Sorry, just saw this. My basil looks pretty decent, being out back in the horse manure soaked garden. The herbs up on the porch, which are partially shaded throughout the day, are also looking good. What I learned was that even if you’re not using the herbs, cut off some upper branches on a regular basis and dry them in the house (just sitting on paper towels on a table for a couple of days, then into a baby food jar) anyway, fingers crossed!
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Are you fertilizing?
I haven’t been. The bed was amended with lots of compost before I planted, but perhaps some fertilizer will also be necessary. I need to check on them as soon as I get home from work - it has been SO hot the last two days, I’m worried they might have gotten torched!
Compost is good but organic fertilizer is also important for planting and growing.
How’s everyone’s garden going in NYS/CT?
Our Bibb lettuce and Little Gem lettuce (seeds from HV Seed co) are finally taking off and I harvested our first leaves on Friday! We’ve been flush with radishes already and I’ve been succession planting those. The sugar snaps are about five feet tall and flowering. We have our first baby pea pod! Zucchini, carrots, beets, and tomatoes all seem to be doing fine and our herbs have been happier with the (somewhat) drier and warmer weather.
Unfortunately our kale is being attacked by what I assume are insects of some sort. Two of the four kale plants have leaves that have holes in them. Does anyone know a natural way to keep insects away from the leaves of greens? Whatever insects they are don’t seem to have a taste for anything but kale (yet).
Ugh, horrible. tomatoes are around 4 ft tall, flowers, but then die off and no fruit, and mine are usually much larger by now. Hot peppers have only put on 4-5 inches since planting two months ago. They are tiny, even overwintered ones haven’t grown much since being replanted. This has to be THE worst year I have ever had growing produce in NY.
Oh no, sorry to hear that! This is only our first year with a serious garden so I can’t compare to past years. The weather this spring has been so unpredictable.
We just planted one pepper plant and it hasn’t grown much since we got it, maybe a few inches. One lone flower has appeared on it.
My potted tomatoes are growing. I did tomato tone last week. But, the big beef had two flowers that died - looks like it’s getting another. The plum has a bunch of small flowers and the heirloom is growing but no flowers at all so far. Granted, I potted them only two weeks ago. And we are expecting bad storms today, so I hope they are ok. I have cages and stakes in with them.
Must be the weather: mine are OK but nothing to rave about so far. And lots of bug bites on the ones that are closer to the ground. I’ve been noticing disappearing flowers on the tomatoes too.
The one thing that is going gangbusters are my peas…I got the seeds at a seed swap this winter and I’m not even sure what type they are yet, threw away the package for some reason. But over four feet tall with big blue flowers, plus a few pea embryos starting to show. Glad I don’t depend on my garden for sustenance though.
Yeah, my herbs and peppers are not loving the crazy weather, for sure. My berry plants seem to be doing well, though - they were planted bare root in the early spring, so they’ve had more time to develop roots and acclimate in general. I planted some pumpkin seeds in an empty space the other day, on a whim, and they are going gangbusters! They are next to my garlic bed, so hopefully by the time the vines need space to sprawl, my garlic will be out of the ground. I’m harvesting scapes now, so I’ll probably lift the bulbs in a couple of weeks.
I have 3 tomato plants in two huge pots - a 22 and 24 inch. One plant has had flowers but they just brown out, one has not had a flower yet and the stand alone has one flower. When I water I notice it going through the big pot and ending up in the dish at the bottom, though the soil seems wet. Also, when it rains water gathers there. I have no way to get rid of it short of a turkey baster as the pots are too heavy. This morning when I went out it looked like water under the large pot was reabsorbed into the plant. Is this bad? Everything was potted almost three weeks ago and the plants are getting taller but no good stuff. What do you think?
Could be cabbage aphids that are attacking your kale. Vile creatures. More info here http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/aphid/cabbage_aphid.htm
Thanks. I don’t think they are aphids after seeing the picture. They are light green caterpillar looking creatures, mostly, although some of them are brown. After I posted I did some research. I’ve been going out daily and sponge bathing the leaves with water with a few drops of non toxic dish soap. Also I’ve been picking the bugs off and putting them in the watered down dish soap when I find them. I feel a little guilty doing that but I really want this kale to make it to my kitchen table. We are going on vacation soon and my sister will be taking care of our garden and I’m sure I’m going to get some eye rolls about the TLC the kale needs at this time!
Glad it’s not the cabbage aphids—those things attacked our arugula last year and they are disgusting. Perhaps an organic insecticidal soap spray would be helpful? Or at least prevent your sister from shooting daggers at you? 
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Hahaha yes that’s what I was thinking-- even a spray bottle with my mixture will probably elicit fewer, though not eliminate entirely, eyerolls. 
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Vacation
Favors
Sisters = eye rolls
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What you’re describing sounds like cabbage worms (they’re called that but of course they are caterpillars) to me.
https://dengarden.com/gardening/Natural-Ways-To-Control-Cabbage-Worms
Sounds like you soil is draining well. When I water my tomato plants I run lots of water into the pots. Then wait a few minutes and do it again. lots of excess water does drain out while watering, overflowing the dish on the containers that have them, so I double water to make sure the soil is fully soaked. The water in the dish is fine. It will either be absorbed, or dry up by evaporation.
Use a good fertilizer once every week or two. I use the organic liquid fish emulsion in a 4-8 times concentrated dose weekly. My tomatoes have grown splendidly and are five feet tall now, and covered with flowers with no flower drop.
My hot chile pepper plants are starting to finally grow, and I am going to stop cutting off the flowers and let them fruit since they are producing dozens of flowers. They are getting a heavy dose of the fertilizer each week as well.
Here are some more ways to control the cabbage worms.
Thanks, JMF! I had issues with these pots draining when I first got them and I am glad that this is the way it should be!!!
