Ethan Brooks, Author at Complete Gardening

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Squash Plants Wilt Suddenly Overnight Even With Wet Soil in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Few things are more alarming than walking out to your garden on a hot August morning and finding…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Cucumber Vines Flower Heavily but Set No Fruit in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

You step outside on a sweltering August morning, and your cucumber vines are absolutely loaded with yellow blossoms…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Cucumber Seedlings Yellow and Stall Right After Sprouting in Warm Late-Summer Soil, Here Is Why

Planting a second cucumber crop in late summer is one of the smartest moves a Southern gardener can…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Pepper Plants Grow Lush and Leafy but Set No Fruit in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

A pepper plant covered in glossy leaves and dotted with open flowers looks like it should be loaded…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Carrot Roots Come Up Forked and Stunted in the Warm Late-Summer Soil, Here Is Why

Pulling up a carrot and finding a twisted, forked, or stubby root instead of a smooth, straight one…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Broccoli Plants Button Into Tiny Heads Before They Size Up in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Planting fall broccoli in the South means racing against the calendar, and nothing is more discouraging than watching…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Cauliflower Plants Sit Stunted and Turn Purple Before Heading Up in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Fall cauliflower is one of the trickier crops to time well in the South, and watching a transplant…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Cabbage Heads Refuse To Form Tight Cores in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

You transplanted your fall cabbage in late August, watered it faithfully, and watched it push out leaf after…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Pepper Plants Drop Their Blossoms Before Any Fruit Sets in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Watching flower after flower fall from your pepper plants without a single fruit forming is one of the…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Radish Roots Split and Turn Woody Before You Can Pull Them in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Pulling a radish from the garden only to find it cracked open or tough as a stick is…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Silvery and Speckled in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walking out to your cucumber vines on a scorching August afternoon and finding the leaves looking washed-out, speckled,…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 18

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Bush Beans Drop Their Blossoms Before Any Pods Set in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walking out to your bean patch and finding shriveled flowers on the ground instead of tiny pods forming…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Zucchini Sets Tiny Fruit That Rots at the Tip in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Watching a baby zucchini shrivel and brown at the tip before it ever gets going is one of…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Beet Seeds Come Up Thin and Leggy in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

You sowed beet seeds in late summer, watered faithfully, and waited – only to find a row of…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Spinach Seeds Refuse To Sprout in the Warm Late-Summer Soil, Here Is Why

Planting spinach for a fall harvest sounds straightforward until the seeds simply sit in the ground and nothing…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Potted Tomatoes Stay Small and Weak in the Fading Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Your potted tomato has been sitting in the same container all summer, and something just feels off –…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Lettuce Seedlings Bolt and Turn Bitter Before They Ever Head Up in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Planting lettuce in late summer for a fall harvest sounds straightforward, but Southern gardeners often watch their seedlings…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Kale Seedlings Sprout Well but Get Chewed to Lace in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

You checked your fall kale bed, found a row of healthy little sprouts, and came back two days…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Tomato Transplants Sit Still and Refuse To Grow in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

You set out your fall tomato transplants with high hopes, and now they just sit there, looking the…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Carrot Seeds Sprout Patchy and Weak in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Planting carrot seeds in late summer and watching half the row never come up is one of the…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Cucumber Seedlings Yellow and Stall Right After Sprouting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Starting a second cucumber crop in late summer is a smart move for Southern gardeners, but watching those…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Squash Seedlings Sprout Fast but Fizzle Out in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Planting fall squash in August feels like a race against the calendar, and watching your seedlings pop up…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Broccoli Seedlings Turn Purple and Stall Out After Transplanting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Stepping outside to check on your newly planted fall broccoli and finding the leaves flushed purple and the…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Pole Beans Grow Tall and Leafy but Barely Flower While the Heat Lingers in Late Summer, Here Is Why

Watching your pole bean vines climb higher every day while the rest of the garden bakes in late-summer…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Bean Plants Flower Heavily but the Pods Stay Flat and Empty in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Your bean plants are covered in flowers, but the pods coming in look thin, flat, or nearly empty…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumbers Turn Bitter and Sharp-Tasting Right at Harvest in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Biting into a homegrown cucumber and getting a mouthful of sharpness is one of the most frustrating moments…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Silvery and Speckled While the Vine Slows in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walk out to your cucumber bed on a sweltering August morning and you might notice the leaves looking…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 17

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomato Leaves Curl and Turn Yellow While the Fruit Ripens Slowly in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Standing in front of a tomato plant with curled, yellowing leaves and fruit that refuses to turn red…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Potted Peppers Keep Dropping Blossoms and Barely Fruiting in Late-Summer Heat, the Container Is Often Why

Watching your potted pepper shed flower after flower in August heat is one of the more discouraging sights…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Pepper Leaves Curl Up and Turn Leathery While the Plant Keeps Growing in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Pepper plants can throw gardeners a real curveball in late summer: the leaves start curling and feel almost…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Eggplant Flowers Keep Dropping Without Setting Fruit in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Watching eggplant flowers fall off day after day without a single fruit forming is one of the more…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomato Plants Are Loaded With Leaves but Refuse To Set Fruit While Nights Stay Warm, Here Is Why

Watching a tomato plant push out leaf after leaf while flowers dry up and fall before setting a…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Squash Vines Wilt and Collapse Overnight While the Fruit Still Looks Fine in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walking out to your garden and finding a squash vine lying flat on the ground is one of…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Cabbage Transplants Keep Wilting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Planting fall cabbage in late summer feels like a race against the calendar, and then you watch your…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Vines Wilt by Afternoon Even After Watering in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walking out to your garden at 2 p.m. and finding your cucumber vines collapsed on the trellis is…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomatoes Split and Crack Open Right as They Ripen in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walking out to your garden and finding a nearly perfect tomato split wide open is one of the…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Fruit Grows Fat at One End and Pinched at the Other in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Pulling a cucumber off the vine only to find one end swollen and the other end narrow and…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Yellow From the Bottom Up While the Vine Keeps Growing in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Watching the lower leaves on your cucumber vine turn yellow one by one can feel alarming, especially when…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Pepper Plants Drop Every Blossom Before Fruit Sets While Nights Stay Warm, Here Is Why

You walk out to your pepper bed expecting to find tiny fruits forming under all those pretty white…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Fall Broccoli Transplants Are Opening Yellow Flowers Instead of Forming a Tight Head in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Watching your fall broccoli shoot up yellow flowers instead of forming a solid green head is one of…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Okra Pods Turn Woody and Tough Before You Can Pick Them in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Few things are more frustrating in a Southern garden than checking your okra in the morning and finding…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 16

Gardening Tips

If Your Bean Plants Flower Heavily but the Pods Never Fill Out in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

You walk out to the garden expecting a big harvest, and instead you find a tangle of vines…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Gardening Tips

If Your Squash Plants Set Female Flowers but the Fruit Rots at the Tip in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Watching a tiny squash turn soft and brown at the tip is one of the more frustrating sights…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Gardening Tips

If Your Pepper Leaves Curl and Cup Inward While the Fruit Stalls in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

August in a Southern garden can feel brutal, and pepper plants often show it first with leaves that…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomato Leaves Curl Upward and Feel Leathery in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Walking out to your tomato plants on a blazing August morning and finding the leaves curled up tight…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Gardening Tips

If Your Potted Tomatoes Stay Small and Weak While the Garden Ones Take Off, Here Is Why

Watching your neighbor’s garden tomatoes shoot up while yours sit in a pot looking pale and tired is…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Gardening Tips

If Your Tomato Plants Suddenly Stop Setting Fruit When Nights Stay Warm in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Late summer can feel like a cruel joke for tomato gardeners: your plants are covered in flowers, but…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Gardening Tips

If Your Zucchini Leaves Turn Powdery White and Crisp in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Seeing your zucchini leaves go from dusty white to brown and papery is one of those late-summer surprises…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Gardening Tips

If Your Cucumber Plants Turn Out Deformed, Nubbin Fruit in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

Pulling a small, twisted, or pinched cucumber off the vine is one of those frustrating late-summer surprises that…

By Ethan Brooks · Aug 15

Ethan Brooks

If Your Fall Tomatoes Split Right at the Shoulder After a Late-Summer Watering, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Squash Plants Wilt Suddenly Overnight Even With Wet Soil in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Cucumber Vines Flower Heavily but Set No Fruit in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Cucumber Seedlings Yellow and Stall Right After Sprouting in Warm Late-Summer Soil, Here Is Why

If Your Pepper Plants Grow Lush and Leafy but Set No Fruit in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Carrot Roots Come Up Forked and Stunted in the Warm Late-Summer Soil, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Broccoli Plants Button Into Tiny Heads Before They Size Up in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Cauliflower Plants Sit Stunted and Turn Purple Before Heading Up in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Cabbage Heads Refuse To Form Tight Cores in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Pepper Plants Drop Their Blossoms Before Any Fruit Sets in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Radish Roots Split and Turn Woody Before You Can Pull Them in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Silvery and Speckled in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Bush Beans Drop Their Blossoms Before Any Pods Set in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Zucchini Sets Tiny Fruit That Rots at the Tip in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Beet Seeds Come Up Thin and Leggy in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Spinach Seeds Refuse To Sprout in the Warm Late-Summer Soil, Here Is Why

If Your Potted Tomatoes Stay Small and Weak in the Fading Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Lettuce Seedlings Bolt and Turn Bitter Before They Ever Head Up in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Kale Seedlings Sprout Well but Get Chewed to Lace in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Tomato Transplants Sit Still and Refuse To Grow in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Carrot Seeds Sprout Patchy and Weak in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Cucumber Seedlings Yellow and Stall Right After Sprouting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Squash Seedlings Sprout Fast but Fizzle Out in the Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Broccoli Seedlings Turn Purple and Stall Out After Transplanting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Pole Beans Grow Tall and Leafy but Barely Flower While the Heat Lingers in Late Summer, Here Is Why

If Your Bean Plants Flower Heavily but the Pods Stay Flat and Empty in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Cucumbers Turn Bitter and Sharp-Tasting Right at Harvest in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Silvery and Speckled While the Vine Slows in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Tomato Leaves Curl and Turn Yellow While the Fruit Ripens Slowly in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Potted Peppers Keep Dropping Blossoms and Barely Fruiting in Late-Summer Heat, the Container Is Often Why

If Your Pepper Leaves Curl Up and Turn Leathery While the Plant Keeps Growing in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Eggplant Flowers Keep Dropping Without Setting Fruit in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Tomato Plants Are Loaded With Leaves but Refuse To Set Fruit While Nights Stay Warm, Here Is Why

If Your Squash Vines Wilt and Collapse Overnight While the Fruit Still Looks Fine in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Cabbage Transplants Keep Wilting in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Cucumber Vines Wilt by Afternoon Even After Watering in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Tomatoes Split and Crack Open Right as They Ripen in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Cucumber Fruit Grows Fat at One End and Pinched at the Other in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Cucumber Leaves Turn Yellow From the Bottom Up While the Vine Keeps Growing in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Pepper Plants Drop Every Blossom Before Fruit Sets While Nights Stay Warm, Here Is Why

If Your Fall Broccoli Transplants Are Opening Yellow Flowers Instead of Forming a Tight Head in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Okra Pods Turn Woody and Tough Before You Can Pick Them in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Bean Plants Flower Heavily but the Pods Never Fill Out in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Squash Plants Set Female Flowers but the Fruit Rots at the Tip in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Pepper Leaves Curl and Cup Inward While the Fruit Stalls in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Tomato Leaves Curl Upward and Feel Leathery in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Potted Tomatoes Stay Small and Weak While the Garden Ones Take Off, Here Is Why

If Your Tomato Plants Suddenly Stop Setting Fruit When Nights Stay Warm in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Zucchini Leaves Turn Powdery White and Crisp in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why

If Your Cucumber Plants Turn Out Deformed, Nubbin Fruit in Late-Summer Heat, Here Is Why