Gardening
Related: About this forumWe are over run with tomatoes
I have no idea what I have done differently. only thing I can think of is I put my garden in spot that I never had before. And at first I was worried about the corn I have not planted corn since I was kid growing up. Tomatoes looking good. But corn is coming in actually everything is coming along nicely , Im happy with my total dumb luck.
We have lots of green tomatoes coming along, but the damned squirrels and rabbits and skunks have stolen our corn for the second or third year in a row. Grrrr
PJMcK
(22,886 posts)We started with four plants and it's as if they came from Jurassic Park. They are growing so fast and large that we can't give them away fast enough.
The flowers are delicious and there are many ways to prepare them. But this year, they're out of control!
Yes the zucchinis they are coming along fine but not huge like yours.
PJMcK
(22,886 posts)Zoonart
(12,749 posts)I haven't been able to grow a decent tomato since I moved to the Hudson Valley. The growing season is just a little too short and it never gets hot enough long enough. We grew the best tomatoes in Bucks County, PA.
Enjoy your abundance.
Siwsan
(27,286 posts)The Golden Jubilee are still a bit behind the Mariana Roma and Jet Star, but I'm seeing a little change. I've been eating Grape Tomatoes for a couple of days, now. And this has been my best summer squash crop in several years. I'm hoping the sweet peppers start coloring so I can start cooking up the ratatouille. Last year I had so much fruit, the plants kept falling over. This year everything is caged, and producing normally.
My worry was the garlic, but I've got 8 nice sized bunches tied up and hanging, that should be plenty for this winter, and also will be ready for use by the time I start the ratatouille.
And so far I have two watermelons. This is my first year for those. I'm crossing my fingers they ripen to maturity.
TEB
(13,689 posts)But I never tried it here
TEB
(13,689 posts)I love peppers I just have no clue what my wife and I have done. to get such great garden this year I was worried about the corn you know the knee high 4 th July well it was not their but now is coming along.
Siwsan
(27,286 posts)And I'm also having a whole lot of luck with cucumbers, which is a change from the past few years.
I also put in some Ghost Peppers. Not for me - my bro likes them. The are doing "ok".
I love cucumbers and tomato sandwiches I'll toast bread I'll go get Italian dressing and then add crumbled blue cheese. And this year I have no clue what we did I just mark it up to dumb luck
TEB
(13,689 posts)I love peppers this morning I was making sandwiches for our son and his friend, well I put ring banana peppers on them I bought em at store. Well one ring pepper hit floor and before I could bend down pick it up our chocolate lab gulped it down. I gave him piece bread to help the 4 leg vaccum cleaner.
Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)TEB
(13,689 posts)PoindexterOglethorpe
(26,727 posts)Some years back I knew a man who decided to grow tomatoes for the very first time. He bought 30 plants. Against the advice of neighbors. He eventually worked out a deal with one of the fast food restaurants in town to take his surplus.
TEB
(13,689 posts)Staph
(6,346 posts)I love and adore home-grown tomato sandwiches!
I like the bread toasted with tomatoes grew up in Appalachia but moved away live in orchard country. And no clue how I stumbled across a good garden this year. And I'm not bragging just dumb luck.
alfie
(522 posts)And I only planted one plant. I think it was beefmaster. I hope I stuck the label at the base of the plant so I can know what to get next year. The tomatoes are 4 to 6 inches across and have a great flavor. The bush is over 4 feet across and growing. I will need to stake more branches up tomorrow. They are growing away from where they were last staked.
Same here I had to take care of that today on branches.
sinkingfeeling
(52,993 posts)TEB
(13,689 posts)And the pasture is fenced our horses like the carrots and apples from our trees . I grew up Appalachia hunting but moved away long time ago. And my wife loves this doe she sees in orchard she calls her dear deer. My wife said isn't she beautiful I jokingly told her tasty she did not find it amusing , I said it in joking.
sinkingfeeling
(52,993 posts)every one last year. So, after they ate the ones in the garden, I
planted 3 plants in containers inside the fence. They were gone as soon as they started to turn color.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,500 posts)canned 13 quarts, gazpacho, bisque, caprese salad, roasted sauce, pico de gallo, cherry tomato pesto, and on and on and on. We are on the second time through our favorites - winding down.
Got every possible color represented - so much fun!
Rollo
(2,559 posts)I decided to give the plot (and myself) a break.
However it's looking like a bumper crop of avocados and peaches. I'm getting used to an avocado a day. The squirrels are getting used to that, too...
Quanta
(195 posts)I didn't space things out enough, but my tomatoes and zucchini still went nuts here in north/central FL. Unfortunately my herbs didn't fare too well, and I had a lot of insects and squirrels, and maybe a few rabbits that nibbled on things as well. First time I've tried to do a garden ever, so maybe it's just a learning curve....
mopinko
(71,802 posts)a very easy way to deal w a tomato glut. the dried tomatoes make for super thick sauces, great pizza, heck, dried cherry tomatoes are so sweet they are like dried fruit.
TEB
(13,689 posts)We do can but I never thought of dehydrator thank you
mopinko
(71,802 posts)super easy, and compact.
TEB
(13,689 posts)And was looking at dehydrators on line. Is there a ceartin one that you would recommend, asking because there are so many choices , And I have never bought one before.
mopinko
(71,802 posts)i bought the biggest nesco (?) plastic, nothing special.
i started w one from the thrift store. then got the same brand hoping to use the trays, they dont fit exactly, but i can stick a couple in if needed, just dont all close tight. works anyway.
Best_man23
(5,122 posts)Took an entire basket of them into the office.
We had a cool spring here, which allowed our vines to set a lot of fruit. Then, June and July were very dry, which provided optimum growing environment for our heirloom and hybrid toms.
When our Brandywines started coming in last month, the Mrs. and I enjoyed BLTs for an entire week.
TEB
(13,689 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,308 posts)It was a cool wet spring (and cool as in 50s for highs) but surged into the high 90s for a few days and just shocked the plants. After that we fell into a cool cloudy wet summer. There were three days with highs in July in the 60s, which I had never seen before. Despite that, the main crop is about a week off as I can see the color changing finally.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)I know, I should rest that garden for three years, but it's my only spot to grow things. The tomatoes are still abundant though. I have been spraying them with fungicide since they were babies last May.
I got some new heirloom varieties at the May Market this year. I give a lot away and freeze the rest. I also make batches of gazpacho and freeze for winter enjoyment.
NutmegYankee
(16,308 posts)I think it's just everywhere in the native soil. I finally applied a fungicide called Mancozeb along with the copper mixed in and that stopped most of my problems.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)I had no luck with Daconil or some organic stuff I bought last year. I used an all-purpose fungicide/miticide this year and it didn't help. I am going too spray the soil and cover it over the winter to see if that helps. I already have black plastic over parts of it.
I have tons of tomatoes though! Gorgeous heirlooms.
NutmegYankee
(16,308 posts)I used it before my tomatoes started turning to stop the blight and speck and allow me to get a good harvest. Now that I'm in full harvest, I can only use the copper.