Today was an easy day, but I still woke up early — which worked out perfectly for my weekly 6 a.m. gas‑up at Sam’s. After that I popped next door to Walmart. They still have seeds and supplies, so I checked to see if they carry copper fungicide, but they didn’t. It’s fine because Sammy bought me some from Amazon, and honestly I have enough in my bottle for a couple of more applications, but it is nice of Sammy to buy me some and it won’t go to waste, that if for sure.
I plant tomatoes in his plot for him, as he actually is in another group plot but still likes to keep a few of his own varieties in his little space. Ever since I came back from my trip I’ve neglected them a bit. I did fertilize them once since returning, so they’re not too far off track in terms of feeding, and watering and other maintenance were up to him. I haven’t seen them up close yet, but I know some have died. I don’t think he realized his tomatoes were getting Septoria or that they needed copper fungicide, so I’ll get them back on schedule and hopefully they will bounce back.
Home Tomato Work
Today I potted up the tomatoes at home — they were a little neglected, but they’re all happy now. They spent the morning outside in the early partly‑cloudy sun and then enjoyed dappled light under the trees.
The humidity has been so high lately that the house isn’t cool enough for them to grow like they did during spring germination. Potting them up helps reset everything.
My system is simple and works well:
Aldi 1‑quart containers with holes punched in the bottom
1½ inches of Jiffy professional starting mix as the base
A top mix of Jiffy + Member’s Mark soil + Black Kow + ground cinnamon
The cinnamon does double duty — it promotes root growth and acts as a natural fungicide. Because the humidity has kept the soil waterlogged, I didn’t water after adding the new mix. The dry layer on top should help equalize moisture.
Here is my basic recipe:
- 4 cups Jiffy Professional mix
- 2 1/2 cups Member’s Mark soil
- 1 1/2 cups Black Kow
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Tomorrow’s Plan
Tomorrow will be another day before dawn, as I’m planning to reapply copper fungicide since we had a hard rain yesterday — at least an inch from that gullywasher. With more possible popup showers over the next few days, I’ll spray in the morning so the leaves have a chance to dry before the sun gets too hot and get their armor on (copper fungicide) before the next round of rain.
Other things to do will be to start preparing the holes by weed‑pulling before tilling. It’s probably too wet to till just yet. From my list, I think I’ll put 8‑24‑24 as a top priority for the other veggies, and I still need to fertilize the ginger. Tomorrow I need to remember to pick my heads of seeded dill, as I have enough for dill pickles again. I might have enough okra to make a batch of spicy pickled okra too, since it takes the same brine. I will need to plan a short day on Saturday so I can get the canning done.