Im so depressed about this garden....HELP

[Wannabefree]

Uh, I didn't know it was excessive heat that makes cukes bitter. I just TODAY picked my first, rather smallish cucumber. Bummer. It's been triple digits here for some time.

Yeah, it can also be bad planting strategy. I forget which veggie, but if you plant cukes next to ? they'll almost always be bitter. It's a chemical the plant produces that makes them bitter, so it's always there and the potential for bitterness anyway, but there are things that enhance the potential.

 

[eggrookie2010]

Im in the foothills above Clovis CA. My plant date was Mothers Day (so advised by everyone on this mountain) but there was more rain than in 40 years, cold until nearly June then all the sudden 110. Now it is averaging 100 daily and last night down to 60. My cucumbers are several feet from my failing beans. The butternut squash, bell pepper, tomato and egg plant are all in the same raised bed. Peppers are great, squash are great but tomato and eggplant are poor. Another bed has other stuff and yet another in the back have melons and pumpkins. I know it is too late this season but what do I use to fix the nitrogen issue? I have not used a single fertilizer on it...I trucked in top soil, compost and sand as my mix in the boxes. Obviously I better get a different test kit.

 

[dragonlaurel]

I agree with FarmerJamie, sounds like it might be too much fertilizer. Years ago I had a friend that Miracle Grow-ed her garden to the point of getting nothing! Plants were amazing in appearance, but not a bean on the bush.

And I agree with Free on the varieties - I have friends that plant at least 20 tomato plants every year, different varieties. She said some perform better than others each year, the only one that has performed every year (for her) has been Celebrity. So that's all that I plant. High temps and nothing sets on around here.

I do the soapy water spray for grasshoppers (hate those things). Works pretty good, but you do have to reapply perodically - I use 1 to 1-1/2 tsp dishwashing liquid to one quart of water, then add a few drops of cooking oil.

Now if someone can tell me how to keep tomato worms away, I'd be a happy camper!

I think basil may repel the worms. I had my sweet basil and lemon basil planted really close to the tomatoes last year, cause the books said they were good companions for each other. I never saw a single tomato worm on them. That may have been lucky or maybe tomato worms dislike basil. The basil grows big enough to help keep the ground cooler too. I didn't get a big crop, but they (Romas) produced pretty steadily.

 

[Wannabefree]

Im in the foothills above Clovis CA. My plant date was Mothers Day (so advised by everyone on this mountain) but there was more rain than in 40 years, cold until nearly June then all the sudden 110. Now it is averaging 100 daily and last night down to 60. My cucumbers are several feet from my failing beans. The butternut squash, bell pepper, tomato and egg plant are all in the same raised bed. Peppers are great, squash are great but tomato and eggplant are poor. Another bed has other stuff and yet another in the back have melons and pumpkins. I know it is too late this season but what do I use to fix the nitrogen issue? I have not used a single fertilizer on it...I trucked in top soil, compost and sand as my mix in the boxes. Obviously I better get a different test kit.

Plant something that uses lots of nitrogen to get rid of excess. From your weather description though...I'm thinking the cold, excess rain, then the hot and not much in between is the more likely culprit, and we can't control the weather :/ Sorry your garden took such a hit, mine did too, due again, to erratic weather patterns this year. It is frustrating

 

[savingdogs]

Im in the foothills above Clovis CA. My plant date was Mothers Day (so advised by everyone on this mountain) but there was more rain than in 40 years, cold until nearly June then all the sudden 110. Now it is averaging 100 daily and last night down to 60. My cucumbers are several feet from my failing beans. The butternut squash, bell pepper, tomato and egg plant are all in the same raised bed. Peppers are great, squash are great but tomato and eggplant are poor. Another bed has other stuff and yet another in the back have melons and pumpkins. I know it is too late this season but what do I use to fix the nitrogen issue? I have not used a single fertilizer on it...I trucked in top soil, compost and sand as my mix in the boxes. Obviously I better get a different test kit.

That pretty much describes my weather here this year as well, although not 110, but it was too hot for many of the plants after it being so cold and getting a weak start. I bet the weather this year has a little bit to do with it. My plants had to kind of recover from the heat when it hit, and it wasn't ever so hot as 110. I'm still not having too much luck.

 

[eggrookie2010]

Well at least my chickens are good! WAH!

 

[Wifezilla]

Since Colorado went from snow to 80 plus in a week, I am trying more fall planting this year. You might want to think about fall planting starting in August/September.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Im in the foothills above Clovis CA. My plant date was Mothers Day (so advised by everyone on this mountain) but there was more rain than in 40 years, cold until nearly June then all the sudden 110. Now it is averaging 100 daily and last night down to 60. My cucumbers are several feet from my failing beans. The butternut squash, bell pepper, tomato and egg plant are all in the same raised bed. Peppers are great, squash are great but tomato and eggplant are poor. Another bed has other stuff and yet another in the back have melons and pumpkins. I know it is too late this season but what do I use to fix the nitrogen issue? I have not used a single fertilizer on it...I trucked in top soil, compost and sand as my mix in the boxes. Obviously I better get a different test kit.

Don't necessarily assume the test kit was wrong, we just commented basing on our experiences, without knowing much about your situation. This gardening stuff takes a little practice.

keeping asking questions!

 

[rebecca100]

Mine hasn't done very well either. Then we got hit by the bugs. At first I thought the bugs were why mine wasn't doing well, but now I think it is the weather. I'm hoping for a better fall garden. . Just in case I am going to the farmers market this weekend to stock up!

 

[Wifezilla]

Also don't get discouraged if something doesn't work. I can pretty much count on at least 2 big failures per growing season This year, my apples have no fruit. Late frost killed the blossoms. Also my rhubarb failed (deep horrible freeze in early spring), and then my neighbor killed my quinoa by heavily spraying weeds on her driveway on a windy day . Oh, and my peas sucked...again. But I do have tomatoes and cilantro coming out of my ears, and the pear tree and grape vines are LOADED.