Vegetable Plants

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Kohlrabi

This appears to be a Kohlrabi, also known as German turnip or Turnip cabbage. Kohlrabi has been created by artificial selection for lateral meristem growth (a swollen, nearly spherical shape); its origin in nature is the same as that of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts: they are all bred from, and are the same species as the wild cabbage plant (Brassica oleracea).
The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter, with a higher ratio of flesh to skin. The young stem in particular can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although much less sweet.
Except for the Gigante cultivar, spring-grown kohlrabi much over 5 cm in size tend to be woody, as do full-grown kohlrabi much over perhaps 10 cm in size; the Gigante cultivar can achieve great size while remaining of good eating quality. The plant matures in 55äóñ60 days after sowing. Approximate weight is 150 g and has good standing ability for up to 30 days after maturity.
There are several varieties commonly available, including White Vienna, Purple Vienna, Grand Duke, Gigante (also known as "Superschmelz"), Purple Danube, and White Danube. Coloration of the purple types is superficial: the edible parts are all pale yellow. The leafy greens can also be eaten.

By | 2016-01-02T03:31:14-08:00 January 2nd, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomatoes End Of Season Decline

There are several causes of yellowing leaves on tomatoes and often what we see is the combination of several problems.
1. Leaf spot fungus. This is very common on tomatoes - be it septoria leaf spot or another fungal disease. In general get accustomed to picking off the worst of the leaves and spraying the plants with an organic fungicide from early in the season on. Ask at your garden center for an organic fungicide and use according to directions.
2. Once your plant shows signs of yellowing and spotted leaves you might have more success with a copper fungicide, which is also an organic treatment. Use once a week according to directions to extend your season of harvest.
3. End of season cool temperatures. Tomatoes do best in hot weather. When the temperatures cool at the end of the growing season the plants start to shut down. The older leaves naturally turn yellow and any leaf-spot damage shows up more. This is natural and nothing that needs treatment. Clip off the worst of the leaves and any spotted or rotting fruit and throw it in the garbage. Pick ripening tomatoes early and let ripen on the windowsill if necessary.
4. Enjoy every single ripe fruit or other produce from your garden - at this time of year things start to close up shop, so we need to be especially appreciative of every harvest we get!

By | 2016-01-01T23:26:05-08:00 January 1st, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Bean Issues

Sometimes a plant that has a different coloration than the original plant can be a weaker plant (purple, white, etc.). They might have a tougher time fending off diseases that might attack. The spots on the purple part of the leaf look like they may be the beginning of a bacterial or fungal leaf spot disease. You really can't tell for sure without lab testing. That being said, there are precautions to take to fight against this: 1 - remove and dispose of all affected plant parts; 2 - provide the plant it's optimum growing environment regarding light, water, soil type; and 3 - avoid overhead watering as this can spread the disease with the splashing water.
Beans and peas are members of the Legume family of plants. The following quote from the website www.groworganic.com explains this principle perfectly: "Legumes work in harmony with a group of bacteria that live on their roots. These bacteria take nitrogen from the air and äóìfixäó or concentrate it in pink root nodules, adding nitrogen to the soil in a form the plants can absorb. We advise using inoculants with legume cover crop seeds to give an extra boost of rhizobacteria. Average soil has some rhizobacteria, but not enough to fix a large amount of nitrogen." This could be your missing piece of the puzzle as to why your peas and beans are a little yellow.

By | 2015-12-31T14:55:17-08:00 December 31st, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Nutrient Deficiency

This is symptoms of nutrient deficiency. These deficiencies could also be symptoms of too much water, or watering too frequently - we noticed its in a pot, so make sure water is draining from the pot every time you water, but only water when the upper 2" (or a bit more depending on plant size and root ball size) have dried out. Too wet soils cause roots to drown and not function. Sometimes not enough water can also cause root damage that results in insufficient uptake of water and nutrients.. Tomatoes are heavy nutrient feeders at certain stages of growth, and nutrients can be difficult to provide if the plant is not growing in ideal conditions. Here is a link (from the University of CA) all about Tomatoes that will help, but in short Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of full sun each day, and prefer not to be watered "overhead". Since your plant is in a pot, you may eventually need to water more often as it continues to develop a bigger root system. If your plant is well on it way with flowering and fruit you should fertilize it with an all purpose vegetable fertilizer - consider a slow release fertilizer so that the plant gets a continuous feed for this period of heavy use. Follow the label instructions when fertilizing. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:30-07:00 December 29th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Leaf Problems

Your tomato plants look like they have one of the fungal problems common to this plant. If you are seeing sunken, dark "rotten" spots develop on the fruit as well, it is certainly fungal. This year was a banner year for leaf and fungal problems on many plants, especially those such as peppers, basil and tomatoes that like hot weather.

Without culturing in a lab it's impossible to know if you have early blight, late blight, septoria leaf spot or another fungal problem but the response is the same for any of these:
1. Remove the worst of the foliage and throw it out - clean up any fallen fruit as well so that the spores don't stay in the garden.
2. Spraying with an organic fungicide can help protect undamaged foliage and fruit while you continue to harvest. Ask at your local garden center, but some options include copper, Serenade, Actinovate or sulfur. Get a product that's labeled for fungal problems on tomatoes and use according to directions. (note: although Neem is labeled as an organic fungicide, many gardeners have found that it's less effective than other options.)
3. Next year start spraying with an organic fungicide as soon as you plant the tomatoes and continue according to directions.
4. Be sure to avoid splashing the foliage with water whenever possible - watering with soaker or drip hoses is preferred, and a deep soaking less often is better than hand-watering every day. If you use a sprinkler do it every four or five days for a longer time, mulch the plants and only water in the morning.
5. Add compost to your soil every year. There is evidence that the beneficial bacteria in compost keeps fungal spore populations down.

By | 2015-11-13T20:50:55-08:00 December 13th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Hit With Something

If this damage truly happened overnight in that the day before the plant was fine with no black spots, blackening or yellowing leaves etc, and the next day the plant looked like this then the plant must have gotten hit with something. Diseases move more gradually. Some examples of what might hit a tomato and kill the foliage like this include: Hot water from a sun-heated hose. Fertilizer mixed at too high a level. Drift from herbicide applied elsewhere. Cleaning product being used elsewhere such as a house being power-washed or windows being cleaned. If any of those were the cause you will not see the damage continuing. Mark some of the still good looking foliage and stems with twist-ems or pieces of colored yarn to make it easy to tell if the damage is continuing. If it is, then the problem actually started earlier and has spread to a point where it caught your attention. The most common causes of tomato leaf blackening are early and late blight. Early blight usually starts at the bottom of a plant and moves upwards, causing the foliage to yellow first and then turn black. Late blight shows up randomly on the entire plant including the fruit, starting as darkening and slightly sunken spots that ultimately cause entire leaves, stems and fruit to blacken. In the early stages of early and late blight you can spray with a copper fungicide and still harvest fruit, but once a plant reaches a state where half of it has blackened you just have to pull the plant out of the garden and put it in the garbage or burn it once it's dry.

By | 2015-12-12T07:51:18-08:00 December 12th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Troubles

Before we talk about diseases, let's review general care for tomatoes. Leaves can turn yellow if tomatoes aren't getting enough nutrients from the soil. Since you are growing your tomatoes in pots, you need to fertilize regularly with a fertilizer suitable for tomatoes according to package directions. Yellow leaves can also be a sign of over- or under-watering. Make sure the containers aren't sitting in a pool of water and don't get so dry that they wilt.
There are several leaf diseases that tomatoes are prone to and without culturing in a lab it's hard to say which one is affecting your plants. This could be bacterial leaf spot, early blight, late blight or another fungal leaf disease.
That said, the treatment for the home gardener is the same:
1. Pull off the leaves that are spotted and/or yellow so the plant can be better monitored and some of the spores are removed.
2. Never get the foliage wet when watering. It's amazing how many people routinely spray the leaves of plants every evening because they think that they are somehow "refreshing" the plant. This is a prescription for every leaf disease in the book. Instead, water deeply less often, trying to do so in the morning so that the foliage has plenty of time to dry.
3. Start spraying immediately with a copper fungicide - this is an organic treatment that is a bit stronger than other organic fungicides. If the garden is right next to a pond, lake or stream, however, do not use copper as it is toxic to aquatic life. (In such cases I would use Actinovate, a natural bacteria.) Spray under the leaves and the stems too. Although the fungicide won't "cure" the problem it can protect the newer growth long enough so that tomatoes can be harvested. Next season start spraying early first using something like Actinovate or Seranade, and switching to the copper once the plant has a problem. (Do not alternate these - the copper will kill the bacteria in the other two products.) Always start with the mildest of treatments for plants.
4. Next season mulch your plants as soon as you plant them so that no fungal spores will splash up on the foliage when it rains.
5. Many people ask if they can "treat the soil" to get rid of such diseases, but most are not only soil-borne but also wind-borne so usually it's not helpful to apply a fungicide to the ground.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:30-07:00 December 8th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Troubles

Leaves can turn yellow if tomatoes aren't getting enough nutrients from the soil. This is the most common cause and can be corrected with regular applications of compost, or well balanced fertilizer.
Yellow leaves can also be a sign of over- or under-watering. Tomato plants want to be in Full Sun. Low light levels will also contribute to problems.
There are several leaf diseases that tomatoes are prone to but it is hard to say which might be affecting your plants. This could be bacterial leaf spot, early blight, late blight or another fungal leaf disease.
That said, the treatment for the home gardener is the same:
1. Pull off the leaves that are spotted and/or yellow so the plant can be better monitored and some of the spores are removed.
2. Never get the foliage wet when watering. It's amazing how many people routinely spray the leaves of plants every evening because they think that they are somehow "refreshing" the plant. This is a prescription for every leaf disease in the book. Instead, water deeply less often, trying to do so in the morning so that the foliage has plenty of time to dry.
3. Start spraying immediately with a copper fungicide - this is an organic treatment that is a bit stronger than other organic fungicides. If the garden is right next to a pond, lake or stream, however, do not use copper as it is toxic to aquatic life. (In such cases I would use Actinovate, a natural bacteria.) Spray under the leaves and the stems too. Although the fungicide won't "cure" the problem it can protect the newer growth long enough so that tomatoes can be harvested. Next season start spraying early first using something like Actinovate or Seranade, and switching to the copper once the plant has a problem. (Do not alternate these - the copper will kill the bacteria in the other two products.) Always start with the mildest of treatments for plants.
4. Next season mulch your plants as soon as you plant them so that no fungal spores will splash up on the foliage when it rains.
5. Many people ask if they can "treat the soil" to get rid of such diseases, but most are not only soil-borne but also wind-borne so usually it's not helpful to apply a fungicide to the ground.

By | 2015-12-07T09:06:13-08:00 December 7th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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More Than One Cause

We see more than one thing going on for these bean plants. First, the yellow leaves with green veins tell us that there may be a nutrient deficiency problem. Sometimes this comes from the plant not having enough nitrogen and iron, but sometimes it happens because the pH is off. The first thing to do would be to have a pH test done of your soil. You can buy kits to do this or have it done by a local cooperative extension office or other soil testing lab. In the meantime, if you're not opposed to a general liquid fertilizer use one according to directions. If you want to only use organic fertilizers try fish and seaweed emulsion.

Secondly, there is some leaf spot fungus - the most common cause of this is frequent splashing of the foliage with water. Be sure to water deeply less often (every 5 to 7 days using a soaker hose or sprinkler, not hand watering) instead of a little every day or every other day. Hand watering is never deep enough. Water in the AM so the leaves dry quickly and never spray the foliage with water in between your deep soakings. Pick off the black-sploched leaves and toss out - no fungicide necessary.

Thirdly - look under the leaves for signs of insect activity - the undersides might look dusty, dirty or kind of webby, but all very fine. It looks like there might be some sucking insects at work under the leaves such as lace bug, white fly, aphids or spider mites. You could spray the underside of the foliage with insecticidal soap for this. Do not use dish detergent because that can damage foliage - get an insecticidal soap from your garden center and use according to directions, making sure to spray under the leaves.

By | 2015-11-13T20:49:49-08:00 December 5th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Troubles

Before we talk about diseases, let's review general care for tomatoes. Leaves can turn yellow if tomatoes aren't getting enough nutrients from the soil. Since you are growing your tomatoes in pots, you need to fertilize regularly with a fertilizer suitable for tomatoes according to package directions. Yellow leaves can also be a sign of over- or under-watering. Make sure the containers aren't sitting in a pool of water and don't get so dry that they wilt. It looks as though your plant may be partly shaded. Tomato plants want to be in Full Sun. Low light levels will also contribute to problems.
There are several leaf diseases that tomatoes are prone to and without culturing in a lab it's hard to say which one is affecting your plants. This could be bacterial leaf spot, early blight, late blight or another fungal leaf disease.
That said, the treatment for the home gardener is the same:
1. Pull off the leaves that are spotted and/or yellow so the plant can be better monitored and some of the spores are removed.
2. Never get the foliage wet when watering. It's amazing how many people routinely spray the leaves of plants every evening because they think that they are somehow "refreshing" the plant. This is a prescription for every leaf disease in the book. Instead, water deeply less often, trying to do so in the morning so that the foliage has plenty of time to dry.
3. Start spraying immediately with a copper fungicide - this is an organic treatment that is a bit stronger than other organic fungicides. If the garden is right next to a pond, lake or stream, however, do not use copper as it is toxic to aquatic life. (In such cases I would use Actinovate, a natural bacteria.) Spray under the leaves and the stems too. Although the fungicide won't "cure" the problem it can protect the newer growth long enough so that tomatoes can be harvested. Next season start spraying early first using something like Actinovate or Seranade, and switching to the copper once the plant has a problem. (Do not alternate these - the copper will kill the bacteria in the other two products.) Always start with the mildest of treatments for plants.
4. Next season mulch your plants as soon as you plant them so that no fungal spores will splash up on the foliage when it rains.
5. Many people ask if they can "treat the soil" to get rid of such diseases, but most are not only soil-borne but also wind-borne so usually it's not helpful to apply a fungicide to the ground.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:31-07:00 December 4th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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