need help on left over summer garden

[spadesbouncer]

HI all,

THis was my very First garden that i did all by my self.. LOL... Usually i help mom with hers but this year i wanted one here too.. For a first time gardener i think we ( GOD and I ) did really well...LOL I have learned alot.. And am just dying to buid more boxes and have more dirt brought in for spring..LOL

Anyways here is my question:

I read in a book once that when it starts getting cold that you are supposed to pull off the new blooms so that the veggies that are on there will rippen out.. Can any one tell me if this is true?? And if so when should i do it?? The weather here (central texas ) just started turning cold..Todays high was 65..

We had such a drought that after the real heat came in my peppers and tomatoes stopped producing but i did manage to keep the plants big and healthy..They are making so much right now that i have to pick peppers every day and am having to pick some whilethey are very young so that they will all have a chance to grow.. My bell peppers are having to be staked up they are so heavy...

I don't want to lose the peppers but i don't want to waste them by pulling the blooms off to early.. Also the tomatoes are producing again and i need help with those too..

Thanks in advance.. stephanie

[kurlisola]

Well, I've never really heard of that, but it makes sense. A plant only has a limited amount of energy. It must disperse that between growing, forming friut/veggies & flowering. So, it follows that if you pick off the blooms, that the plant will expend its energy on growing the existing fruit. That is actually the reason you deadhead flowers. Remove the ones past their prime & the plants uses its energy to make new flowers.

[cutenirish]

if tomoatoes are the right size and just not ripe pulloff and set in window or on counter top and they will TURN eventually might be afew weeks but they will :)

[kintx]

I don't think that pulling of the flowers will help the ripening of anything. However, deadheading the tomatos (and peppers probably too) will help to grow them bigger and faster. Basically instead of a bunch of new little tomatos that probably won't make it until frost anyway, your plants would grow the ones already on there bigger.

K