Yes, there has been death and destruction in Granny's Arizona mini-garden this month. Like Erin, I have experienced winter tomato failure.
Those sturdy little Patio tomatoes that looked like this.....
And produced fruit like this.....
Now look like this........
And to add insult to injury, I danced with glee at the heartiness of my plants and rejoiced in "Ha-ha, I'm a better gardener than you" when my friend Esther's tomato plants froze and died. Well, hers came back up from the roots, and are now lovely, sturdy, blossoming plants, while mine are wimpy and dead/dying.
Those are quite pathetic looking AG! LOL! What actually happened to them?
ReplyDeleteHmm maybe you should chop them off and they could come up at the roots too? You never know. It might work.
ReplyDeleteKitsap, I have no idea. They looked just fine one day, then the next day the leaves just turned dry and crisp and fell off. I'd been using a moisture meter to check the soil, Mr. H was packing them in and out each day, I had just given them some half strength fertilizer. It may have got too hot on the concrete at the south side of the house. The sun can be brutal down here, even at 70 degrees.
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Daphne, there won't be room in the pickup to take them home, so I'll just let the few tomatoes that are on them ripen, then get rid of the plants. I actually picked two small ones this week.
Aw, that's terrible news. Maybe they knew you were headed home soon and would have to say farewell anyway, and went ahead and made it easier for you?
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous anyway that you were able to have tomatoes at all in winter. ;)
Meredith, I'd like to think they were just being kind to me, LOL! When all is said and done, I figure those tomatoes cost about a dollar apiece!
ReplyDeleteDidn't your momma ever teach you not to tease (shaking finger)? ;-) Sorry about the maters... I guess growing 'em in winter just ain't meant to be...
ReplyDeleteEep! Those poor tomatoes! I hope you were able to enjoy some ripe fruit after all the care you and Mr H gave to those plants.
ReplyDeleteRachel, we probably got about a dozen small tomatoes from them, most of them from the plant on the right. That one actually looks better than it did just a few days ago, so I'm in no hurry to uproot it. If I try winter tomatoes again, I think I'll try a dwarf indeterminate variety instead of a patio type determinate.
ReplyDeleteWell, live and learn, I guess. Shadecloth? Fitted sheets? That's what I had to resort to to get tomatoes in AZ.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're going home soon.
Oh dear! They do look sad. If it's any consolation my tomato plants haven't even gotten to the point of producing any fruit!
ReplyDeleteMomma_S, I'm just stubborn enough to try it again, ya know?
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Stefaneener, setting them out on the south side of the house and letting them freeze to death, then chopping them off and letting them come up from the roots seems to be the answer ;-) Worked for my friend.
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Heidi, these poor plants weren't terribly healthy to begin with, having been infested with leaf miners at the nursery. But we tried so hard to get them healthy...and the few tomatoes were awfully good!
Those certainly are some sad looking tomatoes. But those greens in the background look awesome! You win some, you loss some.
ReplyDeleteDan, yes the greens are growing well, and the carrots and beets have nearly doubled in size this week. I'll take a few pictures tomorrow, before I harvest the next salad.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad. I also think it's great that you're ready and willing to admit to rubbing your friend's nose in it. I like that, and because of that the great Gods of Sneer might revive your plants.
ReplyDeleteIt still might be your day!
Agreed - those do look pretty messed up. Oh well, at least you got a few tomatoes from the plants.
ReplyDeleteThe Idiot Gardener....and you're no idiot, I've read your blog, I certainly hope the Gods of Sneer are on my side! Even if they aren't, there are still a few tasty tomatoes hanging on those bare branches. It's just so, well, so embarrassing. I'd hide the poor things in the shed, if the shed had enough light. On the other hand, if they have no leaves they need no light. I'll hide 'em!
ReplyDeleteEG, yeah Mr. Poopy Head....how many tomatoes did you harvest this winter? Neener-neener ;-)
ReplyDeleteNone, but then again - I didn't drive over a thousand miles just to grow any either. Nyah.......Oh....EG will have lots of tomatoes this year, just wait and see. BTW, happy belated birthday.
ReplyDeleteEG, thank you for the birthday wishes. I'm sorry I called you Mr. Poopy Head. No I'm not.
ReplyDeleteHow many tomatoes will you be growing for yourself (not to sell)? I was going to hold myself to only 12 plants, but I'm already up to 13 varieties and I'll be wanting more than one plant of at least two of those. I'll be planting in buckets again this year!
granny, i'll be growing between 24 and 28 plants.
ReplyDeleteYIKES! Oh Gran, that sucks. Hopefully the tomatoes will ripen anyway (and Esther doesn't rub it in too much). ;-)
ReplyDeleteEG, that's about what I started with last year, before I lost a few. Man, you're going to have a LOT of tomatoes! I figure I'll have around 18 this year.
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Thomas, I think I'll hide the tomatoes in the laundry room so Esther can't see them! After all, she's not a gardener...she's not supposed to one-up me!