The zucchini plants were displaying symptoms of blossom end rot, a condition in which the flower end of the zucchini turns black and rots due to lack of calcium. I doubt that we depleted the soil over the last five years, as I always rotate crops. However, the lack of rain for the month of June might have been responsible for not enough calcium moving into the plant. It can happen to any fruiting plant such as cucumbers and tomatoes.

So I raced off to get Tums and Epsom Salt. Yep. Calcium and magnesium. While I had a pail of eggshells soaking along with some used coffee beans (waiting for the calcium to dissolve), these plants need immediate intervention. Tums has calcium, and Epsom salt is magnesium.

A late-planted row of tomato plants got an alternate treatment as they are not yet setting fruit – potassium water made from breaking down banana peels.

I was hoping to cover this field in sunflowers this season. But none of the sunflowers generated yet. Might try again next week though there probably won’t be enough time for seeds.

The farm next door grows onions and they have had to irrigate. This machine filters to water they pump from a well. We’re not that fancy yet. It’s a bunch of 5 gallon buckets with some Tums, Epsom salt, and banana peels for us.