Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

[HoppyDaze]

Thats a bad case of BER (blossom end rot). You need to hit those plants with calcium pronto

 

[passedpawn]

This is weird, does anyone know what this means for my tomato plant? We’ve been hit with 3 hail storms early on in the season so I’m assuming this plant has some sort of disease. View attachment 643969

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JKBMRW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used it on peppers, they went from sad to glad.

 

[user 211287]

A 4lb bag of calcium nitrate is well under $10 and will last for years if just used for the calcium. Its 15.5-0-0 NPK and about 19% water soluble calcium.

Calcium nitrate is the exact same source of calcium found in CalMag.

If you want a more affordable liquid with almost as much calcium as CalMag, checkout CNS17 Grow formula. Its not cheap but its a well rounded fertilizer.

CNS17 Grow- N 3.0%, P 1.0%, K 2.0%, Ca 3.0%, Mg 0.5%, Mn 0.005%

CalMag Plus N 2.0%, Ca 3.2%, Mg 1.2%, Fe 0.1%

CalMag Plus costs over $17/qt and CNS17 Grow is usually $12 or less. Gets much cheaper when bought by the gallon.
https://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-CNS17-Nutrient-Formula-1-Gallon/dp/B00IGFJXHC

 

[HoppyDaze]

^This ...I use calcium nitrate and it rules!

 

[Homercidal]

My garden sucked balls this year. I got about 3 tomatoes so far, and the plants are on the downswing. I'm not sure I will get any more to ripen. 1 very small pepper. 3 cucumbers.

 

[user 211287]

^This ...I use calcium nitrate and it rules!

I gave up on all other sources of fast acting calcium. Calcium nitrate is just too cheap and easy. All my pots get a good shot of crab shell meal a few weeks before planting. Its slow to work but works great....Its just expensive. Just dont go overboard with calcium nitrate because its a salt.

If you are drain to waste its not a huge deal...like in most pots. Even with a saucer it will get flushed by rain and watering.

The best is calcium acetate (no nitrogen) but its a pain to find and a little bit of pain to make. Some supplement outlets sell it. Calcium acetate is just calcium carbonate broke down with high strength vinegar instead of nitric acid. The powder left over is water soluble calcium acetate.

 

[user 211287]

Ripe Zapotec jalapenos for my seed stock. These are wicked jalapenos. Great heat for a jala and not a hybrid.

 

[VApatriot]

@juggabrew - Do some research on blossom end rot, I think that may be your problem. I put a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of gypsum (the same kind you would use on your lawn to sweeten the soil - make more basic) in the hole when I plant my tomatoes which is supposed to help prevent blossom end rot.

 

[HoppyDaze]

another kilo of SLCRs

 

[bleme]

I got a 'living lettuce' from the grocery store a couple months ago. It's a hydroponic lettuce plant with the roots and all still attached. We used most of the lettuce in a salad that night but planted the root with 4 or 5 leaves still attached and it started growing immediately! After a couple weeks, I noticed that it was getting ravaged with cabbage worms so picked them all off and googled to see if there were any remedies. One website said that putting cardboard under the plant helps for some reason. I did that and the worms haven't been back yet.

If that hadn't worked, the next step was to buy a collapsible mesh food cover from the dollar store. Fingers crossed that I won't need to do that.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

sevin bug treatment works, I had the same problem with my squash also white moths

 

[juggabrew]

@juggabrew - Do some research on blossom end rot, I think that may be your problem. I put a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of gypsum (the same kind you would use on your lawn to sweeten the soil - make more basic) in the hole when I plant my tomatoes which is supposed to help prevent blossom end rot.

I have a bag of gypsum in my brewery so I just sprinkled some over the soil before watering. Not sure I’ll get anything useful this time of year but I’ll plan for it next year.

 

[applescrap]

Gardens still doing well. The herbs are nice and last night I made a sauce with those black krims. I started with evoo and warmed in pro clad. Added chunks of onion, then thyme, purple and green basil, oregano, some garlic, splash of sriracha, spoonful of sugar, and salt. Sauted softly then added those beautiful black krims that were in the window seal, and two other tomatoes and simmered for a few hours. It turned orange as batali says. Immersion blended to finish. Pretty good. Some gifts for the neighbors. Had to cut a lot of the krims out so not the prettiest pic but they were amazing!

 

[user 211287]

I might get lucky. Got a bunch of these finally starting to turn. The brown bhut in the center was not critical but i love my aji panca for a seasoning pepper. The artificial light dont do it justice. Them big bhuts are a really cool looking pepper.

 

[applescrap]

I might get lucky. Got a bunch of these finally starting to turn. The brown bhut in the center was not critical but i love my aji panca for a seasoning pepper. The artificial light dont do it justice. Them big bhuts are a really cool looking pepper.

Yum

 

[Dog House Brew]

The tomatoes and peppers were crazy this year. I’ve learned to start my seeds later and plant later. We’ve had so much rain in early May the last several years. Tomatoes hate wet feet. Planted June 1st and it dried up. Just pulled them yesterday and had a bushel of greens still. Tomorrow is salsa verde.

 

[Dog House Brew]

4 days before the Salsa Table.
Found Sunrise Sauce tomato this year, an amazing producer.
Planted Long Tom, Opalka, Russian Roma, Black Krim, Moonglow, and Copia. Plus way too many cherries. Chocolate cherry is the only yearly staple.

 

[Mikko Panimo]

Dunno if this is the correct thread. But I'm seeking advice.

I live in Norway, EU. I've planted tomato-seeds which are supposed to be "short-season"-seeds two years in a row. They don't get done until frost sets in. Have to chop off and let them ripen inside. One of the plants this year, like last year is big and bushy as a small bear, I'm not a big guy, but this plant would defeat me in the ring no questions asked, but still green small-ish tomatoes. Didn't start to grow like a giant until maybe 3 weeks ago. Same as last year. Have another which is small cherries and they are still tiny green ones. I have 8 different strains running, in what I believe is pretty poor soil, (mosly clay after 1m)

Rest of the bunch is approx 75% green still. It's getting colder here. We have long days during the summer at this latitude. It doesn't get dark, at most a bit hint of "dunkel" during may/june/july. Might this be why my tomatoes doesn't ripen? They "feel" that the season is still "young"? It's getting darker now though.

Sounds like you are growing a “determinate” type tomato. They grow as a bush instead of a vine, but more importantly they all tend to “wait” and ripen all at once. You may want to start the seeds inside a month or so before growing season to get a jump on things if they consistently come up short. You could also look at growing an indeterminate variety. They grow as a vine so they have there own challenges keeping them tamed while growing, but they begin bearing fruit sooner and ripen individually sooner. As for clay 1M down, it wouldn’t be a problem if it has drainage enough so the roots aren’t standing in water.

Nope, big and bushy tomatoes are indeterminate - they grow into monster behemoths and just don't stop until the freezes arrive. Determinate tomatoes have a pre-determined size, pre-determined amount of flowers, and often grow their fruit in long double-rows. Up north here, determinate varieties produce a crop way easier than indeterminate.

Thing is that tomatoes don't do big and heavy fruit unless they get some darkness during the night. That's why when you grow them way up north they don't start fruiting heavy until about a month after midsummer. Same with peppers.

 

[501irishred]

Nope, big and bushy tomatoes are indeterminate - they grow into monster behemoths and just don't stop until the freezes arrive. Determinate tomatoes have a pre-determined size, pre-determined amount of flowers, and often grow their fruit in long double-rows. Up north here, determinate varieties produce a crop way easier than indeterminate.

Thing is that tomatoes don't do big and heavy fruit unless they get some darkness during the night. That's why when you grow them way up north they don't start fruiting heavy until about a month after midsummer. Same with peppers.

I believe the tomato tomahto phrase works well here. Imderminate Will get “bushy” especially if you don’t prune suckers along the way, but does grow as a vine and at least typically fruits continually through the season. Good information though about the lack of darkness interfering with production. Knowing this, do you tend to plant late in the year as well since you won’t reap rewards early?

 

[Mikko Panimo]

I believe the tomato tomahto phrase works well here. Imderminate Will get “bushy” especially if you don’t prune suckers along the way, but does grow as a vine and at least typically fruits continually through the season. Good information though about the lack of darkness interfering with production. Knowing this, do you tend to plant late in the year as well since you won’t reap rewards early?

Since you can't really leave them outside until perhaps the middle of June, it really makes no sense to start them inside before the first of April otherwise they either get too large or too lanky. Of course if you have a greenhouse or glassed in balcony then the rules are a bit different.

 

[Braufessor]

Picked a few for farmers market trades today. 1365grams worth mostly in aji arnaucho off just 2 tiny plants. Got a guy who wants all the arnaucho. Gunna take the load of supers too and see what kind of interest there is at the market.

Have you done anything with, or used those Sugar Rush peppers yet? I picked some seeds up last winter and grew a half dozen plants.... they went crazy and I have a bunch of them. I have a half gallon fermenting right now, and I will have at least that many again in the freezer. They had an intriguing description, but wondering about any actual, practical experience with them. Thanks

 

[Braufessor]

Not sure how I missed this thread...... a few photos of some of the summer harvest. Basically done with everything at this point, other than trying to milk out some more peppers before the first frost hits. Got some of them moved into a recently added greenhouse/shed....hopping that gets me a couple more weeks on each end of the season going forward.

 

[Braufessor]

another kilo of SLCRs

What kind of peppers are these?

 

[user 211287]

SRP makes killler hot pepper rings. Either normal or sweet pickle brine. Even green they are good for pepper rings.

 

[501irishred]

SRP makes killler hot pepper rings. Either normal or sweet pickle brine. Even green they are good for pepper rings.

Do you pressure can your peppers? If so, what’s your secret? Those look great! I’ve never caned any that didn’t basically turn to mush without adding a metric ton of pickling crisp (yuck).

 

[passedpawn]

Do you pressure can your peppers? If so, what’s your secret? Those look great! I’ve never caned any that didn’t basically turn to mush without adding a metric ton of pickling crisp (yuck).

I just put 50/50 water and distilled vinegar in a jar. I don't do any cooking. Then refrigerate. I do this with all sorts of sliced peppers and they do not turn to mush.

 

[501irishred]

I just put 50/50 water and distilled vinegar in a jar. I don't do any cooking. Then refrigerate. I do this with all sorts of sliced peppers and they do not turn to mush.

I started going the same route and I agree it’s a good way to go. Was hoping to find a way to use pantry space instead of refrigerator space though. SHMBO doesn’t partake in the bounty, so maintaining room for “my worthless non-edibles” is getting more difficult each year.

 

[user 211287]

No cook. Add warm but not hot brine and toss it in the fridge. I use a 50/50 mix too. Sweet pickle you can use no water if you wish. Its mainly just vinegar and sugar.

I prefer rice vinegar actually. Its not quite as harsh as white distilled. It is not quite 5% though. Usually around 4-4.5%.

Buy one of them tiny fridges. Use it for stuff like kraut too.

 

[passedpawn]

I've got a garage fridge that I can shove all sorts of stuff in.

 

[501irishred]

I've got a garage fridge that I can shove all sorts of stuff in.

Me too. All kinds of beer.....er, I mean stuff.....