We are almost half-way through June and it looks like the weather has gotten past the extended rainy weather. One customer told me this past weekend that one TV meteorologist said that it looks like we are in for a rainy summer. I reminded her that less than a month ago, we were told that it would be a summer of drought. Ah, weather in New England.
Over the past weekend, we had many customers who brought in leaf samples that showed signs of fungus diseases. Hopefully, you have checked your gardens and treated for this. Many plants also appeared to be suffering from a lack of fertilizer as extended rain can wash it away. This is especially true for newly transplanted flowers and vegetables.
These plants do not yet have a big enough root system to reach the fertilizer that may be deeper in the soil. You should give them an application of fertilizer to get their root system going and to spark plant growth.
The rain has also killed some of the newly transplanted vegetables. Cucumbers and squash were hit particularly hit. We had some small plants in 4-inch pots at the store that were outside during the rainy spell that we had to throw out because they basically drowned. Many of you may have had the same experience. We also had similar plants that were in the greenhouse that, naturally, were protected from the rain.
The good news is that there is still time to replant most of your vegetables and to get a good crop. In many cases, if you cannot find plants, you still have time to plant seeds.
Now that the tomato plants are in the garden, put in place the supports that they will need.
You can use tomato cages or wooden stakes to help hold up the tomato plants. No matter what method you choose, you need to remember that even though the tomato plants are small now, they will get big soon. The plants will get loaded with many tomatoes. The combination of tall plants and the weight of the tomatoes means that you will need a substantial support to keep them from falling down.
Yes, you can buy the small tomato cages and, yes, you can buy the 3-foot-tall wooded stakes. But sooner or later you will have to add on additional support to keep those tomato plants upright. You might as well do it right the first time and get the bigger supports now while the plants are small.
You also should be aware of the potential for your tomato plants to develop blossom end rot. When tomato plants go through a period of wet soil followed by a period of dry, the flower buds are deprived of calcium. This will cause a black patch to form on the tomato’s bottom. Once it forms, there is no way to fix the problem. You need to maintain a steady supply of moisture around the roots of your tomato plants. If this is impossible, you can spray liquid calcium onto the leaves. Also make sure to have sufficient lime applied around the plants. Lime has a large amount of calcium that will help to prevent the blossom end rot.
Well, that’s all for this week. I’ll talk to you again next week.
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Tim Lamprey is the owner of Harbor Garden Center on Route 1 in Salisbury. His website is www.Harborgardens.com. Do you have questions for Tim? Send them to ndn@newburyportnews.com, and he will answer them in upcoming columns.
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