Last year's successes not happy this year.

15 years ago

Ugh, I don't know what I'm doing!

Last year I planted just one (set of two) tomatillo plant, a few basil plants, some chives, some lemon balm. Besides a Yellow Nutsedge infestation (I did not realize it was a weed at first since it looked like a real plant) I did not have troubles. The tomatillos fruited like crazy and grew to some 4' wide. The basil was happy. Everything was great.

This year I do not know what happened.

I kept the yellow nutsedge under control from the beginning. I am now only seeing 1 little one every week or so.

I got basil seedlings early, around late April.

The problem is they are STILL seedlings! It has been 4 months and the biggest one is about 3" tall. I thinned them, but it didn't help. Most only have 6 or 8 leaves.

And I planted boughten tomatillos (2 sets of 2 plants ea) around May. (Same time as last year.) I have gotten 1 fruit off them. The only pruning I have done is finger-pinching the sprouts that form between leaf stem and main stalk. Finally, a week ago, they set flowers. No husks have formed yet. The plants look healthy colorwise, no obvious diseases or infestations, but they are not fat and lush like last year.

Here is what is in the bed:

3 small rosebushes (came with the house, were there last year)

16 months old

1 strawberry plant planted last year, via runners now 2x2' of strawberry plants. Apparently spending all energy on spreading, not fruiting.

1 lemon balm grew HUGE 3x3', pruned judiciously

1 chives, doing well.

3-4 months old

2 tomatillo sets, caged, not really producing

1 chocolate mint, VERY happy, spreading all over the place.

2 plants I can't remember the name of, sort of coleus like

1 purple bell pepper, small but has produced 3 4" peppers, flowering again

1 chile pepper plant, yellowish green, alive but not bigger than when planted

a dozen basil seedlings, staying tiny, but good color

1 italian parsley, good color, keeps going to seed

1 tomato plant, caged and not doing much

1.5 months old

3 various types of chile peppers

1 tomato plant, caged, doing nothing really

2 non-food plants I know little about.

The beds are on the south side of my house, they get lots of sun, they are watered every other day in the middle of the night by the auto sprinklers.

The part I just do not understand is that last year in the exact same spot, I had happy tomatillos and this year they are not happy! They were fruiting like mad by now. I did not do anything different, besides add more plants at the other end of the bed.

So do I have some obvious plant incompatibilities here? Am I doing something really obviously dumb? I am clueless. And hungry for tomatillos.

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Comments (2)

vetivert8
15 years ago
Unless you want to grow baby strawberry plants - nip off the runners. And, perhaps give a side dressing of fertiliser. You might get a crop (or a minor snack) later in the season. Some varieties do fruit twice.

The chocolate mint - 'you'll be soorreee!' If it has thug tendencies then it's time to confine it to a bucket with the bottom taken out. Or a six inch deep hoop of plastic to stop it wandering everywhere. If you think nutgrass is bad - mint can add a nasty taste all of its own.

Parsley usually lives for 2-3 years then naturally goes to seed. You haven't done anything wrong there. If you don't mind it seeding then you can expect plenty of seedlings for free later on. Probably spring.

If the place where you planted the peppers and tomatillos had been previously composted for the roses then last year's crops probably capitalised on the remains.

This year you could make up the deficit with liquid feeding every two weeks to hurry them along. Make sure the Nitrogen level is not too high or you'll have leaves instead of flowers. Tomato food could be best, along with a seaweed or fish brew. Use something with more Nitrogen for the basil as leaf production is exactly what you want.

For next year - when these crops are out of the ground, or largely finished, then add plenty of compost this autumn to prepare the ground for next year.

Apparently tomatoes don't mind being planted in the same place year on year. However, it's prudent to move them around to prevent a build up of bugs and diseases over time.

And think back on the weather you've had. Sometimes lots of rain, cloudy skies, a late chilly spell, will very definitely delay warm weather crops such as those you're growing. If your area is prone to fickle weather then you might want to invest in some form of cloches (plastic row protection) to ensure your crops aren't checked by inclement weather.
petzold6596
15 years ago
One very important point not mentioned above: Rotate your vegetables on a three to four year cycle.
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