Vegetable troubles

[MsFrizz]

I've lived at this location for over 14 years, and have continued to have problems with my vegetables.

I can grow BIG, BEAUTIFUL plants, but when they begin to bloom, the blooms pretty much all fall off before the fruit sets. This is mostly tomatoes, but I even have trouble with peppers and squash. Last year I planted all 3, and only ended up with a handful of tomatoes to show for the whole growing season.

I grow all types of flowers, and they all bloom with no problem. The fruit trees set their fruit. It's only vegetables I have trouble with.

Over the years I've tried all types of remedies, so many that I can't even think of most of them right now, but nothing has worked.

I know something must be lacking in the soil, or maybe too much of something. I've tried bringing dirt in from elsewhere, mixing it with my dirt, but it doesn't work.

[Docmom]

Frizz, on our vegetables; we have found if we pinch the tops off of them the will produce the Veggies much better. LOL. Remember Tomatoes are fruit! LOL. :chuckle2:

[MsFrizz]

Yes, I know about topping the plants. Have also tried "thrashing" them within an inch of their lives, tried buying certain kinds of tomatoes, which are supposed to be the best producers for this area, tried different types of mulch, which should add what the soil needs, etc. People all around here are growing vegetables, surely my soil is not that different from the rest in this area. Last year I read something about putting lemon peels in the dirt. Ever heard of that?

[Julie]

From everything I see on the subject of blooms dropping it sounds like there could be any or all of at least 3 problems. * 1. Inconsistent watering. *Tomatoes like to be watered consistently and don't do well with sporadic watering. *In other words, letting them get too dried out and then going to plenty water really stresses them out. 2. Not enough calcium in the soil is another cause. *3. Then the last one was due to not enough bees to cause pollination. *There is a male and a female bloom on tomato plants. *If they don't get together, the blooms drop. *You can also get around this by helping the blooms get together. *I found descriptions of which blooms are male and which ones are female and other things about the pollination problems at http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_column/apr03/4.htm

[MsFrizz]

Well, I'm fairly certain that watering is not the problem. I've grown vegetables in other areas where I lived over the years and never had the problem elsewhere.

We have lots of bees around here every year, so pollination should not be the problem.

I have read about lack of calcium being a problem, read somewhere to add crushed eggshell to the soil, which I tried about 2 years ago. No results.

Last year I bought something called "bloom-set", which I sprayed on the tomato plants, and a VERY FEW tomatoes set at that time. So few that it wasn't even worth continuing.

Maybe I will try mixing another type of calcium into the soil.

I wonder if I could have a problem with TOO MANY nutrients in the soil. I haven't come across anything written about this yet.

[Docmom]

Leavea leaves leaves. Always mow lots of leaves and till them in. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Anonymous]

I am taking this from an old vegetable book on tomatoes.

All Vine and No Fruit...The failure of the tomato to set fruit is blamed on too much water,too little water and too much fertilizer.
The tomato plant may fail to change gears from the vegetative stage to the fruiting stage of growth.Too much nitrogen fertilizer and too much water in the first stage of growth is one cause of the failure.Too much shade is another. You can help the plant switch over to the fruiting stage by plucking out the terminal shoots ,or by withholding water to check growth,or even by root pruning.And by following the fertilizing schedule.
Before planting ,mix into the soil a fertilizer high in phosphorus. This application will take care of the plant until the first fruits are set .

I would suggest on testing your soil..before planting anything...Your county agent should be able to tell you where you can get this done...

Docmom ...leaves are high in Phosphorus...

[MsFrizz]

Well, maybe this is the help I'm looking for. Could be that I'm overdoing the nitrogen. Over the past few years I've used some pretty rich compost, using horse manure along with all other ingredients. Works well on all my flowers etc, but may be too much for the fruit bearers.

Last year I said I was through trying, but maybe one more time. Sure like home grown tomatoes, squash, and peppers.

[Docmom]

Horse is pretty strong. *We use goats. *LOL. *If we have horse we use it around flowerl.

[cyotefishing]

I've never heard of a garden, especially in these parts, having to many nutrients. *If anything with the sun, heat and wind it'll be like the dust bowl if you don't put back into the soil. *I tend to agree with Docmom, leaves, hulls from under the birdfeeders, kitchen scraps,hen house droppings and if I had goats the same. *Our soil here, where I live northwest of Eastland tends to be alkaline versus acidic. *You can always email or write to Texas A&M and they will send you a kit to test your soil. *Some plants do better in acidic soil and some do better in alkaline soil. *I live just off of a county road and are at the receiving end of the south wind. *With no rain, I do believe the dust off the road determines alot as far as the veggie garden, flower beds and birds in the area. Not to mention what we breath in sitting on the front porch. We are probably gonna have a fight on our hands fore the insects this year, because we didn't have any deep freeze to speak of. *I have already seen *small grasshoppers. Have you ever made manure tea? The high nitrogen means plenty of green foliage. *You need more phosphorous and potash for fruit. *I'm no garden expert. *It's all trial and error. *I've lived all over the U.S.A. and this is the hardest place to go anything...there are so many foes...climate, fire ants, insects in general, drought..but I keep trying...love it too much to stop... :thumbsup:

[MsFrizz]

Cyote, I only live probably less than a half mile from you. Just south of the RR tracks. Can't imagine that my soil is much different from yours.
As I said, I have lived in other areas and never had a problem with my tomatoes setting. Now the actual plants are BEAUTIFUL. Always grow huge, and lush. Just no vegetables.

I have made my own compost for years, understand the process of mixing dirt, vegetable matter, leaves, and manure. All my plants are very healthy, no complaints, except that we have no vegetables...LOL

A couple of years ago some pumpkin vines came up out of my compost pile. We let them grow and ended up with several pumpkins, but I really want TOMATOES.

[cyotefishing]

Cyote, I only live probably less than a half mile from you. *Just south of the RR tracks. *Can't imagine that my soil is much different from yours.
As I said, I have lived in other areas and never had a problem with my tomatoes setting. *Now the actual plants are BEAUTIFUL. *Always grow huge, and lush. *Just no vegetables.

I have made my own compost for years, understand the process of mixing dirt, vegetable matter, leaves, and manure. *All my plants are very healthy, no complaints, except that we have no vegetables...LOL

A couple of years ago some pumpkin vines came up out of my compost pile. *We let them grow and ended up with several pumpkins, but I really want TOMATOES.

Maybe the plants weren't that good where ever you bought them. Some places just sell better plants?

[Gearldean]

...As I said, I have lived in other areas and never had a problem with my tomatoes setting. *Now the actual plants are BEAUTIFUL. *Always grow huge, and lush. *Just no vegetables....
That's a sure sign of too much nitrogen. I'd use MiracleGro, which is high in Phosphorous.

[cyotefishing]

Tomato plants especially will drop there blossoms(blooms) if they haven't received any water for awhile then all of a sudden get alot.

[MsFrizz]

...As I said, I have lived in other areas and never had a problem with my tomatoes setting. *Now the actual plants are BEAUTIFUL. *Always grow huge, and lush. *Just no vegetables....
That's a sure sign of too much nitrogen. *I'd use MiracleGro, which is high in Phosphorous.

Okay, this year I will try reducing the nitrogen content and increasing the phosphorous. This sounds reasonable to me, because I know we have fed our horses very high protein feed for years, and I have mixed that manure into all my dirt and compost. Now that it's in there, guess I will have to bring in some new dirt from somewhere else for my vegetables...good thing my neighbor deals in dirt for a living! I'll just sneak down there with my wheelbarrow after dark...hehehe..

[Docmom]

I bet you don't even have to sneak. :chuckle2:

[cyotefishing]

I am so ready to put mators in the ground this first day of spring, but something tells me to wait a wee bit longer. Closer to Easter April 16th.

[Docmom]

Mine are in. Just baby them.

[Docmom]

I am taking this from an old vegetable book on tomatoes.

All Vine and No Fruit...The failure of the tomato to set fruit is blamed on too much water,too little water and too much fertilizer.
The tomato plant may fail to change gears from the vegetative stage to the fruiting stage of growth.Too much nitrogen fertilizer and too much water in the first stage of growth is one cause of the failure.Too much shade is another. You can help the plant switch over to the fruiting stage by plucking out the terminal shoots ,or by withholding water to check growth,or even by root pruning.And by following the fertilizing schedule.
Before planting ,mix into the soil a fertilizer high in phosphorus. This application will take care of the plant until the first fruits are set .

I would suggest on testing your soil..before planting anything...Your county agent should be able to tell you where you can get this done...

Docmom ...leaves are high in Phosphorus...We usually plant 6 porter plants every year and then have 5 gallon buckets a day when we start picking.