Posted on by tonytomeo · 2 Comments

Mild Summer

Weather has been somewhat atypical.

(This article is recycled from a few years ago.)

Now that it is half way through September, it is impossible to ignore that tomatoes did not have a good season. Most of us who grow tomatoes were embarrassed by their performance until we realized that everyone else who grows them was also experiencing similar disappointing results. It was not because we did not water them properly. Nor was it because they lacked particular nutrients. They simply wanted warmer weather.

Plants that were put out early before the warm weather last spring did much better at first, but then decelerated as the weather became milder instead of warmer. Cool nights certainly did not help. Mildew, which typically slows a bit as weather becomes drier (less humid) though summer, instead continued to proliferate so that new foliage became infected almost as soon as it developed.

Earlier predictions that the weather would eventually get warm were not accurate enough for many of us who are only now getting enough tomatoes for fresh use, but not an abundance for canning, drying or freezing. There is still some time for most of the tomatoes that are on the vines now to ripen; but many will probably remain green by autumn. Some but not all of the last green tomatoes can ripen off the vine. Perhaps the only good news about all this is that there should be plenty of green tomatoes for pickling.

Sadly, tomatoes were not the only warm season vegetables to be dissatisfied with the weather. Green bean vines and bushes were generally healthy and made good beans, but did not produce very abundantly. Corn was likewise of adequate quality, but on smaller ears and less abundant. Even zucchini, which typically produces too much, was a bit subdued. Marginal vegetables that really prefer warmth, like eggplant and bell pepper, were downright disappointing.

Even if the weather gets warmer in the last days of summer, languishing tomato plants can not ketchup on production. They can be left to make a few more tomatoes, but will eventually need to get out of the way of cool season vegetables. Cabbage, kale, turnip greens, beets, radishes and all the slower growing vegetables that take their time through autumn, winter and early spring will want their space back soon. They will hopefully have a better season.

If possible, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and some of the larger cool season vegetable plants can be plugged in amongst the finishing warm season vegetable plants. Then, by the time the finishing warm season vegetable plants need to be removed, the next phase of cool season vegetable plants is already somewhat rooted and has a head start. This process works well in small spaces with good quality soil.

The main problem with this procedure is that it prevents potentially depleted soil from getting amended and well mixed between planting. It can also be a bit awkward to get the spacing of rows, furrows or mounds of the next phase of vegetable plants to match up with the previous phase. Smaller vegetable plants that get sown directly from seed into rows, like turnip greens, carrots, beets and radishes, really prefer customized bed preparation, after the warm season vegetables have been removed.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 3 Comments

Mild Weather Inhibits Summer Growth

Vegetative growth might be atypically slow.

The weather this year has been a cold hot mess! Both the worst frost since 1990 and the worst storms since 1982 occurred in one winter. Then, cold wintry weather lingered into spring to inhibit spring bloom. Now, cool and mild weather of spring lingers into summer to inhibit summer growth. This particular climate is innately mild, but this is a bit too mild.

Technically, the solstice on June 21 is the beginning of summer. Locally though, summer warmth typically begins about the middle of spring. It typically continues into the middle of autumn. Sometimes, it begins significantly sooner or continues significantly later. This is why the warm growing season here is so extensive. It is also why winter is rather brief.

Unseasonably mild weather obviously has a few distinct advantages. It is comfortable for those who are not so fond of summer warmth. It limits the need to increase irrigation that compensates for aridity and lack of rain. Bloom, although potentially late, stays fresher a bit longer with mild weather. A bit less spring bloom becomes a bit more summer bloom.

Unseasonably mild weather also has a few disadvantages though. Less gardening work is needed to manage desirable vegetation. However, more gardening work is needed to manage undesirable vegetation. Weeds generally need less warmth to grow, bloom and seed. Some desirable vegetation is still too complaissant to compete without assistance.

A few other pathogens likewise exploit this unseasonably mild weather. Slugs and snails hide from arid warmth. They must stay within cool and damp situations through midday. Mild weather allows them to stay out later, and emerge earlier. Their favorite vegetation still grows too slowly to recover from their damage. Tropical foliage is most susceptible.

Fungal disease is similarly more problematic with unseasonably mild weather. A primary difference is that fungal pathogens are about as inhibited as vegetation is. They gain an advantage only because soil stays continuously damp longer. Even without automated irrigation, cool soil dries slower than warm soil. Roots consume less moisture while cool. Roots that consume minimal moisture are generally more vulnerable.