Posted on 08/02/2013 2:00:43 PM PDT by greeneyes
I would like to be on the ping list. I often miss the post.
I am in about my fourth year and I am finally getting the hang of it and really enjoying gardening.
This year is a good one. I have actually produced enough food that I could have feed myself for a short time. Lots of squash and cantalopes. Tomatos are looking good but they are still green.
Should I let cantaloupe vine ripen and whats a good way to tell when to pick them?
Sounds like life is good in your neck of the country.
Sounds like you are doing great. Looking forward to pictures.
I’ve had worse years.
/johnny
When we looked into a similar problem earlier this year, we found out that sometimes squash plants have mono(all one sex) flowers that die with out producing fruit. Then they get more flowers that are both male and female, and you get produce from the plant.
Other potential causes. Not enough pollinaters in your garden. Hand pollinate, and plant some flowers to attract bees etc.
Deficient nutrients in the soil. If the plants are growing well and a nice healthy green, then you probably need more potassium/phosphorus or trace minerals.
LOL. Some Men think they are invincible. Some men think that worry over such things are sissified, and have to prove other wise. Some men just think they are so capable, that they will never accidentally get it in their mouths.
Women don’t usually have this issue with gasoline, because there is almost always some fool hardy fellow willing to help them out.LOL
Well, we usually put up shiny wheelies or old shiny pie pans or computer disks, but haven’t gotten around to it this year. We always plant extra. The ones at the top of the hill, and in my garden are doing fine with little or no losses to critters.
Hard to tell without more info and pictures. Best guess is a soil bourne disease or some kind of bacterial issue.
We often have a few spots here and there on our green beans, but most of the pods are ok, so we haven’t really done much about it, since the health is good overall.
Sometimes if you have overlapped an area that had beans before, you will have that section which is less healthy looking and produces less than the rest of the plants. Crop Rotation helps with these kind of problems.
LOL. What a picture that brings to mind.
Do you think the pine bark mulch had something that caused it? We apparently have some climbing cutworms, and I noticed that every plant that has been hit are the ones that we mulched with wood mulch that we purchased.
Me too.LOL Compared to other people, my life has been a walk in the park, for which I am enternally grateful to God.
Will add you for the next thread. Cantaloupe stems will turn from green to brown, and they practically fall off into your hands without tugging.
If you notice in the store, some have a kinda greenish color shining through the brown. Looks kinda like a net over a green ball. Those aren’t really ripe enough to taste good.
You will see some that are kinda beige all over, and have a light spot where they were on the ground. Those are riper. In fact, if you experiment with a few supermarket melons, you can get a good feel for what a good tasting melon looks like, sometimes.
I love home grown tomatoes. Those you have there are looking great.
Experimenting with several nutrient formulas on my tomatoes this year...I have a Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red plant that has 200 tomatoes on it, and it is still blossoming...now if I could only remember what I fed the damn thing...
I actually though about the pine bark today and I could be over watering but I have used rice hulls and had this problem then also but not as bad.
For next year, I think cages will be needed around any plant I expect to harvest. Something is routinely chowing down on tomato leaves, nasturtium (the entire plant is edible), just about anything I have planted this year except thyme. The tomato plants have generally done well, but they are being consumed.
Our 8 foot machete-wielding rabbits are closely related to the Jimmah Cahtah Monster rabbit, and the Rabbit that guards the Sacred Runes.
If I have this right-
determinant are the shorter bushy ones like our Early Girls-They are still producing and have been for two months. I thought they produced all at one time, but I was wrong.
indeterminate, the long viney ones that were 9ft tall have fell over and not doing as well with their stems pinched. These are thew ones that I want to trim off very short and have them grow back a second time. They were our tasty slicers, hybrids and heirlooms, that were 5in diameter and so tasty. That sound like a viable plan?
sounds good, thanks
Wow. No kidding. Hope you can remember.LOL
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