I was reminded on social media this morning of an article published back in June by John Porter on the Garden Professors blog. It’s about which fruits (some of which are vegetables in a culinary sense) continue to ripen after being harvested, and which don’t. Using more scientific words, which are climacteric and which are non-climacteric. There’s a useful list — bookmark it!
Unripe Siberian kiwis in May
I referred to that list this summer to confirm that kiwis are among the fruits that will continue to ripen once picked. I have three Siberian kiwi plants (Actinidia kolomikta), two female and one male, and the females have been producing their tiny little fruits fairly bountifully. The problem with these kiwis, though, is that they don’t all ripen at once, and when they do ripen, the fruits tend to go from hard to soft quickly and then fall off. I’ve taken to checking the relative softness whenever I pass under the arbor during fruiting season, plucking off the ripe ones and popping them into my mouth.
So I thought, hm, what if I pick all the fruits once some have started ripening, and let them finish indoors? And, as indicated by kiwi’s climacteric status, it worked. Sort of. I have to say that the indoor-ripened fruits just weren’t as tasty. They’d be okay for jam, though, so perhaps next year that’s what I’ll do.
So what does this have to do with the tomatoes in the title? Continue reading →
I recently went to the International Master Gardener Conference in the Philadelphia suburbs. A fun part of these conferences is the tours and learning sessions in various public gardens, and that part of Pennsylvania certainly doesn’t lack gardens! (Many generous wealthy people donating estates = lots of places to play with plants.) On my last day there, I went on a tour of Fordhook Farm in Doylestown, the home of the Burpee company. We were welcomed by George Ball himself (looking dapper in a white suit) and given a lecture about the history of the company. Then we were set loose to tour the trial gardens. Of course I headed straight for the vegetables. Continue reading →
This is a good time to think about what worked and what didn’t work so well in our 2018 garden spaces. What was unexpected, which weeds and diseases were challenging, how can we prevent problems and have greater success next year? In that spirit, and before they become dim memories, I’ll share a few observations from the past growing season.
Weather
No two years are alike when it comes to weather and food gardening, but wow, 2018 was unusual! We had a slow spring warm-up and record rainfall in Maryland for the May-July period with multiple 2+ inch rain events (NOAA, 2018; Baltimore Sun, 2018). Unfortunately, extreme weather events and above-average rainfall is consistent with the climate change models for the mid-Atlantic region.
The combination of environmental factors- excess rain, wet soils, wildly fluctuating spring temperatures, and high heat and humidity through much of the summer- contributed to a lot of plant stress, leached nutrients, soil erosion, increased disease and weed pressure, and decreased yields.
Learn more about climate change and how gardeners can meet the challenge on HGIC’s climate change page. Also, at the bottom of the page you will see Climate Change in Your County. This little gem is from the Climate Smart Farming program at Cornell University and presents data graphs of temperature and precipitation changes since 1950 in all Northeast counties.
Edema (burst plant cells) of tomato seedlings
Photo: Submitted to University of Maryland Extension by a client
Too much water inside the home! Jerry Brust, Ph.D., Vegetable IPM Specialist, identified excessive watering as the cause of these tomato transplant symptoms. “Loving them to death” is a common gardening disorder. Let the top of the growing medium dry a bit before watering.
Leaf spot diseases on Roselle hibiscus
Roselle sabdariffa is a fabulous plant grown by many gardeners of Indian and West African descent. It has a lemon-sour taste similar to French sorrel. There are several leafy types that are harvested throughout the growing season.
Photo: Jon Traunfeld
I’ve observed these plants in community gardens in Central Maryland for many years and saw no disease problems. This year, leaf spot symptoms appeared late summer in Howard Co. I sent a sample to the UM Plant Diagnostic Lab. Three different fungal pathogens were found on the sample and the symptoms are most consistent with Cercospora leaf spot, a disease known to infect Roselle. The lab provided excellent recommendations for preventing or minimizing the problem next year: keeping the foliage dry (no overhead watering), remove infected debris at the end of the season to reduce inoculum, and plant it in a different part of the garden next year.
Rainstorms washed away precious soil
Photo: Jon Traunfeld
Torrential July downpours washed unprotected soil onto streets and down storm drains across the region. Clay and organic matter particles were washed away with the rain leaving silt, sand, and stones in the road. Negative environmental effects at one location affect the ecosystem downhill and downstream.
All boys (for a while) club
This young zucchini plant produced 12 male flowers (on straight stalks known as pedicels) before the first female flower (undeveloped fruit, the ovary, forms below the un-opened flower). Be patient- this is normal for most species and varieties in the Cucurbitaceae family.
Photo: Jon Traunfeld
Must prevent tomato diseases, must prevent tomato diseases, must prevent…
Photo: Jon Traunfeld
The principal fungal leaf spot diseases of tomato, early blight (above) and Septoria leaf spot, can be effectively managed so that decent crops are harvested each year. Reduce infection and spread by planting clean seed and transplants, 2 ft. minimum spacing, removing lower leaf branches, watering at plant base, removing all plant debris at season’s end.
Go deep for dependability
Photo: Jon Traunfeld
Photo: Jon Traunfeld
I love these examples of deep and productive raised bed gardens at the Friends House community garden in Sandy Spring.
Life is impermanent (including blackberry)
Photo: Jon Traunfeld
The excavated crown of an 8-year old blackberry plant that was infested with rednecked cane borers. The plants were also infected with spur blight, a fungal disease and possibly other pathogens. HGIC strongly recommends bramble fruits because they are dependable and can be grown organically. But they are susceptible to many insect pests and diseases and may become so weakened that they need to be removed.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving and start dreaming about next year’s garden!
Chill out tomato gardeners. You’ve been stressing about moving those tender transplants outdoors and into the ground. Your reputation for growing the best tomatoes in the neighborhood is on the line again. But there’s no need to worry because these 5 Tips and 4 Videos will help you lay the foundation for tomato success in 2018!
Nice eight week old plant, but the gardener could have saved time, trouble & money by starting the seeds two weeks later. A smaller plant would have produced just as much fruit!
Tip #1: “My plants got too big”!
Starting seeds too early is not a rookie mistake: lots of experienced gardeners do it too! You have two choices if your transplants are outgrowing their containers: plant them (see below) or pot up to a larger container (watch How to Pot up Transplants)
Next year, start later! It only takes 5-6 weeks to grow a perfectly fine tomato transplant indoors under fluorescent light tubes.
We are at the peak of tomato harvesting and enjoyment time in Maryland. But many gardeners are unhappy, to varying degrees, with the quantity and quality of the fruits of their labor. Those tomatoes we waited so patiently for may have disappointing spots, rots, cracks, and holes.
Before we get into the specific problems, let’s agree that we cannot expect all of our fruits to be perfect, no matter how much time, money, and effort we invest. It’s a garden, not a climate controlled factory. Weather and climate change, soil and sunlight, cultivars and spacing are just some of the many factors affecting plant growth — and they change every year.
This is a good time to think about what we can do next spring to get more out of our tomato plants next year. Picking fruits when they begin to change color from green will increase the number of usable fruits. It allows you to get your fruits off the vine before problems strike. Ripen them indoors on a counter or in a box, basket, or bag. I think you’ll find they taste just as good as their “sun-ripened” sisters. Continue reading →
Q: I think this is blossom end rot on a tomato. Could you take a look and let me know your thoughts and a solution to the problem?
A: While this symptom indeed looks very similar to that of blossom end rot, it is actually indicative of anthracnose, a type of fungal disease. Anthracnose causes sunken black lesions and this type of white- to salmon-colored fungal sporulation. Blossom end rot, a nutritional disorder, appears as a black, sunken leathery lesion, with no signs of fungus.
Q: I think this is blossom end rot on a tomato. Could you take a look and let me know your thoughts and a solution to the problem?