What did your tomatoes die from? Heat? mold? something else?
I’m still not sure, but I suspect it was more than one thing. I like to think nutritional problems made them vulnerable to insects and various pathologies, but that might be because it gives me a sense of control.
ETA It was actually in 2020, and shortly after a crazy lightning strike, with a bit of rain, set off some fires that include my yard.
1 Like
Oh my gosh- you were that close to the fires? i’m glad you’re still with us.
Oh MAN! That was a close one
Now that is TERRIFYING! Way too close! That’s when water on foliage is a good thing, tons of water, wet everything down! Had you evacuated when the fires were that close?
In general, water on foliage isn’t as bad in dry, non-humid areas…unless… somewhere in the vicinity, leaf disease spores are blowing around. Since there’s no way of knowing, it’s best not to wet foliage habitually. I’m in agreement with you on the nutrient deficiency leading to the tomato demise. Unless there were mites present (not visible in the photo), it looks like leaves were deficient in Nitrogen, possibly other nutrients and the pale, blanched foliage was vulnerable to sunburn. Roots and leaves live in balance; one feeding the other. If a lot of foliage dies, there are not enough calories, sugars, to feed the roots and they die back, good food for diseases. Foliar feeding the tomatoes should help, if done in the cool of morning. Root feeding works, too, but is slower.
Tomatoes sometimes just call it quits after producing a lot of fruit. In-ground plantings, where rain happens, is easier for plants to find nutrients and water moves nutrients around. In containers, you must find a balance between too much and too little fertilizer, especially nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and iron.
Watch the plants and they’ll tell you. Lots of leaves and few flowers, too much nitrogen. Yellow leaves with plenty of flowers around, nutrient deficiency of some sort.
CA is very different from the eastern US. Here, when hot humid weather arrives. diseases start somewhere, usually farther south, and the spores blow up via storms and winds. Tomatoes and basil, isolated and in new ground die from fungal infections unless protective/preventative measures are taken. You can drive around and see when and where that happens. Neighbors ask: “Are your tomatoes dying?” The answer is usually yes, unless one studies and uses appropriate sprays.
2 Likes
Very helpful; thank you! There was a lot of wind at the time, so spores were probably blowing around.
We woke up to this from our bedroom window
…and then left. Apparently most had been notified about the evacuation, but we somehow missed the memo.
1 Like
Holy hell- literally! That gives me the all-overs just knowing you were that close to it. And so glad it didn’t do away with your home. And you.
Spores blowing around, a lot of them probably got incinerated. I wonder if the nearby temps were high enough to heat stress your plants, as close as it was. Not that I have any real life experience with the immediacy of your situation, thank God.
1 Like
OMG! That’s a living nightmare! You all were so lucky to have escaped alive and relatively undamaged.
1 Like
Parsley on the back left, chervil back right, and some thyme at about seven o’clock, almost invisible
Along with all the other winter-stressed stuff that will be back in spring
Nice! Did you start from seed? I’m about to order some chervil seed.
1 Like
I’m not sure how/if it performs in hot climates, but I’m fond of another parsley relative, Lovage, Levisticum officinale. It’s a perennial with a flavor hard to describe. It’s sort of like parsley-celery, but has an almost black peppery flavor mixed in. It’s wonderful in soups, especially chicken soup or vegetarian broths/stocks. The flavor of the leaves and leaf stems (petioles) is better during cool weather. It often dies down after blooming, only to return later from a stout root.
2 Likes
No, they had small pots at my favorite high-end nursery
1 Like
I made mac & cheese night before last, used a bunch of Parsley, and a lot more chopped chervil in it. The herbal flavor was subtle but bloody delightful, if I say so myself.
2 Likes
