The Endzone Garden Thread

[GVF]

Just picked my first 2 squash. I seed planted, so I'm a couple weeks behind my brother and stuff. He built a green house and started all his plants. He's already canning green beans. I got one sauce tomato,, but right now I've got alot of little ones coming on.

But dang it, something ate most of the leaves off my green beans, and tried starting on my peas. Got some Sevin on them. hope the keep going. Starting to bloom. Was going to plant a second crop in the row anyway for later harvest. Guess they will go in this evening. I found two japanese beetles. Could have been them. They stripped my apple trees couple years ago overnight.

 

[clarksvol00]

This year is my first attempt at growing anything other than hot peppers. I have one tomato plant with the bottoms of all the tomatoes going rotten before they even start to ripen. Anybody have any thoughts?

 

[vollygirl]

How do I know when a bell pepper is ready to pick?

 

[82_VOL_83]

How do I know when a bell pepper is ready to pick?

You thump it and it rings.

 

[Orangeslice13]

This year is my first attempt at growing anything other than hot peppers. I have one tomato plant with the bottoms of all the tomatoes going rotten before they even start to ripen. Anybody have any thoughts?

That’s called blossom end rot.
Usually a calcium deficiency. Also could be inconsistent watering.

Edit:
10 Common Tomato Plant Problems and How To Fix Them

 

[Orangeslice13]

How do I know when a bell pepper is ready to pick?

Peppers are edible when they're small. Red gets them at about 2 inches. and picking them when they're small will allow them to grow more and larger later on in the season.

so I’m told.

 

[vollygirl]

Peppers are edible when they're small. Red gets them at about 2 inches. and picking them when they're small will allow them to grow more and larger later on in the season.

so I’m told.

So pick these now? We just have one plant. These are the only two on it so far.

 

[Orangeslice13]

So pick these now? We just have one plant. These are the only two on it so far. View attachment 377357View attachment 377358

Yes. Those are good to go

 

[vollygirl]

Yes. Those are good to go

Thanks

 

[PEPPERJAX]

So pick these now? We just have one plant. These are the only two on it so far. View attachment 377357View attachment 377358

Pick them today.

 

[vollygirl]

Pick them today.

Too late. Tomorrow.

 

[clarksvol00]

That’s called blossom end rot.
Usually a calcium deficiency. Also could be inconsistent watering.

Edit:
10 Common Tomato Plant Problems and How To Fix Them

Thanks. I'll give it a glass of milk. This plant is in a large pot with garden/potting soil, but I may try some fertilizer too.

 

[Orangeslice13]

Thanks. I'll give it a glass of milk. This plant is in a large pot with garden/potting soil, but I may try some fertilizer too.

Bone meal mixed in before you plant seems to help. Sometimes the “gardening potting soil” isn’t worth the **** it’s made from.

 

[clarksvol00]

Bone meal mixed in before you plant seems to help. Sometimes the “gardening potting soil” isn’t worth the **** it’s made from.

Makes sense. I've got 4 tomatoes i planted in a bed with bone meal. They're doing well. This was one was planted in a pot with bagged soil and nothing else. May try some fertilizer but it has so many bad tomatoes already that it's probably too late.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Thanks. I'll give it a glass of milk. This plant is in a large pot with garden/potting soil, but I may try some fertilizer too.

Is it miracle grow and if so did you use for potted plants or in ground plants. It makes a huge difference.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Makes sense. I've got 4 tomatoes i planted in a bed with bone meal. They're doing well. This was one was planted in a pot with bagged soil and nothing else. May try some fertilizer but it has so many bad tomatoes already that it's probably too late.

Nope, you can straighten it out and pull the bad matters. Should be ok.

 

[Orangeslice13]

Makes sense. I've got 4 tomatoes i planted in a bed with bone meal. They're doing well. This was one was planted in a pot with bagged soil and nothing else. May try some fertilizer but it has so many bad tomatoes already that it's probably too late.

I don’t think so. Put bone meal on the soil and toss the bad tomatoes. It probably has time to produce

 

[Behr]

I don't wish bad gardening issues on anyone, but I feel better knowing I ain't the only one with issues.

If my peppers don't start doing better by next week I'm gonna try some fish emulsion.

 

[volwindy]

Lightning bugs!

Question for all, especially those in KnoxVegas: when did you first see lightning bugs this year? Back in the 30-some-odd years I lived in Knoxville, they were reliably always seen around my son’s birthday, May 28.

When we first moved to AVL, they didn’t show up until mid-June, which is understandable. They were a bit later last year, and I only started seeing them this year 3-4 days ago.

Are they later than usual for anyone else?

I grew up thinking lightning bugs were a special thing at Grandma's house (Crossville) since we always saw them there and never had them in Charleston.

 

[VolNExile]

I grew up thinking lightning bugs were a special thing at Grandma's house (Crossville) since we always saw them there and never had them in Charleston.

I’ve decided to turn off the backyard motion detector lights, aka “burglar courtesy lights”, from April through September. It appears that nighttime lighting from all sources is really adversely affecting wildlife. Except the squash beetles and striped cucumber beetles in the garden, which seem to be doing just fine.

Why the lights are going out for fireflies

 

[clarksvol00]

Is it miracle grow and if so did you use for potted plants or in ground plants. It makes a huge difference.

Miracle gro and I think I used part of potting and part garden for this one.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Miracle gro and I think I used part of potting and part garden for this one.

When they say only use in ground, they aren't kidding. Doesn't hold water worth a crap.

 

[VolNExile]

Progress report: everything is growing and green, but cucumbers are the only crop we’re picking now. Everything else is still in green fruit stage.

The cucumber tunnel has almost achieved tunnel-hood (at least on one side.) Hard to tell in photos vs IRL (third pic.)

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Granny smith apples are looking great. Some of these green gobs are getting huge.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

The grape vines have grown over 4 feet this year due to all of the rain.

You gotta lift up her skirt to see the real treasures.