Gardening is not without its problems. Any vegetable gardening problems that you will encounter will have a solution you can employ to remedy the situation. Sometimes the problem will be plant related sometimes critter related. If you do not address the problems as they arise, you will not have a successful garden. Nature will get the better of your efforts, and you will have nothing to show for your hard work.

If you visit your garden regularly, you will spot diseased plants before they become too much of a problem. Take corrective action immediately and minimize vegetable gardening problems. Listed are a few of the most common problems you may encounter.

Bacterial Blight occurs when humidity is high for long periods of time. It affects beans and peas. Beans will develop brown blotches with red or yellow borders on the leaves. Pea stems will turn purple or nearly black near the ground. The leaves will develop water spots and brown spots on the pods. Blight cannot be cured, and the only remedy is to remove the infected plants and discard the remains but not in a compost pile.

Black Rot is a bacterial disease that infects both young and mature plants. Seedlings will turn yellow and die while mature plants will develop wedge shaped yellow blotches which expand to the center of the leaf. The vascular tubes in the plant will turn black and smell foul. The heads of the plant will rot. Black rot effects broccoli, cabbage, turnips, brussell sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. The bacteria will thrive in the soil and plant debris over the winter. There is no remedy for this and infected plants must be removed and destroyed. Apply micronized sulfur to nearby unaffected plants every 7 days until harvest time.

Blossom End Rot is caused by environmental factors. It is brought on by irregular watering, both too much and too little. A calcium imbalance in the soil is sometimes the cause of blossom end rot. When cells at the end of a blossom do not receive sufficient water, the blossom end of the fruit will dry and shrink and turn leathery in tomatoes and brown-black and papery in peppers. Watermelon and squash are also affected. Blossom end rot can be avoided by consistent watering and a soil pH between 6 and 7.

Corn Smut is a fungus that appears on the seedlings, stalks and ears of corn. The fungus, called galls, mature then burst and release thousands of spores. The spores are spread by wind and transmitted by humans and tools. Plant varieties of corn resistant to galls but if they do appear, remove before they burst. If they burst, remove all affected plants, but do not compost. Apply sculpture or copper based fungicide to unaffected plants every 7 to 10 days.

Sunscald is caused by too much sun especially during hot, dry weather. Large, paper like white spots appear on the leaves after prolonged exposure to the sun. Dark mold may also appear on scalded areas. Sunscald can also occur when leaves drop leaving the fruit or vegetable unprotected. A way to avoid sunscald is to plant varieties with heavy foliage.

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