H/J Extremely frustrating. The worst of this is, I've no idea there's anything wrong with the plant until I see it wilting and dying.

And I've no idea what's doing this.

Lynn, I have had problems like that with gophers, one time I watched a plant being pulled down into the ground.

Lynn, I can only imagine how frustrated you must be! You baby those tomatoes and then this! It almost reminds me of how it is with vine borers and squash plants. They look fine, and then one day they're wilted and nearly dead.

Larry, I looked quickly before Pilates tonight. I didn't see any numbers on my weed eater, but I'll look again better tomorrow. I did see the charger is lithium. It's a red and black weed eater. Tom thinks it is a 20 volt. Does that help at all?

I know nothing about any of this.

Wait, Tom just went down to the shop and took some pictures. I'll post them here from my phone. I'll edit this post with the pictures.

Thanks, Jenifer, I think that I will take one of my batteries with me to town tomorrow and see if it will match what the store has. I think our batteries will interchange. I know that Craftsman will not match what some of the other tools will do, but I have 6 or 8 tools, at least 6 batteries and at least 3 chargers. Some times I can buy a kit on sale for not much more than a tool will cost. I have not been able to use a hammer in a lot of years, so I use battery and air tools on everything. Thanks again for your help

Jen that was a great video. I alls watched the string trimmer one. I was going to buy one yesterday but I forgot. I may get my daughter to order one for me.

Larry, I don't think I was much help at all. But, I do remember seeing several tools that could share the same battery. And sets of tools.

Good luck. :)

Did you sell tomato plants or other kinds of plants, Jen?

Lynn, any update on your situation?

I want to work outside this evening and hope I can do so. Might ask Tom to stop to get a bag of soil to top off the herb spiral and get that done tonight.

Maybe peppers on Saturday/Sunday depending on weather and other things.

I saw a couple of Rick's corns popping up.

My feet flared up on Monday, so there's that. So annoying. My Pilates instructor did a bit of foot work last night with us all, so it helped.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Everything looks good this morning. Its just a daily thing, hoping not to lose any more plants.

Here's pics of the two tomato plants. I dug up both plants. Saw nothing wrong with the root ball. Saw no worms. Its a mystery.

Something has also gotten to a banana pepper plant. First, all the lower branches were clipped cleanly from the stalk. I had a plastic straw on the stalk. I pulled it off and put a cottage cheese container around it and the damage stopped, but its too late. There's still some new growth on top, but odds are against the plant making it.

Here's the pepper plant along with a bell pepper plant that has some kind of leaf burn. Could be fertilizer burn, IDK.

Lynn, I would guess that the pepper may be eating too well. And, I don't know your soil, but would a little vermiculite, and/or potting soil help?

I thought that I had already posted on fruit trees, but I don't see if. Anyway here is a picture. I am afraid that Santa Rosa plum amd Red Haven peach is not going to be happy in this valley.

I will do a little more work around them when I get back from town, if it is not raining.

It is soggy and very cloudy and cool. My favorite time to pot up plants. I got six pecan trees potted up, I planted some beets, I potted up some mint. I pulled at my sister’s yesterday, and I dumped out several pots of soil. They were smaller than mineral tub pots and they just don’t grow well here. My daughter offered me tons of beautiful pots because they are selling their house and she’s getting rid of everything and I just couldn’t take any of them. I was so tempted. They just don’t do well for me. I got some more pro mix ordered and I hope that is
The last I have to order for this spring. I am bringing a few extra porters to the fling but I guess that’s it. I just don’t have much extra this year.

HJ you can always transplant your calendula back into the garden so Tom doesn’t have to avoid it

I have too much extra, but just don't feel like doing much. I can go out for a little while, then I come back in tired and out of breath. I took the dish down to town that Madge had made for the luncheon. Madge also canceled music lessons, we just are not able to do a lot.

Jennifer, I stopped at Ace Hardware, and the battery packs I have do fit the Craftsman weed eater, but I had changer clothes in a hurry, and left my wallet at home, so I still don't have the weed eater, but it looks like Lowe's has a kit for about the same price that has a leaf blower also.

I have to just force myself up to get some of my planting done. If I don't get something done in the morning, it seems as tho I am too tire to do anything in the evening. Thank God for tractors, it is a lot easier to talk myself into going out and playing on the tractor.

Larry, at this point I've no idea. But I've got 4 more pepper plants that are doing fine in basically the same soil.

I bought two replacement tomato plants at Marcums today. Still $2.50 for 4" pot. Walmart, Home Depot, et al . = $5.

And Marcum's had a large selection of peppers, especially hot peppers .... cerrano, ghost, Carolina Reaper, and more.

Home Depot has veggie and herb plants five for $10 right now

Sounds like we are going to get some rain.

I went out to water in my fruit trees. The trees are planted in what I am calling my pasture garden. I plowed a furrow with the middle buster. My unamended soil is terrible so I add a half bag of potting soil to the "Bridge or Dam" across the furrow. I filled the furrow full of water, and the water would not even soak through that 18" dam wher the plant was planted, with the soil that dense and heavy, I dont see how I will be able to grow anything in it. ( well the rain has started ) I was expecting to have trouble with this soil, and had stopped at the Co-op to buy compost, and they were out. The Co-op is about the only place I buy supplies, because they always load me. I am sure I could get loaded at other places, but you always have to hunt someone down and ask, I never have to do that at the co-op. Buying in a small town has some draw-backs.

Kim, can you still get the pots? It could be cool to put plants in them and sell them at your markets.

Rebecca, great idea!

Speaking of calendula, I'm trying a new variety called Oopsy Daisy. The first ones bloomed today and they are so pretty. More pastel. Of course, I'll always love the Pacific Beauties, which these reseeded ones are. And I started a few Pacific Beauties but haven't planted them out yet, although they are way overdue. The Oopsy Daisy seed came in the Witchs' Garden bundle I bought back in the fall.

I love the colors so much. I also love the "Queeny" types of zinnias.

If Ethan ever buys a home in Oregon, I'll have so much fun planting things for him. Things that struggle here a bit more. (The calendula reminded me of that.)

I planted out the herb spiral. There's going to be issues when these all fill out. I like the spiral a lot but wish I could have afforded to get a more natural looking stone/rock. Oh well, once the herbs overflow it, it will be pretty. And overcrowded. I had to pull out half the St. John's Wort. There's a couple of other older plants--lemon thyme and mallow. I'll edit with a picture. I'm tired now. But happy that I got to spend time outdoors tonight.

I'm still trying to decide what to put in the Four Elements bed this year....any suggestions?

What is four elements beds. Your spiral looks so cute.

I have gone heavy on hot peppers this year. I think Jerry is much like Lynn, and, Tom, he like to cook, and is working on sauces and rubs. Jerry, my daughter, and grand daughter are playing with the things I grow, which makes it more fun for to grow different things. Jerry has ground some of the peppers that he dehydrated, they are good, but some sure pack a punch. I am growing some peppers for Jerry's BIL also, I am not sure what they plan on doing with them.

Potatoes are looking good over at Jennifer's.

Rick

Yes they are looking good. I always like how potatoes look. I miss growing them.

I have never been able to grow potatoes. I think part of my problem is that my springs are almost always too yet.

I did go out and check my fruit trees and plants in six packs sitting on the front lawn. I am past planting time and everything is much too wet. I would sure like to be able to dump off a bunch of these plants on you guys. I guess that I will have to try to plant a few after I get back from taking Madge to the Dr..

Yes Larry. You and Madge just run over and see us. I wish I was closer I would drive you. How’s the daughter doing?

Larry, before Rick made the SG, I grew potatoes in a tall raised bed box. They did pretty well. Obviously didn't get the amounts that the SG provides. (which reminds me that I need to remember to use the canned potatoes from last year more often) A neighbor, who grows a lot of food in an amazingly small space, puts potatoes in grow pots, like Smart Pots. She has a surprisingly large amount of produce from them. She has maybe 20 pots and they're not the extra large ones either. She was also able to get a large harvest with sweet potatoes the same way. Her garden stuns me often--with the amounts she's able to grow in not a large space. She preserves and offers friends to come pick when she's done with it.

Thanks, Kim. I love the spiral, although it looks a little sparse now (and I wish I had natural stone). There will be a problem when all of those plants fill out, though. I did try to put perennials next to annuals. You can see the St. John's Wort at the top of the pictures. Last year at this time, it looked like one of the tiny plants. Literally half of it was pulled out yesterday before planting the new herbs. The taller plant is the mallow you gave me although it's not bloomed yet. And the other larger plant is a lemon thyme that's been there since maybe the fall of 2023.

The new plants are Colorado blend yarrow, True Hyssop, lavender, burgundy amaranth, bee balm, marjoram, eucalyptus, a sage and probably other things that I'm forgetting.

(I'm bringing some of all of it to you on Saturday). Well, except the eucalyptus. Only one germinated.

All of that to say, that spiral will be packed soon providing everything lives.

And a new problem came up. I don't have room for all of my herbs. I need to make another area maybe for annual culinary herbs. Maybe large pots? There's an empty space in the kitchen garden that I could do that. The area at the bottom (where I'm standing but your can't see) of that picture is a bed that I put basils and zinnias in the last two years, but I really don't want basil in there this year. I want all flowers.

The Elements Garden is just that little wine bottle circle that you can see at the top of the pictures. It's divided into 4 parts. It was the first thing I made after Tom did the till of the kitchen garden nearly 11 years ago. It looked odd out there before we built the other beds. I had neighbors asking if it was an altar and what type of altar and all. lol

Originally I had conflowers in it. Most of them came from a plant I got from Lisa at my very first Spring Fling. I've relocated those coneflowers to the native garden, tho.

Anyway....to answer your question, with an elements garden you just put plants or features that represent or correspond with the different elements of fire, water, air, and earth.

I have rocks and stones in the earth side. Some from the geology lab at OU. And want to do a low ground covering type of plant. Last year on the fire side, I did a cayenne pepper and have a little cauldron, but don't quite know how to use it in a garden. On the water side, I have a very small bird bath and on the air side, a small metal pinwheel.

Do any plants come to mind that could be used for any of those?

I should get back to work now.

It's been raining this morning. We didn't really need it today, but I won't complain about rain. Not too often anyways.

Jennifer, thanks for the suggestions, but I am about gardened out. If I were younger I would try different things, but at this point I am having a hard time just maintaining what I have, I am trying to get rid of stuff, Madge and I both are just worn out.

I need to rest a while, then hopefully I can go plant a few things. I still have work on the ditch and driveway that needs done, I need to change oil in all my junky equipment, the lawn already needs mowing again. There is a ton of things that I need to be working on, and it seems that all I do is sit in this recliner and rest.

HJ, all my kitchen herbs are in large pots I just have to watch that they don’t dry out, otherwise they do great.

My day was pretty much a waste. I took Madge to the Dr., then out to eat, then a little grocery shopping, then we had company, and in between showers I planted 24 peppers, all but 8 were some type of pimento pepper. I wanted to plant some sweet potatoes, but that ground had been worked this year and soaked up too much water, it was just too muddy to plant, it does not look like it will dry any time soon, we don't need all the rain we are getting.

I should have stretched out my string, my pepper row looks like it was plant by a drunk man.

I thought about what my step dad always said about this land, he said that you had to plow it between 1:00, and 2:00 o:clock, it was too wet before 1:00, and too dry after 2:00, and it really is about that bad. I am always saying that it goes from soup to sidewalk in a week without rain.

Looks good to me Larry. Jennifer I think the red hot poker looks like fire to me. The jewels of opar remind me of air they are always moving in the wind.

Kim, in a way, this brings back a lot of good memories. Mom and dad bought this place in 1952. Mom and dad had problems getting in an early garden because it was so wet. Being in between two mountains, we got a lot of run-off, also being low, we got late frost. In the last 73 years not much has changed, it is still wet, and we still get late frost. You would think that I would quit complaining, or move.

The plants look okay. I should be okay as for as frost goes, but you can never second guess wind and hail.

I sure wish we could be a SF, I have no idea what I am going to do with all of these plants. I was able to dump a wicking tub and a bunch of plant off on some ladies at the clinic Tue..

Kim, you ask earlier about how the daughter is doing, I am not sure which one you were asking about, but as far as I know they are all doing fine.

The one that bright you last year to the spring fling. I thought you said she broke her arm or something.

My daughter brought us last year, this year my daughter already had plans for the weekend of the 26th. Madge's daughter said that she and her husband would like to go this year and take us, then she fell and broke her arm, and is still having trouble. Madge and I both are not doing great, and don't feel that we can make the trip alone, even tho we would like to. As far as I know all of our kids are doing well, just dealing with life like the rest of us.

If Madge and I are able, we will go see her family Sat, the great grand kids are planning an Easter egg hunt, and Madge's son is celebrating a birthday, we think that we can make that trip, it will only be about 75 miles. But we still have to get some medication or we may not be able to go see her family. Getting old is not as much fun as I had planned on it being.

Gonna get a break from the garden whether I wanted it or not.

7 day forecast says every day is gonna be similar to the last two. Storms and rain in the forecast every day. IDK this weather pattern, its above my pay grade.

I got .4 inches yesterday and since midnight today, I'm at .82 and rising. Tomorrow is suppose to be rain/storms all day.

I did get cardboard laid down midrow, so I can access the garden. But can't do anything.

I planted two Marcum tomato plants in the same spot as the two that died. I will find out if there's something in the soil that killed them.

Kim, I see Home Depot putting their veggie plants on clearance. I still like Marcum for quality plants. They purchase from a grower in Kansas, I think its called Sedona.

This WSJ article from this week explains Home Depots garden strategy. My brother and I were talking last week about how they have such better plants and selection than the other big box stores. HD has put a lot of money into lawn/garde,

This link should get beyond the paywall .

Home Depot from WSJ

Cliff notes version of that WSJ article , key points. I've bought dipladenia from HD last year and this year. Its a trumpet shaped flower that attracts hummingbirds. And it makes a good hanging basket for the patio. We put hummingbird feeders right next to them.

Key Points

What's This?

• Home Depot’s spring trials showcase new plants, influencing garden center offerings and aiming for customer success.

• The garden business is a major revenue source for Home Depot, exceeding appliances, lumber, and paint sales.

• Home Depot uses trial gardens and partnerships to identify resilient plants, improving customer gardening success.

My next door neighbor has 5 or 6 kids, don't now exactly, I can't get a good count. Ages are 4 yo to 19 yo.

So I find all kinds of crazy stuff in my yard, like this rock with a bandaid that was in my garden last year. That's about the only explanation I can arrive at.

Its on the midrow cardboard.

Lynn, the link was interesting, I use to buy from Home Depot years ago. One of my problems is that the local greenhouses have closed, and Home Depot is too far away. If I buy locally now, it is Bonnie or nothing. If a person was sure that they could get the kind of plants they wanted, I think that you can buy plants cheaper than you can raise them, but I try to raise most of my plants anyway.

We seem to be getting a break in the weather, the sun is shinning, and I am hoping that it is drying my garden a little, because I don't think this break will last long, and I need to get some plants in, I would like to plant okra also, but I doubt that the bread will last that long. I can only work for short periods at a time, and that causes me to be so slow at doing anything.

Lynn, your city rocks are much prettier than my country rock, they are so smooth and well dressed.

Hahaha ........... I got a good idea where that rock came from. People who owned that house 20 years ago used that smooth river rock for a mulch in flower bed. Evidently, the kids are still finding a few of them.

I've got two more tomato plants that are falling over. They're not cut down. It appears the stalk has been weakened just below ground level.

So far, I can't tell by the foilage if the plants are not getting nutrients or water.

And both were planted next to the two that have died. Inside one of the cups, I saw a small black bug, looked like a house fly, it was crawling around. Whether that's the culprit, IDK.

Its a mystery. Its just a question of how many am I gonna lose.

Noticed that my last post was under my Google email. Did I make an account over here with Google? I didn't realize I had.

HJ, mostly it was just tomatoes. My peppers were a dud this year. I got 4 cayenne, 4 jalapeno, and 4 random "ornamental pepper" to germinate. Oh, and a bunch of McMahon bird peppers. They're ridiculously tiny still, but last year produced a bunch of tiny, pea-sized HOT peppers. I did pretty well on the tomatoes, but I always forget people want Early Girl, Big Beef, and red cherries. Most aren't interested in all the unusual stuff like I am. And while they're intrigued by the idea of plants you can grow in a gallon container, none of my micro tomatoes sold.

For your elements... For air, light frilly plants come to mind. Dill, fennel, northern sea oats, cosmos, stuff with airy leaves. For water, succulent types that have a lot of water in them. Or cactus, I vaguely remember hearing how if you're lost in the desert, you can tap a cactus for its water. Or plants you'd find around a water feature. My dad's wife has a small pond with balsam impatiens around it.

I had a bag of potatoes from Christmas that sprouted, so I cut them up and planted them. The plants are now about a foot tall and look good. Now to find out how they actually produce lol. One year I planted in cardboard boxes and they did pretty good. Wound up getting several meals out of one box.

Lynn, that's hilarious about the rock. Back when I was in Tulsa, I had some boys next door and a little girl across the street. I'd find their toys posed around my flowers all the time.

Here is some of the plants I had planned on dumping off on some of you.

I still don't have all of my plants in the ground. I took off to Poteau to buy more compost and potting soil, thr co-op is out of what I want at Greenwood, and at this time of the day it is easier to get to Poteau than to Ft. Smith. I have 14 bags of manure and 21 bags of Top Notch potting soil on my truck now, that should be more than enough to finish my plant, if I can ever get back into the garden.

While I was gone the hydraulics on my bucket bled off and dumped some of compost, but I will scoop it back up and use it amending the garden.

My plants are neglected, and have been in the containers too long, but they will straighten out once they are in the ground.

I need to change clothes and go plant some sweet potatoes. I have 35 plant out at the garden ready to go into the ground.

I am trying a different way of planting sweet potatoes. My soil packs very hard. I normally just plant flat in the garden, and then at harvest time I mow the vines, then dig the potatoes. The older I get the harder the digging gets. I don't know how this will work, but I am afraid that at harvest the garden will still be too rough to mow. I should be able to use the middle buster and plow the potatoes out of the ground, and I have no idea how that is going to work either, in the past I damaged a lot of potatoes like that.

I have 30 plants in this row, and 3 more rows laid off. That will give me around 120 plants in the south garden, with what will be ready, in total I should have 150 plants, that is more than I have ever planted.

I must have started my slips too soon, or waited too late to plant, because some slips were starting to make potatoes, I pulled off all that I noticed because I don't want to start harvesting potatoes in the middle of the summer., and if I leave then in the ground they will be as big as footballs, or sprouting again. Maybe I should just replant these potatoes and see what happens, I would expect that they would just rot.

Lynn, do you think your tomatoes have an issue like damping off? I know it usually affects younger plants, but it can affect older ones too.

Jen, thanks for the ideas for the elements garden!

Larry, that's interesting about your sweet potatoes. I don't have everything planted out yet either. And I need to plant green beans and cucumbers seed soon and a few other things.

H/J ... at this point I'm considering about anything. I saw two more yesterday evening that are leaning over. Maybe that's cause the soil is saturated from rain, I just don't know.

Whatever is causing it, is below ground level.

Yesterday, I replaced all the Solo cups with cottage cheese containers, so I could drive them deeper into the soil.

I put diatomaceous earth inside and outside the collars.

Then in the evening I sprayed the stalks and surrounding ground with Spinosad. Grok told me my best insecticide would be Bifenthrin , but I could not find it except to get it shipped in. Which I did, will be here next week.

I don't have high hopes for the insecticides because the worm has to ingest it or at least come in contact with it when its wet, to kill them.

And both the diatom and spinosad have to be reapplied after a rain. So I will be out there every day. These are the times I have serious doubts about why I do this . Mrs Dollar has been helping, since she's now retired, but she's getting her fill of it also. She'd much rather be in her sewing room.

I've been doing this about 20 years in this garden spot. Last year was my first real trouble with cutworms , or whatever it is.

My morning walk around at first light, there's a total of 6 plants falling over. So far, I don't see any severe wilting.

What's bothersome, is the plants falling over are in the same spots or area of those 12 that died last year.

I asked Grok, the AI on X .

Your tomato plants are likely falling over due to weak stems, insufficient support, or environmental factors. Here are some steps to address the issue:

Staking or Caging: Install stakes, cages, or trellises to support the plants. Drive a stake about 6 inches into the soil near the base and tie the main stem loosely with soft ties (like garden twine or cloth strips). For cages, ensure they’re sturdy and at least 3–4 feet tall for determinate varieties or taller for indeterminate ones.

Check Watering: Overwatering or underwatering can weaken stems. Ensure the soil is consistently moist but not waterlogged. Water deeply 1–2 times per week, depending on weather, aiming for about 1–2 inches of water.

Light Exposure: Insufficient light can cause leggy, weak growth. Ensure plants get 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily. If they’re indoors or in a shaded area, consider moving them or supplementing with grow lights.

Soil and Nutrients: Weak stems may indicate nutrient deficiencies, especially calcium or potassium. Use a balanced fertilizer (e.g., 10-10-10) or one formulated for tomatoes, following package instructions. Avoid excessive nitrogen, which promotes leafy growth over strong stems.

Pruning: Remove lower leaves and suckers (small shoots between the main stem and branches) to improve air circulation and focus energy on the main stem. Don’t over-prune, as some leaves are needed for photosynthesis.

Wind Protection: If plants are exposed to strong winds, they may bend or break. Use a windbreak (like a fence or row cover) or move potted plants to a sheltered spot.

If the plants are still healthy (no signs of rot or severe wilting), they can recover with proper support and care. Inspect for pests or diseases, like cutworms or fungal issues, which could also weaken stems. If you notice specific symptoms (e.g., spots, discoloration), provide details for a more targeted diagnosis.

Lynn, I would like to suggest you dig out a spot in that area and replace the soil with some good potting soil. It could be the size of a 2 or 3 gallon pot, up to the size of a 5 gallon bucket, scatter the soil out in your lawn, if you have bermuda, you cant kill that stuff. The only time I can ever remember having a problem, is when I think I got poison from sprayed hay that I used for mulch. You have used cotton seed hulls for mulch, do you think that there may have a been a spot that was contaminated? If so drop a few bean seeds in the area and watch how they grow, they may grow fast at first, then die.

I wish I had better suggestions, but I wish for a lot of things that I don't have.

The weeds don't have a problem growing in those areas, of course. Isn't that how it goes ?

Right now, I'll just have to wait till it dries out, which may be a while. I've got plants that have fallen over but they're not wilting and dying. Could be the ground is just saturated.

Forecast says we get a day off here tomorrow. Next rain is Monday night. And then it rains all day Tuesday. My rain gauge says 3.25" since Thursday. The garden is flooded.

Jennifer, thanks for your help. we stopped in Ft. Smith today, on the way back from Madge's folks and bught Madge a battery power weed eater. I don't intend for her to use it, but it is here if she wants it. I had rather handle the work outside, but in no way will I tell her not to work outside, I do not want to restrict her in any way, but I am afraid of her hurting herself.

I just unpacked the eater, blower, battery and charger. I stuck a couple of my charged batteries in the tools and they work fine. Madge says they are not too heavy, I think that they will just barely large enough, but I intend to do most of the work with spray.

Lynn, it started raining here about 1/2 hour ago, and it is raining hard. We have been gone since 9:00 this morning, but I expect this is the first rain for the day. I would have liked to have stayed home today and worked, I am so far behind on everything, but we are getting old, and it is always nice to go visit family, it sure put a smile on my wife's face, and I took 42 plants for the kids and grand kids to fight over. I still have too many plants.

We sure missed you Larry

Kim, I sure wish we could have been there, I just don't think it would have been wise for us to have made the trip alone.

I saw some pictures Moni posted, I sure enjoyed those. It looked like it rained. We were lucky, we did not get any rain till about 20 minutes after we got home. We don't like to drive in bad weather, or after dark.

I would have loved dumping off some plants also. Even though I have tilled up space for another garden, I am not sure, I will have room for all my plants. Last year I had to through plants away, that goes against my grain. I should listen to Madge and Emmy, when they say, "don't plant so much".