With several over-90-degree days, including a couple of over-100-degree days starting next Monday, this weekend is the time to water deeply and have some shadecloth on hand.  Since our garden plants and trees have been blithely growing with nary a day of harsh conditions until now, they’ll be shocked to suddenly have to endure these coming days.  So, the more water and shade you can provide them ahead of time, the better they’ll be able to handle those stressful conditions when they occur.       
    Here’s how to help your plants survive the onslaught and continue thriving afterwards.
 
Plants Shut Down Above 100 Degrees

• Plants stop functioning during torrid heat, going into self-preservation mode where leaves stop transpiring so they won’t evaporate too much moisture, and roots stop absorbing moisture because the leaves can’t get rid of it.  So the plant just sits there to wait out the extreme conditions.
• It’s better to water plants well before the heat hits so the soil is thoroughly moist but well drained so roots have access to both moisture and air.
• If you water during the extensive heat, you run the risk of drowning the plant because it can’t absorb the moisture through the roots or release it through the leaves.
• Plants will resume functioning once the temperatures lower down to at least 85 degrees for several days up to 2 weeks.  This includes setting new blossoms on tomatoes, so hopefully you’ve already had a good fruitset on plants before this heat so they’ll be ripening before new blossoms set.

 
Hold Off On Planting Anything
     Existing plants, whether already in the garden or still in their storebought containers, will be dealing with more than enough stress just making it through these several days of suddenly-hot temperatures, so no need to inflict even more stress by transplanting new plants.  Do keep them in a lightly shaded area until temperatures lower and you can proceed with transplanting them. 
 
Hold Off On Pruning Anything
     Trimming is a shock to plants, so even if bloomed-out plants are shabby looking, leave them alone until the air temperatures lower back down into the mid-80s. When plants are comfortably growing again, do your light trimming. 

Afternoon Is The Worst Time of Day
From about 2 to 6pm is the most intensely hot direct sun, so provide some protection to plants during that time. 

• Lightweight shade cloth is generally available at nurseries and online. 
• Even cheesecloth or paper bags will serve nicely. 
• Clothespins or other clips will anchor the fabric or paper so it doesn’t blow away.

 
Move Containers Into Afternoon Shade

• By their very nature, container plants need considerable attention since they’re captive in their containers and so can be victims of what seem to be minimal changes in their environment. 
• You may have to water them every day – or even more frequently – just to keep the potting soil moist.
• Moving them into afternoon shade will help them moderate the damaging effects of the too-intense sun and extreme heat.

 

Four different colors of epiphyllum.

Aren’t we lucky -- we’re still experiencing warm but mild spring weather!  We’ve made it through May with nary a hot day over 90 degrees, much less our week of over 100-degrees that has plagued us in the past.  But, those over-90 degree days are forecast for this coming week, so we’ll see what’s to come later in the month.  As long as we continue to have this glorious spring weather with just enough heat to keep the tomatoes happily growing and sweetly ripening their fruits, I’m in heaven!
 
Continue Sowing and Transplanting

• In the hopes of continuing nice weather for at least a couple of weeks, it’s worth continuing to sow more seeds and transplant more seedlings of veggies and flowers so they’ll get settled in nicely before getting blasted with the coming summer heat.
• Do make a point of choosing heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant vegetable varieties to assure that you truly do get a crop to enjoy before they move on to setting seed.
• Choose transplants that aren't rootbound.  They'll have to spend too much effort trying to reach out into the soil to get established, and may not even manage it before the heat hits.
• Gently loosen the rootballs of transplants before planting them so roots can quickly reach out into surrounding soil to establish themselves and access moisture and fertilizer.
• Transplant them closely enough so that the leaves of the mature plants will shade the soil between the plants. This will keep plant roots cooler, and there's less evaporation, so you'll have to water less.
• Provide transplants with light shade for at least a week, and keep them evenly moist so the roots can reestablish themselves and begin putting out new growth.

 
Corn

• If you’re a beginning gardener and have a block of garden space of at least 4 feet by 4 feet, I urge you to grow corn, just for the experience.  You probably won’t get a great crop because the ears won’t completely fill out due to incomplete pollination and fertilization, and it’ll take a long time to get one or two ears per stalk.  The process just takes up too much garden space for too long to get too little to eat. But then you’ll know the process and consequently appreciate even more buying your corn at the farmers market!
• Sow seed no later than this month.  If sown later, they'll likely develop big grey and black puffy fungus in place of kernels when harvested in the fall.  However, like regular mushrooms (also a fungus), they make a tasty addition to omelettes.  Your choice to appreciate it or not!

 
Get More Tomato Fruits

• When tomato blossoms appear, you can help spread the sticky pollen easily by flicking each bloom during the driest part of the day. Big plants can be taken care of with one or two shakes while holding onto their cages or stakes.
• I accomplish this simply every time I water each plant by tucking more of the branches under the rungs of the cages.  Just moving all this foliage every other day or so makes the magic happen as new blossoms appear.
• When blossoms appear, fertilize your plants so they have the nutrition to support all the foliage, keep producing blossoms, setting fruit, and ripening the fruit.  Big fruits may take a good 30-45 days to mature.
• If your garden gets good air circulation, allow foliage to grow as it will – more foliage means more photosynthesis for more energy, and shade for developing fruit.
• If your garden doesn’t get much air circulation, or gets a lot of air moisture like toward the coast, you may want to do some pruning of interior growth so diseases don’t get a foothold in the crowded foliage.

Root Cuttings of Ornamentals

• Now’s a great time to root cuttings of firm green and woody branches, including azalea, chrysanthemum, carnation, fuchsia, geranium, hydrangea, loquat and succulents.
• Choose growth that is somewhat woody and not still bright green and pliable.
• Cut a five- or six- inch piece, and strip off all of the leaves but the tiny young top growth and one or two well-developed more mature leaves.
• Place the cutting in light, sandy soil or planting mix up to the bottom leaf.
• Sprinkle the foliage and thoroughly wet the soil mixture.
• Provide filtered light in a sheltered location and keep the soil mix moist but not soggy until the rootings are well-established and new foliage appears in about a month.
• Gently tug on the rooted seedling, and when it gives resistance, gently remove the potting mix to see whether it has several new white roots.
• If it does, transplant it to its permanent home.
• If it doesn’t, repot it and water it in for further growth and checking in another month.

 
For more garden tasks, see June.

Different colors of everblooming Salvia greggii.

     Amazing – It’s raining!  We were promised a possible drizzle, but it’s been periodically moistening the soil a good amount all day long, and all the garden’s foliage is perking up in pleasure. The rest of the week promises to remain in the mid-70-degrees and cloudy-ish, so this is definitely a wonderful continuation of our mild spring weather.  I’m relishing it since I know the HEAT will be upon us shortly.  But in the meantime, I’m loving it.  Here are some of the things I’ve been playing with this week.
 
Help Your Tomatoes Set More Fruit
     Tomato blossoms pollinate themselves when each blossom’s pollen moves to its stigma, and then the fertilized flower begins to form the fruit.  You can help your plants set more fruits by merely brushing the bush to jostle the pollen onto the stigma.  Breezes can also do this, and you can just shake the bush.  If you’ve provided cages for your tomatoes, each time you push all that foliage back under the rungs of the cage so the branches are corralled and grow upward inside the cage, you’re accomplishing what the blossoms need to set fruit. 
 
Start or Transplant Succulents
     Now’s a great time to take cuttings of succulents for rooting. 
   I always hesitate to say that some gardening technique is foolproof because there will always be someone who isn’t successful and then they feel really bad and are convinced that they have the proverbial “black thumb”.  But this process really is simple. 
     Just snap off a section of the stem of a succulent that’s about an inch in length, cut a straight cut just above the break, let sit for 2 days to form a callous, and then stick the stem up to the foliage part in some potting soil in a container, and water it in so that the potting mix makes good contact with the stem.  Place in a location with bright light but no direct sun for a couple of weeks, and water only once a week during that time to make sure that the potting mix remains barely moist.  After several months, roots will have developed, and the plant can be transplanted.  Perhaps the “best” way to not have success is to water too much!   
 
Take Cuttings for Rooting
     Prune tips of azaleas, chrysanthemums, fuchsias, geraniums, lavender, marguerites and rosemary that are about 5 inches long.  Remove foliage on the bottom 3 inches.  Place into potting mix, water in, and proceed as described for succulents above.
 
Thinning Grapes and Tree Fruits
     Thin grape bunches and tree fruits for superior fruit quality. Remove about half of the number of grape clusters, leaving large gapes of air between remaining clusters.
     Thin tree fruits on alternate sides of branches for balance. The minimum distance to leave fruits on branches is about five to eight inches for apples, pears, peaches, and nectarines; four inches for plums and apricots.
     Thin too much rather than not enough so trees and vines aren't strained, especially when trees are young.
 
Encourage Bees and Butterflies
     Bees will aid pollination of most of your vegetables and ornamental plants and fruit trees.  They'll visit your garden more readily when you provide with their favorite plants -- including basil, borage, calendulas, catnip, hyssop, lemon balm, mint, summer savory, thyme, and other plants with blue flowers.
     To attract butterflies to your garden, plant asters, lantanas, buddleias ("butterfly bush"!), marigolds, sweet Williams, tithonias (Mexican sunflower), zinnias, and other daisy-like flowers.
 
For more garden tasks, see May.

We’ve just had a bit of a taste of our coming Summer Heat, with a day reaching 93 degrees, still pleasant enough to keep the doors and windows open during the day and leave more windows open at night than we’ve managed thus far this year.  In the garden, the tomatoes are loving the additional warmth and starting to blossom and even set some cherry tomato fruits, and beans and cukes and squashes are sprouting strongly.  But the unpleasant intensity of heat will be coming, so make sure your garden soil and plants are well-prepared to thrive and not just survive its onslaught.
 
Preparing the Garden

• Watering – Continue deep watering so the full root systems of each plant stay moist (not soggy) from watering to watering.
• Fertilizing – Assuming you incorporated amendments like manure and compost initially into your growing beds prior to planting, sprinkle some more Dr. Earth or EB Stone organic slow-release fertilizer when vegetables start blossoming so they have the additional energy to continue setting and maturing their fruit.  Choose fertilizer versions that have lower first (nitrogen) numbers but higher second (phosphorus) and third (potash) numbers so the plant’s energy will be more directed to developing its roots and flowers and fruits.
• Planting new stuff – This is up to you depending on your locale.  Here in Pasadena in the past several years, I’ve discontinued planting additional tomatoes and other summer-lovers because I just didn’t want to spend the money for the additional water I’d have to use as a result of the constant intense heat; and when I did plant and water them, the resulting struggling plants didn't really thrive anyway.   So, if you choose to add more plants, getting them in as soon as possible now to assure that their roots will get well established before the real heat arrives and stays.  This is why I make a point of getting my consecutive plantings of tomatoes established by the end of April at the latest.  Consider that anything under 90 degrees is ok for plants, above 90 degrees will begin being stressful for plants, and above 100 is definitely torturous.  At these high temperatures, plants literally shut down and discontinue photosynthesis, so continuing to water them will potentially drown them until temperatures lower to the low 90s.
• Mulching – Keep a two- to four-inch layer of organic mulch covering soil to help prevent crusting and cracking of the soil surface, hold in moisture, encourage earthworms, moderate soil temperatures, improve the soil as it decomposes, and prevent weed seeds from germinating (and any that do germinate are easy to pull up).
• Covering plants – As a last-minute protective measure on any torrid-heat days, spunbonded polyester or similar fabric (even just plain old cheesecloth) helps cut down the amount of direct sun but still allows in water and air circulation.  This worked well on my tomatoes that year when we had two days of 116-degree heat. 

 
Loving the Harvests

• Artichokes – We’ve enjoyed the single super-large first globes and the 2nd and 3rd progressively-smaller ones, and are waiting on the 4th set of tinier “baby-size” artichokes.  Amazing flavor – as with everything that’s literally eaten within half an hour of picking!
• Breadseed Poppies – What colorful and delicate blossoms! I’ll leave the blossom pods to ripen so I can collect the seeds.  See my note below for doing this at school and community gardens.
• Baby Bok Choy, Tatsoi – After months of harvesting single outer leaves, it’s now a wonderful bonus that the bolting shoots going to seed are even sweeter than the single leaves were. 
• Chard – These tender, colorful and tasty leaves also continue to be tasty but smaller as the bolting stalk grows to some six feet tall!  I’ll collect some seed but also let a couple stalks of each color scatter their seed and wait for them to germinate next fall so I can transplant them as soon as them come up on their own.
• Kales – The Lacinato – Dinosaur or Tuscan – kale is the only one that seems never to bolt, so you can just keep pulling off the individual leaves as the stem grows taller and puts out side-shoots.  Years ago, I finally pulled up one that’d lasted for some four years, just because I wanted something smaller in the garden.  I enjoy the flavor of this variety more than the other kales which are more bitter and tougher in texture.
• Lettuce – Even the “bolt-resistant” varieties planted last fall that we've been eating since have finally bolted.  The issue is the heat – even though any fabric covering shades the plants, the heat accumulated around the lettuce plants results in the hormonal shift to bolting.  But this is worth the couple of weeks’ more harvesting before the lettuce turns too bitter!  Seeds and transplants put into the garden now will have this problem later this summer.  Consequently, plan on these two planting times each year to make sure you have lettuce almost year-round.
• Peas – I’d reseeded my peas about four times from last fall through the winter because not too many actually germinated each time.  But now I’m literally reaping the benefit, because many of them did indeed finally germinate and so I have several generations of plants at different stages of developing their foliage, growing taller, putting out blossoms, setting pea pods, some almost ready to pick, and others dying after harvesting the very first batch that had germinated.  Another reason to keep resowing every couple of weeks through the fall and winter!

 
Note to school and community gardens
When you allow plants to mature fully so you can collect the seed, I suggest erecting a sign such as “We’re saving the poppy [or whatever] seeds!” facing the public walkway or street so non-gardener passersby know that all that “trashy dead stuff” remains for a good purpose and is temporary.  Otherwise they may complain to their city council person that the garden is neglecting to clean up all its trash and making the neighborhood look bad.
 
For more garden tasks, see May

Peach on left is fully set with fruit.  Branch on right has been thinned so individual fruits can develop fully without rubbing on each other.

     This week’s surprise drizzles and cloudiness are perfect for continuing to sow seeds and transplant seedlings of summer veggies and flowers. The mildness of the cloud cover and rain make tender baby plants’ growing easy to get established and develop their root systems out into the garden’s native soil for nutrition and moisture. This month is ideal for these encouraging conditions, so take advantage of getting your plants in the soil or containers before the summer heat is upon us and the plants start getting stressed.
 
Last Chance for Cool-Season Veggies
     My last sowing of lettuces and bok choy and peas are in the ground just in case this mild weather extends far enough into May and June to allow enough harvesting to make it worthwhile making the effort.
     I also started a batch of asparagus seed, and the baby plants are now about 2 inches tall.  In another couple of weeks, I’ll transplant them into their well-amended bed to develop over the summer and fall and then put up new shoots next spring.  But I probably won’t harvest any until the following spring, since I want them to get really strongly established before robbing them of any energy by harvesting even a couple of shoots.
 
Third Planting of Tomatoes
     Early in February, I found 3 volunteer tomato plants coming up amongst my beets.  Since they had germinated on their own – probably from the compost that I’d incorporated in January before sowing the beets – I knew the soil was warm enough for me to start buying some of the tomato varieties that I grow every year and are generally already available at nurseries.
     Later that month on my first forays to nurseries for tomato plants, I brought home 2 Sungold cherry plants and 3 Celebrities, which I set on top of the soil to acclimate to the area for a week, and then planted on March 3.  The Sungolds are now about 3 feet tall, so I’m letting them set their blossoms.
     Three weeks later, on March 20, I planted the 14 plants I’d purchased at my local Fig Nursery from its Tomatomania sale.  Those plants are now about 20 inches tall.  I’ll wait until they grow another foot before I let them set their blossoms, to make sure their root systems are extensive and deep.
     This last weekend I purchased another 6 plants from the Tomatomania sale at Descanso Gardens, and planted them. 
     With these multiple plantings over 2 months’ time of varieties with varying maturity ranges, I’ve guaranteed continuous harvests through the summer and into the fall.  
     Here’s who I’m growing this year:  Atomic Fusion, Black Cherry, Black Krim, Black Russian, Black Zebra, Brad’s Atomic Grape, Brandy Boy, Carbon, Celebrity, Cherokee Carbon, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Indigo Gold Berries, Isis Candy,  Jaune Flamme, Kellogg’s Breakfast, Paul Robeson, Pineapple, Stupice, Sungold, and then whoever those volunteers become….
 
Plant Everything by Mid-May
     In the past – before our several years of drought and those couple of torrid days of 116 degrees each year – I used to plant yet another batch of tomatoes and squash and beans and cukes in late May or early June, to carry our harvests through the heat of summer. 
     But, with the advent of those droughty years, I found that I couldn’t even keep those plants alive – much less thrive -- even with extra effort and expense of more frequent watering. 
     So, now, I make a point to get everything planted in April or early May to enable root systems to develop deeply into the soil so they’ll be strong enough to withstand summer’s heat. 
     All more the case this year, since we’ve had not even 6 inches of rain so far, with nary a promise for more!
 
For more gardening tasks and opportunities, go to April.

Several roses blooming after last October's pruning.

Several brassicas going to seed.  Fortunately, the foliage - including the blossoms themselves - is still tender and sweet, great raw for salads and stir-fried or cooked. 

Four variations of Ferraria crispa.  Although each bloom lasts only one day, each stem has a couple of dozen that open gradually.  The whole display may last a month.

Several freesia colors.

Scilla peruviana, Portuguese squill. 

Four camellias blooming.

     With this week’s daytime temperatures topping 90 degrees every day, and nighttime temperatures above 60, it appears that we’re finally moving into summertime.  My first beans, cukes, and squash have germinated, and my tomatoes are well up to the second rung on their cages and putting out blossoms.  So I thought I’d provide these warm-season-plant-problems-and-solutions tips earlier in the season so you can be ahead of the curve in checking out your plants and taking care of any issues. 

Previous Blogs you may want to refer to, about everyone's favorite veggie - TOMATOES - are:
6/17/20 Tomato Growing Problems and Solutions
3/20/20 Happy Spring!  Transplanting Tomatoes Technique 
 
Beans
PROBLEM:   Healthy  plants that drop their blossoms or stop setting  them  may be strained from a previously heavy harvest,  or some overmature pods may still remain on the plant, thus inhibiting the setting of new fruit.  Too much nitrogen fertilizer can also contribute, as can hot weather over 85 degrees and low soil moisture.  After air temperatures return to below 85 degrees, it may take another two weeks for plants to set new blossoms.
SOLUTION:  Make sure to harvest all pods as they mature, and wait for new pods to set.   Incorporate a balanced fertilizer, and sidedress with a low-nitrogen fertilizer.   Plant  early in the season to avoid hot weather during the blossoming period, and water deeply and more frequently.
 
PROBLEM:  Bacterial blight  spreads quickly on wet foliage and is evidenced by large brown spots on leaves and water-soaked spots on pods.
SOLUTION:  Pull up and destroy (don’t compost) affected plants.  Avoid handling wet foliage.
 
PROBLEM:   Leaves with small red or black blisters that turn yellow,  dry  up, and drop are affected by rust.
SOLUTION:  Plant resistant varieties.   Destroy diseased plants after harvest.  Use new stakes for climbing varieties.  Avoid handling foliage when the plants are wet.
 
PROBLEM:  Beans become shriveled and limp when they have received insufficient irrigation.
SOLUTION:  Beans should never dry out.  Never handle the plants, however, when the foliage is wet.                 
 
Corn
PROBLEM:  If plants grow slowly early in the season,  the climate is still too cool.
SOLUTION:   Cover  plants  with hotcaps to retain heat, or  wait  for  warmer weather to sow the seed.
 
PROBLEM:   Leaves  that roll upwards indicate that the plant  needs  immediate irrigation.
SOLUTION:   Irrigate more deeply and frequently to keep soil consistently moist.   Provide organic mulches  to retain soil moisture.
 
PROBLEM:   Leaves  that  develop green and yellow striping at their  base  are deficient  in  zinc.   This occurs more frequently on wet heavy soils  in  the early spring and may be due to excessive phosphorous.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate manure.
 
PROBLEM:  Leaves that appear streaked are deficient in potash,  especially  if the plants are grown on very light soil that is easily leached.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate manure,  seaweed,  wood ashes, greensand, granite dust, non-woody plant residues, manure, or compost to aerate the soil.
 
PROBLEM:  Yellow striping on leaves indicate a manganese deficiency, especially on soils with a pH above 6.7. 
SOLUTION:  Incorporate manure that includes micronutrients.
 
PROBLEM:  Reddish streaks on leaves point to a phosphorus deficiency.
SOLUTION:  Sidedress with a complete fertilizer.
 
PROBLEM:  Holes can be chewed in leaves by various insects.
SOLUTION:  Ignore the damage unless it is severe,  or handpick and destroy the insects.  The loss of a small amount of leaf will not reduce the yield.
 
PROBLEM:  Stunted plants with speckled leaves and ears that are filled but may have missing kernels have sugar cane mosaic.
SOLUTION:  Plant resistant varieties.
 
PROBLEM:   Stalks that fall over after a moderate wind,  especially after rain or irrigation,  need to have their roots anchored better. 
SOLUTION:   Corn is naturally shallow-rooted and needs to have soil hilled  up around  the base of the stalks.   Add more every two weeks until tasseling  begins.   This extra soil also serves as a mulch to retain moisture.
 
PROBLEM:   Corn earworms are bright green to purplish-brown worms that may  be present  on the silks or eating their way down through the kernels at the  tip of the ears.   Brown,  sawdust-like material close to the damaged area  accompanies the worm.
SOLUTION:   Plant  resistant varieties as early in the season as  possible  to avoid higher populations later in the summer.   Apply Bt, lime, or mineral oil to  silks  just inside the tip of each ear as soon as the silks have begun  to turn brown.  Applying these sooner will interfere with pollination and  result in poorly-filled ears.   In hot,  dry weather,  however, the oil may spoil the ears.   Encourage lacewings,  toads, spiders, and ladybird beetles.  Break off and  destroy  the damaged portions of the ears.   Destroy (don’t compost) the ears or portions which  have been damaged to prevent the worm from maturing.
 
PROBLEM:   Small  ears that are poorly filled with incompletely  developed  or shriveled kernels - but with no insect damage - result from poor  pollination, insufficient irrigation (especially from silking through harvest), hot weather or  high winds from two to three weeks before harvest,  or planting a  variety that is not adapted to the area.
SOLUTION:  Plant corn at least four rows wide and long to encourage pollination by breeze.   Water and fertilize the corn well,  as it is a heavy drinker and feeder. Grow varieties that are appropriate to your area.
 
PROBLEM:   Kernels that are tough and doughy, somewhat shrunken, and taste starchy haven’t been watered enough. 
SOLUTION:   Irrigate corn deeply for the approximately three weeks  from  when the  silks  first appear until they dry up and the kernels are full  of  milky juice.   If the corn is not harvested during this milk stage,  its sugar turns into starch.
 
PROBLEM:   Large gnarled galls that are greyish-white to black are from a smut infestation  that thrives in hot,  dry weather.   Late-maturing corn  is  more susceptible.
SOLUTION:   Plant fungus-disease-resistant seeds early in the season on a  three-year rotation  of  crops.   Remove and destroy affected plants as soon as they  are noticed, and keep the powder from spreading.  Do not compost. Huitlacoche is prized in the Hispanic and Latino culture.
 
Cucumber Family:  Cucumber, Pumpkin, Squash
PROBLEM:  When vines wilt, and leaves have small specks which turn yellow, and brown, the squash bug has infected the plant.
SOLUTION:   Handpick  and destroy the adults and their  egg  clusters.   Plant resistant varieties.   Rotate crops.   Apply wood ashes or an ash-water spray.  Squash bugs hate catnip,  pink petunias,  radishes,  marigolds, orange nasturtiums, and tansy, so planting these will provide garden beauty while deterring the  bugs.   Plant  new  crops as far away as possible  from  the  previously-infested crop.  Trellised plants are less susceptible. 
 
PROBLEM:  Leaves that are eaten may have been enjoyed by the cucumber beetle.
SOLUTION:  Plant late in the season.  Cultivate the soil thoroughly, and mulch heavily.  Dust plants with rotenone for a serious infestation.  Striped cucumber beetles love goldenrod more than cucumbers, melons, and pumpkins, so plant some of these as sacrificial attractants.   Interplant with catnip, radish, or tansy.  Natural enemies are the soldier beetle, braconid wasp, and nematode.
 
PROBLEM:  If plants suddenly wilt,  have parts chewed, and yellow sawdust-like deposits are at the base of the stems, the squash vine borer is in residence.
SOLUTION:  Make succession plantings. Slit the stems and remove and destroy the borer.   Cover the damaged area and every fifth leaf node with soil to encourage rooting,  so that the vine will continue to grow beyond the slit.  Destroy (don’t compost) all vines after harvest.
 
PROBLEM:  When mature plants are healthy but no blossoms or fruit set after  a particularly  heavy  harvest or some mature fruits still remain on the  plant, the plants are just temporarily resting from their exertion.
SOLUTION:  Harvest as fruits ripen, even if they will not be used immediately.
 
PROBLEM:  Blossoms that appear but don't set fruit,  or the fruits shrivel and fall off,  may result from several causes.  Early-season flowers are male, and female  blossoms will follow and set properly.   Blooming and fruit  set  will resume about a week after night temperatures that were too cool or too hot, or an unusually heavy fruit set.  In addition, lack of moisture, poor soil fertility, too much shade, and various diseases may also contribute. 
SOLUTION:   Fruit  should  set properly later in the  season.   Irrigate  more frequently and deeply to keep soil evenly moist.  Incorporate a complete fertilizer.
 
PROBLEM:  Cucumbers that taste bitter, especially just under the skin and more deeply  at  the stem end,  may be due to older  varieties,  overmature  fruit, alternately hot and dry temperatures,  daily temperature fluctuations that are greater  than 20 degrees,  excessive nitrogen,  or irregular growth  resulting from inadequate or infrequent moisture.
SOLUTION:  Choose newer varieties.  Irrigate more deeply and frequently during hot,  dry weather,  and harvest fruit when it is ready.  For eating,  cut  and discard the bitter end portions,  and heat the cucumbers for one minute in boiling water to draw off the bitterness, then discard the water.
 
PROBLEM:  Misshapen fruits can result from inadequate moisture,  poor pollination,  or confined development.  When the weather is too cool or too hot, bees are  not available,  and pollination is not complete.   When blossoms cling to the  fruit after overhead watering,  or the fruit is confined in the  foliage, fruit development is restricted, and odd shapes result. 
SOLUTION:   Irrigate  more  deeply and  frequently,  and  underneath  foliage. Encourage  bees  to your garden by  providing  blue-flowering  plants.   Avoid overhead  watering during blossoming.   Provide trellises or other support  to release fruits from being bound in the plant foliage.
 
PROBLEM:  Scab,  which thrives in foggy, cool weather, causes dry, corky spots on fruit,  leaves,  and stems.   Sap oozes from the fruits,  and greenish mold develops.
SOLUTION:   Pull up and destroy (don’t compost) infected plants immediately.   Plant resistant varieties.   Rotate the crop so that they are not grown in the same soil  more frequently than every three years.
 
PROBLEM:   Squash and pumpkins that rot during storage were probably not  sufficiently cured or properly stored - or are next to ones that are spoiling.
SOLUTION:   Let the fruit mature completely before harvesting,  and cure  them thoroughly.  Store in a dry place out of direct sun at 40 to 60 degrees.
 
Melons:  Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Muskmelon, Watermelon
PROBLEM:   When vines wilt and leaves have small specks which turn yellow  and brown, the squash bug has infected the plant.
SOLUTION:  Handpick the adults and their egg clusters.  Plant resistant varieties.   Rotate crops.   Apply wood ashes or an ash-water spray.   Squash  bugs hate pink petunias,  radishes,  orange nasturtiums, and marigolds, so planting them will provide garden beauty while deterring the bugs. 
 
PROBLEM:  Melons taste bitter when they ripen in cold, wet weather. 
SOLUTION:  Plant melons so that they mature in warm weather.
 
Peppers and Eggplants
PROBLEM:  Leaves roll downwards, but there is no yellowing or stunting. 
SOLUTION:  Nothing is needed, as the fruit yield will not be affected.
 
PROBLEM:   Plants  that  grow very slowly and either don't set blooms  or  the blooms  drop off are suffering from weather that is too cool.
SOLUTION:   Wait until warmer weather to plant,  or provide hotcaps to concentrate the warmth.
 
PROBLEM:  When mature plants are lush, but no fruit sets, too much nitrogen is the problem.
SOLUTION:   Incorporate  a balanced fertilizer  when  planting,  and  sidedress several times during the growing season with a low-nitrogen fertilizer.
 
PROBLEM:   Pepper blossoms or young fruit drop when plants have been  stressed from  lack  of water,  air temperatures above 85 degrees,  too many mature fruits not  yet harvested, or magnesium deficiency.
SOLUTION:   Peppers  are only moderately deep-rooted and recover  slowly  from drought injury.   Harvest fruits,  and blossoms will begin setting  again.   A solution  of one tablespoon of Epsom salts to one quart of water sprayed  onto leaves  and  blossoms several times through the bearing season will aid  fruit set.
 
PROBLEM:  Peppers may be eaten from the inside by pepper maggots.
SOLUTION:  Destroy (don’t compost) the affected fruit.   Spray adult flies (yellow with  brown bands on wings) with rotenone before they lay maggot eggy in the peppers.
 
PROBLEM:  Eggplant fruit have brownish spots of rot that are especially severe during wet weather.
SOLUTION:   Plant  resistant varieties.  Rotate so that they are not grown  on same soil more frequently than once in every 4 years.
 
Potatoes, Sweet
PROBLEM:   Stem rot causes young plants to die after transplanting,  and  survivors develop bright yellow leaves which pucker,  wilt,  and die.  Harvest is of poor quality. 
SOLUTION:   Plant certified seed of resistant pieces.   Rotate the crop  so that plants grow in the same soil only once in four years.  Avoid overcrowding and overfertilization.
 
PROBLEM:  Tubers that are long and thin have received too much nitrogen.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate a balanced fertilizer when planting, and sidedress with a low-nitrogen fertilizer.
 
PROBLEM:  Tubers with a brown to black surface discoloration that is only skin deep and can be scraped off easily have scurf.  It is most severe on heavy wet soils with a high level of manure.
SOLUTION:   Plant healthy sprouts from certified seed stock.  Incorporate compost to lighten the soil and provide better drainage.  Rotate the crop so that potatoes grow in the same soil only once every four years.   Eating quality is not harmed.
 
PROBLEM:   White mold starts on bruised areas and develops into  soft,  watery rot on stored tubers. 
SOLUTION:   Plant certified seed of resistant varieties.   Avoid  bruising tubers  during harvest.   Cure tubers in a dark,  humid,  and  well-ventilated atmosphere at 80 to 90 degrees for two weeks.  Store in a dry, well-ventilated area at 55 to 60 degrees.  Avoid overcrowding.
 
PROBLEM:   Tubers are rough and oddly shaped when they are grown in soil  that is too heavy.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate organic matter to lighten the soil texture.
 
PROBLEM:  Tubers are dry and rough-textured when they have endured alternately wet and dry conditions.
SOLUTION:  Irrigate deeper and more frequently.
 
Potatoes, White
PROBLEM:  Potatoes that fail to emerge after planting the seed pieces in  cold wet  soil  may  have rotted.   If the potatoes were purchased at  the  grocery store, they may have been sprayed with a sprout retardant.
SOLUTION:  Plant only certified seed of resistant pieces when the soil has warmed.  Incorporate compost to lighten the soil and provide better drainage. 
 
PROBLEM:  Potato tuberworm eats tunnels in the tubers, and the shoots wilt and die. 
SOLUTION:   Keep potato plants deeply hilled with soil.  Don't allow  soil  to crack.  Destroy infested vines and tubers.
 
PROBLEM:   Leafroll  virus  and net necrosis cause plants to  be  stunted  and markedly  yellow  and leaves to uniformly roll upward.  Cut tubers have  brown netting.
SOLUTION:  Plant only certified seed of resistant pieces.   Spray peach trees for  overwintering green peach aphid (the carrier).
 
PROBLEM:   Stunted  growth and leaves that turn yellow and brown  between  the veins and become brittle may be suffering from magnesium deficiency.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate dolomitic limestone or a handful of Epsom salts.
 
PROBLEM:  Rhizoctonia,  black scurf,  causes vines to suddenly wilt,  stems to have brown lesions,  and tubers to have irregular raised,  black,  hard bodies and  be  roughened in a cross-patched pattern.   It is more prevalent in  wet, cold, heavy, and poorly-drained soil.
SOLUTION:  Plant clean certified seed of resistant varieties.  Rotate the crop to  a  new area with cereal or corn crops on a five-year  basis.   Incorporate compost  to lighten the soil and provide better drainage.   Plant as  late  as possible in the season.
 
PROBLEM:   Tubers  crack  from sudden growth resulting from  heavy  irrigation after long drought conditions.
SOLUTION:  Water deeply and more frequently in dry weather.
 
PROBLEM:  Tubers are knobby-shaped or have cavities in their centers when they have undergone alternately wet and dry conditions.
SOLUTION:  Irrigate to keep soil more evenly moist.   Incorporate compost to lighten the soil and maintain a more even moisture.
 
PROBLEM:   Tubers  with corky scabs on their skin surfaces are  infected  with common  scab  that is most frequently a problem in  dry,  sandy,  or  gravelly  soils that are alkaline,  lacking in organic matter,  or have a high level  of fresh manure.
SOLUTION:  Plant resistant varieties.  Avoid using wood ashes,  lime, or fresh manure.   Potatoes are safe to eat after removing the scabby areas.  Incorporate  compost  to improve the soil texture and its ability to remain moist  but not wet.   Grow and turn under a green manure crop - the soil will become more acidic,  and rapidly decaying matter will encourage beneficial organisms  that compete with scab.  Rotate crops on 5-year basis.
 
PROBLEM:   Stored  tubers  become soft and rotten from infection  that  gained entrance through wounds inflicted during harvest and storage.
SOLUTION:  Avoid wounding tubers during harvest and storage.

Tomatoes
See my previous Blogs:
6/17/20 Tomato Growing Problems and Solutions
3/20/20 Happy Spring!  Transplanting Tomatoes Technique 



More Gardening Tips for This Month
See March and April.
​

    We're getting to the end of our cool growing season, with perhaps two more months of coolness before summer's heat blasts its way through our gardens.  Perhaps you've had some of the primary problems listed here regarding the main veggies we grow during the cool season, so you can benefit from some of the solutions.  If nothing else, you'll be aware of some things that may appear in future gardens, and now you'll know how to deal with them! ​
 
Asparagus

PROBLEM:   Plants  that turn tan or brown from their tops downward  have  been attacked by the asparagus beetle.
SOLUTION:   Hose  off  plants with a strong stream of water  to  dislodge  the beetles.   Remove and destroy the beetles and their larvae as soon as they are noticed.   Spray heavy infestations with rotenone.   Rotenone kills beneficial insects also,  so use only for really major infestations.   Plant tomatoes  as repellents.
 
PROBLEM:   Stems  and branches with reddish-brown spots have been infected  by asparagus rust.   The entire plant yellows,  weakens,  and dies.   Rust  needs dampness to germinate.
SOLUTION:   Plant resistant varieties.   Avoid damp or low-lying  areas.   Cut tops close to the soil, and destroy (don’t compost) them.
 
PROBLEM:   If  spears are thin and weak or do not come up at all,  the  plants have  been  weakened  by poor cultural care,  previous attack  by  insects  or disease, frost or drought, or they have been harvested too heavily previously.
SOLUTION:   Fertilize and irrigate the plants adequately.   Control damage  by pests  and  competition with weeds.   Mulch soil to protect  the  plants  from freezing  or  drought conditions.   Do not harvest until spears are  from  one quarter to three-eighths inch wide.  Limit harvest to allow plants to recover.
 
PROBLEM:   Spears that are tough are too mature,  or perhaps the soil was  too acid or not fertile enough.
SOLUTION:   Harvest when the spears are six to eight inches long.  The  plants are  heavy  feeders,  so  mulch them with lots of manure during  the  fall  or winter.  Rains and irrigation will then wash "manure tea" down to the roots. 
 
Beets

PROBLEM:   A  cracked root results from sudden growth after  heavy  irrigation following drought conditions.
SOLUTION:   Irrigate deeply and more frequently to keep soil evenly moist.   Provide organic mulches  to help retain moisture.
 
PROBLEM:  If the root is chewed,  root maggots or wireworms have been enjoying your beets.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate wood ashes into the soil.
 
PROBLEM:   Root is not sweet-tasting and become stringy and woody  when  it is  too mature or has matured late in the summer,  or when they haven't been watered adequately.
SOLUTION:  Water deeply and more frequently.  Harvest when roots are no larger than  one to two inches in diameter.   Plant them so that they  mature  during cool weather.
 
PROBLEM:  Roots that are too small have been sown too closely together. 
SOLUTION:   Each seed is a composite that will develop into several beets,  so allow enough  space when sowing,  and thin and eat the young beets.  Young beet greens make excellent raw or cooked additions to salads.
 
PROBLEM:   Roots  with  internal black spots suffer from a  boron  deficiency, which is most prevalent in dry, alkaline soils that are high in calcium.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate some borax into the soil.  
 
Cabbage Family:  Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi

PROBLEM:   Plants  that wilt and fall over and have tunneled stems  and  roots have been feasted upon by the cabbage root maggot. 
SOLUTION:  Plant seeds early in the fall so they develop into large,  vigorous transplants  that  overwinter well and can be harvested early in  the  spring.  Protect seedlings with cheesecloth cover to prevent the adult black flies from laying their eggs in the surrounding soil.  Place collars around  transplants.  Dust with a mixture of lime and wood ashes or with diatomaceous earth - but be certain  to purchase only the type sold for garden use,  not that labeled  for swimming pool use.  Interplant with mint, rosemary, sage, and tomato.
 
PROBLEM:  When plants are stunted,  leaves yellow and wilt, and roots are misshapen and enlarged with club-shaped knots that rot and become slimy, clubroot is the problem. 
SOLUTION:   Plant healthy transplants of a resistant variety.   Rotate  crops.  Maintain  soil  pH  above 7 by sprinkling wood ashes around the  base  of  the plant. 
 
PROBLEM:   Plants  with foliage edges that appear burnt have been affected  by water stress and calcium deficiency,  especially on dry soils which are acidic or high in potassium.
SOLUTION:   Provide  plants  with sufficient water to  maintain  their  steady growth.   Calcium is not available to plants at a low pH.  Dolomitic limestone is a good source of lime and magnesium.  The finer the grade of the limestone, the faster it can break down in the soil, raise the pH, and enable the calcium to be utilized.   Incorporate bone meal,  gypsum,  and plant residues.  Rotate crops.
 
PROBLEM:   Cabbage  or brussels sprouts heads suddenly split  when  they  have grown  suddenly as a result of too much fertilizer or water after a  prolonged dry period, making the inner leaves grow faster than the outer leaves, so bursting their way through. 
SOLUTION:  Do not allow the soil to get too dry.   Apply water slowly at first after a dry period.
 
PROBLEM:   Cauliflower  heads  that look cracked and may have  leaves  growing through  the head may be overmature or subjected to excessive nitrogen or  hot or dry weather. 
SOLUTION:   Do not let the soil dry out.   Plant varieties appropriate to  the area so that they mature before the weather gets too hot.
 
PROBLEM:   Cauliflower  forms  heads when the plants are still  small  if  the weather gets too warm before there is sufficient plant development.
SOLUTION:   Plant earlier in the season so that plants can mature before  warm temperatures trigger heading.
 
PROBLEM:  If cauliflower heads are only the size of buttons,  nitrogen  deficiency or poor drainage may be at fault.
SOLUTION:  Apply a nitrogen fertilizer, and aerate the soil to improve drainage for the next crop.  The tiny heads won’t get any larger.
 
PROBLEM:  Cauliflower heads that are brown, stunted, deformed, hollow-stemmed, or with pithy cores may be suffering from boron deficiency.
SOLUTION:  Apply a complete fertilizer with micronutrients.
 
PROBLEM:   Cauliflower heads that turn yellow or brown have been sunburned  or frosted. 
SOLUTION:   Plant  cauliflower so that they mature before the  first  expected frost.   When the head is three inches across,  tie the outer leaves up around it, and harvest it from four to seven days later.
 
PROBLEM:   Foliage  that is deformed,  wilted,  and has whitish  or  yellowish spotting has been infected by the harlequin bug.
SOLUTION:   Handpick  and  destroy adults and egg  clusters.   Control  nearby weeds.  For severe infestations, spray with pyrethrum, rotenone, or sabadilla.  Rotenone  and  sabadilla kill beneficial insects also,  so use them  only  for really major infestations. 
 
PROBLEM:   Large ragged holes in the foliage and the presence of green  caterpillars indicate the presence of cabbage worms.
SOLUTION:  Handpick and destroy worms and egg clusters.  Spray with Bt (Dipel, Thuricide,  Biotrol) every seven to ten days.  The adult white butterfly moths will be deterred by planting hyssop,  pennyroyal,  rosemary,  sage, thyme, and wormwood.   Spray a diluted solution of ground leaves of these plants onto the crops,  reapplying after rains or overhead irrigation.  Spread cheesecloth over the crops and anchor it at the soil level to keep the moths from reaching  the crops to lay their eggs.
 
Carrots

PROBLEM:   Roots that are hairy,  forked,  or misshapen have been overwatered, overfertilized, or grown in rocky or cloddy soil. 
SOLUTION:   Plant  in raised beds.   Incorporate compost to lighten  soil  and improve drainage.
 
PROBLEM:   Cavities  in roots indicate water stress  and  calcium  deficiency, especially on dry soils which are acidic or high in potassium.
SOLUTION:   Provide  plants  with sufficient water to  maintain  their  steady growth.   Calcium is not available to plants at a low pH.  Dolomitic limestone is a good source of lime and magnesium.  The finer the grade of the limestone, the faster it can break down in the soil, raise the pH, and enable the calcium to be utilized.   Incorporate bone meal,  gypsum,  and plant residues.  Rotate crops.
 
PROBLEM:   Roots  that grow twisted around one another have been  planted  too closely together.
SOLUTION:  Sow carrots more thinly.  As they grow, thin them to an inch apart. 
 
Celery

PROBLEM:  Stunted plants with greenish or water-soaked spots on the leaves and sunken lesions on the stalks are infected by blight, which is favored by cool, moist weather, and easily spread by splashing water droplets. 
SOLUTION:   Use clean seed of resistant varieties.   Oversow seed that is more than two years old to compensate for lessened viability.   Avoid handling  wet foliage.
 
PROBLEM:   Pinkish,  water-soaked  areas on stalks which rot and taste  bitter have pink rot.
SOLUTION:  Plant resistant varieties.  Destroy infected plants.  Rotate crops.  Avoid planting where cabbage, celery, or lettuce has been planted.
 
PROBLEM:  Cracked stems indicate a boron deficiency,  especially in dry  soils with a pH above 6.8.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate lime, manure.  Irrigate deeply and more frequently.
 
PROBLEM:   A blackened central portion identifies blackheart and results  from calcium  deficiency in the young,  rapidly-growing leaves.   This occurs  more frequently  on  dry,  acidic  soils under stressful  growing  conditions - hot weather, alternately wet and dry soil, and high potassium levels.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate bone meal,  gypsum, and organic compost.  Mulch plants, and water deeply and more frequently to maintain high moisture levels.  If the soil  is  high in potassium,  avoid using wood ashes  and  manure.   Dolomitic limestone is a good source of lime and magnesium.   The finer the grade of the limestone,  the faster it can break down in the soil, raise the pH, and enable the calcium to be utilized.  Rotate crops.
 
Lettuce

PROBLEM:  Leaves that are bleached and paper thin have matured in weather that is too hot. 
SOLUTION:   Plant  summer-maturing varieties rather than try to  lengthen  the season for those that should mature in cool weather.
 
PROBLEM:   Tipburn causes foliage edges to appear burnt and results from water stress  and calcium deficiency,  especially on dry soils which are  acidic  or high  in potassium and on hot,  dry summer days after cloudy weather or  heavy irrigation.
SOLUTION:   Provide more regular deep watering.   Calcium is not available  to plants  in soils that are a low pH.   Dolomitic limestone is a good source  of lime and magnesium.   The finer the grade of the limestone,  the faster it can break down in the soil,  raise the pH,  and enable the calcium to be utilized.  Incorporate bone meal, gypsum, and organic matter.  Rotate crops.
 
PROBLEM:  Inner leaves of head lettuce that develop black and slimy edges is due to hot weather. 
SOLUTION:   Plant warm-season varieties for warm-season  maturing,  and  plant cool-season varieties so that they mature in cooler weather.
 
PROBLEM:   Lettuce that tastes bitter has matured when the weather is too hot. 
SOLUTION:   Plant the proper varieties for maturing at different  times.   Sow fewer  seeds at a time,  and sow them  one or two weeks apart,  so  that  they mature consecutively.   Harvest them promptly.  For eating, rinse the lettuce, shake  off  the excess water,  and let it sit in the refrigerator for  several days - the bitterness will dissipate.
 
PROBLEM:  Lettuce that goes to seed before it can be harvested was planted too late in the season.
SOLUTION:  Make successive plantings of varieties appropriate for your area so that they mature in different seasons and levels of light and heat.
 
Onion Family:  Chives, Garlic, Leek, Onion, Shallot

PROBLEM:  Plants send up flower stalks rather than forming bulbs when the bulb sets  were planted when they were too large,  planted too early,  or kept  too warm  for too long prior to planting;  the soil was allowed to become too dry; or there was a period of cold weather after plants were grown in warm  weather for six to ten weeks.
SOLUTION:   Plant  seeds  just before a frost period for a greater variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors.   Plant sets  which  are smaller  than one-half inch in diameter during or after frost  period.   Plant larger bulb sets for use as cool-weather green onions.   These will bolt (send up their seedstalk) with the  slightest  hint of warmth.   Water onions deeply and more  frequently  to maintain their steady growth. 
 
PROBLEM:   Plants stay small and do not produce bulbs if they have been insufficiently fertilized or irrigated,  or they are the wrong variety.   For example, bunching onions don't produce bulbs. 
SOLUTION:   Plant  bulbing varieties.   Apply a balanced  fertilizer  in  late spring,  and  water  onions  well until their tops turn brown and  fall  over, signaling maturation.
 
PROBLEM:   Plants that grow slowly and develop thick necks may result  from  a phosphorous deficiency or excessive nitrogen or water.
SOLUTION:   Incorporate  a  high-phosphorous fertilizer - bone  meal,  finely ground rock phosphate,  fish meal,  manure, compost, cottonseed meal, and soybean meal.  Incorporate organic matter to improve drainage. 
 
PROBLEM:  Leaves striped with yellow indicate a manganese  deficiency,  especially on soils with a pH above 6.7.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate manure.
 
PROBLEM:   Leaves  that  have whitish blotches streaked with silver  may  have thrips.   Heavily infested plants become stunted,  the leaves are bleached and die back,  and the necks grow abnormally thick.   Thrips are worst in hot, dry seasons.
SOLUTION:   Plant  tolerant and resistant varieties.   Dust with  diatomaceous earth.   Spray  with  a soap mixture or rotenone.   Keep the garden  clean  of weeds.
 
PROBLEM:   Leaves that are pale or greenish-yellow may be deficient in  nitrogen, perhaps from leaching out after long, wet periods.
SOLUTION:   Incorporate a high-nitrogen  fertilizer,  blood  meal,  cottonseed meal, manure, or compost.
 
PROBLEM:  Fluffy white rot begins at the base and spreads to the foliage,  and bulbs have a soft watery rot.
SOLUTION:  Destroy (don’t compost) diseased plant immediately.  Rotate crop to new soil.
 
PROBLEM:  Onion maggots tunnel cavities in the lower stem and bulb, and plants may  wilt and die.   Susceptibility is greatest with white varieties,  less so with yellow ones, and the least with red ones.
SOLUTION:  Plant seeds or sets throughout the garden, rather than in one area.  Add sand or wood ashes to the top layer of the planting area.   Spray the soil with  an oil-and-soap mixture.   Dust with diatomaceous  earth.   Destroy (don’t compost) the affected  plant before the maggots mature into flies and lay a new  generation of eggs.
 
PROBLEM:  If plants are stunted and roots are pinkish or red,  shriveled, and rotted,  the  plant  is infected with pink root fungus.   It is encouraged  by heavy, wet soils. 
SOLUTION:  Plant tolerant and resistant varieties on well-drained soil. Incorporate organic matter to improve drainage.   Once the soil is infested, do not grow any bulb crops there.
 
PROBLEM:   Rust  infection  is manifested by long pustules  of  bright  orange spores on the leaves. 
SOLUTION:  The fleshy parts are usually safe for eating,  but the foliage must be destroyed.  Rotate crops to soil that is not as rich in nitrogen.
 
PROBLEM:  Black spots on leaves and between the sections of bulbs indicates  a smut infection.  Young plants may have twisted leaves.
SOLUTION:  Plant healthy, resistant varieties.
 
PROBLEM:  Bulbs that are soft and have thin skins,  thick necks, and leaf tips that turn brown are deficient in potassium.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate a high-potassium fertilizer.
 
PROBLEM:  Bulbs with thin skins are deficient in copper.
SOLUTION:  Incorporate manure with micronutrients.
 
PROBLEM:   Outer  layers of harvested bulbs that become  bleached,  soft,  and slippery demonstrate sunscald damage that occurs when bulbs are harvested  and set out for their initial curing in direct sun on very hot, dry days.
SOLUTION:  Shield bulbs from direct exposure to the sun during curing.
 
PROBLEM:   Mature  bulbs and sets develop sunken,  spongy areas  around  their necks when they are infected by neck rot fungus.  White varieties are extremely  susceptible.   The fungus is encouraged by insufficient curing and  fertilizer that is applied late in the season. 
SOLUTION:  Plant healthy sets of early-maturing,  thin-necked varieties.  Pungent  varieties  are less susceptible than mild-tasting ones.   Do  not  apply fertilizer late in the season.   Incorporate organic matter.  Cure bulbs thoroughly  at warm temperatures with good ventilation but out of the direct  sun.  Store them in a cool,  dry area with good air circulation.   Examine the bulbs frequently,  and remove those that are spoiled.   Store thick-necked varieties separately  from thin-necked ones,  and eat them soon after harvest,  as  they will not cure sufficiently for long storage.
 
Peas

PROBLEM:   Semi-circular  notches  on  the margins  of  leaves  are  tell-tale munchings of the pea leaf weevil.
SOLUTION:  Serious damage occurs only until the six-leaf stage.
 
PROBLEM:   Plants  that  are healthy but don't set blooms may be  affected  by excessive  nitrogen,  a previously heavy set,  or overmature pods  that  still remain on the plant.
SOLUTION:  Flush out excessive nitrogen with a one-time very heavy irrigation.  Keep pods harvested as they mature.
 
Radishes

PROBLEM:   Small roots that grow slowly and have a strong flavor have  matured in hot weather or have not been watered sufficiently. 
SOLUTION:  Water more deeply and frequently.  Plant for cool-season maturing.
 
PROBLEM:  Red varieties that grow slowly,  are pale, and have yellowish leaves are suffering from general nutrient deficiency.
SOLUTION:  Apply a balanced fertilizer.
 
PROBLEM:   Plants with healthy foliage that develop only tiny bulbs were  sown too closely.
SOLUTION:   Allow  more space when sowing,  or thin seedlings  to  two  inches apart.
 
PROBLEM:  Roots that split or are hollow or pithy are overmature.
SOLUTION:  Harvest as soon as roots are large enough.
 
PROBLEM:  Plants bolt (send up their seedstalk) when the days are too long and the nights are too short.
SOLUTION:  Grow in cooler weather of early spring or late fall.
 
Spinach
​
PROBLEM:   Blight,  transmitted  by aphids,  causes plants to be  stunted  and leaves to yellow and curl.
SOLUTION:  Plant resistant varieties, control aphids, maintain weed-free growing areas.
 
PROBLEM:  Plants bolt (send up their seedstalk) when the days are too long and the nights are too short.
SOLUTION:  Grow in cooler weather of early spring or late fall.
 

​​     Aside from wondering when or if we’ll get some more rain later this Spring, the weather has been blissful, with 70s in the daytime and high 40s during the nighttime.  Seeds and transplants from winter like chard and parsley and cilantro and spinach are filling out enough to already harvest their outer leaves a couple of times.  Some bok choy and tatsoi are even reacting to the daytime heat and beginning to bolt (going to seed) but still delightfully sweet, either as additions to raw salads or stir-fried for roll-ups or burritos, or added to soups.  The first tomatoes I’ve been transplanting as I found my usual varieties at nurseries are a good foot tall and starting to blossom (which I’ll remove until the plants are two feet tall and therefore with better-established root systems). 
 
Upcoming Tomatomanias
     For lesser-common tomato varieties, there are several upcoming Tomatomania dates and sites on my Garden Events page – see https://www.gardeninginla.net/submit-your-garden-events.html . 
     Note that each site has its own COVID procedures. 
     For more dates and sites as they’re scheduled, go to https://tomatomania.com/ .
 
More Planting
     Continue to sow seed and transplant the cool-season veggies, including beets, carrots, celery, chard, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, green onions, bulb onion seed and sets, parsley, peas, peanuts, potatoes, radishes, shallots, spinaches, strawberries, and turnips.
     Transplant bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi and tatsoi seedlings.  These should bear through Spring and into early Summer.
     Plant summer-blooming bulbs, corms, and tubers -- including acidanthera, agapanthus, tuberous begonias, caladiums, calla lilies, canna lilies, dahlias, gladiolus, hemerocallis, tuberous iris, ixias, tigridias, tuberoses, and watsonias. Repeat plantings through May for continuous bloom through the summer.
 
Wait To Plant Warm-Season Lovers
    Hold off for another month or so to transplant warm-season veggies other than tomatoes – like cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, and squash – until the soil (not air) temperature feels comfortable to hold the palm of your hand on. 
     Planting these warm-season lovers into cold soil now will just chill them, and they won’t really recover and thrive for longer than you should have waited.
     A good cue when to proceed with planting these is when overnight temperatures are consistently in the upper 50s.
 
Pluck Off Strawberry Blossoms
     If your established strawberry plants are producing blossoms, pluck them off through April or May -- whenever the warm weather has settled in for good.  You want the plants to conserve their first real burst of fruiting energy into large sweet berries rather than small tart ones. Unless, of course, you're desperately wanting that very first berry, even if it is tart.
 
Last Fruit Tree Pruning and First Feeding
     As fruit trees start blossoming and putting out their first leaves, make your last pruning cuts and first fertilization, scattering it out to a foot or more beyond the drip line.  Then water it into the soil so it starts to “melt” downward and be available for the tree’s feeder roots in the top 12-18 inches of soil. 
 
California Arbor Day = March 7
     Arbor Day is celebrated in California on March 7 in honor of horticulturist Luther Burbank's birthday. (National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on the best tree-planting times in their areas.)
     Burbank is famous for his work improving varieties of flowers (like Shasta Daisy), fruits (Santa Rosa Plum), grains, grasses, vegetables (Russet Burbank Potato), and trees.
     See my 9/23/15 Blog on  my visit to Burbank's home and garden in Santa Rosa.                                            
More Gardening Tips
See March on my Monthly Tips page.

​Fig putting out its new leaves and first "bebra" crop on last-year's wood that will ripen in early June.  Main fruit crop will appear on this year's new wood and ripen in July/August according to its specific variety.

Chasmanthe "Duckittii", yellow chasmanthe, wonderfully bright color during normally gloomy February

Chasmanthe floribunda, orange chasmanthe, like the yellow one, creates clumps of bulbs over several years' time.

Hardenbergia's delicate purple pea-like blossoms are intensified by their teeny lime-green centers.  I accidentally discovered that leaving the bush unpruned after early July results in this wonderful waterfall of color now in February.

Single and double paperwhites.

Salvia blooming all year long, although less now.

Bees love rosemary.

     This year, with its lack of frost in the lower elevations, has enabled multiple seedings and transplantings since Fall, and this weather promises to continue for at least a couple of weeks. 
      Even though assorted critters have munched their way through many of my sprouts and seedlings,  many more thankfully have survived so I still have more than enough to find niches to plant them. 
     One bed I’ll leave alone was supposed to be intermixed bok choy, chard, cilantro, kale, lettuce and parsley.  It is those, but many of last year’s breadseed poppies from a nearby area sprouted amongst the edibles, and I love them too much to pull them up or try to transplant them (their long taproots don’t like being moved, as I’ve learned in the past).  Of course, when I harvested the pods last year and scattered the seeds where I wanted them to come up this year, they didn’t sprout.  Sometimes you just have to adjust yourself to where the seeds want to sprout and thrive!  
     In another bed, where I’d replanted purchased broccoli starts and just now removed their soda-pop greenhouse protection, they seem to be doing well, without any munchers enjoying them (yet). Sometimes just trying again and again is finally successful – and still less expensive than purchasing from a grocery store, especially when - like broccoli - the potential eating season is so very long.  Perseverence!
     I’ve tried seeding a couple of new kinds of greens, and they’ve come up nicely and haven’t been munched, so I hope at least a couple of them will thrive so I can enjoy eating them!  It’s always nice to add something new to the garden each time around!
 
Transplanting My First Tomatoes
     I transplanted my first tomato plants – a Sungold Cherry – a month ago, as soon as I saw a healthy one at an Ace Hardware store.  I know that the Sungold – as an "indeterminate" type - will continue growing and bearing fruit for the entire summer, so getting this really early start will hopefully give me tomatoes extra early as well. 
     I transplanted a second tomato plant – a Celebrity – 2 weeks ago, and a third – another Celebrity – just yesterday.  The Celebrity plants – since they’re "determinate" types – will grow only so much and then bear all of their fruit within a couple of weeks.  By staggering plantings of these, I hope to have a continuous supply with one bush starting to bear at about the time a previously-planted one has finished bearing.  I’ll continue this pattern of planting another Celebrity plant every 2 or 3 weeks through perhaps April or May.  After that, the heat will have probably settled in and precluded planting more plants that will actually thrive because it’s just too hot for the plants to establish themselves, develop nicely, and then bear fruit.  I've tried to keep planting in the past, but the plants just didn't do well and I just don't want to spend the money for the water needed to keep them struggling!
     I’m currently eating from a Sungold volunteer that sprouted among my boysenberry plants just down the slope from where the Sungold was planted last year.  It's a bit tart, but definitely with real tomato flavor, as opposed to those things from the grocery store.
 
Don’t Transplant Any Other Summer Crops!
     Tomatoes are the only warm-weather-loving summer crop that can tolerate our still-chilly weather now and get nicely established and begin growing. 
     Other warm-season crops will literally glare at you in angry agony that you've forced them to deal with both cold soil and cold air all night long, and they’ll never really thrive once the weather and the soil warms because they've been so stressed out now. 
     Best to wait at least another month or two to purchase transplants and get them into the soil, and then they’ll take off in appreciation that their roots and foliage are warmer!
 
Last Pruning
     Finish heavy pruning of dormant trees and shrubs that will bloom in summer and fall, and also roses, grapes, and vine berries. 
     For beginning gardeners, doing this pruning when you see the first green buds is fine because you can actually see where the growth is coming from and consequently where to cut. 
     However, even if you can’t get to doing this pruning within a week or two, be sure to trim extra long branches within the month to help limit the tree’s or shrub’s potential gangliness and possible breaking of those branches when they’re full of fruit later this spring.
 
Pull Those Weeds Now!
     Get rid of the weeds now while they're small and before they form flowers or seeds, and you'll have fewer weed problems later.
     Watering the area to be weeded the day before the job will soften the soil and ease the removal of the weeds' entire root systems, preventing resprouting.
     A handy tool to use to pry up entire root systems is the pronged "asparagus fork" that looks like a slightly bent stick.
     If you pull out a weed that has already formed its seedhead, do not leave it in a walkway as mulch or compost it, since the weed will continue to mature and possibly scatter its seed before it finally dies.  This kind of recycling you really don’t want!
 
More Gardening Tips
For more timely gardening tips, see February.

     With our promised rain for this weekend and next week, be sure to prepare your seeding trays and your garden beds to transplant whatever’s available at nurseries.  Seeding and transplanting will both be more successful when the entire area of soil is moist to at least a six-inch depth.  And, as you winter-prune your fruit trees and perennials, you can propagate the trimmings to share with fellow gardeners.
 
Seeding

• Some seeds to start either in trays or in the soil include celery, chard, cilantro, kale, leeks, lettuces, mustards, green and bulb onions, parsley, peas, radishes, and spinaches.
• Sow root crops like beets and carrots and turnips directly into the soil where they’ll mature. Their long roots want to grow straight down without being interrupted or grow curly because they’ve hit a rock or been transplanted (since you can't really position that long skinny root to be really straight).
• For wildflowers, scatter directly where they’ll grow.  Sow some right before the promised rain and another batch right after the rain so both batches of seeds can lodge in moist soil from the first rain and then get another sprinkling with the next rain to settle the seeds in even further.
• Plant garlic cloves, bulb onion sets, and shallots directly into the soil where they’ll mature. Once they’ve extended their roots, they don’t like being disturbed without a setback.

 
Transplanting

• Transplant more cool-season perennial roots like artichoke and asparagus crowns and rhubarb rhizomes, grapes and berry vines, and strawberries, along with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, celery, chard, chives, cilantro, kale, leeks, lettuces, mustards, parsley, and spinaches.
• Of the warm-season crops, transplant ONLY tomatoes, which do fine when placed into the chilly soil.  However, DON'T PLANT ANYTHING ELSE that thrives in warm weather, like cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, and squash, even if they’re in the nursery.  If you transplant these now, they’ll just sit and pout at you, as if angry that you’ve stuck them into cold soil, and they’ll never really recover and thrive even once the weather and soil stay consistently warm.  Best to wait until the weather is consistently above 70 degrees, and the soil feels barely cool to the touch (test with the palm of your hand).  Then, the transplants will thrive as they develop in the warmth.

 
Use Prunings To Propagate New Plants

• Take cuttings of fig trees that have about 8 nodes (where the leaves emerge from the stem), cut just below the bottom node, place into a 1-gallon pot with either soil or potting mix, water in, and place in bright light to root.  In a couple of months, tug on the cutting, and if it resists it probably has developed some initial roots.  Keep moist in the container through the summer and into the fall as it develops foliage.  Transplant then, once the beating heat of summer has passed but the soil is still nice and warm to help the extensive root system develop more fully as it gradually acclimates to cooler weather for overwintering.  Remove any fruits that form so all the plant’s energy goes into extending its root system.  Next June and August you’ll have a strong plant and a great crop!    
• Dig clumps of perennials, separate into smaller groups, and replant.  To propagate perennial plants like Justicia and sage and geraniums, cut a branch right below the 6th or 7th node.  Keep the top 4 or 5 leaves, but cut larger ones in half crosswise to lessen the amount of foliage that must be supported as the roots develop.  If you remove too many entire leaves instead of leaving these half-leaves, there’s the risk that a pet or other animal (or you) will break too many off so the plant can’t do its photosynthesis to enable the plant to root.

 
Frost Still Possible

• The end of January is the “average” last frost for our area, but higher altitudes may still get some frost a bit later.
• Frost is most likely on dry, windless, clear nights.
• Plants are less susceptible to frost damage when they have been sufficiently watered so the soil or planter mix remains barely moist.
• Frost settles straight down, so best to provide coverings directly above plants.  Side coverings can be additionally helpful, but the top coverings are critical.
• Keep frost-protection coverings, especially those made of plastic sheeting, away from directly touching the foliage, or the foliage may more readily freeze.

 
More Gardening Tips
For more timely gardening tips, see January and February.