Just noticed some buds

So they are doing okay as far as putting out buds at this size. The change in the tomato new growth keyed me in that something was going on and had to take a closer look. Yes I said if they start flowering at this age I'll pull them off but... we will see what happens. According to the label my Better Boy tomato should mature in 70-75 days hmmm. Let's say that when I brought it home it was already three weeks old, maybe a month, that knocks down the time to 45 days tops and a week has already gone by so that's 68 days? It should be a bit bigger before it produces so if the flower succeeds in being pollinated (next topic: plant sex!) it would be too big a fruit to be supported by a small plant so it will get pinched off. Same with the jalapeño (finally figured out how to do the tilde on the n) as it is still way to young to be producing full size fruit in any quantity.  

By the way I only just noticed the damage to the lower leaves on the pepper, not concerned really and next time I am out there I'll get a closer look to see what's going on. See? It's that easy, don't stress about damaged leaves, it'll survive. I KNOW I don't have snails, nowhere for them to hide and way to hot for them to survive.

Hopefully brief lesson on plant sex. If you paid attention in school biology at all you know how we get fruits and babies but with some plants it's a little more complicated and in others, incredibly easy.

Story time: honest truth, years ago a customer honestly told another employee that they thought the flowers came after the fruit 😲. My comment later on was, 'What part of high school biology did they miss? All of it?'.

Explanation: Self pollination (most tomatoes, peppers, corn/grasses/flowers), both male and female parts in same flower sometimes no external vector needed to fertilize other than the wind blowing over the flower. 

Next level (some fruits and trees), some external vector needed to fertilize even though both parts are present. 

Complicated level, male flowers and female flowers open separately and need a little help getting pollinated. 

More complicated (avocados): male flowers open one time of day and female flowers another time, thus needing another variety that has an opposite cycle to increase pollination.

Reasons why some plants, despite good conditions drop flowers, do not flower or do not produce fruit'

Plants can actually be too 'happy' and not want to produce flowers. Remember that flowers and fruit are reproduction and continuation of the species for plants. That's all their doing. Humans are the ones that have taken advantage of this and interfere in the cycle when they don't understand the process.

If you have ever had a tomato or pepper produce flowers then they drop before forming fruit there are a few factors. Top of the list is too much water or nitrogen in the soil, having them stressed a little increases the need for them to reproduce because there is a situation where they may not survive. More nitrogen in the soil produces more leaves, thus negating any reproduction signals. Lots of healthy growth but no flowers (it also happens when a plant gets too much shade. Not enough sun and energy to produce flowers and fruit).

This is why I always give the scrape/dig test on the soil to check the soil moisture rather than relying on a mechanical meter or (as some customers have said) 'Oh it's hot outside I should water, the plants must be hot too'. It's familiarly called "3 'o'clock wilt" and I explained about that earlier.

In squash and melons if they are kept watered well something else happens. They will produce male flowers but not female flowers. I have had many customers coming in explaining that situation and I tell them it's because they don't need female flowers, back off on the water. Stress them out a bit... (see note above). 

Another symptom of too much water (and lack of calcium) for tomatoes and peppers and cucurbits (squashes/melons) is what is called blossom end rot. That grey/brown soft area that develops at the blossom/bottom end of the fruit. For years we knew it was a lack of calcium from all the growing experts but then someone read up more on it and found that in poor soils or situations where the garden is getting watered too frequently the calcium and other nutrients were being diluted and washed through so the plant isn't absorbing it completely and you get a deficiency of calcium. The solution is not only adding a calcium supplement but also, and more important, back off on the watering. Most fertilizers that are formulated for vegetables and tomatoes specifically have added calcium and sulfur. Sulfur acidifies the soil and lowers the pH which enables the plant to take up the nutrients easier. In our nutrient and organically poor soil in San Diego and the southwest this is crucial. Northwest and basically any other part of the country there is sufficient rainfall and existing organic rich soil. Just look at a color map and you'll see the large swath of brown compared to green areas, that is oversimplified but it's what I'm talking about.

I am still hoping to move further north and have soil that doesn't need to be heavily amended. 

Another shot of the lily