3 most common problems in the Summer garden

3 most common problems in the Summer garden

It’s summertime and everyone’s garden has been set up and planted. Many lucky gardeners have had their first harvest of lettuce, strawberries, and peas. Now everyone is patiently waiting for cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini and other vegetables. However, this is the time of the year when gardeners face several problems that, if not taken care of, result in very little or no harvest. Three most common problems of the Summer garden are:

• cucumber or zucchini plants produce flowers but then dry out without maturing into fruit;

• harvesting broccoli: when is the right time;

• tomato blossom end rot.

Since Spring the cucumber and/or zucchini plants were thriving, happily weaving up the trellis. Finally, there are flowers and tiny baby fruits. Every gardener at this point is dreaming about fresh salad they’d make with them soon! But then… oh, no! Why did all the tiny flowers and baby fruits dry out? This might be due to the number of problems: hot weather, pollination problems, or insects (fruit fly). If you suspect that flowers dry out due to the hot weather, this can be fixed by spreading a layer of bark dust around the root of the plant. Burk dust will keep the moisture in the ground and surface will not be too hot for the plant. 

Another reason is lack of insect-pollinators. All cucumber and zucchini plants have male and female flowers. Male flower is a regular flower on a short stem and it produces pollen. Female flowers have a small “fruit” behind the flowers and inside of it you’ll see the stigma. Often many male flowers fall off of the plant, but if you notice female flowers falling off as well, that usually means there’s a pollination problem. To fix this problem this summer you can try to cross-pollinate the plants yourself by getting some pollen from one flower and gently moving it inside the other flower. Try this and you might still harvest several zucchini and cucumbers this season!

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/cucumber/cucumbers-not-straight.ht

Every gardener gets disappointed when they see young still green tomato fruit that is rotten on the bottom. This is a very common problem that affects at least half of the fruits in the early season. Even though there is no cure to blossom end rot, you can still make changes in your gardening to alleviate and control this common problem. First of all, you need to make sure that your tomatoes are given adequate and even amounts of water. In addition, a layer of mulch can help retain moisture around the plant. Adding calcium to the soil will not hurt, but not necessary. Every gardener needs to be aware that almost every tomato variety will be hit by blossom end rot at some point in the season. However, the majority of plants recover from it before the season is over with no significant ill effects. Also, the tomatoes that get affected by rot can still be consumed with the rotten parts cut out. It won’t hurt you.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-blossom-rot.htm

Broccoli are the plants that grow better in the early Spring - they are the cold weather crop. However, if you happen to plant them later in the Spring, they would do better in the partial shade, because constant sun causes broccoli flowers to bloom faster. The most difficult part of growing broccoli, especially for the first time growers, is picking the right time to harvest them. The trick is to observe the plant often and cut it as soon as the crown reaches the size of your variety, usually around 4-7 inches in diameter. You can also look at florets on the outside of the head: they should look large and full. Don’t wait too long! When they begin to turn from green to yellow, this is a sign that they’re beginning to flower, and past their peak. 

https://gardenerspath.com/plants/vegetables/grow-broccoli/

It is my hope that the beginner gardeners will find these suggestions useful and be able to fix these common problems in their garden before the season is over. If not, there is always the next Spring!