It's really hard to say what might be wrong, based on the info available, Lauren. If I only consider the odds of what the problem might be, I'd have to suggest you might be over-watering, which is easy to do in water-retentive soils. Try withholding water (once) until you see the first signs of wilt. This will give you a better idea of what your watering intervals should be. A couple of other things that come to mind are over/under-fertilizing. Have you fertilized? With What? Are your mean temperatures there consistently above 55* now? Al

I don't know of any way to speed up the process. The good news is that they grow pretty fast once they get going. You still have time.

I found some Neem (70%) at my favorite local organic gardening place yesterday and blasted the little devils as soon as I got home. I haven't been out this morning yet to check on them but will say it's much easier to get under and around the leaves since I have the vines training up along a pole as well as twine. I can't imagine trying to do this on my hands and knees in the dirt either...when should I blast them again?

lol fortunately we live in a micro climate corridor and only peak at about 110 a few days and avoid the 116.5 averages :) I grow year around. Most Tomatoes, peppers, gourds, egg plants, melons, sunflowers, most varieties of beans, corn, all do well in full sun so the temps really do not bother my plants as long as the there is sufficient moisture. The heat WILL ruin growth in most cruciferous vegetables so it is important that you start them indoors about 5-6 weeks indoors so they can finish outdoors right before the heat wave. I do not have room for a greenhouse but I would love to have one! Perhaps in a a few years, we may locate to a larger property where one could be built. To combat the heat, I grow herbs and greens on the north end of my property about 4 feet away from the house. This allows morning sun, but shades out the afternoon heat. Growth was great but the arugula was intolerably spicy during the summer (although a chef friend tried it and was in heaven, so each to their own...). Another thing I have done this year is move my tomato bed under the shade of some trees. (See photo. Sorry for how awful the photo looks. We had a storm last night and are expecting another for the next 2 days). With 8 plants in a 10.5'x3.5'x6", I've set up 7' cages and with the combined tree shade (NOT VERY SHADY!) and tomato foliage, I anticipate natural heat management will increase yield. Keep in mind that I did not have problems growing in full in 110F, but I believe this may also have been due to the variety of the tom. I've read you have to be careful about temps in the mid 90's, this is the reason for the move. Yes, I tend to grow sun loving veggies in full sun and then not so sun loving like greens in the back as previously mentioned or start them inside and transplant to finish in the first few months after the anticipated last frost. I try to grow year around but you have to be selective as to what you will grow during what season. This past year, my winter growing was limited to collards, kohlrabi, onion, and garlic. Not exactly the good eats ;) but never the less, I grew something! Gardening is an adventure and each year its important to learn and make adjustments. Installing a drip system has ultimately made growing here possible. Watering at 5am/pm 11am/pm for 7 minutes worked well. The auto timer is a life saver. Also don't discount the enriching power of soil microbes and fungi. I'm a strong believer in compost teas to inoculate the soil and foliar feed with micro nutrients for vigor.