for many years now (ever since I was a kid). I can't give you the exact size of the garden but I can give you a rough estimate. We actually have two gardens so I will need to provide you with information on both. One garden is about 17 ft x 22 ft and the other is about 6 ft x 30 ft.

    We always ammend the soil before planting and this year we did it a different way. When we planted the tomatoes and peppers, we dug a huge hole and put enough lime and fert in the bottom of it enough to cover the bottom. Then we filled the hole full of mirical grow garden soil and mixed it with the lime and fert. then we planted the plants. We planted cucumber and bean seeds so we had to do them differently. I don't remember how we did them so I can't tell you that. So I'm sure neutrition isn't a problem unless the soil got leached of the neutrients.

    We have grown the same plants in the same spots forever and we always got a bountiful crop. We would have our bad years but nothing like this year. We have always had plenty of tomatoes to can and cucumbers to make relish with, but this year we aren't getting the crop we usually get.

    Last year, we got hords of tomatoes and cuces but the tomatoes that were supposed to get huge, like the beafsteak, stayed small. This year they are getting to the size they are supposed to but only a few on each plant get ripe. We didn't have any problems with the beans this year except for the fact that we didn't get as many crops as we wanted.

    The plants have stopped wilting now but who knows whether it'll start again. I would be able to provid a pic for you if it'll help.
     
  7. Durgan

    Durgan Contributor 10 Years

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    The first thing that jumps out is possible over-fertilizing. All things being equal this would be the thing you did differently. So many plants are affected that it has to be something common to all.

    I seldom use fertilizer, maybe a sprinkle of 777 when it is rototilled. Also, I seldom grow the same thing in the same place each year. I always put city compost on the and work it in; in fact, I now have soil that when I water, it actually sinks in instead of laying on top. The basic soil is clay. I put a winter cover crop of red annual clover and work it into the soil in early spring.

    You have a large garden by most urban standards, so you must have a lot of experience..

    My garden is almost perfect this year, except for peas and I suspect lack of calcium. I will try calcium supplements next year.

    Unfortunatley, with our climate one only get a single chance each year, so one must learn from previous years mistakes.
    Durgan.
     
  8. azaleafan

    azaleafan Active Member

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    I hope these pics are good enough.
     

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