If you look closely, two tiny flowers on this roma tomato.
With any gardening project, I always seem to reach a point where I’m not sure if things are going the way they should be. It’s that moment when things have been moving along, growing, and then things start to look a little off. I wonder if I need to be doing something differently to continue successfully.
Our raised vegetable garden has been planted for a little over a month now. The temperature is rising. I’m wondering if the plants are getting enough water and if they’re growing fast enough in our shortish gardening season. Are they getting enough sun? And the ultimate question: Are they going to start producing some vegetables so I can get my caprese on?
I think maybe I should make a change, but I’m not sure what. Here’s what going on with tomatoes:
Yellowing lower leaves on tomatoes. It’s early in the season and we have a few tiny flowers on one of our two varieties. One plant has a lower branch of yellowing leaves. From reading a bit online, it looks like this could be a drought problem. Surprise, surprise for this chronic underwaterer. Or it could be a nutrient deficiency and we need to fertilize. So I fertilize and increase watering. No more yellowing on any other leaves. Did I fix it?
Stalled growth on tomato plants. When you Google this, it’s pretty disappointing how few articles from actual garden gurus come up. I see mostly questions and comments on forums and message boards. This one is pretty good: What To Do If Tomato Plant Stops Growing. I have been removing suckers, but growth seems to have stalled. This points to nutrient deficiency, too?
Then I found this post — Vegetable Plants — Not Growing? Stunted? Yellow Leaves? Yes! All of the above. The author Theresa has been organic gardening for 37 years, so I know this is gonna be the good stuff. This quote from the article. I should have known.
I think the major culprit behind most gardeners obsessing about what is described above is how our society promotes “perfection” and “attaining everything quickly”. In our world today bigger is better and everything (men – women – and vegetables) are pictured as being without blemish. And everything has to be fast. To one degree or the other, we are all influenced by this. It’s almost impossible not to be. (Notice I said almost!)
Theresa of Tending My Garden, I think you’re my new favorite. Will you be my best friend? I don’t see you on Twitter. If you want to be, hit me up. Although comparing my tomato plants to other peoples’ on Instagram got me into this whole worry spiral…
I’m going to fertilize again in a few weeks, but I’ll also work in a good portion of patience and keeping my eyes on my own paper.