How big is your garden and how many tomato plants?

[hunterridgefarm]

Well after 23 days straight of rain, yesterday was the first day without rain. We now have a forecast of 4-6 days of 90 + degree sunshine.

This should help dry the fields out some but it is going to be stressful to the plants. They have not had this much heat and sunshine all year.

I had anticipated this happening and though I usually sucker my plants I stopped a few weeks back hoping the suckers would help shade the tomatoes once summer came back.

 

[jinman]

What I've done in the past to keep healthy vines is buy disease resistant varieties and then plant them with large spacing between plants. Of course, watering the ground and not spraying the whole plant is a rule too. In Texas, we almost never have a problem with fungus or molds. We are just too hot and dry to support those diseases. However other viral diseases can wipe out a crop. Keeping insects out is a great help because they spread plant diseases. It's always a race to get a good long production before something kills the plants. One year, I pruned back my Early Girl tomatoes and they came back out and gave me a nice fall crop. The next year, I couldn't get Early Girls to stay alive or produce hardly at all. For the home gardener who buys plants as sets, it's almost impossible to ensure the whole growing process. It's the old saying, "You pays your money and you takes your chances."

I've been extremely pleased with my tomato production this year and my crop has been phenomenal. That said, we just got 2.8" of rain over the last couple of days and my tomatoes suddenly look like the photo below. The sudden water flooding is causing them to blow up.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Jim,

Don't you just hate to see the tomatoes crack like that. I have not had that issue since we have been getting constant rain. That happens when we don't have rain for a while then get 2-3 days worth. I usually try to pick early to prevent the cracking but sometimes it is not possible.

I have not had any issues with disease yet. I have had a little brown cracks around the steams. We picked a bushel yesterday and 95% looked great.

By the way, thanks for the link in this thread or one of the others to Memphis Twine. I ordered 2 rolls 325' long of the netting you showed. I am testing it on the half runner green beans. I think it is going to work, I zip-tied it to my T-post. Hopefully I can save it at the end of the season.

David

 

[RandyBell]

Man jinman, I am jealous with all the rain we had this year stunting everything in the garden, now we jumped into the 90's the only thing we have had do any good at all is the zucchini we have gotten a bunch off them. Now the deer think it is their feed lot they keep picking at my tomatoes and sweet potatoes, the ground finally firmed up enough for the corn to stand up and it is jumping up! the tomatoes just don't look right this year, I started them from seeds from last years crop which was beautiful, this year not so much! The fruit looks droopy, I'll have to take a pic, they just don't look right. The green beans have finally bloomed and have some on the bush, if the deer don't get them. We have always had deer but this year seems worse!

 

[jinman]

By the way, thanks for the link in this thread or one of the others to Memphis Twine. I ordered 2 rolls 325' long of the netting you showed. I am testing it on the half runner green beans. I think it is going to work, I zip-tied it to my T-post. Hopefully I can save it at the end of the season.

David

David, I really like that netting I bought, but next year I'll add cross-row support between each plant. I thought the plants would lean against the netting, but they got heavy with tomatoes and fell to the side. It was a bad decision to not add the cross-row support. Next year, I'll do it right.

Yesterday in my garden, I noticed about 3 tomatoes were laying half-eaten between the rows and also two bell peppers that had not been eaten, but broken off the plants.:confused3: There was standing water in between rows, so I could not see any footprints, but I'd bet money I have a raccoon or possum visiting at night. I hope they don't discover my Israel melons. If they ever get a taste of those, they'll surely be back every night looking for more. My deer netting fence does not stop 'coons. They just chew a big hole and come on into the garden at will. I may be trapping soon. Marshmallows or corn is great bait for 'coons.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Jim,

One thing I did with my netting was pull a piece of heavy baler twine alone the top of my T post. Then I used small zip-ties to tie the netting to the twine. This helped out on the sagging between T post.

I string my tomatoes, since I have so many, with a stake every two plants. I put a drive a fence staple on the end of a stick about half way in. Thread my twine though the staple and tie it to the first stake. I can reach with the stake and grab any part of the plant pull it up and wrap the twine around the next stake without bending over:thumbsup:

Works great for me. I have a small bucket attached to my side with the roll of twine in it. I can string a 180' row in just a few minutes.

I have seen and tried the fence panels TSC sells for $19.00 each they are 16 foot long and easy to tie your tomatoes to. And easy to take up at the end of the season. But I have to many plants to use those, that would be a lot of $$$

My problem is not coons, (though we have them) it a ground hog that I can't seem to catch. I have seen his track and seen him, but did not have my rifle with me.

Last year he had a hole in the middle of the field, (his permanent residence is at the river bank), I was on the mule and saw him when I approached the field. I was determined to run over him and took off full throttle. Instead of going to the hole he was close to in the field he takes off towards the river.

They can run pretty fast; I got close; and if I had chased him another mile or so I would have caught him.

 

[RandyBell]

Ok guys I took pics of some questions I have
Is this end blossom rot

Does anyone know what this weed is it just keeps coming back, the only place I see it is in the garden, I can't find any around the yard

 

[sixdogs]

Ok guys I took pics of some questions I have
Is this end blossom rot View attachment 328115

Does anyone know what this weed is it just keeps coming back, the only place I see it is in the garden, I can't find any around the yard View attachment 328116

Not sure on the rot but the weed is easily killed with Roundup or generic glyphosate. If too close to spray, wear rubber gloves and dab on with one of those dishwashing sponges that's on a stick. Just a little is all you need.

EDIT--Here's picture of all Ohio weeds..

http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/autthumb.cfm?aut=51883&start=1

 

[jinman]

Yep, blossom end rot is your tomato problem. I can't help you with the weed.

 

[DFB]

Ok guys I took pics of some questions I have
Is this end blossom rot
View attachment 328115

Does anyone know what this weed is it just keeps coming back, the only place I see it is in the garden, I can't find any around the yard
View attachment 328116

I would say yes that looks like blossom end rot and I think that weed is Datura or Jimsonweed and what some call locoweed. We actually sell it as an ornamental at the greenhouse. It gets a what looks like a double flower (flower within a flower) and they usually open up overnight. Some people find it a fragrant smell in the evenings. It is very invasive perennial in southern states. It also looks very similar to an eggplant leaf.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_stramonium