I have a 20 X 20 garden plot in a commmunity garden where I grow many things including tomatoes. Recently, we had some torrential rains that has left my garden almost underwater. (My garden is on the bottom of a downhill slope, so when it rains, the water runs down towards my garden and often leaves things soaked.) The heat index has been over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with almost 100% humidity. I went to check on the plants yesterday, and my tomatoes have completely wilted and drooped over.
I've heard that in the midday heat, tomatoes droop and wilt even if they're well-watered. Are they wilted because of the heat, or is it because they have too much water? Will they survive and bounce back or should I be worried?
Thanks!
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LoopyWillow
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- Location: Minnesota
I can tell you that the location of the garden is in about the worst place it can be. Drainage is key. The best place for a garden when it comes to the landscape of the land is a high point, also adding the factor of getting enough sunlight.
Who is in charge of watering? I have seen a few community gardens in my area and you can tell which ones are tended to well and which ones are not.
Who is in charge of watering? I have seen a few community gardens in my area and you can tell which ones are tended to well and which ones are not.
bobbman brings up a good question. Raised beds are a good alternative when the landscape itself is not ideal.
I saw a community garden where they used plastic totes to plant tomatoes in. They had one plant per large deep tote and the tomatoes were growing well.
A friend of mine tried helping out in a community garden and she said it was the most chaotic, worst expierence she ever dealt with. Some wanted to be in charge with everything and others wanted to do noting but expected any fruit and veggies that were grown.
I'm not saying that all community gardens get like that but I can definately understand if they do.
I saw a community garden where they used plastic totes to plant tomatoes in. They had one plant per large deep tote and the tomatoes were growing well.
A friend of mine tried helping out in a community garden and she said it was the most chaotic, worst expierence she ever dealt with. Some wanted to be in charge with everything and others wanted to do noting but expected any fruit and veggies that were grown.
I'm not saying that all community gardens get like that but I can definately understand if they do.
You may set a exmple for everyone else by making small raised beds that look nice and are the standard for everyoe else! Small raised beds made with landscape timbers that everyone else can get cheaply!. Home Depo sales 8 foot land scape timbers for $2 each everal times a year! I would suggest cutting them in half and making a 4 by 4 raised beds that are easy to work with and you can make a nice walk way between them! You can then make 4 --2 by 2 foot areas in each raised bed almost like a large verison of a square foot garden! You can test soil mixes at the same time or make different mixes for each crop! Like cukes I would add some sand! A carrot bed sand and compost with fine strained soil!
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You can put two land scape timbers on top of each other to make a higher raised bed! Some people think the wood is bad for a garden because its treated but I have had no problems with mine! The nice thing about raised beds is you can complete them at your leasure time! Its exciting to do different beds and the time will melt away as you get more ideas! Tomato stakes that are against the bed frame are strong. A 4 by 4 frame will hold 4 to 6 tomatoes nicely and you can add soil as the tomato grows! A dozen potatoes can e planted in a 4 by 4 raised bed and soil added all the time!
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One more thing is that you may want to use a few of the raised beds as cold frames and get a head start on the others in the garden area in early spring!
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You can put two land scape timbers on top of each other to make a higher raised bed! Some people think the wood is bad for a garden because its treated but I have had no problems with mine! The nice thing about raised beds is you can complete them at your leasure time! Its exciting to do different beds and the time will melt away as you get more ideas! Tomato stakes that are against the bed frame are strong. A 4 by 4 frame will hold 4 to 6 tomatoes nicely and you can add soil as the tomato grows! A dozen potatoes can e planted in a 4 by 4 raised bed and soil added all the time!
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One more thing is that you may want to use a few of the raised beds as cold frames and get a head start on the others in the garden area in early spring!
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LoopyWillow
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The community garden that I'm in is a large area that has been seperated into 20 x 20 foot areas. At the beginning of the year, you can pay $20 for a 20 x 20 foot space or $35 for a 40 x 40 space to tend to all year. It's your responsibility alone to tend to your area, not anybody else's. There is a creek nearby where you can haul water to hydrate your plants. Each plot is picked randomly, and I got the one where all the water drains to. Unfortunately, I have established everything over a month ago, and I don't think I want to start raised beds right now, however I'll keep that in mind for next year.
Do you guys think my tomato plants will be ok, or should I be worried? Is there anything I can do to keep them healthy?
Do you guys think my tomato plants will be ok, or should I be worried? Is there anything I can do to keep them healthy?
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rainbowgardener
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- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Be worried.... Agree with above that standing water and 100 degree heat is about the worst imaginable combination, piling stressors on the poor plants. If they were just wilting from the heat (not typical, unless it is also dry) they would perk back up when it cooled off, late evening/ early morning. If they aren't perking up, I think the wilting is probably waterlogging.
Is there some way you can dig some drainage channels to channel the runoff water around your bed not into it?
Is there some way you can dig some drainage channels to channel the runoff water around your bed not into it?
If you are not getting a lot of rain then there may not be too much to worry about with the water sitting.
However...
If it has been very dry and all of a sudden a inch of rain comes down, then you can deal with damage due to run off and the sheer force of water.
What does it look like when it's been rainy?
However...
If it has been very dry and all of a sudden a inch of rain comes down, then you can deal with damage due to run off and the sheer force of water.
What does it look like when it's been rainy?