re: 2019 Garden Thread

Hi all,

Planted some tomatoes and peppers a few days ago in my back flowerbed. Attempted to move a huge rose bush and killed it :-(

Shoulda checked here before moving.

It’s just a little garden, but our first one in this house.

I have read through the thread and picked up tons of pointers. Will be ordering some Texas tomato food.

Cheers

Normal for flowers to abort and fall off if conditions aren’t right (still too cool, or too hot in the summer) or if it doesn’t get pollinated. Look over the last few pages for how to self pollinate flowers, but it’s probably just too early for where you are.

If temps are warm enough to cause good growth of the plant and it’s not putting out blooms and setting fruit you could have too much nitrogen in the soil and not enough phosphorus. The leaves will be a deep purple and the plant will be growing like a weed. Too much nitrogen causes the plant to focus on growing foilage and not fruit.

Guys, what are you using to kill aphids and thrips. This is the worst year ever for us.They are ruining my bell peppers.I have tried Liquid Sevin, Bugs B Gone, 55% malathion, Spectricide. And all the eco friendly washes. I don't care what it cost.

Yes. Neem oil didn't work. I used Thiodan for years in my garden and did the job, especially stink bugs on my tomatoes. Can't find it these days.

quote:

---

Neem oil didn't work

---

You sure you have aphids? Cause every time I’ve dealt with them, neem oil has thoroughly taken care of them.

Try Pyrethrin.

Snapped a few pics today, tomatoes are really starting to produce.








I overwintered this pepper plant and I think I'm done starting new ones every year. This sucker was a couple small branches in March.

Dang! Lookin good!

quote:

---

I overwintered this pepper plant and I think I'm done starting new ones every year. This sucker was a couple small branches in March.

---

Gotdamn!

I don’t know why, but my garden seems so much further behind than last year. And I’ve been fighting a pretty gnarly fungus outbreak that sprang up out of nowhere. I’m hoping to have finally gotten it under control with the peroxide treatments (on top of the usual prophylactics). The newer growth looks healthy and beautiful. And on the plus side, they are setting lots of tomatoes.

I have a few cayenne plants that are booming right now. And all the other pepper plants I have a growing nicely.

Cucumber plants are growing nicely even though they are way behind compared to last year. I’m just hoping some pollinators show up. Still not seeing any bees like I was a month ago. I’ve been doing a little bit of hand pollinating, but that will get old quick.

I’ll probably take some pics this weekend.

quote:

---

TheDrunkenTigah

---

Why do you cut off the lower leaves of the tomato plants? A couple months ago, someone asked me if I did this, and I had never heard of it before. Does it protect the plants from bugs or induce more growth? Just curious if I should be doing this, also.

That pepper plant is enviable for sure. I might try to leave one or two in the ground this winter.

Lower leaves are more susceptible to soil borne pathogens that could splash onto them during rain. Once it gets on the lower leaves, it can spread to the rest of the plant.

It’s just good to prune them off. Tomato plants don’t really need a ton of foliage anyway. You want to grow tomatoes, not leaves.