We are halfway through our Gardening Q&A series with the Vancouver Master Gardeners and we have been learning so much! We are ever so grateful to their team for digging into our questions and helping us successfully navigate the world of growing food! Send in your questions today to be featured in our next blog post! Now, let’s dig in, and learn together! Without further ado, let’s see what they have for us this week!
Question from Rachel in Vancouver:
Why is part of the stem on my tomato plant turning black?
Answer from Sally:
Some questions first: How is your tomato plant being watered? Is it being grown undercover? Does water remain on the leaves after rain or watering? Have you noticed any dark lesions on any leaves? What crop(s) have you grown in the tomato bed in past years? Potatoes?
I regret to say that your photos show a classic case of Late Blight. This is a fungal disease identified by dark blotches on stems and leaves. These early symptoms lead rapidly to the plant collapsing and rotting, likely before the fruit ripens. The fancy Latin name for this deadly organism is Phytophthora infestans which is a water mold. In cool, damp summers – which we have been having - it spreads widely and fast. The spores are carried on the wind and splashes of water. The spores can survive mild winters on plant debris in the soil. It infects tomatoes and potatoes.
What to do now: Remove the infected plant immediately; Do not compost the diseased material, bury it deeply or seal it in a plastic bag & dispose of in garbage; If the unripe fruits haven’t turned leathery (they don’t look like they have), pick them and use them in a green tomato recipe, such as a chutney.
How to avoid it in the future: There are no truly blight-resistant tomato cultivars – yet. Though breeders are trying to produce one. There is no prevention, but there are strategies to help avoid it. The most reliable way to avoid Late Blight is to keep tomato leaves dry – don’t water them from above or splash water on the leaves. Grow plants in well-ventilated greenhouses or tunnels, or plant in beds or pots under the overhang of a roof – while still giving them full sun and lots of warmth (though not high heat). Space plants, and remove a few leaves, to provide good air circulation and reduce humidity. Plant early-maturing varieties such as cherry tomatoes. Sometimes these can produce a crop before infection strikes. Mountain Magic is an early-season variety considered to have some resistance to the virus. Don’t plant tomatoes in a bed in which infected potatoes or tomatoes were grown previously as the fungus can overwinter. While they’re probably the most popular food crop to be grown by home gardeners, tomatoes are surprisingly high-maintenance plants. But, give them warmth, full sun, fertile well-drained soil high in organic matter, dry leaves, regular watering, and lots of air circulation and they will reward your care.
Resources from Linda Gilkeson:
Digging in with the Kids - Growing Chefs Integration Idea:
These can be disappointing moments in the garden for kids and adults alike. Seeing a plant that you have loved and cared for take a turn for the worst, and not end up how you expected is a tough go. However, this is a great opportunity to talk about food waste and preservation with kids. Although these tomatoes likely aren’t going to end up being the juicy fruit of your dreams, there is still so much we can do with it. A quick google search of: “What to make with unripe or green tomatoes” will give you a wealth of culinary ideas of how to utilize this food in different ways. Like Sally mentioned: green tomato chutney or even fried green tomatoes or green tomato relish anyone? Sounds like we have found some silver linings to an unfortunate situation - and that is what life is all about!
Question from Christine in Refuge Cove (West Redonda Island) :
I am growing sunflowers and amaranth. How do I know when to harvest the seeds?
Answer from Bev:
So wonderful that you are growing both sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) and Amaranth (Amaranthus) as they both lure beneficial insects to the garden and sunflowers are fabulous for attracting pollinators. Sunflowers should be harvested when the flower head has lost most of its petals and when the back of the flower head has turned brown and the foliage yellow. You can let the heads dry on the stock, or clip the flower about 15 cm below the flower head. Once it’s sufficiently dry, wipe off any little flower buds that are left, and remove the seeds with your hand. The seeds should look plump and loose. A few of yours in the photo look like they are almost ready to go.
Amaranth can be harvested once the flower spikes fade to light-brown to brown. Usually late summer but it may depend when you first planted. A few resources recommend that when you see birds flying about the plants it’s ready to harvest. Otherwise, you can give the plant a little shake into your hand. If the seeds fall out, you know it’s time. You can also rub the flower heads over a bucket and if they fall out easily, they’re ready. If not, give them a couple more weeks. Enjoy!
Resources:
Digging in with the Kids - Growing Chefs Integration Idea:
Flower drawing, bird watching, seed saving - great opportunities to engage the kids in some mindfulness and hands-on activities in the garden.
Question from Matt in Refuge Cove (West Redonda Island) :
What is happening to my cherry tree? Do I have to worry about it dying?
Answer from Bev:
Hello Matt. These are very deliberate and organized holes in your tree (about 6-10 mm in diameter). Have you spotted any birds tap, tap, tapping into the tree? These holes are the work of a Sapsucker. Sapsuckers are a specific species of woodpeckers but not all woodpeckers are sapsuckers. Based on my review of my trusty bird field guide, the most common sapsucker in your area is the Red-Breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus rubber). There is the yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) in Northeastern BC, the red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) in Southeaster BC and the Williamson’s sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) in the Southern Interior and Southern Kootenays. Unlike woodpeckers who eat bugs on trees thereby playing a role in alerting you of possible insect infestations, sapsuckers can do some real damage and will come back to the same tree year after year. Your photo suggests this has happened because you can see where previous holes were made and the tree has healed itself. If this goes on, your tree will continue to undergo damage it likely won’t recover from. As its name states, sapsuckers actually drill sap wells into the tree, drilling deep into the bark and also sometimes stripping the bark so the sap will flow. It looks like some bark has been stripped on the left side of the tree in the photo. Besides damaging the tree, the holes may lure bugs into them, causing more damage or disease.
Digging in with the Kids - Growing Chefs Integration Idea:
It can be fun to think about the relationships between plants and animals. Take a walk in your neighbourhood and try to find connections. Some ideas:
Birds build nests in trees
Bees collect pollen from flowers
Squirrels run and play in trees
Question from Anja:
I’ve got a patch of “fall gold” raspberries. What do I do with them in the fall? I read some you cut down and other types you leave but I am not sure which one I am supposed to so. Also, I would like to transplant/ gift some to my friend. What is the best time/ method to do this? Thanks for any tips!
Answer from Jennifer:
Hi Anja, Fall Gold Raspberries are everbearing raspberries so they are pruned differently than regular raspberries. This variety produces 2 crops on each cane, a moderate crop in late Spring/early summer and heavy crop in late summer/early Fall. You prune in summer immediately after fruiting. Cut back the tips by 1/3 that fruited last Fall but leave the remaining cane for summer fruiting. Remove the canes completely after they have fruited over their entire length. Promptly remove new plants and suckers to control spread.
In late Winter remove damaged canes and thin as needed. You can propagate raspberries from their healthy, non-flowering suckers in late summer. Wet the end and dip the 3-6" stem in rooting hormone powder, then plant the stem about 1 inch deep in a wet, soil less potting mix. In about 4 weeks or when the stems have rooted or doubled in height, you can transfer them into a pot of garden soil which your friends can then transplant into the ground in early Spring. What a lovely gift, but please let your friends know that raspberries are aggressive spreaders so they will need sufficient garden space for them. You can contain them in a large (24" diameter) pot for a few years, but eventually they will need to be planted in the ground. Enjoy your unusual berries!
Digging in with the Kids - Growing Chefs Integration Idea:
Work with your kids to learn more about your favourite foods. The word “raspberry” seems to come from the Old French raspise, a term meaning “sweet rose-colored wine”. There are over 200 different species of raspberry and they are very nutritious. You may think citrus fruits like oranges have the highest amount of vitamin C, but surprisingly, raspberries contain even more! They are also super high in fibre, low in calories, and give you a solid dose of folic acid. The benefits of raspberries go even further: They are high in potassium, vitamin A, vitamin E, magnesium, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, and calcium.
There’s no better way to end a research project than a field trip!
Resources: