How Does Your Garden Grow ?

[SteveA]

Wow,

My garden is going dead, very fast. Too much water? The only thing that seems to have survived is the squash,cukes and the herb garden, (anyone need any basil? ) tomatoes, green beans, peas, brussel sprouts are looking real bad.

All the rain? Lack of sun? Both?

[Pineedles]

Same here in CT. Thyme, cukes, parsley, eggplant going real well but tomatoes are still green.

[sa meredith]

Wow! Same problem here in southern NH. Tomatoes were Ok, but two weeks ago just stopped growing, and staying green. Many outdoor flowers on deck suddenly seem to be dieing off..leaf part browning on most of them, and a few weeks back, they were full of life...one of our best years for flowers ever...but coming to a screeching halt!

[Lakesrider]

Yep, flowers all gone soft and decaying roots. I made a couple of small clear plastic tents over a few of the good ones to try to keep some of the water off.
Uusually this time of year I am sneaking out at night to water in the cover of darkness. Like a criminal. Not this year. Can't wait to see what this does to the autumn water tables. big trouble with the frost heaves this year I'll bet.....

[jellybean]

I've had good garlic, onions, strawberries, chard, and herbs this year, but I have raised beds so the drainage is fairly good. The peas were great and even longer than usual. But the tomatoes are still green on the vine and waiting for some sun -- I have a feeling that if we do get sun, I will see some ripen up. My rhubarb seems to be rotting away and we are getting very few beans (despite vigorous vines). I have a lot of pumpkins and squash which seem to be okay, as long as the fruit is on grass or plastic mulch and not in a puddle.

[White Rook]

Hello Group,

My expertise is in the automotive field. With that said, I caught a segment on WMUR-TV news recently called 'Grow It Green' and I'm only repeating what I recall. My wife was commenting that her potted tomato plants weren't doing well and was experiencing conditions like you folks have described.

The expert on 'Grow It Green' said that with all the rain we've had this season, a fungus is splashed up on the leaves and as a result, the plant begins to die. Spreading mulch around the base helps but some type of anti-fungus spray will do the trick.

[White Rook]

Originally Posted by White Rook

Hello Group,

My expertise is in the automotive field. With that said, I caught a segment on WMUR-TV news recently called 'Grow It Green' and I'm only repeating what I recall. My wife was commenting that her potted tomato plants weren't doing well and was experiencing conditions like you folks have described.

The expert on 'Grow It Green' said that with all the rain we've had this season, a fungus is splashed up on the leaves and as a result, the plant begins to die. Spreading mulch around the base helps but some type of anti-fungus spray will do the trick.

Followup

See this link for more info http://www.wmur.com/green-pages/index.html

[twoplustwo]

I saw that bit on MUR and our tomatoes have taken the same hit from all of this rain, darned fungus. I should've left the tomatoes in pots like I usually do, but let my husband take the garden helm this year - my tomatoes-in-pots pals are all doing much better this year than those of us who put them in the ground. My broccoli started out ok then fizzled out, my peas are a major bust, green beans are doing ok, but nothing spectacular, and I'm hoping the rain doesn't kill the squash and pumpkins, I guess I'll have to wait and see.

I'm trying to look at the bright side, this will let me buy local, right?

[Newbiesaukee]

My peppers,herbs and tomatoes are all doing OK but they are in containers and, as suggested, that may be the answer. It is certainly not related to my gardening ability.

[chipj29]

I only planted a couple tomato plants this year. They started out great, produced quite a few tomatoes early. I found that the key was to pick them when they are green and let them ripen on the windowsill in the kitchen. However lately the tomatoes are spotty and just overall unhealthy looking. Not to mention the fact that the tomatoes that I have grown are smaller than ever. Not sure if the rain has anything to do with the size though.

I am also unintentionally growing many different species of mushrooms on my lawn. I wouldn't eat them though.

[Seeker]

The only quality crops we had this year were strawberries, raspberries and wild blueberries. The cukes are tiny as are the zucchini (who'd think you could stop them from growing), hail did some early damage to both varieties of tomatoes and chilis have been non-existent. Most are in a raised bed but drainage is still a problem.

[Pineedles]

Wow, its been nearly 2 years since that poor growing season and last year wasn't much better. I'm going to try the Topsy Turvey tomato planter this year and was wondering if anyone tried these things. No substitute for lack of sun but it looks like it can deal with the soggy soil situation that we've dealt with the past two seasons. They say it can produce 30 lbs. of tomatoes?

[wifi]

Originally Posted by Pineedles

....They say it can produce 30 lbs. of tomatoes?

And a Shamwow can absorb 2 full cups of water!!!! Just ask Vince!

[Chickie]

I stopped planting tomatoes a few years ago partly due to tomato blight. I tried fungal sprays, Jerry Baker's home remedies and other suggestions from the Extension Service, but it always came back with a vengeance each year. It seems most gardeners are plagued by it and it has spread throughout the area. The topsy-turvy planters could prove to be a good alternative if they work and might not be prone to this troublesome blight. I have seen them in catalogs over the past couple years. Can they be purchased locally and where? Do they produce good sized tomatoes or only the cherry variety? I will be interested to hear of your experience using them.

[Nagigator]

I don't use them myself, but I have set them up for my parents. It produced a TON of tomatoes, and kept going way into the fall. The only thing is, they require a great deal of watering. Other than that, I think they are a great alternative. The topsy turvey product itself is a little on the cheap side, but you can find great similar products on line. Good luck!

[hilltopper]

There also simple to make yourself. Do a search online and you'll see different ways you can do this at home.

[Meredith lady]

Hey there Pineneedles-you have to try the topsy turvy tomato plants! They are awesome! I had so many tomatoes I was giving them away-plus they look really pretty on the deck!! Good luck-looking forward to seeing you sometime this summer!