And tons of cucumbers. My tomatoes were so-so because of wet June and very dry July and August. And now we have late blight even though I sprayed regularly.

My favorite "find" this year was Peach tomatoes! Have you tried them? The are super cute and sweet. I have to pick them before they turn very yellow though, because the bugs like them too. I found them at the May Market. I am going to save some seeds and try to start them inside next spring.

All of my other heirlooms are doing OK, but are taking their time to ripen. That is fine though... don't want them all at once!

are you sure it is late blight? That is a pretty tough one - will do a separate post on it some day. It needs living tissue, and originates in infected potatoes. If spores get onto foliage and the foliage gets wet prior to any spray, it is too late. But late blight takes down plants fast - early blight is more typical (and ubiquitous) - that is what bothers me most.

Peach tomatoes are pretty cool - they are actually one of the oldest tomatoes, documented in seed catalogs back to the 1860s.

We are taking bells and paprika peppers once they go red (or orange or whatever ripe color they become) - slice thin, deydrate and grind into our own paprika - it is amazing!

The tomatoes looked gorgeous in June when we had rain every day. This started when the weather got hot and dry. I was hoping it had missed us this year.

Never grew them before. Best tasting cucumber we ever ate. Very sweet, almost melon-like taste. Also a very prolific plant. Produced (and still producing) way more than we can eat, which allows us to trade or give many of them away. I like to do that.

We had a terrible year.
Monsoons in the Spring that washed everything out, then heat & drought.

Things are most bizarre this year. We have NO bugs....none.
You can leave your porch light on...and nothing, leave your screens open...NO mosquitoes.
Few butterflies, few Humming Birds...
but at least NO Fire Ants....not a single mound.
That HAS to be one of the signs of the Apocalypse.

The Asparagus (our favorite) and Strawberries were superb,
but those are early harvest, before the weather turned foul.


Because of the high humidity in Central Arkansas, we fight "Early Blight" every year.
Once a tomato plant starts showing those yellow spots with brown in the center...that plant is DONE.
Even if you harvest fruit from the top leaves, it doesn't taste right (coming from a diseased plant).
As soon as you spot Early Blight, you might as well pull up that plant, and carefully REMOVE it from anywhere near your garden using Universal Precautions. Never touch a healthy plant after handling a diseased one. Blight spreads by spores. Never, EVER compost a diseased nightshade.
(or ANY nightshade for that matter). (Nightshades = tomatoes & potatoes)

So far, the best success we've had is to lay down a Soaker Hose.
Cover it with newspaper, then a layer of straw. Plant the tomatoes through the straw & newspaper, giving them PLENTY of room for ventilation, leaving a very small hole (just enough for a mature stalk).
Never "top water", use the soaker hose, and be careful not to overwater.
I am amazed at how long newspaper & straw will keep the ground moist & healthy.

We have found that if we can keep the raw soil from splashing on to the lower leaves, we can significantly prolong the life of our tomatoes before the blight strikes.

Mulch immediately, keep soil from splashing on lower foliage, always water below the foliage at the base of the plant.

Also important - leave enough space between plants for sunshine all around and air circulation all around.

Preventing early blight from happening at all is half the battle. I've found that removing any lower spotted foliage immediately - soaking scissors in alcohol between plants - keeps it well under control.

Having 75% of my plants still alive in Raleigh in what will be early September is unprecedented for me!

Great advice you posted - thanks!

I've grown 2000 types, so those that float to the top vary somewhat, but always contain Sun Gold, Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Green, Lucky Cross, Little Lucky, Dester, Rosella Purple, Dwarf Sweet Sue, Brandywine, Lillian's Yellow Heirloom, and Nepal, and Green Giant (there's a bakeres dozen!). I can easily add another 25 or so depending upon the season - such as Polish, Ferris Wheel, Stump of the World, JD Special C Tex, Indian Stripe, Yellow Brandywine, Egg Yolk, Aker's West Virginia...and on and on!

I've actually neither listened to the show or read the link - not comfortable reading about myself or listening - so I just do the interviews and let my wife and daughter provide comments and feedback!

My favorite things are giving talks/lectures/workshops, and writing (blogging, etc) - both secondary to just getting out and growing things!