More woes - multiple varieties.

[homegrown13]

Alright, so I received some good suggestions in another forum, but it looks like things are getting worse... I'll get right in to it. If anyone can tell me some thoughts on what I have going on, that would be great.

Strange white-brown spots and holes on my broccoli leaves:


Green beans still lagging with some yellowish leaves with dark veins. Someone recommended checking soil pH and/or alkalinity.... Where can I find a pH test kit, or who can I take a sample to?


And now my zuchinis are starting decently... but then this happens:


The above are all in one planter.
Below are in a separate planter... and a seemingly separate problem.

Thought I had birds going after my tomato's.. and while I might still, it seems like these pictures might indicate something else going on:




Thoughts on these maters? Whatever it is, they seem to be going after the green ones too.. though the mater damage is really only on one side of one plant. The leaf munchers are in the middle of the whole crop.

Really hoping to find some solutions..

Thanks again all.

[cynthia_h]

I've just finished work for the evening, so I'm going to limit myself to photos 2 and 3.

2: Soil testing is usually available from the County Agricultural Extension Service. This is searchable under your County government, either in the phone book or on the web. If the county itself doesn't provide the testing, the Extension Svc will be able to tell you (or should be able to tell you) where you can get your soil tested. Word is that the home test kits are not reliable, either as to pH or nutrient readings.

3: Two possibilities for the zucchini. The one that positively leaped to my mind is Blossom End Rot (BER). We have a Sticky about BER at the top of either the Tomato or the Vegetable Gardening Forums; lots of info there. The second possibility is that the flower from which this zucchini developed wasn't pollinated or wasn't completely pollinated, and there just wasn't enough "oomph" to keep the squash going. If you've had bees or other helpful insects around, it's probably BER. You can improve the odds for future zukes this season; read the Sticky.

1 and 4 I'll have to leave to others; gotta help my post-op dog, Vergil, and then get horizontal myself.

BTW, do you know your Sunset climate zone?

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[garden5]

In that the last pic of the tomato leaves, it looks like leaf-miner damage. Pluck the infected leaves and throw them in the trash, don't put them elsewhere in the garden or in the compost heap since the bugs are actually in the leaves.

The yellowing of the beans could be to lack of nitrogen. What has your weather been like? If you've has a lot of rain, the beans may just be water-logged and need to dry out. How well does your soil drain?

[homegrown13]

Thanks Cynthia, I've contacted my local extension office in the past, so I know how to reach them. I will also check out that stick on BER.

I can't find my city on any of the sunset.com maps, but I would be just off the southern California desert map, just west ofRiverside... So I would think that I'm at 18 or 19... USDA zone 9, 10

garden5, I will try to handle the leaf miner damage as noted, and will monitor from there... I did just spray with some inceticidal soap... will that help with those as well?

Any opinions on the maters themselves?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Tomatoes,

Late blight or bacterial canker.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02949.html

[DoubleDogFarm]

On your beans, look up iron chlorosis. Iron deficiency.

[homegrown13]

Thanks Double Dog, in a previous thread, someone mentioned the same thing. Need to get my soil analyzed.

[homegrown13]

So my daughter spotted one that was a little lower (perfect for her line of sight)... Could this help identify my problem (or one of them?)

[applestar]

Now see something definitely took a bite out of this one, and that leads me to wonder if the others are bite marks too....

[DoubleDogFarm]

homegrown,

That's looking pretty serious. I would remove all infected fruit, it maybe to late. Do not add to your compost pile, unless it's a really hot compost. Grow your tomatoes in a different location next year.

Still looks like a canker to me.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publ ... anker.html

[homegrown13]

Thanks DoubleDog, I'll get out there tomorrow evening (soonest I'll have time), and remove everything that looks questionable.

I can deal with some deformities and a couple bite marks... These are intended for batches of salsa to be canned...

I am going to pick up some bone or blood meal tonight, as that seems to be a way to remedy the iron chlorosis in the GB from what I've been reading, if that's the case, I'll look for some anti fungal spray as well.

Going back to the chlorosis on the green beans, might these get going again, or should I plan on planting a few new ones to guarantee some yield this year?

[cynthia_h]

Re. possible chlorosis: I'd do both. Provide supplemental iron *and* plant additional beans. Succession planting extends your harvest season and allows more flexibility--if you want to eat them all as fresh beans, you can; if you want to pickle some, you can; if you want to let some dry on the plant, you can do that, too.

But with only one planting, there may not be enough beans to do all of these! Believe it or don't.

And that tomato is *not* just something with a bite out of it. I'd go with Eric (DoubleDogFarm)'s diagnosis, and I'd use a knife, scissors, or pruning shears to remove it at the stem, dropping affected fruit into a plastic bag or other safe disposal container and thence into the trash or a HOT (140 °F or more) compost pile. At my house, it would have to be the trash. My compost has never gone over 105 °F.

Cynthia