Tomato Leaf Yellowing

Most all of the tomato plants have started to show brown spots and yellowing lower leaves.  This has been a problem before in the garden around this time of spring.  After copious researching of various tomato diseases, it is my thought that this problem is Early Tomato Blight, a fungus, and airborne.  It seemed to spread overnight throughout the garden area, and the windy conditions we had on Friday and Saturday would support the thought of an airborne disease.   
Here are a couple of links that may help you decide for yourself and determine the method of treatment.  Last year, I just removed the infected leaves, and continued to get tomatoes. 
This photo is from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp121 , which is for IFAS at the University of Florida, one of my most used reference bases.  If IFAS does not have an answer, then your probably have the rarest plant problem in Central Florida!
Another link, http://www.megagro.com/greencure-tomato.htm?gclid=COLU6tW9oqgCFYjt7QodW0YgIA is really for an organic cure.  I have never used their products, but the description of the Early Blight really seems to fit the problem in our gardens.  The lower leaves are infected first.  There is a store in our area that might sell a similar product.  I will get the name from one of our gardeners and post it.
If anyone has additional information on this problem, PLEASE add it to the Blog.

Everything is Growing

If you planted tomatoes, you should start seeing little green tomatoes on your vines.  My cucumbers are about 2 1/2 - 3 inches long on one plant.  Almost gerkin-sized. 

Romaine and spinach leaves can be picked.  If the very premature hot weather continues, it might get too hot for some of the lettuce plants.

Some people have a healthy crop of weeds and they need to get to their garden and weed it before the weeds start intruding on other gardens.  Don't forget to pluck any weeds growing in the pathway around your garden.

Missing Gardeners

If you are at the POCG and find a member that has not heard of the Blog, please send their name, email and plot #, and I'll get an invite out to them.

I mentioned long handled tools...here are a couple that might be of interest or check in our local Lowe's.  Just a long handle hoe would do the job!  And I am sure they can be found locally. 

Tool Hints

I had forgotten about my "long handled" garden tools. They are perfect for reaching to the center of the garden area for weeding around the vegetable plants.

Another good idea is from plot#13, where they laid 2x6's across the garden to use as a catwalk to access the center of their plot!

The Good Stuff

Many of the gardens have tomatoes and cucumbers!! They are very, very tiny, but they popped out after the rain. So, in a few weeks you'll be harvesting tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes most definately.

Cucumbers are vining nicely and need some help to find the bamboo poles. Carefully wrap the curling tendrils around the poles to give the plant a boost. You really want them to grow up the pole and not on the ground. Keeps the worms out:))

Don't forget to pick the outer leaves on your romaine...they are great in your salad. Spinach outer leaves are also delicious, and ready to be picked.

Weeding after the rain

If you have not been over to weed your garden, this is the time to do it. After the heavy rains this past week, ALL of the gardens have plenty of weeds! Several members where here this morning weeding.

Don't forget to pull any weeds in the pathway around your plot. The leaves were put down as mulch to help control the weeds, but there are still weeds that will pop-up through the mulch.

Another reminder: Please, please do not adjust the hole size in the watering tubes. The holes are about the size of a hypodermic needle point, and are designed specifically to "soak" the ground where the plant roots are growing.
Spraying the plant with water does nothing to water the roots, and a good percentage of the water is wasted by evaporation.
All the tubes were tested before the planting, and were functioning correctly. You will not see water flowing out of the tube, only the ground will look darker once watered by the soaking.

To turn off your water, use the red spigot handle at one end of the main water pipe. Just don't forget to turn it back on if there is no rain!

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