Monday, July 11, 2011

Garden Update 07-11-2011

Most of the plants in the garden have been producing pretty slow because of the heat, we have been in the triple digits and under excessive heat warnings a lot lately.  A lot of plants have a hard time setting blooms in this heat and some just completely stall out. All my tomato plants are showing signs of heat stress.
Heat stressed tomato plant



To get my tomato plants to bloom in this heat I watch the future weather report and when I see we are going to have a so called "cold front" (when the highs drop back down to below 95 (92 is perfect)  for the daytime and around 75 at night) about 4-5 days before this cold front comes through I feed my tomato plants with bloom booster it works out really good.  You don't have to use bloom booster because the tomato plants would probably set blooms any way but I like the extra insurance. 
Heat Stressed tomato plants with blooms!
Tomato bloom!  
I love bell peppers and I always plant Blushing Beauties because they keep producing even in the heat.  When we have a more mild Oklahoma summer they will have more peppers than leaves on them.
Blushing Beauty mini bells

Yolo Bell Pepper
No garden is complete without some bugs!
Hot Peppers

butterfly on a Zinnia
I did have a good cucumber harvest this morning so it looks like it is Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles time!
Harvest 07-11-2011
I'm linking up with Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday.
Stay cool.

 

4 comments:

  1. Great harvest! Bread & BUtter pickels sound so good...and your Zinna picture is beautiful! I am still waiting on mine to bloom!

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  2. The heat has been incredible this year, hasn't it? I try to shake my tomato plants a few times a week. Do you ever do that to help with pollination?

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  3. What a nice harvest of cucumbers. I might be canning some this year. I didn't like the ones I canned last year so I'm going to try a different recipe.

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  4. Allison,
    My Zinnias are about the only flower that this heat isn't killing.

    Martha,
    I do that to, It's funny the things we do for a good tomato.

    Daphne,
    I tried a different recipe for this year. I hate having to wait to see what the recipe taste like.

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