Gardening Q&A

The leaves of my squash plants look terrible this time of year. They curl on the ends and get what looks like mildew on the leaves. But they are still producing wonderful squash. I haven't changed the way I take care of them.

You've done nothing wrong; it's just that time of year when the plants are dying. You can't stop Mother Nature from doing what comes naturally. Enjoy the late bounty while you can. When the plants are done, pull them out.

 

I want to have flowering sweet peas next spring. Someone told me to plant seeds in the fall. Isn't that a bit early? Won't the winter cold kill them?

It's true. If you want to plant flowering sweet peas from seed, you need to get the seeds in the ground in the fall. November is the best month, but if you're a tad early or late, don't worry. You can scatter the seed willy-nilly and let them take their chances and come up where they will, or carefully prepare a spot. Cover the seeds with a bit of soil—don't bury them. The plants will come up when they are ready, and you will have loads of beautifully scented sweet peas next spring and early summer. If you want them to come up again next year, leave some of the flowers to go to seed. You can collect the seed to let it dry, then plant again the following fall. 

 

 

 

The leaves on my lemon tree are yellow and falling off. What am I doing wrong?

The most common cause of yellow leaves on citrus is lack of nitrogen. It's an easy fix. Fertilize your citrus three or four times a year. There are fertilizers specially formulated for citrus. If your lemon tree is growing in a container, remember that you are washing nutrients out the bottom of the pot every time you water it and you must be especially diligent about fertilizing the plant. 

 

My cucumbers are bitter. Why? I certainly don't want this to happen next year.

Some varieties are bitter—it's genetics. Did you switch varieties this year? The other culprit is watering. Cucumbers need plenty of deep watering.

 

 

I'm not going to be able to get my vegetables planted as early as I would like this year. Does that mean it's too late to plant a garden?

Absolutely not! Most California gardeners can't rely on the weather to be reliably mild until late April or early May, and most crops can be planted twice during any season, anyway. If the weather is getting hot by the time you get things planted, be sure to protect the seedlings from the hot afternoon sun until they are established. I use a piece of newspaper perched on top of a stick, or try those black, plastic flats you get from the nursery. They will block enough of the sun so young seedlings don't burn.

For the last two years my tomato plants, all heirloom varieties, have just up and died before the season ends. Entire parts of the plant wilt and turn brown. What's wrong?

It could be something as simple as your plants not getting enough water and the soil needing more organic matter. On the other hand, it could be a type of wilt that affects many tomato plants, especially heirloom varieties.

If you look at the label of hybrid types, it will likely say the plant is resistant to wilts such as verticillium and tobacco mosaic. Unfortunately, although some heirloom varieties are naturally resistant, many are not. If someone who is a smoker handles your tomato plants or smokes in the garden, the tobacco mosaic can become a problem. There is no way to save the plants. Take the entire plant and toss it in the garbage; do not compost the plant.

You might try covering that part of the garden with black plastic, to let the sunshine sterilize the soil. Don't plant your tomato plants in that area for several years. Switch tomato varieties until you find ones that are resistant to the diseases, or plant hybrid tomatoes that have been bred to resist them.

I understand your frustration. It's not an easy fix.