Market Farming

["Margaret L Wilson" <booldawgs AT cavenet.com>]

This is my 3rd summer gardening here in the very SW corner of Oregon.  The 
weather is very dry and hot this year for this area.  I actually have ripe 
eggplants, tomatoes and peppers without working at it.  Usually the nights 
are very cool even when the days are hot.  The plants grow huge but the fruit 
doesn't ripen.  This spring my plants got a good start in a makeshift hoop 
house.  It was very warm until the plastic began to tear off in the wind.  
Everything has been growing like crazy and actually ripening without night 
covers till now.  The temperatures are getting back to normal with cool 
nights and the ripening has stopped in it's tracks.  It is actually cloudy 
and rainy yesterday and today.  Now my cool weather seedling are growing like 
crazy.  I covered the warm weather crops with frost blankets last night.  
Good thing because it also hailed.

I have decided that I need to grow in hoop houses that can be uncovered 
during the day and covered in the early evening to retain the warmth if I am 
going to have eggplant, tomatoes and peppers.  This is way too much work to 
do manually so I am looking at systems with rollup sides, possibly on a timer 
or thermostat.  It is discouraging and I don't know if it is possible or 
affordable.
There was an article in the LA Times last week talking about how climate 
change is going to have a major economic effect on California and it's 
agriculture.  Hotter and drier there means hotter and drier here.  I am 
trying to plan my farm restoration accordingly and feeling rather 
overwhelmed.  Planting more trees, restoring the original wetlands, and 
improving the tilth seems the best I can do for the future.
Margaret

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <herbthyme AT simcon.net>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: August 23, 2004 5:18 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] Eggplant


I guess I'm wondering what the experience of others is with egg plant 
(this season and other seasons) and if anyone knows of a foliar I can 
apply that would promote blossoming and fruiting (before it is too 
late!!) 

Thanks