The garden’s well and truly looking summer-y. We’re up to here in chard, all manner of summer squash and cukes — but instead of these high-producers, I’m sending along some snapshots of some of the veggies that are still in the I.O.U. stage.
First up, sweet peppers: we grow these from seed in the greenhouse — they love the heat and we love the long growing season available in there. This particular plant’s one of several bells growing in small-ish containers, as the greenhouse bed is full of hot peppers this year.
There’s winter squash (butternut & sweetmeat) growing in an open area we’ve spent several seasons reconditioning. Five years ago the space was a jungle of pine stumps, holly and a monster hedge. Ooodles of mulch, homegrown compost and a rotation of cover crops is slowly producing something that’s starting to resemble soil.
We’re hopeful that there’ll be enough heat hereabout to see the corn mature. We had to plant this bed three times — the first two attempts failed, as hot days repeatedly turned cold and the corn failed to germinate. We switched to a short-season variety and think we’ll be eating and freezing corn by mid-September.
Here in New England, I’ve reached the point where I swear that next summer I’ll put in fewer tomato plants and only buy proven favorites. The temps have been August-moderate, in the low 80s, but the humidity has been hanging in the ‘oppressive’ range, and the “fall” allergens have bloomed as early as everything else this year. So while I’ve been getting a decent range of ripening tomatoes, I’ve also had to cut back and discard a lot of blighted vines… while sneezing & sniffling & generally feeling like I’m trapped in a bathroom where somebody’s just taken a three-hour shower.
I’m not impressed with the new Indigo Rose tomatoes — they set fruit early here, and the top of each tomato promptly turned purple-black, but they take forever to ripen to dun-buckskin-orange and the flavor is distinctly meh. I need to try roasting one or two, just in case, but they’re looking like an experiment I won’t repeat. On the other hand, the one perfect Paul Robeson tomato we got before the plant failed was fantastic… come February, I need to remind myself to leave more space to coddle one or two Paul Robesons instead of getting distracted with too many novelties.
How are things looking in your gardens? What are the tomato varieties you grow (or look for in the local farmers market) every year?
raven
The princess went to a drip irrigation seminar and won a starer kit. I hope it works like they say it does.
JPL
@raven: Nice. This year I just did some landscaping. My water bill was ten times higher than usual. ugh..
WereBear
There’s a Paul Robeson tomato? Gotta be one good lookin’ delicious hunk, if you know what I mean.
Anne Laurie
@WereBear: Here’s the description from Laurel’s Heirloom Tomato Plants that led me to try it:
As I said, I got a total of *one* tomato before my plant expired — but that one was good enough that I’m going to pre-order another plant or two for next year as soon as I can. People who are seed-starters can probably find seeds somewhere online…
gelfling545
Finally I have ripe tomatoes. The lack of rainfall in their “formative months” has lowered the yield considerably but what I have is good. Cayenne peppers though have been super productive.
WereBear
@Anne Laurie: Dang, but it does sound worthy of such an extraordinary person.
Even allowing for seed catalog rhapsodies; they know how to keep their audience entertained during the long winter months.
Maude
Early Girl toms are good. Ramapo has a lot of flavor and is a slicing tom. Sweet 100s are tasty.
The humidity has been awful here. Today it will be okay.
If I had a green house, I’d be in it a lot of the time.
Schlemizel
Never heard of sweatmeat squash – can you tell me about it?
auntie beak
totally concur on the indigo rose. to think i could have had ANOTHER cherokee purple plant in that space…
satby
I usually do a mix of heiloom and hybrids but this year went all heirloom tomatoes: black krim, Cherokee purple, old German; with a few sugar gold cherry tomato plants. During the long hot spell of the drought here none set any fruit, then after it cooled and we got some torrential rains, a lot of the ripe fruit split. Most of the cherries were a total loss, and the Germans (supposed to be orange) turned out to just be regular Beefsteaks, the plant had been mislabeled. But the Black krim and the Cherokee purple have been great, as is the recipe I found for roasted tomato sauce! Which is a great way to use up all the freshly split ripe fruit you pick.
jeffreyw
Hi! My name is Mitt. Won’t you be my friend?
WereBear
@jeffreyw: Love it!
Mitt contains multitudes.
mai naem
Just wonder what kind of tomato a Paul Ryan tomato would be? Hard and hollow with bright red hues with an initial sweet taste followed by a lingering strong bitter undertone. Does well in poor soil but not a great producer. The only parasitic tomato plant known. Unusually lightweight for a tomato. May be better used as an ornament.
chopper
while i love reading about other people’s gardens, every time there’s one of these threads i’m left to wonder where in the country, what zone etc they actually are. for some reason that information is almost always missing.
Linda Featheringill
@jeffreyw:
Here’s a video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJ15rQOX6c
Submitted without comment.
jeffreyw
@Linda Featheringill: Ack!
WereBear
Some real nice banjo here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUxO_-u9hek&feature=g-all-c
Liberal Atheist Hippie Breakdown!
jeffreyw
Here’s a little breakfast to start the day right.
Villago Delenda Est
@jeffreyw:
Dang, I’m hungry!
TaMara (BHF)
Anne Laurie, just saw the Great Dane link in the previous thread. Brought tears to my eyes. Thanks. The thought of those gentle giants helping wounded veterans…sigh.
jnfr
My Paul Robesons are finally turning color. I have eight to ten of them on the plant, but they are extremely slow to ripen.
The Black Cherries were not impressive, taste-wise, and the plant is dying to boot. I won’t grow these again.
The Costoluto Genovese taste fantastic, as always, and the plant bears heavily. I think this one is on my permanent rotation.
Getting a lot of anaheim peppers, and cooked a pork shoulder with a bunch of them last week. Have a large flush of poblanos ripening now, and can’t wait for a good meal of chile rellenos soon.
added for chopper: we’re in Colorado, now a zone 6 (formerly 5b)
Kristine
Here is far NE Illinois, temps have moderated. 70s/50s all this weekend. 80s coming later, but hey, at least they’re not 90s.
I’ve mentioned before that my tomatoes took a beating during the June/July heat wave–lots of blossom drop as well as blossom end rot in whatever tomatoes managed to set. But things have moderated and blossoming resumed. I wasn’t crazy about the first St Pierre I tried, but later pickings have proven tasty, if mild. The Arkansas Traveler is also good. But I think my winner for the year is the Black Cherry. Currently lots of fruit in various stages, with a flavor like a milder Black Crim. The fruit can split upon ripening, so they need to be eaten soonest. But I think they’re worth the trouble.
Must try the Paul Robeson next year.
Zone 5b, formerly 5a.
quannlace
Just plucked my first Cinderella pumpkin. It couldn’ve gone another couple of weeks to darken it’s color, but was afraid it might show up as the next menu item of all the critters I’ve been dealing with this summer.
Violet
I grew Paul Robeson by accident a few years ago. Just randomly bought one when I was picking up tomatoes at the local garden center. Enjoyed them a lot. I’d recommend them.
@jnfr:
I had zero luck with the black cherries. I won’t try them again either.
@mai naem:
Purported to be good looking, the kind of tomato about which “your neighbors will be jealous”. Turns out, it’s rather nondescript, a stingy producer with a very bland taste. Your mother says “no thanks” when you offer her some. And the worst part is, the plants seem to inject some tomato virus into the soil that makes it impossible to grow anything there but Roundup-ready (R) crops. And of course you can’t afford those seeds, nor the pesticide.
Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God
I don’t garden (plants tend to wither and die under my care), but I’d be a failure as a prophet if I neglected to mention that today is National Potato Day.
May His Eyes always be upon you, for they are Myriad.
Smedley the uncertain
Tomatoes here in W NY did wel with steady production but not remarkable yields. Biggest surprise was a 1 June tomato from a plant named Tumbler that I found when rooting around in the local greenhouse while selecting my heirlooms. In a pot this plant literally tumbles down the sides a prolific bushy greenery with small fruit and a slightly tart taste. The heirlooms are doing well although the Stupice a favorite from last year is not as productive. A new one is Koln Blonde from an East German seed repository. Prolific golden cherries once it got started..late ripening. As usual all are in pots.
Gus
Trying to grow some butternut squash this year, but every time I get a blossom a bunny or squirrel eats it or bites it off.
Smedley the uncertain
Edit function not working.
Wanted to add that seed saving failed. Some germinated indoors on the window sill but simply fell over and died before second leaf setting. Will try again. Advice would be appreciated.
Violet
@Smedley the uncertain:
Not quite sure what you’re asking. Was it the seed saving itself that failed, or you planted saved seeds and the little seedlings didn’t do well.
If the first, save your seeds out of light and make sure they dry completely so you avoid moisture in the bag that might lead to mildew/mold and seed failure or early germination when you don’t want it.
If the second, perhaps the sun was too intense on the window sill and they got too hot. Or, since, you’re in NY, perhaps the window is quite cold and the little seedlings couldn’t take the chill. Tomatoes are like people. If we’d be comfortable at that temperature, they’re also happy. Or maybe there wasn’t enough sun.
Did you keep them evenly moist all the time? Little seedlings need to stay moist. At that point they need water more than once a day, if they seem to be drying out. Perhaps they got too little, or too much water.
Sometimes the seeds just don’t keep, in my experience.
dance around in your bones
@Linda Featheringill:
Ok, the first half had me cringing, but that’s because I have feared something like that happening ever since Obama was elected.
It’s worth sticking through ’til the end. though. Thanx.
Maude
@chopper:
I’m in the Twilight Zone.
MjOregon
I’m growing Sweet Million cherry, Tomosa, Cuore di Bue, Delicious and Legend tomatoes this year. We were unable to plant until very late where I am in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This spring was depressingly wet and cold until the end of May. The tomatoes went in the ground around May 10th. We’re getting the first of the Sweet Millions to munch on and the first Delicious and Legends are finally getting ripe. Tomosa tomatoes are on my permanent “to grow” list because of their vigor, taste and production, but they’re a little late getting going this year. The Cuore di Bue are supposed to be outstanding in flavor but are still pretty green. The Delicious were planted in hopes of replicating the success I used to have back in Bucks County, PA in the 1970’s when they grew to prodigious size and wonderful flavor so I’m looking forward to the first ripe one of those. The Legends were supposed to be the early ones but have lagged along with the rest. They’re covered in fruit – all of the 11 plants are – so I think in a few weeks I’ll be pleading with neighbors to take some off my hands. All in all a typical Oregon summer!
Marvel
MjOregon, I’m here in the Willamette Valley, too. We planted tomato starts (from the Benton County master gardeners’ sale) in early May — but we immediately gave them the 6-mil poly treatment. We planted no early- or cherry-sized tomatoes and so far, plenty of fruit and a few San Marzanos redding up. Glad it’s cooled off since last week’s triple digits, but now wish the forecast would add 5-10 degrees daytime temps. I love you Oregon.