Today's Haul

I'm going to start posting what we pick. It may be a small haul or large haul.  

Also this is my first time posting from my cell phone. So testing. 

Tomato Bottom Rot

Also known as Black bottom, Bottom end rot, and Blossom End Rot.  Im sure there are more but this is what i have heard locally.

This is an example of the very start
of bottom end rot starting on this tomato.

So what is it?

well according to the Texas Aggies: Blossom end rot can affect fruit at all stages of development. The characteristic symptom is a progressive deterioration of the blossom end of the fruit, from a water-soaked appearance to a sunken, black, leathery lesion. While secondary fungal infections may occur, blossom end rot is a physiological disorder caused by calcium deficiency induced by water stress.

I can only speak to what I have encountered and I encounter it every year.  Every year the tomatoes I grow in pots get this.  Unfortunately I'm reactive instead of proactive.  So I wait until they show signs of bottom rot before I treat them.  Kind of as if maybe this will be the year that it doesn't happen.

Every oldtimer i ask tells me its missing calcium.  Just add calcium. So every year when it shows up, I add calcium and it always fixes my issue with bottom rot.  So lets go thought the simple step i do to help my tomato plants that have this.

1. First i take my bottle of Tums or other antacid relief tablets.   These are just about 100% calcium. 
2. I pour as much as i feel im going to need for this application depending on how many plants i plan to treat.
   
   
   
3. Smash it up to a powder.  I allow some chunks.  I think of it as a slow release form of calcium and the powder as a fast acting.
   
   
   
4. Last i just sprinkle it around the base of each tomato plant.  usually they are always the potted ones.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

This is what i have been told and what i practice.  You can continue to let the grow and they are still edible.  Just cut the bottom rot off and the rest of the tomato is fine to eat.  In fact i made salsa the other night and i used 2 tomatoes that had bottom rot.  I just cut it back until it looked like healthy tomato.

Next is to figure out why the leaves are turning yellow and falling off on the bottom of these potted tomato plants.?!?

Front Porch Figs

This is my fig tree that I have had for about 3 years now. During spring and summer it lives on my front porch. During fall and winter it lives in my garage.

So far this year is looking to be the best year, if everything that is on it now will mature. There is roughly 70-100 figs on this little tree.

Interesting enough, when i was taking pictures this morning i noticed that there were all of these stink bugs in the tree. Im not sure what they are doing but my new goal is to eliminate their existence in this tree.
I love figs and they are difficult to come by. That is why i grow them.

In this picture if you can click on it to make it bigger and zoom in on the branch you will see some stink bugs. I have also found an egg or 2 so they may be reproducing right there. I know i have killed young ones on this tree already.

Again with the powdery mildew

The title really says it all.

This isnt my first time having Powdery Mildew back in 2009 and really 2010 it attacked me. So this just means that every year that i have attempted to grow something in the Cucurbitaceae plant family, that it has died from powdery mildew. This goes for all of my cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), and melons (including watermelons).

So how do i kill it and how do i prevent it?

My understanding is that once you have it you can not get rid of it.

I have read in some places that its due to hot temperatures and the leaves getting wet. this doenst really make sense to me cause its always going to be hot. its the summer! and its going to ran. So if this is the case every farmer is doomed.

Things that we have tried to do: Baking Soda, Neem and cutting away the infected leaves.


 
This is what GardenGuides.com has to say about managing powdery mildew.
Management

• In most cases, good cultural practices will adequately control powdery mildew:
• Select powdery mildew resistant varieties. This is particularly true of roses. For lawns, shade tolerant grasses such as creeping red fescue can be planted.
• Plant in full sunlight in a well-drained area.  
• Do not crowd plants. Air flow and ventilation will discourage mildew growth.
• Powdery mildew thrives where high rates of nitrogen have been used. High nitrogen promotes tender leaf formation, causing dense stands that are more susceptible to infections. Adequately fertilize but avoid stimulating succulent growth. Organic fertilizers or slow-release formulations of lawn fertilizers are good choices.
• Prune infected plants to get rid of infected parts and increase airflow. If the infestations are severe, remove and destroy the plants that are infected.
• Disinfect your pruning tool in a bleach solution of one part household bleach to four parts water after each cut.
• Watering plants in the morning gives the plants the rest of the day to dry off, discouraging establishment of diseases, including powdery mildew.

What do you know or think about this?  any information will be much appreciated.

Garden Mascot

Everyone needs one.

where did these tomatoes come from

I know it has been a while since i have posted anything about the garden at our townhouse. Since last years garden failed so bad i hadn't posted anything of relevant value here. So lets now move past that bad memory.

There is one thing that has happened now 3 years in a row, so i know its not a fluke, is i keep having these tomatoes come up from where i had them growing the year before. This really isnt a complaint but more of a learning experience.

My normal routine is that in January or February i start my seeds. By May they are ready to plant. They're Not the biggest and thickest tomato plants but i know they will get bigger and stronger once in the ground. And ill be, if these tomatoes from previous years haven't seeded them selves and come up stronger and better looking in a shorter amount of time then the once i started growing in Jan.

Case in point: this year i decided to do quality over quantity. My seeded tomoatoe plants look really healthy this year but those dang feral tomatoes are already putting on nice red tomatoes.

I think next year im going to go out and label where i place my seeds so i know whats growing and attempt to start them from the ground. I have to assume that this may be successful due to all the seuccesful feral tomatoes i have growing now.

random photo: one of our small raised gardens.

herbicide drift

i haven't posted much lately and its mostly due to our urban neighborhood.
we are having a pill right now with herbicide drift. the HOA sprays the common areas and some neighbors also have their yard sprayed.

This year its really hitting us hard. Not sure if its due to the extreme heat around here but our garden hasn't been anything to show this year. Plants dont grow to there full potential and all leaves look very shriveled.

So this is the main reason for not doing many updates.