Rotting serrano peppers and brown tomato leaf tips

Hello all:
You all seem to be so good at this, but I'm a first time vegetable gardener and am so bad at this so far. I'm having a number of unrelated (or related?) issues, so if anyone feels like slogging through this description of what I'm doing, I'd appreciate it. The amount of money I've invested in this is kind of a lot to our family, and I really don't want my vegetables to die. I would appreciate advice.

So, from the beginning:

-I built a 4' by 6' raised bed and am growing tomatoes, serranos, jalapenos, basil, parsely, and oregano. I filled the bed with generic "topsoil," mushroom compost, some vermiculite, pearlite, and some bags of good-quality garden ready soil mixed in. It was really the best I could afford and access with a small car.

- I used a little bit of fertilizer, but I was scared to add too much because I know it can burn the plants. Maybe I didn't add enough.

- I've been watering every 3-5 days and then watering about 15 gallons with a gallon jug (I calculated that this would equal "an inch" of rain in my 4' by 6' bed. Right?).

-It's humid where I live, but the temperatures are in the 80s, 90s, and sometimes 100s this month, and it also rarely rains in the summer.

-So, my tomatoes are growing quickly and seem happy, except (as you can see in the picture), the tips of the leaves are turning brown. I really want them to be okay. What should I do differently?

-My serrano peppers rotted on the plant (pictured also), and really none of my peppers seem all that happy.The guy at the garden center told me I was over-watering them based on the fact that they're rotting, but I really have been waiting quite a bit of time between waterings. I also let the soil dry out a bit (not bone-dry or anything, but dry) between watering.

-My parsley is growing right next to the rotting peppers, and while some of it is green and healthy, within the same plant some of it is turning bright yellow (also pictured). The guy at the garden center told me I was under-watering it, but it's growing right next to the peppers, which he told me I was over-watering. If I am under-watering, that's an easy fix, but I'm scared it has a disease or something.

- There are leaf-miners and also some other kind of bug (?) eating my basil (no picture). Today I bought some Captain Jack's deadbug powder, some Dynamite organic fertilizer (I was told my problems might be a nutrient/calcium problem), and I buried some cans of beer with the top cut off of them in the soil.

-I bought some straw and plan to mulch with that.

I know that's a lot to read, but I'm so anxious that I wasted my family's money on this whole gardening thing. I would love to be able to salvage what I can. All of my plants are still pretty small, as I got a late start this year.

Thanks so much!

Marilyn

I have never had an issue like this before, but I will go out there and say it might be a disease. Ive discovered I'm no use when it comes to plant diseases and rotting, lol!
If it is not a disease, hopefully somebody will come along and help with this.

Best of luck!
-Bloomfly

I did however notice my Roma tomato plant acquired a disease,one of which that causes misshapen leaves and bud drop. It seems to be pulling out of it(if its even possible lol)since the leaves are getting larger and flatter(unlike the tiny curled leaves it had for a while).

Many diseases and mineral deficiencies cause leaf browning, so maybe there is a mineral in the soil that is low? Sorry I am little help with this.

Best of luck!
-Bloomfly

I'll start by saying it is possible to underwater one plant and over water the one beside it if their water needs are different. To me, however, yellow leaves, especially lower leaves, indicate overwatering. The brown leaf tips on the tomatoes dont seem that serious to me unless it is all over the tomato plant. A brown leaf here and there can mean the edge got bent or crushed while working with the plant. Do not fertilize ailing plants!!! Wait until the problem is solved to fertilize. If you stick your finger into the soil about two inches and the soil is damp, no water is needed. Start checking before you water each time. Usually a disease wont affect all three of these different plants at the same time. Check the tomatoes for spider mites, the most common problem with tomatoes. Look for small spider webs on the under side of the leaves. The mites are so small they are hard to see without a magnifier but they leave tell-tale pin dot spots on tomato leaves.

marilyn,
You’re not bad at gardening; you’re new at it. You’re a rookie. Keep hope and keep at it. You’ll get your hits–but don’t try too hard or you’ll tense up and miss.

I can identify with steady’s comments. Water by feel (and there’s more ways to feel than with just your finger) not by arithmetic. I can’t fathom how a gardener can successfully grow side-by-side different species of plants, each having different individual needs which must be met by the gardener, all in the same box. But I’m a traditional gardener. So, if they are all going to live happily in the same four by six bed, they need to have similar needs, I think. When planning your next garden, think about it.

The pepper: I’m not familiar with the cultivar. I plant sweet banana, jalapeno, and bell. Every year about this time, in the extreme heat of summer, the bells will start showing problems similar to your Serrano’s. I attribute it to their biological clock; the vines are past their prime. I have already gathered bountiful bells. It can’t go on forever. Their season of production is over. We’ll do it again next year, LORD willing.

The tomato: It might be fertilizer burn, but more likely, again, the aging process. Yea, there are still lots of tomatoes on the upper parts of our vines, but the vines are past maturity. They don’t have the vitality of youth or the strength of adulthood. Leaves, starting from the bottom up, are dying. Some call it late blight; I call it the ticking clock.

In 8a (marilyn, you might want to put your hardiness zone by Norman, OK. You will probably get more nibbles; not everyone knows what zone Norman’s in.) it goes like this during an average season. April and early May seeds are planted and plants are set. Starting early to take advantage of peak growing season, which is framed around the summer solstice, is highly important. You want to beat the heat and dryness of July, but not start so early a cold snap will hinder seed-sprouting or nip sets. The remainder of May and June, you tend and watch it grow–the most enjoyable part to me. July, you harvest and watch the dying process begin. There are some overlapping and aberrations, and some plants that will not be forced into this Procrustean bed, but that’s typically the way a summer garden goes and grows in 8a. Of course, you can have an early garden and a fall garden and there are winter crops. With your small area and monetary investment, you might want to consider crops for each season. You can grow lots of food in your garden in a year's time.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; plant as much variety as your circumstances allow. You’ll hit on something. Gear your garden to the soil and the seasons. Take what they give you and be thankful. I’m not saying don’t strive to improve your plant’s menu. We are what we eat, they say and I believe. Knowing a healthful menu, preparing it, and properly serving it are the hard parts. Do know a sick person or plant can be over-medicated, and time is a strong healer. Don’t rush it; nature’s in no hurry.

The parsley: I don’t do herbs. That’s Help Meet’s job; she’s good at it.

Did I prescribe a cure for what ails your plants? No. There might not be a cure.

Can you picture your fall garden?

Hello, again. Just a warning, if it gets too hot, your tomatoes will quit producing tomatoes. The plants wont necessarily die but no tomatoes. If you can find a way to give your tomatoes some shade and keep the plants alive, when the temps cool off, they will start producing again. Another tip: herbs generally like it hot and on the dry side so maybe plant them seperately from your veggie plants, say in a flower bed or in a pot. Getting started late is something that probably is contributing to your problems as Adam said. Also realize that gardening has a steep learning curve.

As Adam suggested, start thinking fall garden. Here in hot, hot, Texas, it is our best garden. In August, start some cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts or kale seeds and plant in your bed about end of September. They will continue producing until a hard freeze and if you can protect them from that, they will produce until April. At the same time, sow some lettuce seeds,turnips, collards in your bed, some carrots, beets seeds.

At the end of summer, the Home Depots and Loews usually get rid of old seed by selling packets at a discount. Most veggie seeds are good for several years so stock up to save money.

For things that might produce too much for you to use at once like lettuce, use succession planting, meaning sow some seed, then two weeks later, sow more seed, then two weeks later, etc. That prevents the produce from all getting ready at once. When harvesting leafy veggies, harvest a few outer leaves from each plant each time, leaving the plant in the ground to produce more leaves.

Stick close to DG and ask your questions. It has trained many of us to garden but dont forget, Mother Nature is always in control, no matter how much you know. The plant files can educate you on what your plants need to thrive and the closer you get to that, the more successful you will be. I think that is why so many of us are "hooked" on gardening. It's a little like a gambling addiction, I guess. There's always next year!!!! We do get better each year though. The more we learn, the more the odds are tipped in our favor. Hang in there. A garden IS a good investment in your family. Good for you!!!

marilyn’,
Here’s a good pub for talking tomato probs. If you can’t get no satisfaction, resort to the Bloody Mary.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1266.pdf