Garden Thread 2023!

[begreen]

Blueberries today, 7 lbs and the third picking. This is the best year we've ever had for them.



Tomatoes will be next. There are 50 tomatoes on this one Pomidorro Squisto plant.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I love homegrown blueberries. Good job, Begreen.

Your tomato plants and fruits are looking great. I remember years ago being attracted to the description of Pomidoro Squisito in a seed catalog [perhaps Territorial Seed?]. I didn’t get it, but every time you mention it, I’m always wondering if I should give it a try. That last photo would probably have put me over the edge had I been in need of ordering any other seeds. It’s getting harder to resist, but I have so many tomato seeds right now, I’m going to keep resisting [for the time being].

We had a dish of chicken and peppers the other day for lunch. It was just a pleasure to slice these big beautiful bells. There are more to come.

 

[begreen]

Nice peppers. Ours are slowly starting to yield. I have narrowed down our list of tomatoes we grow over the years. Now I only trial one or two new varieties a year. Our standbys are Early Girl, Blue Beech, and the Pomidorros plus Sweet Million and Sungold cherry tomatoes. This year Abraham Lincoln and Garden Gem are on trial along with a Tiny Tim as a patio plant.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Blueberries today, 7 lbs and the third picking. This is the best year we've ever had for them.

View attachment 314611

Tomatoes will be next. There are 50 tomatoes on this one Pomidorro Squisto plant.

View attachment 314612View attachment 314613

Yowza! So impressed.

 

[begreen]

Today was our main corn harvest day. There still will be a second crop coming, but this is our primary batch for freezing. This is Sugar Buns corn.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

That’s looking nice, Begreen. Is your future harvest just a staggered planting, or is it a different variety? What is Sugar Buns like?

 

[begreen]

Some of the stalks are growing a second ear. And I planted a smaller second crop of about 18 plants which are just starting to tassle.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I saw the first blossoms this morning on the fall crop of Rattlesnake Pole Beans. I’m sure hoping we can get some to eat before frost. I’ve missed having fresh green beans this summer.



The cucumbers have had some insect damage, but they’re beginning to climb, bloom, and set a couple of fruits. I’ve missed having those as well, so I sure hope the bunnies stay away. The bumble bees are loving the flowers. It’s almost loud next to the vines.

 

[begreen]

It looks like the beans and cukes should start bearing well soon. Hopefully, barring some freak cold snap, a frost should be at least a month away.

 

[RockCastile]

For late August virginia your cuke and bean foliage looks impressively blight free, bodes well. I've been growing for 3 years in Patrick Co. and am still trying to figure out how to get cukes to carry into September without downy mildew annihilation. Duae what variety are you growing?

 

[DuaeGuttae]

It looks like the beans and cukes should start bearing well soon. Hopefully, barring some freak cold snap, a frost should be at least a month away.

My mother tells me that the earliest she has seen frost here is September twenty third, but the real danger of frost starts in mid October. There were a lot more flowers today while I was watering, so I am hopeful for some beans this fall.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

For late August virginia your cuke and bean foliage looks impressively blight free, bodes well. I've been growing for 3 years in Patrick Co. and am still trying to figure out how to get cukes to carry into September without downy mildew annihilation. Duae what variety are you growing?

These beans and cucumbers were all planted in mid July, so they haven’t been through the whole growing season. That makes a big difference to why they aren’t so hard hit just yet. I did pull out a wilted cucumber vine this morning, though, just in case it had something that might spread.

The beans are Rattlesnake Pole Beans. The cucumbers are an heirloom pickling cucumber called Sumter, and a hybrid slicer variety called Southern Delight. For the past few years I’ve been living in Texas with some pretty severe heat and drought, and these are varieties I acquired for conditions down there.

For years both in Texas and Virginia, I’ve grown vertically using trellises simply because I was constrained on space. I do think it has the added advantage, though, of allowing increased airflow around the plants. That’s probably even more of an advantage for the humid conditions we have here in Virginia. Just this morning I was thinking that I probably need to prune out some stems on one trellis of Sumters for that very reason.

 

[EbS-P]

My short season/ cool tomato seeds have been ordered. I hope to start in the next couple weeks. And plant in a bucket hydro system which I will detail on its own thread.

Short Season Tomato Seed Collection

Short Season Tomato Seed Collection

www.tomatofest.com

 

[Dan Freeman]

Sorry, I haven't posted much at all lately. Unfortunately, our busy season has started with our business, which takes up a lot of our time. In addition, my Colitis has been acting up lately. Other than the messy symptoms, one other symptom is fatigue. I have just been so worn out; I don't seem to be able to get much done the past few weeks. So, I haven't been posting much. On top of this I have had a fever with aches/pains, chest congestion, and more fatigue for the past 4 days. It's about all I can do to take care of the necessary daily chores, forget about moving forward.

Not looking for any sympathy, so don't offer it, please. Just where I am at right now. I don't want anyone to think I've abandoned this thread! I'm here, just not 100% right now.

 

[RockCastile]

The cucumbers are an heirloom pickling cucumber called Sumter, and a hybrid slicer variety called Southern Delight

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to give these a try next year. I've heard of Sumter and see it commonly on seed racks at the big box stores. I also do the methods you mention, trellising vertically/pruning to a limited number of shoots/succession planting, but I think I've just got an unusually tough year on my hands with cukes. My late-July direct seeded planting had above average seedling die off, followed by downy mildew wipeout and some type of wilt death (maybe bacterial) of the young vines soon after flowering and prior to fruiting. Even my surviving Citadel plants, one of the most highly lauded varieties for DM resistance, appear to be circling the bowl 😬. It's a head scratcher. I think it could just be an unusually tough year combined possibly with a build up of overwintering disease presence. I do rotate all my crops but my plot is small so 20-30 ft of separation is usually about all I can get from one year to the next. I'm currently breaking ground on a new plot about 300 feet away from my main garden, so I might try the cukes over there next year and see if there's less overall disease pressure. On a positive note I'm having one of my best tomato years ever, and I'm hearing the opposite from many gardeners in my area who are covered up in cukes but are having a terrible tomato year. Go figure🤔

 

[begreen]

Sorry, I haven't posted much at all lately. Unfortunately, our busy season has started with our business, which takes up a lot of our time. In addition, my Colitis has been acting up lately. Other than the messy symptoms, one other symptom is fatigue. I have just been so worn out; I don't seem to be able to get much done the past few weeks. So, I haven't been posting much. On top of this I have had a fever with aches/pains, chest congestion, and more fatigue for the past 4 days. It's about all I can do to take care of the necessary daily chores, forget about moving forward.

Not looking for any sympathy, so don't offer it, please. Just where I am at right now. I don't want anyone to think I've abandoned this thread! I'm here, just not 100% right now.

Sorry to hear that you are having a rough summer, Dan. Hope this clears up soon.

 

[clancey]

I have not been so hot myself and doing a lot of work that takes preparation and then putting everything back which is a massive job. I completely torn out my garage and walls and ceiling so that the mice will not breed within the floors and walls. I trunicated my garage and made the bird loft shorter and the next major job is to concrete the floor and outside part around the garage so that the rodents won't dig so easy and if they do now I can see them. Lots of work this year with lots of expense as well--just no time for even one tomato plant and doing many other things as well to get ready for this winter and I am just plain tired...clancey

 

[DuaeGuttae]

@Dan Freeman and @clancey , thanks for checking in. Hope you both are able to get some much needed rest and recovery in.

@RockCastile , I’m sorry to hear of the cucumber troubles. Some years do seem to be like that. Feel free to post pictures of your tomato harvest. We enjoy photos and sharing triumphs [and losses] on this thread.

I thought I’d give an update on my cucumber situation. I pruned the Sumter vines earlier this week and grabbed my first mini harvest when doing so [first picture]. The cucumbers looked and tasted good. They could have grown larger, but these were either touching the ground or on vines I was removing, and I prefer not to let cucumbers get too big.

The Southern Delight Cucumber must be more appealing to insects because there’s more damage to the vine, and there’s a lot of scarring on the fruit itself. It made for some tough skin that I peeled off in places [and I don’t regularly peel homegrown cucumbers]. There’s another out on the vine almost ready for harvest, and it seems to have been similarly scarred. @begreen , is this the type of damage you were seeing last year?

 

[begreen]

It is sort of like what we were seeing. Look at the stem of the plant, right at ground level. Is it bloated and stripped?

 

[begreen]

Ok, enough cantaloupes already. It would be nice if they didn't all ripen at once.

We've already eaten 4 of them and fortunately, they are very tasty. These are Hales Best.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I’m amazed at the variety of fruit that you’ve got coming in all at the same time there, Begreen; strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupes, and peaches? Congratulations.

Cantaloupe freezes well in my opinion. Nothing is ever the same as fresh off the vine, of course, but it’s a good option when you’re overwhelmed.

 

[begreen]

Yes, apples and blueberries too.

And plums today

 

[EbS-P]

Tomatoes are setting again. More eggplants too.

 

[whatyousmokin]

Anyone here grow PawPaw trees? I have a couple questions regarding pollination....

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Yes, apples and blueberries too.

And plums today

View attachment 315119

Yum. What will you do with all the bounty?