Here are some more of our Caribe potatoes. The plants were starting to droop and that seemed like a sign of trouble, so I went ahead and dug up the row. I found that the stems beneath the soil were crawling with fast-moving tiny white insects, smaller than the head of a pin. The stems were visibly weakened and some had holes in them as well, although I could find no evidence of pests like borers. So far internet searches and a call to the master gardener helpline has not helped me identify them. But suffice it to say that I think it's too late to deal with them this season. The plants themselves have looked quite healthy up to this point, and the tubers are fine, but the yields are low. We got about 5.5 pounds of potatoes from that row, and we could have conceivably had as much as 15.
Admittedly I am not experienced at growing potatoes; this is only the second time I've planted them. Russian Banana fingerlings are my only repeat variety; the others I've tried have all been different. They're all tasty, but one thing I haven't liked about the Caribe is that it seemed to produce one very large potato and a few smaller ones, whereas the red variety I had last year seemed a bit more consistent on the size: mostly medium and small tubers.
I also lost a fennel plant this week. The bulb seemed to have rotted. I don't actually use the fennel; it's just in there for the foliage and as a butterfly host plant.
A couple of tomatoes are starting to ripen, and unfortunately the plants are continuing to show signs of blossom drop. It looks like only about 1 in 5 of the newest blossoms are setting fruit.
ADDITIONALLY, our satsuma is dropping fruit as well. We just planted it this spring, so I don't know if the problem is nutrients, water, or just a rough transition. It was loaded up with little satsumas when we got it, and now I bet it's lost a third of that.
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