My lettuce

Question: My lettuce and a few other plants have funny bubble like growths at the base of the stems that are traveling up the stocks.  Some of my cucumbers came up with chalky white leaves.  2 of my tomatoes plants also had the bubble base and have died.  We have had raised beds for the past four years and never saw this.  We compost, and I add soil from a nursery that has chicken manure.

responder: Mitra Rado, Master Gardener Volunteer Replied June 23, 2023, 12:54 PM EDT
response: Dear Betty  I believe your cucumbers are suffering from cucumber mosaic virus. It is usually spread by insect activity such as aphids.  It is important to remove diseased plants as it can easily spread.  The yellow bumps or bubbles you see at the base of the lettuce appears to be insect eggs. Are the soft and squishy? https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/cucumber-cucumis-sativus-virus-diseases We are going to pass this question on to another expert.  Thank you for your patience,

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 17, 2023, 7:45 PM EDT
response: Hi Betty,   I apologize for the slow response here- I've been out of town for the past several weeks. Could you tell us anything about how your plants are progressing?  Are the bumps that are developing on your lettuce only above ground, or are they showing up in the roots as well?  Best, Evie

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 17, 2023, 9:16 PM EDT
response: Thank you for responding back. It is at the ground level and above.    Sent from my iPad  On Jul 17, 2023, at 4:45 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:    ﻿

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 17, 2023, 9:31 PM EDT
response: We have been eating the vegetables with this problem, all but the ones that have died.  The lettuce continued to grow and is just fine.  We still have one tomato plant that has the same problem but has not died but looks pretty sad.  We had broccoli and cabbage with the same problem that I pulled out and replanted.  The rest of the garden is thriving and I’m grateful for that.  Thank you for any input so we don’t have this in the future.  The cucumbers that had the white and shriveled leaves are now blooming.  We have corn over the 6’ fence that is tasseling so looking forward to corn soon. Thank you so much for your help, Bettie   On Jul 17, 2023, at 4:45 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:   ﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 20, 2023, 1:36 PM EDT
response: Hi Bettie, I’m glad to hear that your cucumbers have perked back up! My theory is that they were experiencing shock– had you transplanted them recently when you started seeing the white leaves on the plant? And/or had there been some sudden changes in temperature? (I know we had several unexpected temperature swings this spring!) Thanks for the additional pictures of the nodules on your lettuce and information about the issue. I have to admit that I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. I do think that the issue is caused by something in your soil because it’s affecting so many different kinds of plants in your garden. I’m going to pass this question to the Lincoln County Master Gardeners– they have seen and worked with a lot of garden pathogens and may have some more information for you. Expect to receive an email from them soon! Best, Evie Smith Small Farms & Master Gardeners Coordinator, OSU Extension-Lincoln County