Cold Season Approaching!

Just some final notes on the season. I would chalk this growing season as a success on both the learning side and production side.

I had many varieties this year which attributed to a nice group of colors in my tomato garden.  I do not think I will grow green tomatoes again as I did not get many that I enjoyed.  The Black Krim produced the best.  Next season I will try out Brandywine, as a member of Tomatoville sent me some seeds.

Looking forward to next growing season.

The Frog Protector of my Garden

I went to the garden today and checked on my incoming tomatoes.  I thought this guy was some bird poop or something mushy.  He sure was mushy.  He has eyes too.  Froggy Froggy, Guardian of the Tomato.

Mema's Picking and Tomato Pie

Mema came to visit and requested to do the tomato picking.  Here is what she and Chaney picked.

Tomato Pie (Round 2)

This time I used the following:

• Approx 6-8 tomatoes (varied sizes)
• 1/3 of a Vidalia Onion
• 2 Yellow Summer Squash
• 4 cloves of garlic pressed
• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 redi made pie crust
• basil & oregano
• 1 package of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Bread Crumbs
• Feta Cheese crumbles

This one turned out real nice.  Very good flavor.  Not as Garlicky as last time.  I did forget the spinach from the store.

Next one I will try fresh basil, maybe even Ricotta cheese.

On a side note, my seed saving is underway and doing well.

Tomato Pie...Mmmm Mmmmm Good!

Tomato Pie is one of the best ways to enjoy your tomatoes in bulk.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes (Black Krim, Green Zebra, Anna Russian, Borgo Cellano)
1 Vidalia Onion
1 Block frozen chopped Spinach (can use fresh)
1 Block of Cream Cheese
1 head of garlic (peeled and crushed)
1 redi made pie crust
Feta Cheese
bread crumbs
shredded mozzarella cheese

Place pie shell in tin
Soften or melt cream cheese and mix with garlic
Spread cream cheese mixture into bottom of crust
add layer of tomatoes (sliced)
layer of spinach
sprinkle feta
another layer of tomato
layer of onion
sprinkle feta
another tomato layer
sprinkle top with mozzarella shreds and bread crumbs.

Bake 350 for 45-60 minutes.

Very good.  Very garlicy.  Add basil less garlic.  Give it a whirl.  You cannot go wrong.

Starting to Save Seeds for Next Year

Here is a pic of my most bountiful harvest.  Finally was able to get a couple 

Amish Paste (top right oval shape), only have had 2 ripen from this plant.

As to the title of the post, Its Seed Saving time.  I am saving as many as I can, but will probably only plant 4 types next year (so I say :) ).  

Starting from left to right:

Black Krim: This has been one of my most producing plants with large fruit too.  Very pleased and I enjoy the flavor too.  Very natural tasting and not scary although people question dark tomatoes.

MYSTERY: Yes this one is a mystery.  I had planted Mortgage Lifter and Ace 55 in my garden.  I pulled one ACE 55 for issues with growth (see earlier posts about shriveled mini plant), and the other that I thought was ACE 55 has turned out to be Green Zebra. (Labeling is very important, I should heed my own advice).

Hartmans Yellow Gooseberry:  So far this guy has to be #1 on my list.  Its produced so many tomatoes and is very healthy.  I have 3 of these guys growing currently.  I will definitely do this one again.  Yum Yum!

(Pink) Oxheart:  I think this is a hold over from last years plants I got from Perry.  It is an oxheart shape but more red than pink.  The only other possibility is Anna Russian.

Garden is doing well. Some mistakes but doing well!!!

Pic of the Growth of the Garden  

Harvest from 7/16/11

Alien Tomato

Alien Tomato 2

I cut open the alien fruit.  Not much to it.  Very odd, almost like 2 tomatoes in 1.

Look what I picked Daddy!

Chaney is very excited to pick tomatoes with me.  She always wants to go and bring them in.  These two little ones she had suffered a terrible fate of kid hand squashing, but none the  less I was able to taste one.

Here are some misc pics of recent harvests

The two up top are Black Krim (don't mind the banana)

Although small, below are from front left to right:

Oxheart (not big), Hartmans Yellow Gooseberry, 

Anna Russian or Borgo Cellano (I don't know which was which)

Mandy's Sunflower from seed

Black Krim sliced ready to eat! Yummy

On a side note.  I have started my seed saving project for next year with Black Krim.  I will most likely try to get seeds from everything I have planted, however next years planting will be different and limited to a few types as opposed to almost 8 varieties.

Who......Are......You?

A picture is worth 1,000 words

Mandy found this guy today in the AM.  I think I saw smoke rings and could hear him say the famous line from Alice in Wonderland "Who Are You".

This is the first Tomato Horn Worm we have found this season.  Needless to say he is no longer with us.

Last night Stephen found some cucs hiding in our garden.  We did not know cucumbers have been in for 2 weeks.  We harvested a total of 5.  2 really swollen starting to seed.  Regardless they were tasty with some rice vinegar.

Tim's Tomatoes (yes only 2)

My first harvest included 2 Anna Russian, 1 yellow squash, 2 okra. (7/5/11)

Here is a pic of the first two maters. the one on the left has some issues due to water or lack there of. It also had a hole but was sealed.  I cut it up to taste. mmmm medium acidity.  Good taste. Right one is going tonight...

I got back from a work trip to Kansas City 7/8/11.  This plant gets my award so far.  Its determinate, Hartmans Yellow Gooseberry and it has set all flowers.  Planted in GA red clay with no remediation.

R.I.P. Ace 55

I pulled the trigger and dug up the Ace 55 plant yesterday (6/29/11).  I bagged it and trashed it.

Good bye Ace 55.  I hope you didn't spread your viral infection to your brothers and sisters.

So it was a self diagnosis with a little help from online bloggers.  I determined it was Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV).  Here is a link to some good info on CMV, Cucumber Mosiac Virus

Here is a pic from the above link that was very similar to what I was facing (Shoe String Appearance in leaves)

The plant started real nice, but then hit a patch of stunted growth and very odd looking leaves and blooms.

Almost like a miniature tomato plant.  In addition the tomatoes I found growing on it, were very very small and malformed.  I do not regret the decision to pull it. 

Ace 55 not doing so well

My tomatoes are doing great for the most part.  Only issues I have experienced have been 1 in a pot is suffering from early blight.  Fertilome has worked great.

My Ace 55 in the back row isn't too good looking.  Its smallish and the leaves are curled.  The blooms look weird too.  Check out the pics.

Weekly update 6-15-11

Seems you go out of town for a few days and come back to a jungle.  I stand by the best words of wisdom I read online.  "More plants have died from too much love than from neglect." -- Some online poster

Here are some pics of the garden as it stands.

Here is a pic of  one of my experiments.  I took a stem of a tomato (don't know which) and placed it into dirt.  She already has a tomato growing.

Here is a pic of the BIG CAGE for the Black Krim

A pic of the JUNGLE!!!!

Here is a pic of another experiment.  I placed this cutting into a jug of water for about a week.  When we pulled it out to plant into dirt, you should have seen the hundreds of roots growing.  It was amazing.  I hope this takes and is not too hot out there.

Mandy's sunflowers.  Hope they pop out soon.

This is Gertie.  She loves to dig and eat whole bags of miracle gro soil, natures helper, and mushroom compost.  Every now and again she takes plants for a run around the back yard.

Final experiment.  I took a gardenia cutting and placed it in water for a week.  Lets see if it takes.

FIRST TOMATO ---- OxHeart

Well. As I tended to the plants yesterday I noticed this guy

I'm pretty excited to see this as this is a plant from last year.  This is pink OxHeart and from seeds I saved from fruit of last year.  So this is the odd ball.  Plus to add he is grown in straight Georgia Red Clay with no remediation of the soil or special additives.

Side Note:  I am running a few other experiments too.  I have one shoot trying to root in some water, another rooting in soil.  Also I have started to try and root a gardenia.  Boy if I could root the gardenias, my whole house will be surrounded. hehehe

Current State of Affairs

Its been awhile since my last post.  All plants seem to be growing strong.  Most have blooms.  No maters yet.  Close, very close.  I did notice on one of them they had some blossom die.  I'll have to look into that.

I did some stringer setup today as well as built a monster cage for my Black Krim.  When you use the string method, its recommended that you prune your plant and train it up the stringer.  Some of mine have sprouted 2 or three plants out of the one because I did not prune well in the beginning.  I think that has been my hardest part is knowing what to prune and what not.  Oddly enough most people I have encountered online do not prune.  They let them bush out for higher yield.  We will see.

Here are the pics

Sitrep Normal All conditions good so far....

So far so good.  Not holding my breath or fingers crossed.

Some updates.  I have planted 5 plants outside of the boxes.  I made wire cages out of welded wire, compliments of Stephen (Thanks Stephen!!).  I used newspaper for mulch on the bottoms of the plants in the cages.

I have also put newspaper around the bottom of the mortgage lifter plant.  He seems to be the weakest of the crew.  The others are doing well.

I learned I only need to water about 10-15 mins every other day as long as I check my "dip stick".

Dip Stick: Found on a tomato site.  Gardener uses a wooden dowel in the raised bed.  Check dowel before watering, if dark and moist, no water needed, if light and dry water needed.

Up and Running

Ok.  I think I am finally up and running.  I have the boxes set, the plants in, the fencing up.

Next step is when they get a bit bigger to set the stringers in place.

Today I ventured into making a couple of wire cages.  I can't stand to see my plants go to waste, so we will see how they survive in my standard backyard dirt.  I have planted 15 plants in total.

I have in cages: Pink Oxheart & Hartmans Yellow Gooseberry.

My Red Pontiac Potatoes are coming up nicely

The way my boxes are arranged from the left box in the front
Hartmans Yellow Gooseberry  -- Yellow Pear ---   Anna Russian
Anna Russian --- Lillian Yellow
Green Zebra --- Borgo Cellano
Mortgage Lifter --- Amish Paste

Right Box
Black Krim --- Ace 55
Black Krim --- Ace 55