Tomato Problems?... May 25, 2009

Pictures of what I am afraid could be Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl virus -someone tell me I am wrong!

Mortgage Lifter on left, Better boy on right

Normal tomatoes behind. Notice the difference in sizes.

Better boy exhibited signs first and was purchased from

a highschool greenhouse. Mortgage Lifter was purchased

from a personal greenhouse. The rest were grown by moi.

Campbell's 1327 with symptoms. Raised by myself.

Shorter and bushier than another tomato planted at

same time in same type SWC.

Bushmaster with same symptoms. Purchased at highschool

greenhouse along with the Better boy. Whiteflies were

in the greenhouse.

Normal plant for reference.

Rain ...May 16

Rain... what a surprise. Four and a half inches for the first half of May. I know I should be thankful but its hard when you are watching all those hours of work gasping for air under all that water. Trying a milk/water spray for the tomatoes and peppers in hopes of preventing fungal attacks from the (shock) rain.

Baby tomatoes on the vines, baby peppers peeking out, blooms on the sugar snap peas and already pulling some onions - the fun part of gardening! Used two of the mystery "hot salsa" peppers above in making chow chow today - 5 pints worth - to use up a head of cabbage and some green peppers I had bought on sale and had not cooked.

Finished filling the experimental potato bin with compost today - the leaves are already to the top on the side where I planted some Kennebec seed potatoes. Not surprisingly, the side with the grocery store Yukon Gold had tiny plants that something had already snacked on - I just covered it all with compost. Gardening is full of little surprises - in one of the tomato beds there are six or seven potato plants coming up from the compost we layered in the bottom of it. I dug several up and finally just decided to live and let live - we'll see what happens come summer.

Spring garden...May 15 2009

Thunderstorms again this evening with punishing rain - I am almost scared to go out in the morning and see the sugar snap peas - they were blooming this afternoon and I already had visions of stirfry with our green onions, spinach, etc. The eggplants seem to be recovering from the flea beetle attacks and the scarlet runners are coming up in their pots at the bottom of the arbor. Blooms on most of the tomatoes and peppers and the beans are getting larger by the day... is there anything more relaxing than going out and just visiting everything in the garden?

Flea beetles...May 9, 2009

Attack of the flea beetles on my eggplants. For someone who carried bugs out of her home and school room, I have dark murderous thoughts at the moment. Am trying garlic and hot pepper sauce diluted in water and sprayed on. Hope not to have to go to anything else. Scarlet runner beans are up - will be trained over an arbor and hopefully the hummingbirds will love them this summer.

Note from end of summer... Nothing seemed to faze the flea beetles. Tried all the organic methods I could find - from the garlic spray to DE to soapy sprays. Despite them, the eggplants produced well although their leaves continued all summer to look like someone had taken buckshot to them!

Planting frenzy...May 2, 2009

I may never be able to use my hands again, but all the planting is done - at least for now! Spent all last weekend and 9 hours today planting every freaking tomato seedling, including my husband's pet with one leaf, and everything else. So far the count still live and growing at this point includes:

37 tomatoes - heirlooms, cherries, and a few hybrids for back-up
19 pepper plants - 6 varieties
8 eggplants - 2 varieties
10 squash, zucchini and cukes
10 gazillion onions, green onions, shallots and garlic - no fear of vampires here
Carrots - 3 varieties
Sugar Snap Peas
Spinach
Bush Beans - two varieties in ground so far
Scarlet Runner beans

Still have a few broccoli plants left - heads are small but tasty, but the heat is getting to them - stirfry tonight!



Did I mention the four pots of herbs? Sage, several types of
thyme, dill, two kinds of chives, oregano, Genovese basil....