I haven't had to water my garden since mid June, even with all these heat waves. We've had 5 tornado warnings in July, and mind you, I've never seen a tornado, nor is it a common thing in my neck of the woods. Luckily I live on a hill/knoll, so no flooding. Biggest issue this year are the slugs and earwigs with all the humidity and rain. And those damn Japanese beetles. I'm taking a close look at what they're eating to plant sacrificial plants for them next year. If anyone are interested, so far they've been devouring hosta's, roses, raspberries. They've nibbled a bit on Thai basil too, but nothing to cry over. The hardware store where I live sell traps for them that are really effective as well. It's basically a bag with a plastic + design on top where you stick a pine tar sticker on it. First time I used it a swarm came out of nowhere. Got hit in the head multiple times as I was applying the sticker, so it really works. DT killed all of the slugs and cabbage worms. I don't normally use pesticides (however natural DT may be), but this year has been bad, and I'd have no crop left If I didn't.
central european here - it has been pretty much the same here. add to that that at first, it was way too cold and dry until june, from there it was hot and dry (not too hot luckily) and now it is raining for weeks and 15 Celsius outside... we didnt have so many pests, luckily, but the garden is really struggling this year.
The flooding in that garden plot can be remedied relatively easily and all of that water made use of. Just take a garden spade and dig the paths out four to six inches and pile the excavated soil onto the beds to raise them. The paths need to be shallower on the uphill side of the plot and deeper and wider on the downhill side, and they should be laid out so in tiers so that each tier drains into the next before the water gets too high on the beds. Such a system will give the plants some breathing room in heavy rains/moderate flooding, and will allow the water to soak into the soil without suffocating the root systems. It will have to be maintained from time to time, but it does work wonders. If there is nowhere to drain the excess from the downhill side of the plot without it flooding the lower most beds during the worst flooding just plant those beds in flood tolerant crops like asparagus and celery.
Up here in New Hampshire we have had the same beetle invasion and the buckets of rain. The only thing thriving are my cucumbers. My peppers are starting to come around now that we have has some warm and sunny weather, but they are definitely behind.
Here in England we have had similar weather issues. Late spring then heat waves and then the last month has been cold and very rainy. Peppers will most likely start ripening late this year!
In western PA, we've had three bouts with the smoke and haze from the Canadian wildfires. We only had a few sunny days from mid June through mid July...now, it's getting up into the high 80s, low 90s, and several of my plants are getting sunburned. My entire garden's been stunted, except for the cold weather crops...cabbages, peas, lettuces, etc.
In Denver, CO we’re having these same issues. Toughest garden season to date for me. Haven’t harvested a single pepper, tomato or cucumber, I usually have bowls full of them by now
That's a neat beetle trap setup. I usually just carry a bucket of soapy water from plant to plant in the morning when the beetles are napping and knock what I find into it. But a passive trap like yours would catch even more of them.
I live in Washington state and am mostly a hardy palm enthusiast.. That got bit by the chilly bug! I'm growing cayenne and seranos from seeds I got at the dollar store. Along with ebay mystery hot peppers. Most have no peppers yet but might by next week.. hope I have time to get a harvest. It's dry and mild here. We haven't got into triple digits yet. But it's not all roses because of the wildfire threat. Happy harvests!
My weather is extremely variable. I've learned succession planting is the best way to hedge my bets. I plant in three stages: 1) 2-3 weeks early 2) Typical target date and 3) 2-3 weeks late. I also plant half in the ground and half in 32-gallon containers.
I gave up on my pepper plants, 2 years in a row now I’ve been dealing with a plague of grasshoppers and even with insect netting they still find a way in to eat everything down to the ground
We're also in Connecticut, on the shore, and like you, we got dumped on by rain. Our peppers were doing ok until all that rain, but the rain caused fungus leaf rot. Our Srirachas and jalapenos are bearing fruit fairly well, but our habaneros seem to have been affected much more. Out of 10 plants, I have a total of 3 small green fruits. The other plants aren't even flowering! I've fertilized twice with low-nitrogen mix, but still no flowers. I'm so disappointed because I make a really good garlic-habanero hot sauce, and it looks like I'll be forced to use store-bought peppers this fall. I know habaneros are late-blossomers, but any tips anyone has to get them flowering would be most welcome.
I'm in MA and having a terrible year. My tomatoes either have wilt or dying from too much rain. The Asiatic beetles and earwigs have destroyed my peppers. I went out at night to kill them and used the light and bucket and still overrun with them. Earwigs are on another level this year. Going to cover my peppers next year until they have buds. Considering this year a learning experience. Sorry you're going through it too.
We had great luck dealing with the beetle issue by ordering some Milky Spore. It's a natural compound that you sprinkle onto the soil in the fall before the frost, it sinks into the soil and kills the beetle grubs that are hibernating underground over the winter. We did it three years ago and beetle are only just starting to come back now so will do it again this Fall.
sorry to hear guys, but with your help I have 60 inch tall plants, Cayenne and Habañeros, already picked the first ripe peppers. Thanks a lot for the great advise !
We planted a ring of alyssum around each of our 4x8 raised pepper beds this year and we had almost no aphid problems. However the beetles are showing up here in Arkansas and they are getting pretty destructive. We are going to build the bucket trap and hope that helps us. We have also started experiencing a bit of blossom end rot on some of our pepper varieties because we are experiencing cycles of a couple weeks of no rain then a ton of rain in 36-48 hours, but not losing too many pods. This current heat wave has had us concerned though got several more days to go of potential triple digit highs and nighttime lows above 75,. We put up 50% shade cloth and aren't losing too many pods to pepper and flower drop, going to use the metal hoop idea for next season because using stakes and tying twine between them was a lot more work and upkeep than initially expected. Thanks for the info, hope that you guys end up with a decent harvest despite the conditions. Been a weird growing season for everyone it sounds like.
I'm totally going to try the bug light thing. Here in the Midwest we went from hot and dry for may and June to July being rainy. Super weird for us. Good luck with the Naga!!
Here in the Midwest we had a late spring and I unfortunately didn't harden off the plants as well as I did. June was extremely dry until the end of the month, and then we got consistent rain. At one point I too was having to water everything every day. But now the weather seems consistent. Tomatoes are ripening daily and peppers are slowly ripening as well.
Yep. I'm in Connecticut and have never had such a difficult season as this year. My area got around 14" rain this month, but that hasn't been so much an issue (raised beds, good drainage) as the cool Spring nights and warm, humid Summer nights. We got off to a slow start in the Spring with a lack of rain. Then we got the heat which effected growth, and the deluge. This week hopefully things will stabilize a bit. As far as local farmers (at least near me)...They tend to plant in flood plains because historically Spring floods would bring in nutritious silt from the rivers to boost their fields. I learnt this working on a turf farm years ago. They are taking a gamble that has paid off for years until now.
a greenhouse with a small space heater in it worked for me. It was a desktop heater and a 4x5x2 greenhouse however. draping a blanket over the top overnight keeps the heat in well.
NH sea coast area. Way too much rain, but finally slowing down a bit. I have a lot of my peppers in grow bags so the water runs right through, but my tomatoes in raised beds are showing a lot of blossom end rot. Grew lots of garlic including around the edge of the raised beds and that may have helped keep some insect damage down - and the garlic turned out great. Same with shallots! Brassicas in another area were destroyed by the aphids. I brought in a lot of lady bugs but they couldn’t keep up with the aphids. I was late getting my cucumbers in the ground because I grow them in succession after the peas which were great. Now the cukes are coming on and look good. Potatoes in bags, too, and will be harvesting them soon. A new crop for me this year is tomatillos and I will get at least 50 from just two plants. I guess they appreciated all the rain more than the tomatoes. No zucchini but neighbors have plenty. I used to have trouble with voles and moles like I’m reading in some of the comments, but this year I built four large raised beds all 16-20 inches high and put wire mesh screening in the bottom, covered by cardboard and the voles can’t get through. The rest of my plants are in grow bags and I’ll be building two more large raised beds this fall (out of old pallets) with the screening in the bottom. Also, about once a week I walk the dog through the garden to leave her scent on the ground. Works so far! Harvested turnips, peas, lettuce, spinach, banana peppers, garlic, shallots, pole beans, lots of herbs and a few tomatoes, so far. Next week potatoes and pickling cucumbers.
Adding 10% worm castings (by volume) and/or insect frass to your container mix provides chitinase. This enzyme is important for the plant's immune system. When it's present, the plant will be better able to resist pest pressure and disease. One cup of black soldier fly larvae is more than enough for 15 gallons of mix. It's also a very mild slow-release fertilizer that won't burn seedlings.
I spent today in the garden pruning and weeding. Weeds are crazy this year. The lambsquarters are three feet high and rising. We've had our share of torrential rains in rural Minnesota. I have access to a lot of raw sawdust, so i yanked out the weeds and dusted over them. Ive heard that sawdust can leech nitrogen from the soul, but from my few years growing pepper plants they have no issues taking up niteogen. I gave them some blood meal at planting, and theres frankly too much foliage. Pod season is nearly here!
The worst thing I’ve dealt with so far this year is a bad storm that may or may not have had tornadoes (jury’s still out) but blew some of my plants and the bags they’re in over . But that’s why I use bags, if it blows over just set it back up most of the time no harm done vs in the ground and the stem gets damaged.
Oh my goodness, I have had the worst year so far this year, too. Late cold weather (5A in northwestern PA), aphids, fungus gnats, slugs, deer, wind, and one audacious groundhog. last year I had a bit of an issue early on with a digging racoon, but he soon moved on and that was about it.
MetroWest MA: I share your pain in this year's garden season. Worse than 2021 which was very wet, too. My Giant Marconi pepper's leaves twist and turn upside down from the excessive wetness. I have tomato varieties that never got the blight (yellowing with dark spots) but have it this year. My only problem pest is slugs. The only crop that did well for me is strawberries. Everything is so behind schedule. I'm already planning next years garden.
Here in the UK we had a blast of dry hot weather in all of June...then rain after rain after rain and low temps since! Been a terrible growing year for all
Same in Quebec, canada. Cold temp + lots of rain. Fortunately enough, I was able yo keep a few plants out of the rain but its still a though year. Even tomatoes are a hit and miss. Cucumbers however.... now those are living the dream!
It's been a weird weather year here in Eastern Montana. A very wet cool spring and Aphids galore. Normally I see lots of Lady Bugs but not this year. I've seen six so far. The Aphids seem to prefer my Hops over my peppers. My red Canna plants usually get to 5-6 feet tall before flowering now they are 3-4 feet tall. The grasshoppers prefer those big time. My Mattapeno has been stunted all season and finally took off about a week ago starting to grow and produce flowers. I also have a stunted Fish pepper and a stunted Morgora Scorpion both in decent sized pots. Their siblings in big barrels are rocking and rolling. I scored some of ChiliChumps Dorset Naga seeds. Already looking forward to next year!
Here in Northern Virginia, we had a cool late winter, then a dry spring, and so far a hot wet summer. Thankfully, no really violent storms but wetter than average because it just keeps raining so often, so mosquitoes are quite annoying. Many heirloom tomatoes have been killed by Fusarium Wilt, but the peppers and resistant tomatoes are fine. My biggest Dorset Naga is over 4 feet high, the next one 18 inches, and one only 1 foot high. The worst pest so far has been one particularly adventurous deer that ate or knocked off a great number of tomatoes but was not interested in foliage or peppers.
I have had similar experiences in the past and now i plant as much in pots as i can. Bought 10 food grade 55gal barrels and cut each in 1/3 making 2 pots and 1 tiny raised bed of each barrel ( some of the center's I cut down the side and joined them with a 2x4 staked in the ground to make 4ft round raised bed). My current pots n raised beds take more water but allow so much flexability that I rarely lose a crop now and 95% less weeding make me a happy gardener. My nemisiss the stink bug and flee beetle I hope get knocked back a few paces as I try beneficial nematoesdes for first time.
The weather has really negatively affected my crops in New Jersey. The unusually cool nights have stunted my tomatoes and left them susceptible to aphid attack. It set back tomato production at least a month. One thing that hasn’t been hurt is the watermelons. They seem to be thriving!
Here in the Netherlands also strange weather,my pepper plants are stressed due to storms, to much wind and little sunshine. But they are flowering an producing the first peppers,I’ve got carbonero,ghost pepper,rawit and a maule red hot.
I’m and 100% going to try the bucket idea for the beetles! They have decimated my peppers and flowers. I find them everywhere. Thanks for all the advice. Good to know I’m not alone. 😊
Zone 7a. Beetles have been terrible and the storms have destroyed 9 different pepper plants unfortunately. The heat has also been terrible, we’ve had so many 95-100° days this month and everyday last week was 95+. One issue I’m having and not sure if it’s caused by how wet it has been but so far every single ghost pepper that has ripened has had black dead seeds inside.
I have a heavy clay soil that is in very hot climate that gets sporadic but heavy rainfall. This leads to soil that never drains and becomes water logged for weeks until it sets like concrete. My garden patch is in a depression and I cannot relocate to a slope. I remedied this by tilling tonnes of sand deeply into a marked out patch of soil, and I made sure to plant extremely thirsty plants into this soil, like cucumbers, corn, capsicums, tomatoes, eggplants, melons etc., and I seem to have a lot less plants dying from heavy rain flooding and less dying from excessive heat. I could be wrong, but I feel the sand helps to prevent compaction and aids in air and water penetration, while also transitioning to a faux water table situation where the clay exists acting like a self-watering pot, as when I punch a hole into the earth with a fence crowbar, I have moist soil in the top 500mm, but an underground river beneath this. I'm certainly more into beetroots, parsnips, onions and other cool weather crops I grew up on, but fortunately with the exception of eggplants, I'm a big fan of the hot weather thirsty crops I can grow successfully.
Jeff from East Tennessee. The spring here was way to cold! I always say that May 1 is ok to plant any summer vegetables. Not this year. It was May 5 before I planted anything. Peppers have been monster size this year! A little cooler to the start of summer and tons of rain has made it the best summer for peppers. I mulched the peppers so weeds not so bad. Other parts of the garden had weeds everywhere! It’s kind of sad but it has not been a good tomato year. I have picked a lot of tomatoes but the plants just can’t make it in the wet humid weather. I give it an A grade on peppers! Tomatoes a F grade! The garden has an overall C grade this summer!!
Better heat over 105 for like two months (no rain), pest and critters my peppers and tomatoes are taking a big hit. Eating them down to the stems. They are recovering. Trying to keep them alive until it cools down a bit.
The easiest way to manage insects is to create a polyculture and a place for them to overwinter. Short term goal: plant >20 varieties of flowers ahead of peppers and make a large "insect condo" with water supply. Long term goal: Increase flower diversity with a focus on >20 varieties blooming throughout your growing season. This may require require growing in containers over winter.
Here in NE Kansas, it is the opposite. We have only had 3 inches of rain since May. All of which were in May. Even with watering everything is growing so slowly. End blossom rot, rogue chickens and stinkbugs have been my biggest problem. My overwintered potted peppers are doing great though. I've gotten tons of jalepenos and Aji pineapple peppers.
Totally not alone in your struggles. Here in Western Pennsylvania. Minus the bug issues and some improperly labelled seed packets, experiencing the same challenges as you guys. :(
my pestiest problem is horn-worms.. both tomatoes and peppers keep getting nailed. I had covers on other things but when I took them off to get pollinated..bugs, bunnies and birds ravaged the garden.
Aw that sucks, luckily the temps here have been perfect and the only issue was aphids on a few in early in the season that were stomped out thanks to your advice.
Luckily I haven't seen a single aphid so far this year. I'm wondering how much is due to the fact that I got my balcony glassed last year, so there's not as much open space for them to get in. The temps in the beginning of the season was a bit weird here in Sweden too. Was very close to freezing temps for way longer than usual. Those beetles seem to suck. Cool trap you built though! 👍And man, that first picture of the plot could have been from a rice field 😱Like you said, this weather is probably not changing any time soon so finding workarounds and learning to deal with it is probably a good idea.
Mount Washington measured 16.58 inches of rain in June. Our July totals arent in yet, but im betting it is about the same. Our washouts were nearly as bad as Vermont, but some areas still had some. Tornado confirmed this past week. Strange. Id estimate everything in my garden that wasnt taken out by voles, is a solid 4 weeks behind. Some more. Even heavy producers like zucchini/cucumbers are slower. There just hasnt been enough sun.
HORRIBLE season here (Eastern Michigan near Lake St. Clair). Cool wet summer didn't allow our tomatoes or peppers to do well. We got hit with caterpillars (holes all over our leaves and peppers). I used neem oil, and that slowed them, but didn't come close to stopping them. Our tomatoes grew blossoms like CRAZY, but all just "died" off and never fruited because the nights were in the low 60's and the days were only in the mid-70s. These are self-pollinating breeds of tomatoes, so it wasn't lack of pollination. All the wind and even me attempting to self pollinate didn't help. The only good thing of this weather in my area this year. LOW power bills (we really haven't used our AC much), and virtually no watering costs because...well...I think we're at over 2' of rain since June (6" in a 90 minute burst the other day). Our cucumbers are loving this weather though. We usually have MAJOR issues with heat on our cucumbers and the leaves turn white and die, and we usually only get a couple cucumbers before that happens. This year?? DOZENS of cucumbers. LOL.
As a new gardener, living in CT too, glad these problems aren’t just due to me being a rookie. Took awhile, but finally seeing some fruiting happening. Thanks for all the tips!
I'm in south Louisiana, the aphids and cucumber beetles were extremely bad this year. Not many beneficial insects either. Add in 100 degree days and a drought, this is a horrible year.
Basically the exact same thing here in Jersey. Cold until late june, then pouring rain, then hot drought, and now pouring rain again. Peppers are only ripening now. Here's hoping that global warming throws us a bone for once and makes the first frost date last this year, so the fruit can ripen in time
OMG first Chillichump no you 2! Naga having. Than rain, bruh. Least you got your pottered chillies... And a greater appreciation when you get it a great season.
I had a possum eating my tomatoes and this was the first time in 4 years that had ever happened. Fenced them in and put a stop to it but lost a few huge ones I had my eye on. My peppers are doing kind of meh but I have a plant full of giant red bell peppers that are refusing to turn red and it’s been nearly a month now.
And meanwhile in Phx USA all most all of my plants died from the heat wave 118- 120 degrees 🔥🔥. NOT a drop of rain for months now. The only plants i have left is Basil and Lantana. But i have too water lots of water 2x a day morning and evening. I beg for rain daily 🙁
Ironically in Old England (UK) we are going through similar weather issues, July was a write off, wet and windy around 20c degrees. Not one pepper has appeard on my plants, just flowers and times runnig out....
The only issue that, I’ve faced is it took my peppers so long to actually start to grow like they were stunted for 2 months then took off towards the end of July
Maaaan. Sorry guys! That sucks. I'm in NE Indiana. I grow tobacco on a small scale for the cannabis industry as well as a vegetable garden. We've definitely been a lot cooler but none of the other crap. Sorry guy! Good luck! ✌️🤟🤘
I don't know how extensive the flooding was, so this suggestion might not help--but then it might. Have you thought about digging a french drain or ditch system around your rented garden? Somewhere for the water to run toward so it isn't just sitting in your garden (since you mentioned that the area is flood prone)? Of course this would not work if the issue is a nearby stream/river overrunning its banks, but if the issue is localized standing water this could be a way to help. Ditches and drains can pose a lot of ecological challenges, such as introducing silt to stream beds and eutrophication. There are a lot of very effective ways to biologically control for this. The short explanation is to plant your ditch with water-loving/marsh wild flowers and grasses. The root systems of the plants will trap the silt and the plants will uptake the excess nutrients before the water reaches natural waterways. This can double as habitat for beneficial insects and amphibians who can assist with pest control.
So sorry to hear of all of those challenges to your season so far! Feel like your experience is mirrored here somewhat. I'm in Northern England. Although we've not had quite the bad time of it as you perhaps, the jet stream seems to be playing havoc for us in the northerly latitudes right now. We had an awesome June with wall to wall sunshine and the plants gained some strength but I'm seriously worried about the next couple of weeks 'cause the forecast is abysmal and seemingly unrelenting. We've had a month of rain in a day multiple times throughout July and even though I'm growing all of mine outdoors in containers and they're doing ok I've already had some BER; the containers are saturated daily. Moving 'em and bringing the smaller plants inside helps and despite not needing to water from time to time, everything else is showing signs of having too much of the wet stuff. Just need a few days of sunshine to restore some balance! So heartbreaking to see loads of flowers pummeled by the rain and falling off. Picking exactly when to fertilise is also tricky to say the least. As far as the bugs are concerned I'd normally be out dealing with them but you really don't want to be out in it all....The homemade trap seems like an excellent idea and that's something I might try. Thank you for sharing these difficulties and solutions and hope things get better for you!
This year Aphids were horrible, Japanese beetle has been awful and are still around, flea beetle and lady beetle just showed up. BT and neem have been rotated to keep my veggies alive. And I’m fighting Ga heat.😐
Liked your reporting. I live in the Houston area. Weather has been bad for us here, too. I planted a variety of Tomatoes and 6 different kinds of peppers. All are in a raised bed and in 5 gal buckets. First was excessive rain for days and days on end. everything got stunted. Then came the excessive heat at 100* + for weeks and weeks. It killed off all my flower buds so I have actually got zero crop. Pretty disappointing. I'm pretty old so I cant move things around ( I restricted to a walker).Any thoughts?
@@PepperGeek We actually recovered pretty well, and it is my first year so it wasn't much damage compared to other problems that were my fault, such as herbicide contaminated manure and stuff like that.
my biggest issues this year hands down was on my tomatoes getting fungus on the fruits completely ruined my tomato plants but peppers are good so far though nock on wood
The crazy weather has been causing disease. Then the ground hog and other animals are eating leaves and fruit. They attack at night and they attack in the day. I'm tired of it.
The voles have decimated my crops. Ate every cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potato, sunflower, ranunculus and about a dozen dahlia tubers. Never had an issue with them before. Not in many decades. Super frustrating.
Some gardeners do build up the soil to create a makeshift raised bed, and that does help a bit, but this rain sort of "melted" down all these beds, evening the soil back out. It's been tough down there!
@@PepperGeek I was thinking more of the wooden or metal sided beds that are 2 - 3 feet high. Lined with plastic sheeting. They drain well in soggy places. Some people use branches in them to make a better soil structure. I can't remember the name for that. Hergoculture?
Great shots and text on the beneficials! Thanks :)
I haven't had to water my garden since mid June, even with all these heat waves. We've had 5 tornado warnings in July, and mind you, I've never seen a tornado, nor is it a common thing in my neck of the woods. Luckily I live on a hill/knoll, so no flooding. Biggest issue this year are the slugs and earwigs with all the humidity and rain. And those damn Japanese beetles. I'm taking a close look at what they're eating to plant sacrificial plants for them next year. If anyone are interested, so far they've been devouring hosta's, roses, raspberries. They've nibbled a bit on Thai basil too, but nothing to cry over. The hardware store where I live sell traps for them that are really effective as well. It's basically a bag with a plastic + design on top where you stick a pine tar sticker on it. First time I used it a swarm came out of nowhere. Got hit in the head multiple times as I was applying the sticker, so it really works. DT killed all of the slugs and cabbage worms. I don't normally use pesticides (however natural DT may be), but this year has been bad, and I'd have no crop left If I didn't.
central european here - it has been pretty much the same here. add to that that at first, it was way too cold and dry until june, from there it was hot and dry (not too hot luckily) and now it is raining for weeks and 15 Celsius outside... we didnt have so many pests, luckily, but the garden is really struggling this year.
The flooding in that garden plot can be remedied relatively easily and all of that water made use of. Just take a garden spade and dig the paths out four to six inches and pile the excavated soil onto the beds to raise them. The paths need to be shallower on the uphill side of the plot and deeper and wider on the downhill side, and they should be laid out so in tiers so that each tier drains into the next before the water gets too high on the beds. Such a system will give the plants some breathing room in heavy rains/moderate flooding, and will allow the water to soak into the soil without suffocating the root systems. It will have to be maintained from time to time, but it does work wonders. If there is nowhere to drain the excess from the downhill side of the plot without it flooding the lower most beds during the worst flooding just plant those beds in flood tolerant crops like asparagus and celery.
Up here in New Hampshire we have had the same beetle invasion and the buckets of rain. The only thing thriving are my cucumbers. My peppers are starting to come around now that we have has some warm and sunny weather, but they are definitely behind.
Here in England we have had similar weather issues. Late spring then heat waves and then the last month has been cold and very rainy. Peppers will most likely start ripening late this year!
In western PA, we've had three bouts with the smoke and haze from the Canadian wildfires. We only had a few sunny days from mid June through mid July...now, it's getting up into the high 80s, low 90s, and several of my plants are getting sunburned. My entire garden's been stunted, except for the cold weather crops...cabbages, peas, lettuces, etc.
I agree about the aphids! I get a small little burst every now and again, but holy cow, here in OK, the aphids have been crazy!
In Denver, CO we’re having these same issues. Toughest garden season to date for me. Haven’t harvested a single pepper, tomato or cucumber, I usually have bowls full of them by now
That's a neat beetle trap setup. I usually just carry a bucket of soapy water from plant to plant in the morning when the beetles are napping and knock what I find into it. But a passive trap like yours would catch even more of them.
I live in Washington state and am mostly a hardy palm enthusiast.. That got bit by the chilly bug! I'm growing cayenne and seranos from seeds I got at the dollar store. Along with ebay mystery hot peppers. Most have no peppers yet but might by next week.. hope I have time to get a harvest. It's dry and mild here. We haven't got into triple digits yet. But it's not all roses because of the wildfire threat. Happy harvests!
My weather is extremely variable. I've learned succession planting is the best way to hedge my bets. I plant in three stages: 1) 2-3 weeks early 2) Typical target date and 3) 2-3 weeks late. I also plant half in the ground and half in 32-gallon containers.
I gave up on my pepper plants, 2 years in a row now I’ve been dealing with a plague of grasshoppers and even with insect netting they still find a way in to eat everything down to the ground
well that sucks
For that reason we are considering chickens 🐔. Adopting pullets and not starting from 🐣 chicks.
@@myurbangarden7695 I had some but my dogs killed them
We're also in Connecticut, on the shore, and like you, we got dumped on by rain. Our peppers were doing ok until all that rain, but the rain caused fungus leaf rot. Our Srirachas and jalapenos are bearing fruit fairly well, but our habaneros seem to have been affected much more. Out of 10 plants, I have a total of 3 small green fruits. The other plants aren't even flowering! I've fertilized twice with low-nitrogen mix, but still no flowers. I'm so disappointed because I make a really good garlic-habanero hot sauce, and it looks like I'll be forced to use store-bought peppers this fall.
I know habaneros are late-blossomers, but any tips anyone has to get them flowering would be most welcome.
I'm in MA and having a terrible year. My tomatoes either have wilt or dying from too much rain. The Asiatic beetles and earwigs have destroyed my peppers. I went out at night to kill them and used the light and bucket and still overrun with them. Earwigs are on another level this year. Going to cover my peppers next year until they have buds. Considering this year a learning experience. Sorry you're going through it too.
We had great luck dealing with the beetle issue by ordering some Milky Spore. It's a natural compound that you sprinkle onto the soil in the fall before the frost, it sinks into the soil and kills the beetle grubs that are hibernating underground over the winter. We did it three years ago and beetle are only just starting to come back now so will do it again this Fall.
sorry to hear guys, but with your help I have 60 inch tall plants, Cayenne and Habañeros, already picked the first ripe peppers. Thanks a lot for the great advise !
We planted a ring of alyssum around each of our 4x8 raised pepper beds this year and we had almost no aphid problems. However the beetles are showing up here in Arkansas and they are getting pretty destructive. We are going to build the bucket trap and hope that helps us. We have also started experiencing a bit of blossom end rot on some of our pepper varieties because we are experiencing cycles of a couple weeks of no rain then a ton of rain in 36-48 hours, but not losing too many pods. This current heat wave has had us concerned though got several more days to go of potential triple digit highs and nighttime lows above 75,. We put up 50% shade cloth and aren't losing too many pods to pepper and flower drop, going to use the metal hoop idea for next season because using stakes and tying twine between them was a lot more work and upkeep than initially expected. Thanks for the info, hope that you guys end up with a decent harvest despite the conditions. Been a weird growing season for everyone it sounds like.
I'm totally going to try the bug light thing. Here in the Midwest we went from hot and dry for may and June to July being rainy. Super weird for us. Good luck with the Naga!!
Here in the Midwest we had a late spring and I unfortunately didn't harden off the plants as well as I did. June was extremely dry until the end of the month, and then we got consistent rain. At one point I too was having to water everything every day. But now the weather seems consistent. Tomatoes are ripening daily and peppers are slowly ripening as well.
Yep. I'm in Connecticut and have never had such a difficult season as this year. My area got around 14" rain this month, but that hasn't been so much an issue (raised beds, good drainage) as the cool Spring nights and warm, humid Summer nights. We got off to a slow start in the Spring with a lack of rain. Then we got the heat which effected growth, and the deluge. This week hopefully things will stabilize a bit.
As far as local farmers (at least near me)...They tend to plant in flood plains because historically Spring floods would bring in nutritious silt from the rivers to boost their fields. I learnt this working on a turf farm years ago. They are taking a gamble that has paid off for years until now.
Not to mention possible effects from wildfire smoke.
a greenhouse with a small space heater in it worked for me. It was a desktop heater and a 4x5x2 greenhouse however. draping a blanket over the top overnight keeps the heat in well.
NH sea coast area. Way too much rain, but finally slowing down a bit. I have a lot of my peppers in grow bags so the water runs right through, but my tomatoes in raised beds are showing a lot of blossom end rot. Grew lots of garlic including around the edge of the raised beds and that may have helped keep some insect damage down - and the garlic turned out great. Same with shallots!
Brassicas in another area were destroyed by the aphids. I brought in a lot of lady bugs but they couldn’t keep up with the aphids.
I was late getting my cucumbers in the ground because I grow them in succession after the peas which were great. Now the cukes are coming on and look good. Potatoes in bags, too, and will be harvesting them soon.
A new crop for me this year is tomatillos and I will get at least 50 from just two plants. I guess they appreciated all the rain more than the tomatoes.
No zucchini but neighbors have plenty.
I used to have trouble with voles and moles like I’m reading in some of the comments, but this year I built four large raised beds all 16-20 inches high and put wire mesh screening in the bottom, covered by cardboard and the voles can’t get through. The rest of my plants are in grow bags and I’ll be building two more large raised beds this fall (out of old pallets) with the screening in the bottom. Also, about once a week I walk the dog through the garden to leave her scent on the ground. Works so far!
Harvested turnips, peas, lettuce, spinach, banana peppers, garlic, shallots, pole beans, lots of herbs and a few tomatoes, so far. Next week potatoes and pickling cucumbers.
Adding 10% worm castings (by volume) and/or insect frass to your container mix provides chitinase. This enzyme is important for the plant's immune system. When it's present, the plant will be better able to resist pest pressure and disease. One cup of black soldier fly larvae is more than enough for 15 gallons of mix. It's also a very mild slow-release fertilizer that won't burn seedlings.
I spent today in the garden pruning and weeding. Weeds are crazy this year. The lambsquarters are three feet high and rising. We've had our share of torrential rains in rural Minnesota.
I have access to a lot of raw sawdust, so i yanked out the weeds and dusted over them. Ive heard that sawdust can leech nitrogen from the soul, but from my few years growing pepper plants they have no issues taking up niteogen. I gave them some blood meal at planting, and theres frankly too much foliage.
Pod season is nearly here!
I always put in a stake in the ground for every seedling. Then it's easy to tie them up if the weather forecast calls for wind >14 mph.
The worst thing I’ve dealt with so far this year is a bad storm that may or may not have had tornadoes (jury’s still out) but blew some of my plants and the bags they’re in over . But that’s why I use bags, if it blows over just set it back up most of the time no harm done vs in the ground and the stem gets damaged.
Oh my goodness, I have had the worst year so far this year, too. Late cold weather (5A in northwestern PA), aphids, fungus gnats, slugs, deer, wind, and one audacious groundhog. last year I had a bit of an issue early on with a digging racoon, but he soon moved on and that was about it.
MetroWest MA: I share your pain in this year's garden season. Worse than 2021 which was very wet, too. My Giant Marconi pepper's leaves twist and turn upside down from the excessive wetness. I have tomato varieties that never got the blight (yellowing with dark spots) but have it this year. My only problem pest is slugs. The only crop that did well for me is strawberries. Everything is so behind schedule. I'm already planning next years garden.
Here in the UK we had a blast of dry hot weather in all of June...then rain after rain after rain and low temps since!
Been a terrible growing year for all
Having all the same issues here in upstate NY right down to the tree being struck by lightning. I still have green tomatoes😕
Same in Quebec, canada. Cold temp + lots of rain. Fortunately enough, I was able yo keep a few plants out of the rain but its still a though year. Even tomatoes are a hit and miss. Cucumbers however.... now those are living the dream!
That’s why I like container gardening …weather is crappy I just put um in the garage till it’s better 👍
It's been a weird weather year here in Eastern Montana. A very wet cool spring and Aphids galore. Normally I see lots of Lady Bugs but not this year. I've seen six so far. The Aphids seem to prefer my Hops over my peppers. My red Canna plants usually get to 5-6 feet tall before flowering now they are 3-4 feet tall. The grasshoppers prefer those big time. My Mattapeno has been stunted all season and finally took off about a week ago starting to grow and produce flowers. I also have a stunted Fish pepper and a stunted Morgora Scorpion both in decent sized pots. Their siblings in big barrels are rocking and rolling. I scored some of ChiliChumps Dorset Naga seeds. Already looking forward to next year!
I am so sorry. Can you send some of that 🌧️ rain to Texas? Asking for a friend.
Here in Northern Virginia, we had a cool late winter, then a dry spring, and so far a hot wet summer. Thankfully, no really violent storms but wetter than average because it just keeps raining so often, so mosquitoes are quite annoying. Many heirloom tomatoes have been killed by Fusarium Wilt, but the peppers and resistant tomatoes are fine. My biggest Dorset Naga is over 4 feet high, the next one 18 inches, and one only 1 foot high. The worst pest so far has been one particularly adventurous deer that ate or knocked off a great number of tomatoes but was not interested in foliage or peppers.
I have had similar experiences in the past and now i plant as much in pots as i can. Bought 10 food grade 55gal barrels and cut each in 1/3 making 2 pots and 1 tiny raised bed of each barrel ( some of the center's I cut down the side and joined them with a 2x4 staked in the ground to make 4ft round raised bed). My current pots n raised beds take more water but allow so much flexability that I rarely lose a crop now and 95% less weeding make me a happy gardener. My nemisiss the stink bug and flee beetle I hope get knocked back a few paces as I try beneficial nematoesdes for first time.
I am just north of Boston and have dealt with all the same issues. It's been a season of adjustments for sure. Best of luck.
Yep, the storms always leave CT and head straight up to your region!
The weather has really negatively affected my crops in New Jersey. The unusually cool nights have stunted my tomatoes and left them susceptible to aphid attack. It set back tomato production at least a month. One thing that hasn’t been hurt is the watermelons. They seem to be thriving!
Here in the Netherlands also strange weather,my pepper plants are stressed due to storms, to much wind and little sunshine.
But they are flowering an producing the first peppers,I’ve got carbonero,ghost pepper,rawit and a maule red hot.
I’m and 100% going to try the bucket idea for the beetles! They have decimated my peppers and flowers. I find them everywhere. Thanks for all the advice. Good to know I’m not alone. 😊
Excellent video! Thanks
Zone 7a. Beetles have been terrible and the storms have destroyed 9 different pepper plants unfortunately. The heat has also been terrible, we’ve had so many 95-100° days this month and everyday last week was 95+. One issue I’m having and not sure if it’s caused by how wet it has been but so far every single ghost pepper that has ripened has had black dead seeds inside.
Sounds like an uphill battle. Good luck to you.
I have a heavy clay soil that is in very hot climate that gets sporadic but heavy rainfall. This leads to soil that never drains and becomes water logged for weeks until it sets like concrete. My garden patch is in a depression and I cannot relocate to a slope. I remedied this by tilling tonnes of sand deeply into a marked out patch of soil, and I made sure to plant extremely thirsty plants into this soil, like cucumbers, corn, capsicums, tomatoes, eggplants, melons etc., and I seem to have a lot less plants dying from heavy rain flooding and less dying from excessive heat. I could be wrong, but I feel the sand helps to prevent compaction and aids in air and water penetration, while also transitioning to a faux water table situation where the clay exists acting like a self-watering pot, as when I punch a hole into the earth with a fence crowbar, I have moist soil in the top 500mm, but an underground river beneath this.
I'm certainly more into beetroots, parsnips, onions and other cool weather crops I grew up on, but fortunately with the exception of eggplants, I'm a big fan of the hot weather thirsty crops I can grow successfully.
Jeff from East Tennessee. The spring here was way to cold! I always say that May 1 is ok to plant any summer vegetables. Not this year. It was May 5 before I planted anything. Peppers have been monster size this year! A little cooler to the start of summer and tons of rain has made it the best summer for peppers.
I mulched the peppers so weeds not so bad. Other parts of the garden had weeds everywhere! It’s kind of sad but it has not been a good tomato year. I have picked a lot of tomatoes but the plants just can’t make it in the wet humid weather.
I give it an A grade on peppers!
Tomatoes a F grade!
The garden has an overall C grade this summer!!
Better heat over 105 for like two months (no rain), pest and critters my peppers and tomatoes are taking a big hit. Eating them down to the stems. They are recovering. Trying to keep them alive until it cools down a bit.
The easiest way to manage insects is to create a polyculture and a place for them to overwinter. Short term goal: plant >20 varieties of flowers ahead of peppers and make a large "insect condo" with water supply. Long term goal: Increase flower diversity with a focus on >20 varieties blooming throughout your growing season. This may require require growing in containers over winter.
I missed you guys! 🎉
greatfull videos this one and others,i just say let it rain, the planet needs that water God is watching us, take care!!!😀👌
Here in NE Kansas, it is the opposite. We have only had 3 inches of rain since May. All of which were in May. Even with watering everything is growing so slowly. End blossom rot, rogue chickens and stinkbugs have been my biggest problem. My overwintered potted peppers are doing great though. I've gotten tons of jalepenos and Aji pineapple peppers.
Totally not alone in your struggles. Here in Western Pennsylvania. Minus the bug issues and some improperly labelled seed packets, experiencing the same challenges as you guys. :(
my pestiest problem is horn-worms.. both tomatoes and peppers keep getting nailed. I had covers on other things but when I took them off to get pollinated..bugs, bunnies and birds ravaged the garden.
Aw that sucks, luckily the temps here have been perfect and the only issue was aphids on a few in early in the season that were stomped out thanks to your advice.
Same issue. Aphids are problems.
Luckily I haven't seen a single aphid so far this year. I'm wondering how much is due to the fact that I got my balcony glassed last year, so there's not as much open space for them to get in. The temps in the beginning of the season was a bit weird here in Sweden too. Was very close to freezing temps for way longer than usual. Those beetles seem to suck. Cool trap you built though! 👍And man, that first picture of the plot could have been from a rice field 😱Like you said, this weather is probably not changing any time soon so finding workarounds and learning to deal with it is probably a good idea.
Good luck guys.
love your channel been binge watching this growing season my go to for peppers🌶💖
Hugelkultur beds are great for regulating moisture.
Man I've had a crazy attack of aphids! I managed to get it under control though somewhat. Cheers from Sweden - I love your channel!
Ya wild amount of heat humidity and rain here in CT
Mount Washington measured 16.58 inches of rain in June.
Our July totals arent in yet, but im betting it is about the same.
Our washouts were nearly as bad as Vermont, but some areas still had some.
Tornado confirmed this past week.
Strange.
Id estimate everything in my garden that wasnt taken out by voles, is a solid 4 weeks behind. Some more.
Even heavy producers like zucchini/cucumbers are slower.
There just hasnt been enough sun.
Yup this year makes me glad that I harvest small
HORRIBLE season here (Eastern Michigan near Lake St. Clair). Cool wet summer didn't allow our tomatoes or peppers to do well. We got hit with caterpillars (holes all over our leaves and peppers). I used neem oil, and that slowed them, but didn't come close to stopping them. Our tomatoes grew blossoms like CRAZY, but all just "died" off and never fruited because the nights were in the low 60's and the days were only in the mid-70s. These are self-pollinating breeds of tomatoes, so it wasn't lack of pollination. All the wind and even me attempting to self pollinate didn't help.
The only good thing of this weather in my area this year. LOW power bills (we really haven't used our AC much), and virtually no watering costs because...well...I think we're at over 2' of rain since June (6" in a 90 minute burst the other day). Our cucumbers are loving this weather though. We usually have MAJOR issues with heat on our cucumbers and the leaves turn white and die, and we usually only get a couple cucumbers before that happens. This year?? DOZENS of cucumbers. LOL.
My peppers have plenty of flowers, but no hot peppers, they on my balcony, half shade
Smoke in the air and on plants, lots of heat, little rain, then sudden massive storms.
I think most gardens and farms are doing much worse than usual.
Sounds just like the weather in the UK I planted most of my garden out late due to the crazy weather
Rain in summer? Where are you guys? For me we had a late winter and too much overcast. Not enough morning sun. My peppers are way behind schedule. 👍🏼
Makes me feel slightly better I'm not the only one. There's always next year. Hang in there!! I lost a beautiful reaper...
Put everything in pots,, I been there twice,, kool video
As a new gardener, living in CT too, glad these problems aren’t just due to me being a rookie. Took awhile, but finally seeing some fruiting happening. Thanks for all the tips!
Everybody's world is changing
I'm in south Louisiana, the aphids and cucumber beetles were extremely bad this year. Not many beneficial insects either. Add in 100 degree days and a drought, this is a horrible year.
Basically the exact same thing here in Jersey. Cold until late june, then pouring rain, then hot drought, and now pouring rain again. Peppers are only ripening now. Here's hoping that global warming throws us a bone for once and makes the first frost date last this year, so the fruit can ripen in time
Here in Muskegon Michigan it was super dry beginning of the season. As of the past month, we've been getting rocked with heavy rain and ⛈️'s!
Here in Texas we have a heavy drought and a ton of Grasshoppers and Crickets.
OMG first Chillichump no you 2! Naga having. Than rain, bruh. Least you got your pottered chillies... And a greater appreciation when you get it a great season.
Wow! Sounds like it has been hard for you guys!
I had a possum eating my tomatoes and this was the first time in 4 years that had ever happened. Fenced them in and put a stop to it but lost a few huge ones I had my eye on. My peppers are doing kind of meh but I have a plant full of giant red bell peppers that are refusing to turn red and it’s been nearly a month now.
And meanwhile in Phx USA all most all of my plants died from the heat wave 118- 120 degrees 🔥🔥. NOT a drop of rain for months now. The only plants i have left is Basil and Lantana. But i have too water lots of water 2x a day morning and evening. I beg for rain daily 🙁
I know a pepper plant can last many years, but how do you know when it is at the end of its life cycle? Thank.
острый перец живет 15 лет и больше! и все это время плодоносит, поэтому все на ваше усмотрение ...
Ironically in Old England (UK) we are going through similar weather issues, July was a write off, wet and windy around 20c degrees. Not one pepper has appeard on my plants, just flowers and times runnig out....
The only issue that, I’ve faced is it took my peppers so long to actually start to grow like they were stunted for 2 months then took off towards the end of July
Maaaan. Sorry guys! That sucks. I'm in NE Indiana. I grow tobacco on a small scale for the cannabis industry as well as a vegetable garden. We've definitely been a lot cooler but none of the other crap. Sorry guy! Good luck! ✌️🤟🤘
I don't know how extensive the flooding was, so this suggestion might not help--but then it might. Have you thought about digging a french drain or ditch system around your rented garden? Somewhere for the water to run toward so it isn't just sitting in your garden (since you mentioned that the area is flood prone)? Of course this would not work if the issue is a nearby stream/river overrunning its banks, but if the issue is localized standing water this could be a way to help.
Ditches and drains can pose a lot of ecological challenges, such as introducing silt to stream beds and eutrophication. There are a lot of very effective ways to biologically control for this. The short explanation is to plant your ditch with water-loving/marsh wild flowers and grasses. The root systems of the plants will trap the silt and the plants will uptake the excess nutrients before the water reaches natural waterways. This can double as habitat for beneficial insects and amphibians who can assist with pest control.
So sorry to hear of all of those challenges to your season so far! Feel like your experience is mirrored here somewhat. I'm in Northern England. Although we've not had quite the bad time of it as you perhaps, the jet stream seems to be playing havoc for us in the northerly latitudes right now. We had an awesome June with wall to wall sunshine and the plants gained some strength but I'm seriously worried about the next couple of weeks 'cause the forecast is abysmal and seemingly unrelenting. We've had a month of rain in a day multiple times throughout July and even though I'm growing all of mine outdoors in containers and they're doing ok I've already had some BER; the containers are saturated daily. Moving 'em and bringing the smaller plants inside helps and despite not needing to water from time to time, everything else is showing signs of having too much of the wet stuff. Just need a few days of sunshine to restore some balance! So heartbreaking to see loads of flowers pummeled by the rain and falling off. Picking exactly when to fertilise is also tricky to say the least. As far as the bugs are concerned I'd normally be out dealing with them but you really don't want to be out in it all....The homemade trap seems like an excellent idea and that's something I might try. Thank you for sharing these difficulties and solutions and hope things get better for you!
Paton your bucket light idea.$$$$
This year Aphids were horrible, Japanese beetle has been awful and are still around, flea beetle and lady beetle just showed up. BT and neem have been rotated to keep my veggies alive. And I’m fighting Ga heat.😐
this record hot AZ summer has left me with no peppers. too hot to pollinate.
It’s not just peppers. I notice slow growth and not many growth at all this summer. The potted plants are fine tho.
🥇
Liked your reporting. I live in the Houston area. Weather has been bad for us here, too. I planted a variety of Tomatoes and 6 different kinds of peppers. All are in a raised bed and in 5 gal buckets. First was excessive rain for days and days on end. everything got stunted. Then came the excessive heat at 100* + for weeks and weeks. It killed off all my flower buds so I have actually got zero crop. Pretty disappointing. I'm pretty old so I cant move things around ( I restricted to a walker).Any thoughts?
Try growing in Michigan. 4-4.5 month growing season
We had a hailstorm on June 12th.
Hail can be totally devastating, all in a matter of minutes. Sorry you had that happen!
@@PepperGeek We actually recovered pretty well, and it is my first year so it wasn't much damage compared to other problems that were my fault, such as herbicide contaminated manure and stuff like that.
my biggest issues this year hands down was on my tomatoes getting fungus on the fruits completely ruined my tomato plants but peppers are good so far though nock on wood
Was atrocious this year.. im in NL and its none stop rain just horrible for my plants
It's sad, way too much rain while other areas are in drought 😞
Any thoughts on what to do if pepper plants are not producing flowers this far into the season? In South Carolina.
The crazy weather has been causing disease. Then the ground hog and other animals are eating leaves and fruit. They attack at night and they attack in the day. I'm tired of it.
The voles have decimated my crops. Ate every cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potato, sunflower, ranunculus and about a dozen dahlia tubers.
Never had an issue with them before. Not in many decades.
Super frustrating.
What’s the recommendation for handling stink bugs?
Raised beds might work in your rented plot?❤
Some gardeners do build up the soil to create a makeshift raised bed, and that does help a bit, but this rain sort of "melted" down all these beds, evening the soil back out. It's been tough down there!
@@PepperGeek I was thinking more of the wooden or metal sided beds that are 2 - 3 feet high. Lined with plastic sheeting. They drain well in soggy places. Some people use branches in them to make a better soil structure. I can't remember the name for that. Hergoculture?
I had 3 frosts after my last frost date…