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Muy buen video 🎉

Your plants look so much better, especially since it rained. 😃🙌🏾

Nope, I do not check any plants everyday. Some plants never get checked unless I see an issue at harvest time. It wasn't always like that. It became too much in the summer with watering and looking for pests. The only time this year that I checked daily was when I had a groundhog in my yard. It ate almost everything. Started off with the lettuce, then the brassicas and then basil and sunflowers. I only checked daily to determine if it was still in the yard as I kept trying to get rid of it. Prior to that I either covered brassicas or took a chance on caterpillars eating them. It wasn't always like that. Last year I started focusing on attracting beneficials to the garden and keeping records of when the pest started to take over. Now, I have a good variety of plants that attract lady bugs so I don't have to worry about aphids. I don't get hornworms since I stopped growing nicotiana. At the beginning of the season I have everything covered because of season extension so I don't have to worry about squirrels but I do add cover towards the beginning of fall to keep them out of my yard. The only plant I will fuss over now is zucchini. I grow them in ground under cover at the beginning. Once they start to flower I start burying the stem in the soil so that the plant roots in multiple spots to help with the squash vine boar. Other than the groundhog this has been the best year I have had with easing pest pressure. The tomato stem looks damaged. Maybe it is trying to heal itself. Maybe all of the rain encouraged it to through out the thick white roots or was it leaned over in the ground? Are your other tomato plants like that? If you want the tomatoes to be bigger you are going to have to get them in bigger pots. Especially if those are beefsteaks. You will hear people say you can't grow those in smaller pots. You can and I have. You just have to water and fertilize more often than you want. I am only in my fourth year of gardening and I learned year two that a high maintenance garden is not going to be sustainable for me. I have plants in the ground to harvest everyday of the year. I am working on ways to make it as easy as I possibly can on myself.

I think those tomatoe stems typically have fuzz on them 🤷🏽‍♀️

Thank for the update.

Fried green tomatoes in the future maybe????🤔

Let’s see how ur plants are doing at ur sister’s house please? 🙏🏾 ❤

STILL GOOD SO MAKE U SOME FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

If I’m correct, if the tomatoes are not split too badly, I let them stay and hope they ripen and the squirrels don’t snatch them off.

Oh my...from no rain to much rain! 😂...nice 🍅!🤗

Looking great ❤❤❤

It’s a journey. Keep going.

I think you are doing a good job. Gardening is a LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Purslane. Look up it's benefits, you may not want to dig them out after that.

I'm a new gardener as well. It's a learning process. You did well😊

OMG! The heat has been ridiculous in the Northeast. I understand

Muchos animos x❤

The weeds you want to pull up can be eaten.. it's called purslane..if i was close to you i would take them all 😂😂 happy gardening.

They look a lot better than the last time, it hot during the day but you can water in the evening when it's cooler.. the grow bag get really dry in the heat so it's not going to get over water...

You need to water the spuds more, they should always have damp soil never dry. Wait til the foliage is completely died down, water them, a week later cut the foliage off and leave for another week, then harvest. I just fry the little ones and eat them. The ones with roots on are also good to eat, just take the roots off.

You are doing fine, don't let it overwhelm you🤗🌺. This is what happens when you first start. I have been gardening for 4yrs now and every season I learn something new from my mistakes. Look into drip irrigation, it's a game changer for watering. Those weeds are called purslane, look them up( medicinal and edible). But, I would cut the grass, because of 🐍, mosquitoes and hiding rabbits. Happy gardening to you and your sister🥰

Yay your garden bounced back , looking good ! 😃🙌🏾❤️ 😄 They just need a little TLC , watering & shade cloth if the UV level reaches 8-10! When the temperatures get high some days they may need water in the AM & PM. Just check with your fingers in the pot , at least 2 inches down feel the soil. The grow bags have pros & cons. They do dry out very fast & lose nutrients quicker than plastic containers, But they are economical and easy to move around. You will know what works best for you as time goes on in your gardening journey. You got this girl! 👏🏾👏🏾❤😂

This is my first year gardening also. Please let the naysayers be your motivators. Your garden looks very green and healthy. That plant that you said was sticking , those little brown clusters look like insect eggs. Don’t look at it as hard because for your first time you are doing a fantastic job ❤.

I have been learning alot from viewing your videos...I hope people ease up on you as you are on a learning curve ...continue to have fun and look forward to a wonderful harvest!💕🫑🍅🥕🥦🥔🥒

Not shameful 😆 We want perfect gardens but we have to give ourselves grace to learn. Did you see how the plants bounced back! I was going to say the next time the temps get up that high maybe pull them off the concrete onto the grass, up to the retaining wall maybe. But then you said snakes. Or like someone said get a kiddie pool and put all the plants in it with some water partially if the extended forecast is going to be in the 90s to 100. I'm telling you soon you will be looking back laughing at this moment and grateful for the experience. The plants are looking so much better. Are you planning for fall?

Does the raised part where the cukes & squash were get any sun? Do you know if thete are deer in the upper level? Maybe line your bags on the part where the squash was to get them out of the direct sun. They could bounce back.

Get a kiddy pool or 2 and put the plants in that so when water can put water in the pool itll collect the water too when over top water as well?? Idk just thinking so the the water doesn't go straight to the ground. But get shade cloth yeah I stopped growing bc couldn't get a hold of shade cloth but weather is cooling down already so getting ready to put seeds down. Also put most of the plants by the wall bc that can give some shade.

Maybe bunch it all together or space out the tomatos but get shade cloth 40% Amazon put some stakes around the plants and put the shade cloth on top.

I can't express enough how much you need to invest in a shade cloth. Also, you might need to change your watering. I went through the same thing and learned the hard way.

I’m in South Carolina too. And I didn’t get much to harvest. The peas that my husband planted looks so beautiful but it has no peas. But don’t give up. When I was living with my father. My garden was plentiful and beautiful. And he lives in South Carolina as well. I’m getting ready to start my Fall garden. ❤

Your biggest issue that you can’t check on your plants DAILY (sometimes in morning and early evening), since they are at your sister’s house. You aren’t checking if the pots are dry and need water DAILY especially in humid SC, so they are dying from simply not getting watered. Why start a garden if you don’t check on it for several days?!! 🙄 Yes, they need shade but they also need WATER and fertilizer (once a month at least fertilized). You are expecting those plants to take care of themselves? 😅😂 Gardening requires patience, checking your plants conditions (for insects, diseases, water, nutrients , if shade is needed ect). Shade cloth is also worth investing in when temperatures are extremely high to cover your plants. The bottom end rot on the tomatoes can be from infrequent watering or calcium deficiency (or both). Having to travel back & forth to check on your plants is your greatest downfall. I know it’s your only option for now due to your landlord’s rules, but checking plants daily is a must to have positive results. Right now your plants are being neglected because they are not being taken care of properly and watered. Those cloth bags dry out faster than the plastic containers. I hope one day you will have the opportunity to grow your plants in your own backyard so you can enjoy the benefits of sowing, growing and harvesting healthy vegetables! So you will be able to step out early in the morning & late afternoons to check on your plants on your own property. It’s very challenging to garden in another person’s yard . Wishing you many blessings! 😊❤️🙏🏾

I used the same grow bags, and they make the soil dried out really fast, so you have to make sure you give it a good soak every day and don't forget to fertilize.. tomatoes love the sun.

You might need to start them at Sally's in the winter and then move them back to your place during the summer...or use that raised area that you showed in Sally's yard! Did you try cutting the tomatoes open to see the center of them...? If so what did they look like?

The hose - that looks like a soaker hose, not a regular yard hose. So essentially, yes you are losing water along the length of that hose. Definitely replace that soaker hose with a regular hose.

What others have suggested is great info. My question would be, since you don’t go to your sister’s place everyday during heat waves, are the plants still getting watered? Also, in my garden, my yard is shaded by my neighbors trees and a couple of my own, so the garden only gets roughly 3-4 hours of direct sunlight. All other times of day it’s dappled light and they are thriving. So in my experience direct sunlight isn’t a must for tomato and pepper plants, thus no shade cloth required. Don’t give up and plan for a fall garden this year. I’m not in the same growing zone as you, so I’m sure there’s veggies you can grow relatively easy. 😊 If I’m correct, The Millennial Gardener is in the same (if not close to) the same growing zone as you. Maybe check out his CZcams channel - he did a video on tomatoes and peppers thriving in dappled light.

Also you can just bust open the tomatoes a little and cover it up with soil in the same spot with your growing tomatoes

For too much sun exposure you could use a shade cloth, a garden umbrella or just a regular umbrella. You can also move them to a more shadier spot with less direct sunlight, or also apply a layer of mulch to help retain soil moisture and keep roots cool. Last but not least you can cover the plants with a light fabric during the hottest part of the day to reduce sun exposure and water in the early morning or late afternoon to minimize evaporation and provide relief during the hottest parts of the day.

For too much sun exposure you could use a shade cloth, a garden umbrella or just a regular umbrella. You can also move them to a more shadier spot with less direct sunlight, or also apply a layer of mulch to help retain soil moisture and keep roots cool. Last but not least you can cover the plants with a light fabric during the hottest part of the day to reduce sun exposure and water in the early morning or late afternoon to minimize evaporation and provide relief during the hottest parts of the day.

Hi, my first question is did you have the full strength of the sun in your backyard? Did you have more shade than at your sisters? If so, that would be part of the issue. The other is the fabric pots. Those fabric pots require a lot of watering. As you said they are being under watered so when they do get water they have the blossom end rot. Some people may tell you to add calcium. The calcium may not be available to your plants due to improper watering. When the temps get higher you may need to water once or twice a day. I think that regular deep watering would fix it. Next year maybe put the plants in larger pots. The bigger the pot/soil mass the less you have to water. Especially if you are in 100 degree temps. I would get some shade cloth and drape it over the tomato cages to knock the sting of the sun down. The hose your sister has could be wrapped inside the pots to water as opposed to the bucket. I can't think of the name of the hose but it works like drip irrigation. For the rabbits you could lift the pots a few feet off of the ground, tall enough where the rabbits won't climb. You could also use insect netting if you don't get the shade cloth. Another option is to use wire mesh or chicken wire to create a fence around them. I can't remember if you have to dig a trench in the ground for rabbits or not. If you leave them on the concrete you should be fine. If you move them back on the soil they could possibly climb under. Saving seeds you absolutely could. People have all the rules about babying tomato plants but you are going to have a ton of volunteer plants next year because tomatoes are gonna fall everywhere. Your sister is going to have a ton of tomato plants growing all over her yard. Most people will tell you to save seeds from plants and fruit that do well or your first fruit. I say experiment and see how it goes. Next year compare plants from saved seeds and commercial seeds and see how you fair. There are a lot of rules for different reasons, you will get all kinds of advice. I followed a lot of advice the first year but did my research and a lot of experimenting and each year is getting better and better. I know the same will happen for you.

Replant and fertilize with bone meal

I’m loving the garden it’s so much progress on your journey and passion for the earthy plants and my potatoes were small tennis ball like sizes but I have learned my lesson and now know what I need to know next time‼️⚠️

Not you bout to have 4 french fries😂😂😂. He ain’t right!

If you haven't eaten the tiny potatoes, throw them back in the soil and harvest after 120 days or when the entire plant looks dead.

idk your zone, but you can do 60-80 day potatoes if your zone allows. i think you can in your zone. im 7b, and i could probably squeeze in one more determinate type of potato before my first frost, if i did it like right now. They could also just over winter if worse comes to worse, or move into a garage to finish off if they're almost ready. but yeah. also try worm castings just on top of the potato seed or right under the area where the potato seed is planted. works well

You need some perlite or vermiculite in your soil. It was hard breaking apart

Yay for you potatoes. The remaining bag add some bone meal and veggie fertilizer. Once you move it to more sun it’ll probably perk up and give more potatoes. You have enough time to plant more now to harvest for fall. You can eat all the small potatoes! The small ones with roots you can plant and see if they grow more potatoes. Baby seed potatoes if you will. Happy growing.

So glad you didn’t give up on your journey to gardening. YAYYYY 🤗happy and excited for you.

Muy buena energia 🎉

yep. I could see that your garden needed watered. In real hot weather you need to water them more often. Don't kill them! You just didn't plant them in a big enough pot. They do better if you would plant them in the dirt without a pot. You have to water your garden and feed them some fertilizer! If you drink no water, by seven days or so you'll die. WATER!! FERTILIZER!! Plant in the ground. (I planted a garden on my patio using very, very large rubbermaid tubs. Bigger than 55gal size. Two big bags of soil (not mulch). I planted lettuc, radishes, tomatoes (two plants per tub), even watermelon grew in my tubs. WATER, WATER, WATER in beastly hot weather. The potato vines should die off, that means the taters are ready to dig up. The little baby ones, are excellent fried in butter and eat. The flavor is amazing! I like to make my version of succatash. Baby potatoes, tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, and green onions, chopped and fried in butter. You can add meat. The potatoes are just fine. The soft ones the roots you should eat first. Soft taters means its entering their rotten stage. If they are squishy, then they are bad. Your potatoes were dug up too soon. A potato with those extra knobs just means they had started to grow out, then the water stopped, then the water started again and they started the knobs. You can plant for a fall harvest but you need to live in a southern state. Any state that gets snow as early as September and it doesn't melt until April. You can't have a garden outside anyways. You gotta put more effort into your garden with watering everything. How do you know they are desperate for water? When the leaves are wilting and drooping! And the dirt you used, needs conditioned with fertilizer. Potatoes and straw: Straw is only used for potatoes if you lay your seed potatoes on top of the ground, cover with straw and water at least once a week and in hot weather every other evening. Never water gardens until the evening, like after 5 or 6pm. Otherwise, with potatoes, plant them under the dirt about an inch or two. Make sure the potato eye is facing upward, cover with dirt and when all plants water well. You can spread straw over top in the rows where you walk to help keep the weeds out. I think its a waste of time and money. Garden fabric works well too, but needs anchored down with rocks or spikes (garden section). Every fall, before frost, till your whole garden, called 'turn it over' and let it winter. In spring, till it again, make your furrowed rows and ready for spring planting. Potatoes and tomatoes can be planted by St Patrick's Day in northern states like Iowa. In Oklahoma, you can plant a fall garden, but is more risky if there's a freak winter storm.

You can leave the potatoes until the greens die completely back.