my garden was a flop... any advice appreciated..

[MORTARDUDE]

Got out today and cleaned up my pitiful garden...

It is about 15' by 15' and it has been there for about 10 years.
It has landscape timbers around it and is raised somewhat. Over the years I have put in lots of topsoil, manure, mulch ( from my leaves and stuff.. and bag mulch as well.. ), bone meal, and fertilizer ( 6-12-12 ). It gets plenty of sun and I keep it watered..

OK..I didn't have a garden last year, so I was determined to "do it right" this time. I left several layers of black plastic on it over the past winter and killed most of the bermuda grass. I bought maybe 8 kinds of tomato plants, including heirloom varieties. I bought 8 or so kinds of pepper plants. The rabbits ate on these at first, but they came back or were re-planted. They didn't start growing good until late in the season. I also planted cucumbers, squash, okra, and I had a planter in the center with compartments and about 7 kinds of herbs in it..The herbs did well...everything else was not so good..

We are in the center of the country. Our growing season goes from April - Sept., with the best time after the day temps are in the 90s and the nights are around 70. For some reason, most of my tomatoes were stunted. Very few out of all I harvested were very big. Most were good, but nothing like in past years. I have noticed when I have a bad year and ask around others are having the same problems. There seemed to be some temperature fluctuations this year which may have been part of the problem. I have all winter to do some research, but frankly I am baffled.
We can usually get near-home-grown-quality tomatoes that are produced by big farms near Ripley, TN. just north of here, but I have noticed they are not as good either...Is it just me or are others having similar problems ?? ....

Just got thru filling up the mulch-bin with all the tomato and pepper plants...It should make some good mulch for next Spring...

Thanks for any insight or tips. I do love me a good tomato !!

Larry

[DMZ-LT]

Think it was a combo of later plant dates cause of the cooler temps and then rain, rain, rain , rain and more rain. Thats my story and I am sticking to it. Wait till next spring !!

[SuperScout]

If you'll ditch that tin foil helmet you've been sporting lately, your tomatoes will do better!! If your herbs did well, and since they like dry soil, maybe your 'maters didn't get enuf H2O.

[grasshopper]

Larry:
it could just be the year and more imortantly, the bedding plants that were used this year. Tomatoes do like lots of water.. but they like a deep water, not just the surface stuff. One trick is to cut the bottom of a plastic large pop bottle off and carefully stick that in the ground as close to the root area as you can. Then whenever you wish.. do a deep slow water via that. 1-2 'bottlefuls' should be good/day.
Also.. make sure you chnage areas that you plant in each year. If you plant the toms in one spot this year... put them somewhere else next year. Watch for 'blossom end rot' too. That is where there is a fungus type black spot on the bottom of the tomato. If you get that... pick them ones ASAP and toss in the garbage. Do not comphost (i know that is speeled wrong) anything that is diseased or rotten. Fungus will overwinter and 'infect' the soil for next year!

Not quite but almost, master gardener here

waaaaaaaaaaa I miss mucking in the dirt! I miss my old yard and plants

[melody1181]

Can't give you much advice. Did my grandpas this year and we got very little good tomatoes. They only thing that turned out was some yellow squash, we had that in abundance.

[reeb]

Mort,

Do what I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!









There are all kinds of grocery stores around here, just pick one, and buy your Veggies, and put them in the fridge or dry place, and TELL EVERYONE YOU GREW THEM YOURSELF!!!!!!!

The only time my thumb turns green, is when I am painting, and that aint very often any more.

Good Luck next year.

enough.........

[Keith_Hixson]

Grew Tomatoes for a living for years. He said most folks over water tomatoes. If you get a lot of rain or over water they'll not produce well.
Also your soil maybe to hot. Have it checked with local county ag agent. Too much fertilizer can stunt growth. I've done that one before.

Keith

[MORTARDUDE]

Good advice...Thanks to all....I have been growing tomatoes for 30 years. It seems like the plants are not what they used to be.
Even the supposed "heritage" varieties were puny... They are genetically altering everything... ( I saw somewhere where they are mixing plant, animal, and human genes together....for some God-awful purpose.. ) I usually water my garden every day. In the summer time it dries out quickly, if you are not careful.

reeb..

I don't like the tomatoes and some of the other produce in the grocery store, or I wouldn't do this ( trust me !! )....for some reaon they don't sell sweet banana peppers, cubanos, and mild jalapenos here...Also, I never use poison or herbicide of any kind in the garden. My father-in-law is a Sevin-dust freak..needless to say I don't eat anything from his farm... We use Scott's Lawn Care pellets on the yard. You just about have to around here because of the nut grass, and to keep the bermuda grass healthy...

'hopper :

Yes, I think I will go the 2-liter water route next year. I did it 5 or 6 years ago...There is a tree beside my house near to this, that is probably sucking up the moisture. I haven't had any trouble with the blossoms, as I always put bone meal and / or calcium on it.

Keith :

Good idea. I probably have the soil out of whack. Will lime straighten it out ? If so, how much..It is about 15 x 15 ... Thanks.

Scout :

My herbs were planted in a large planter in the center of the garden with compartments on the side, not directly in the soil..
Does anybody know if sage ( I have a large stand of it in the middle of the garden ) has a detrimental effect on other plants ?? I am grasping at straws now..


I will continue to do what I do.. however, I will not do it here..I could say more.. but will just let it go.....

>>> One man's tinfoil is another man's truth <<<

Larry

[skeeter]

Larry, I had a poor garden this year also. I put out 12 tomato plants, and very little came from them. I know I bought the wrong plants. My father-in-law was a tomato grower, as he saved is the seed from some good tomatoes.. He grew Big Boys, and they were the since of a saucer. I think the plants you buy today are no good. We had the rain, heat, warm nights, that what makes tomatoes grom.

[Keith_Hixson]

Burpee and I have never had a bad crop with Burpee seeds. Start them myself.

Keith