There were seven more bad peppers that I could find. I thought the small one in front had a spot, but it didn't. Too bad it was picked.
The Quadrato Rosso D'Asti pepper plants look really healthy, only the peppers are affected. These plants are around 24" tall, at least twice as high as the Golden bells.
To give you an idea how large these peppers get, I can't get my hand around half of this one. I don't see any BER/fungal infection on this pepper (the white spot is just sunlight), I certainly hope it escaped.
The Golden Calwonders, in the same bed, aren't showing any problems at all. It may be that they are more resistant to whatever is infecting the Quadrato Rosso D'Astis.Now, on to the problematic tomato patch, where the plants got so tall and heavy they collapsed, and the neighbor may have sprayed an herbicide along the fence line.
The photo doesn't show the damage too well, but the leaves are curled and discolored all along where they (four plants) were up against the fence. The fifth plant, against the other neighbor's fence, also collapsed, but it shows no leaf damage at all. I thought it could be sun scald, as the leaves hadn't been exposed to sunlight until the plants fell forward, but there is that tell-tale strip of dead grass along the fence line on the neighbor's side, so I'm fearing herbicides were used.
I tried to pull the branches of Brandywine as straight as possible, and looped twine around the fence post, then around the plant. I'll try to straighten the other four plants, too.
I fear this lovely volunteer crookneck squash will have to be ripped out. It's growing right up against the tomatoes, and there is no way I can even get close to them. There's another gigantic crookneck plant right next to it, and I can't hardly get to the center of it to pick the squash.
Elsewhere in the garden.....
Sitting in the "kennel garden", I'm shaded by the Fortex pole beans.
Looking up, I see this.
These Spacemaster cucumbers are almost ready to be plucked from the vine.
The volunteer Juliet tomato is performing beautifully.
Mmmm....I've picked a few Black Cherry tomatoes. Most of them don't make it as far as the kitchen to be weighed.
The Gourmet French bush bean blossoms promise good things to come.
HAPPY 16th. BIRTHDAY, ALICIA!
The photo doesn't show the damage too well, but the leaves are curled and discolored all along where they (four plants) were up against the fence. The fifth plant, against the other neighbor's fence, also collapsed, but it shows no leaf damage at all. I thought it could be sun scald, as the leaves hadn't been exposed to sunlight until the plants fell forward, but there is that tell-tale strip of dead grass along the fence line on the neighbor's side, so I'm fearing herbicides were used.
I tried to pull the branches of Brandywine as straight as possible, and looped twine around the fence post, then around the plant. I'll try to straighten the other four plants, too.
I fear this lovely volunteer crookneck squash will have to be ripped out. It's growing right up against the tomatoes, and there is no way I can even get close to them. There's another gigantic crookneck plant right next to it, and I can't hardly get to the center of it to pick the squash.Elsewhere in the garden.....
Sitting in the "kennel garden", I'm shaded by the Fortex pole beans.
Looking up, I see this.
These Spacemaster cucumbers are almost ready to be plucked from the vine.
The volunteer Juliet tomato is performing beautifully.
Mmmm....I've picked a few Black Cherry tomatoes. Most of them don't make it as far as the kitchen to be weighed.
The Gourmet French bush bean blossoms promise good things to come.HAPPY 16th. BIRTHDAY, ALICIA!
I love looking at your pictures and WOW...that is one honkin' pepper! Too bad about the neighbor spraying! Do we like this neighbor?? Just teasin'!
ReplyDeleteNow that's one huge pepper, what is you secret?
ReplyDeleteShame to see the woes with the peppers but everything else looks great. Spacemaster cucumbers are a lifesaver over here (where I only have pots to grow in.) Do you get a reasonable yield from them?
ReplyDeletePrue, I get excellent yields from the Spacemasters. Last year I planted three pots of them, two plants per pot, and I harvested 102 pounds! They were good made into sweet and dill relishes, and bread and butter pickles, but the dill pickles weren't crisp enough.
ReplyDeleteApple Pie Gal, I've lived back to back with this neighbor for over 20 years, and we've met just once. That was the time the maple tree in our back yard blew down and flattened the fence between us. I offered them all the wood for their wood burning stove, which they took. I never saw them again, nor did I even receive a thank you for the wood.
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Heather, it's the variety. I love these huge Quadrato Rosso D'Asti peppers. I've grown them before, and they'll always be my first choice for sweet peppers.
I remember how nice those Quadrato peppers looked from your pictures last year. Hopefully some of them escaped the rot and will end up healthy and red for you. The rest of your plants look great as usual, but the black cherry tomatoes in particular look oh-so-tasty.
ReplyDeleteWe're finally getting enough of the Black Cherry tomatoes that they can make it inside. It's the first time I've grown them and they are really a keeper!
ReplyDeleteHope you get your pepper situation squared away soon. Mine at home are doing well, but the ones at the church garden have some BER issues. My Quadrato peppers haven't set yet, but I am anxious to see how they will do here.
Isn't it funny how a fence doesn't just serve a physical barrier, but a mental one too? People don't stop to think what may be on the other side. My back fence neighbor stacks all his wood so the weight is leaning on MY fence (we are the ones who paid for /erected it! When it falls, he'll be waiting a long time if he thinks I will rebuild it! I will just string ugly chicken wire to keep my dogs in and eventually he won't like the eyesore and replace it himself LOL! Your harvest looks so healthy and green, the weather is really taking a toll on our garden, this weekend is supposed to be heat index of 110 for 3 days, ugh!
ReplyDeleteohmigosh I just saw Ribbit's poem on your sidebar, I am giggling now!!
ReplyDeleteIf those little black cherry tomatoes are as good as you say they are we may have to give them a try. My kiddos are getting sick of the Juliet's and the Cherry's. They need something different. Maybe sweet! So sorry you have to deal with that huge mess of tomato plants! Uhg!
ReplyDeleteWow Granny, love that one large pepper! That is enormous! How do they taste? Are they sweet?
ReplyDeleteWow! That is an amazing pepper. Glad to see you have some coming along that don't have the brown spots.
ReplyDeleteIs that the same Alicia that you told all those funny stories about last month?
thyme2, oh yes, I'm salivating for those huge red peppers!
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Villager, I hope the Black Cherry toms sweeten up just a bit, but they are the first from the garden this year to taste like a real tomato! Yes, I'll be growing them next year.
I've never had to deal with BER until this year. I found one tomato with it, but just the one.
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Erin, we were in Arizona, when we got a call from one of our neighbors a couple years ago, telling us our fence had blown down, and we needed to get someone to fix it, because his dogs were getting out. It was HIS fence!!! Now our front fence is falling down (windstorm snapped the posts), so we either have to find someone to repair it, or we'll tear it down. Then he'll have to build one to keep his dogs in...ours don't go out front. Getting someone to do repairs here is ridiculous. I might have to blog about what we've gone through.
Both my sidebar poems are by Ribbit. She's totally nuts! I love her :-)
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Shawn Ann, I'm still looking for that sweet cherry tomato. I wasn't fond of Juliets at all. Wouldn't you know that's what would volunteer and do so well! Ketchup! Black Cherry is good, but not so sweet, at least with these earliest fruits. They may get sweeter.
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meemsnyc, they are sweet as sugar when they are red ripe. Even in the green stage I find them quite sweet. I never cared for green peppers, but I took a bite of one of these yesterday, and it was really good! Not a bit of the bitterness I find off-putting in store bought green peppers.
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Alison, yes, that's granddaughter Alicia of the funny stories. She's baby Alicyn's big sister. The entire journal of stories can be read at
http://ayearandmoreinthelifeofalicia.blogspot.com/
Dear Annie, your garden is growing so well. I am impressed by that huge pepper on the plant! Do you feed the plant with lotsa fertilizers to get such huge crop?
ReplyDeleteJ.C., no I don't. Quadrato Rosso D'Asti peppers just grow very large. I amend the soil with composted manure each spring, and use a light application of 10-10-10 fertilizer at planting time.
ReplyDeleteEven your peppers with blemishes look darn good! And that big one is a monster!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is so lush and productive, I think that even if those tomatoes were truly sprayed and you lost them - you are still probably going to be swimming in tomatoes by the end of the 2010 season. ;)
Good Lord that pepper is big. I think I've still got some of the Quadrato seeds that you gave me last year, but I chose to plant the yellow bells this year. Boy, did I make a mistake. They'll be on the menu for next year, though.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, do try them. They are the ultimate in peppers, as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteThat is one HUGE pepper. I'm surprised the plants can hold up a pepper like that. I'll be hoping that the rest of your peppers are spotfree.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, these plants are really sturdy. I picked two more bad peppers off that plant, although they weren't that big. Last year this variety was loaded with huge ones. I remember publishing a picture of one I couldn't hardly hold in my hand, and I really think this one is even bigger.
ReplyDeleteKitsap, I'm sure I'd have plenty without them, but that bunch includes 2 Cherokee Purples. My bucket grown CP evidently is not a CP, even though it is from the same bunch of seeds. It's a red, smallish tomato that is ripening now. The other two, behind the shed, have CP shaped fruits on them, so they are my only chance to try this tomato this year.
ReplyDeleteOh, kudos on that hugely big pepper! So sorry about the herbicide burn on the tomatoes. That is a real bummer. I hope they survive and recover.
ReplyDelete~~Lori
You are like a walking, posting advertisement for good soil. Seriously, except for the dunderhead neighbor, everything is amazing.
ReplyDeleteLori, I'm really putting the water to them, just in case. I'll either cure them or kill them!
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Stefaneener, I was just thinking how terrible my garden looks, compared to the last two years! I actually have empty spaces. Granny NEVER has empty spaces!
Granny, I continue to be amazed at all your veggies. My garden is so boring compared to the wonderful varieties I see in your garden. I am making a wish list for seeds I need to get for my garden for next year and most of my list are from varieties in your garden!!(SMILE) That is one HUGE pepper!! Trying to imagine having that pepper stuffed for supper!!
ReplyDeleteI hope that your tomato plants recover with little set back. Hoping you will be able to be creative in staking them.
Granny I would give the peppers a drink of Ferti Lome 9-59-8. Its like super phosphate. John
ReplyDeletedebiclegg, I think I've given up trying to stake the remaining fallen tomatoes. It's practically impossible to hold them up with my body while trying to loop the cord around them. They'll just have to survive in their floppy state ;-)
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John, it looks as though the young peppers are going to be fine. It must have been the warm weather followed by really cold, wet weather that did the others in. I will look for that product. It's not sold near us, but about 35 miles from here at Bleyhl. We have a large Bleyhl store here, so you'd think they would carry it.
How are you feeling, dear friend?