Extension Educator, Horticulture
Depending on your outlook, the curse or the beauty of gardening is it is never quite the same from year to year. Why did this happen? It didn't happen last year or the last fifteen years for that matter. Just when you figure on drought, we get floods. Here are a few of the common questions (or personal growth opportunities) about growing a vegetable garden.
Yes, and no. Squash varieties can pollinate each other if they are the same species. For example zucchini can cross-pollinate with Jack O' Lantern pumpkins or acorn squash. But butternut does not cross with zucchini. However the cross does not affect the flavor of the squash, cucumber or any number of veggies in the garden. Cross-pollination only affects the resulting vegetable if you are saving seed to replant next year. That's when you get a pumzinni or something to that effect.
Potato and tomato plants are closely related and can be intergrafted. However the potomato or also called topato commonly advertised is just a tomato seed inserted into a potato tuber and planted together producing both a tomato and potato plant in the same hill. Mainly just weird and not all that wonderful.
A treelike plant sold as a tree tomato, Cyphomandra betacea, is a different species than garden tomatoes. It is a woody tree that grows eight feet or taller and bears fruit after two years. The tree tomato is tropical plant and does not overwinter outside. The fruits are small 1 to 2 inches in diameter and are used primarily in stews rather than in salads. Some of the common vigorous indeterminate garden tomato varieties are suitable for training and pruning such as Ponderosa are also sold as climbing or tree tomatoes.
The hotness of radishes results from the length of time they have grown rather than from their size. The radishes either grew too slowly or are too old.
The blossoms of beans as well as other crops such as tomato and green pepper drop and fail to form fruit during periods of hot dry winds.
This condition is blossom-end rot that is actually more common in tomatoes. It is caused by a calcium deficiency brought on by drought, uneven water availability or pruning roots through deep cultivation. It is more prevalent during periods of high humidity. Regular irrigation and mulching can help to prevent this condition. Peppers are still edible.
Cracking varies with the variety. Many of the newer varieties are resistant to cracking. Severe pruning increases cracking. Keep soil moisture uniform as the tomatoes develop and plant resistant varieties to minimize this problem.
These spots on green or ripe fruits are caused by the feeding of stink bugs.
The formation of seedstalks is caused by a combination of long days, warm temperatures and age. When seed stalks begin to form, harvest your lettuce immediately and store in the refrigerator.
Lettuce may become bitter during hot weather and when seed stalks begin to form. Wash and store the leaves in the refrigerator for a day or two. Much of the bitterness will disappear.