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    • Grow Chinese cabbage in full sun. Space 18 to 24 inches apart. Provide well-drained, compost-rich soil. Keep soil consistently moist throughout the growing season. Chinese cabbage favors cooler daytime temperatures optimally in the 50s and 60sF. Temperatures too warm in the high 70s and 80s will cause the plant to flower and become bitter tasting or die. Sustained temperatures below 32F can also cause the plant to die.
      Harvest heads when they’re firm and feel solid. Cut heads from the base of the plant.

    • If you carefully inspect the leaves of the plants, you may find pest insects hiding on the undersides of leaves. As well, some pest insects can hide during the day under mulch and then feed at night. Pull the mulch away from the stems of your plants and spread diatomaceous earth around the stems of each plant. This will act as a barrier insects will not cross.

    • Powdery mildew can form on cabbage leaves–it will like white powder. White mold–a cottony mold–can also attack cabbage. Avoidd watering late in the day. A horticulture oil will control fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and white mold. Make sure there is plenty of air circulation around cabbage plants. Clean the garden of any plant debris that might harbor fungal spores.

  1. I went out this morning in southern Ontario and all my bell pepper leaves were on the ground, not the first time, happened when I bought and transplanted too. They are potted, outside.

    • Sudden leaf drop can be attributed to a wide variation in temperature–was it very cold overnight (or very hot). Sudden leaf drop can also happen after the delivery of too much nitrogen and sometimes too much water. Apart from environmental causes, a pest may have passed through the garden–raccoon or rabbit or deer.

    • Watermelon that should have red flesh and be sweet–but is pink and not sweet–could either be immature or overripe. See the article on How to Harvest and Store Watermelon (look in the Topics Index under Watermelon) for tips on when to harvest. Watermelon needs to grow in a very warm to hot location for best results.

  2. I am die-hard organic gardener corn broccoli cabbage left use spinach grow perfect. Assoon as
    My tomatoes appear leaves start to yellow &Brown&die from bottom up we get no rain but the more I water the faster plants
    Deteriorate & tomatoes look good but have a negative. Taste. I use plenty of organic fertilizer. And lots. Of compost.

    • The description of leaves turning yellow, brown, and then dying from the bottom up sounds like a fungal blight. If this is happening to all of the tomatoes then next year move them to a new bed where you have not grown tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants for at least 3 years. Next year when you set out transplants, add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the bottom of the hole–yes, it really improves the flavor.

  3. Hi, it’s my first time trying to grow grow acorn squah and I have no idea what I’m doing. Started a plant indoors about 8 weeks ago and it’s gotten pretty big but I noticed it stopped growing and the bottom leaves have started to turn yellow and wilt despite being watered. There are also these little white knobs that seem to be forming from the bottom of the stem and working their way up. I’m kinda worried this plant is done for so if anyone has any idea what this is, please help!

    • A squash plant that is 8-weeks old should be potted-up–that is transferred to a larger pot so that the roots can continue to grow–or it should be planted into the garden. If the nighttime temperature is consistently 60F or greater, the squash can probably survive outdoors; warmer is better! Yellowing leaves may be a sign that the plant is either over- or under-watered. Potting up or planting out into the garden should solve this problem. Bumpy or lumpy squash skin can be an indication of root damage–and bumpy skin happens often when the roots are too wet.

  4. Leaves yellow with black spots
    Have pulled off infected leaves and used fungicide
    Still happening
    Stems also covered in black spots (whole stalk)

    • You do not name the plant that is having this problem. If it is a warm-weather vegetable, then it sounds very much like the plant has a bacterial or viral diseases. The clue is that the stems are turning black. That means that the water-uptaking capillary system is diseased–most likely with a bacteria or virus. Bacterial and viral diseases can not be cured with a fungicide. Most plant bacterial and viral diseases are fatal to the plant. You should remove the plant and any debris it might have dropped from the garden and put them in the trash. Do not replant a plant from the same plant family in that spot for two years.

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