Dealing with tomato issues.
Greetings fellow gardeners,
And so, it goes. This continuing heat wave is very discouraging and not typical of a gardening season and I was overjoyed to receive some rain this week.
Let’s talk about tomatoes. How are they doing? By now you should have lots of flowers and some green tomatoes and some nearly ripe. You may also find a few problems right now as well. The most common problem you will find at this time of year is blossom end rot. You will find it described as a calcium deficiency brought on by inconsistent watering. If you have been watering regularly and using the kelp fertilizer I suggested, then you should not have to deal with this. If you have blossom end rot do not despair, all is not lost. Blossom end rot shows up more frequently on delicate heritage plants, the newer hybrids are much less susceptible. Remove the tomatoes that are rotting and put them in the green bin. You can reverse the calcium deficiency with regular feedings of kelp fertilizer, and you must also water your plants. Every day put your fingers into the soil. If it is dry water it and if it is moist, wait a while.
Tomatoes like a good deep watering near the roots so I devised a little something to help me out. I worry about the water splashing up onto the leaves so this makes it much easier. I took a 2-liter clear plastic bottle and cut the end off it. I placed it with the spout side down and filled it with water. I also threw a couple of comfrey leaves in for good measure. Now I know that the roots of my tomatoes are getting a good drink.
Another thing that you might notice right now is that your tomatoes have something called ‘catface’. This is a deformity at the blossom end. The rest of the fruit is edible. It is generally caused by putting your plant out too early. Often this occurs with your first fruits, but the rest are fine. Again, the delicate heritage plants are most susceptible.
You should be harvesting your tomatoes very soon.
The carrots and turnips I planted last week are starting to poke through. Today I think I will try planting more lettuce seeds in the planter hanging from my apple tree. It is cooler there so I am hopeful that they will germinate.
Have a wonderful week and water those plants!!
Judith (email: lapisdragonarts@gmail.com)
all Veggie Bites are at https://sites.google.com/site/sghortsoc/. Part Three of The New Gardener by S.R. Bicket, follows.
The New Gardener Part 3
S.R.Bicket
There are 3 adages which I believe contribute greatly to a successful garden
1. Feed the soil and the plants will look after themselves
2. Nature abhors a vacuum
3. Right plant right place
Feed the soil and the plants will take of themselves
We feed the soil by adding compost, well-rotted manure (3 years old), and other organic mulches. There are numerous benefits; the soil structure of just about any kind of soil is improved: water retention (and nutrients) in sandy soils, improved drainage of clay soils. Compost is the closest thing to a magic bullet gardeners’ have.
The soil is home to a whole host of micro-organisms and small creatures, some “good” some “bad”. The actions of many of these provide nutrients to plants in a form that they can use, and act as “antibodies” keep pathogens in check. An important component of the soil/plant cycle is decaying organic matter (both plant and animal). As gardeners we like to clean up plant debris as we find it unsightly, removing soil food. By returning in the form of compost the soil/plant cycle is maintained.
I make compost, from raw vegetable kitchen scraps, weeds, and dead plant material – fallen leaves, stems I have cut down…
Compost and well-rotted manure can be applied as a top dressing or mulch or be worked into the soil. There is no hard and fast rule about the amount, anything from ½ cm to 10 cm or more. Vegetables gardens need more compost than ornamental gardens. It is usually applied in the spring once the soil has warmed up, before planting season for vegetables, or in the autumn. Compost or manure applied in the autumn can be unfinished or only partially composted.
Compost can be added at any time. If I am planting a new plant, I will add compost; for herbaceous plants and bulbs adding to the planting hole, for woody plants (trees and shrubs) as a top dressing. When I dig a plant up, I will work some compost in to the hole left behind to replenish the soil. If a plant is not thriving a top dressing of compost is the first step. A plant that has been pruned, cut back or damaged gets a top dressing of compost. There is never enough to go round.
In a new garden compost often is not available for a year or so until you have built the compost pile and it has rotted sufficiently. In this case my preference is either to wait to plant, plant into what you have, mulch and amend later or to bring in compost or well-rotted manure and amend the existing soil rather than buy in topsoil.
In small gardens a compost heap may seem like a big investment of space, but as even a small one pays dividends it is worth making the effort to find a spot. If you are concerned that compost heap will attract vermin, only compost garden debris. An alternative is to practice “messy” gardening, rather than remove debris chop up in smaller pieces, and drop directly onto the soil and compost in-situ as in nature. A lawn mower can be used to cut up leaves which can be raked onto a garden bed, it is amazing how quickly they will disappear. Larger woody branches are slow to break down so these can be placed out for the city to compost. In a larger garden a pile of branches can provide a wildlife habitat.
Mulch is a layer of material over the soil used to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and moderate soil temperatures. Organic mulches also contribute to soil health as the soil literally eats them. In “messy” gardens mulch can be used to cover up plant debris. Mulches are usually purchased.
The use of compost builds soil, providing plant nutrients, improving water holding capacity, drainage, aeration and is highly beneficial to wildlife. The need for added fertilizers is reduced, even eliminated, less pollution. Periods between waterings can be longer. Best of all it is free!
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