Pale leaves that may or may not have some green veins are indicative of magnesium deficiency. It can be corrected with Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) at 1 tablespoon/gallon water. It dissolves easily if the water is warm, but not hot (do not boil your plants). I soak my feet in Epsom salt water (a cup/gallon and 1/2). After my foot soak, I put a cup of the solution in my watering can and fill it up the rest of the way with rain water that I collect (a bit more than 2 gallons total volume. This is used on any plant that has light foliage. I drench the plant. If you do this early in the growing season the plants will green up nicely.
I had a problem with short scapes, too. Over a period of four years I went from about 20% short scapes, to over 50%. I thought it was the weather, but I knew that it was not that simple. I posed the question to the AHS Robin. Pat Stamile said to give the plants more Nitrogen. This was last year. At Tractor Supply (while getting some things for my wife's hobby: chickens), I saw a bag of 30-0-17 fertilizer for lawns. I got it and sprinkled some around each plant last early September--then again in mid March this year. In early April I sprinkled some 13-13-13 around each plant. Voila! Short scapes down to less than 10%, and flowers better than ever! Thanks to you, Mr. Stamile!
A good source of calcium that does not increase pH is ground egg shells. We save all our shells---dry them thoroughly---put them in an old metal coffee can, and use a metal hammer to pound, then grind, them down to a fine texture. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shells around the base of each plant. It works really good to decrease or eliminate blossom-end rot on tomatoes, too. Sprinkle a half cup around the base of each tomato plant.
