plants dying???

[new2gardening]

This is our first garden, so we are learning along the way. We live in Florida, so the days are getting very hot. Out of all our squash plants, we have only harvested two. Now the plants are starting to turn really yellow and terrible. Is this normal for them to start changing colors or are they dying?

The bottom leaves on our broccoli are started to turn brown, is this normal or are they dying too?

They have lived this long, are are big plants. Am I not watering them enough now or too much, do they need to be fertilized again? HELP!!!

 

[KayRI]

Would you have squash vine borer? look carefully at the base of the stem, you can sometimes see frass around the hole where they have bored through the stem.

As for you brocolli, I'm not sure. Is it too hot for them to produce? I think they are cool weather plants.

How much are you watering and what are your temps like?

 

[lavacaw]

Where in Florida are you? When we were in Central Florida the soil was very sandy and needed lots and lots of organic matter and iron. Broccoli was definitely reserved for the fall garden as it got too hot too fast to do well in the spring/summer garden.
:rainbow-sun

 

[silkiechicken]

My guess is they are dying. Broccoli is a cold season crop so best eat it soon. As for your squash, they need lots of organic matter to grow well and lots of water.

 

[scrapmom5]

I found with my squash and my beans that during the really hot days (90+) that it started to die. We provided filtered shade and they took off. We would put up a trellis system which provided enough relief that the squash grew and provided enough veggies for my family and my neighbors.

 

[new2gardening]

scrapmom5, that is what I was afraid of. We are in South Florida, and the days are long and hot already. The beans and squash are in the full sun all day. I'm not sure how I would shade them.

 

[patandchickens]

Windowscreen or shadecloth, stapled to a simple frame knocked together out of wood scraps, works well. I'd say snowfence, but of course that would be awful hard to find where you are Perhaps you have some of that construction-site-type plastic mesh fencing around, though, to use either alone or with leafy branches threaded thru it in strategic places?

Or try to scavenge a bunch of the already-aluminum-framed screens out of peoples' replacement windows (up here, they show up at the curb on garbage day, or at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, or even just in the backs of friends' and neighbors' garages) -- hinge them loosely together with two loops of wire and presto, little shade 'tents'. In a pinch, you may be able to rig something out of brush or cut branches.

The main thing to watch for is that your shade dealie is not going to keel over in a thunderstorm and squash your plants flat -- the hinged-together framed windowscreens are nice in that regard, as you can pin them down well on the S or W side and then if they blow themselves flat they weigh so little they don't hurt the plants much.

Good luck,

Pat, up where we still have not had our last frost of the season yet

 

[Tutter]

I don't need it for the veggies, but we lost 18 trees, which put my shade garden into full sun. We did what Pat mentioned, and put shade cloth over it, and it's helped a lot! :happy_flower

 

[scrapmom5]

My Dh planted grape vines and then put two trellis systems in. The first is for the cooler days but when it gets hot we move the vines across the garden to provide shade. The vines show no strain in the move and we are able to manipulate the sun's rays. He has also used canvas triangles and posted them on long poles to provide shade. He didn't like the looks and always wanted a few grapes for munching so he went with the grape thing. Hope this helps.

 

[coopy]

I know it is too late for you to do this this year but you might want to try it for next year. Go to Mother Earth News and read this article (How to Grow a Garden Without Any Hard Work
Roscoe Walker layers organic material and newspapers in a very sunny location as a base for is vegetable garden.)

. This might help you out for next year. I am going to make me acouple of raised beds like this for next year. I like the idea of less work.