I feel rather badly that I'm ripping out tomato plants, when so many of you are still waiting for yours to ripen. It has just become necessary to remove some of the plants that are encroaching on more desirable varieties, or those that are looking sickly and bedraggled from the recent hot temperatures. I mean, it's not like I really need more tomatoes!
Before I started on the tomatoes, I cut back some of the huge marigolds that were hiding the red zinnias from view, then trimmed the butternut squash vines that were growing out into the lawn.
I tried to be really careful but, unfortunately, a couple of lovely little immature butternuts were accidentally pulled with the overgrown vines. The garden cart is heaped full of marigolds, butternut vines and an entire Nyagous tomato plant. I did save the nearly ripe tomatoes.
I feel badly about that butternut squash on top of the garden cart. I've picked two ripe ones so far, and they are running right at 4 pounds each.
Behind the garden shed, two of the five plants got the axe. The Brandywine, Eva Purple Ball and Spawn of Angora Super Sweet (aka Velvet Red Cherry) remain, but I think spawn will be the next to go. It's not super sweet, nor is it very productive. There are some watering concerns back here, too. I had installed drip lines to feed all the plants behind the shed, but our irrigation water got contaminated with milfoil, an invasive water plant, and it completely clogged the emitters, making the entire line useless.
This month we had near record breaking temperatures, on both the high and low ranges. It has gone as high as 104F on the 17th., and a low of 45F last night. We're expecting to hit 99F once more, this week, then the temperatures should settle down to the high 70s to low 80s, with nights in the low to mid 50s. Sounds like good garden cleanup weather to me!
Oh my, you pulled a whole wheel barrow full! Wowsers!
ReplyDeleteoh the poor butternut! It looks bigger than the two I am waiting on!
ReplyDeleteme too, me too! I got 3 overflowing wheelbarrows full of tomatoes today! It was 75 degrees, I'm still in shock! A great day for working in the yard though, and now that the rain is moving in and I'll be stuck in the house with empty beds outside, I will get a glass of wine and take pencil to paper and plan for fall!
ReplyDeleteWashington state shouldn't be that hot. It's inhumane. You always grow the best looking, healthiest plants I've ever seen. Have I mentioned recently that you're my hero?
ReplyDeleteSome of my tomatoes are almost at the ripping out stage too! I seem to have missed your last few posts, and goodness what a lot of tomatoes you have. I thought I had a lot, but you've beaten me hands down!
ReplyDeleteI was ripping out sickly tomatoes too recently. Out with the old in with the fall crops.
ReplyDeleteWhen it's time, it's time.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the butternuts too. Your soil still must be just about the best thing out there for the harvests that you get.
Meemsnyc, I pulled TWO heaping yard carts full! And I'm going to try to fill another one tomorrow morning.
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Shawn Ann, I'd say it was two pounds or more. I thought I'd traced the vine back and cut it off before I got to the squash. But I goofed. It's a jungle out there!
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Erin, it's been really cool in the mornings, but I think we're expecting 99 tomorrow. After that, it will be smooth sailing, and so much nicer to be out in the garden.
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Aww, Ribbit, you're giving me a swelled head. :-)
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Jan, some of my plants have been in overdrive! Now the nights are cooling down, maybe the tomatoes will slow down a bit.
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Daphne, sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do!
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Stefaneener, the butternut is one of my favorite crops, but I think it will be moved to behind the shed next year, where I won't have to step through it to get to everything else, and maybe it will stay out of the lawn.
We've been pulling out a few things here and there also, but mostly b/c of blight :( The garden looks so bare compared to other years at this time. I suppose the one good thing is that there is always next year!
ReplyDeletePhew, busy day! I think you removed more greenery than I have in my whole garden :)
ReplyDeleteApple Pie Gal, my problem is that I begin by "trimming" to get them under control, and by the time I get through, there's not enough left to save...so I just cut them down!
ReplyDeleteOur nights have been so chill the past two days that even though the day time temps have increased for at least a a day or two, the tomatoes are not responding because of the cool night temps. Forecasted to go quite chill and damp on Thursday. (sigh) I am determined to get at least a reasonable harvest though, so I am taking to bringing in - any tomatoe that has even slightly broken color and ripening them indoors. It's the only way I am going to get anything out of the tomato patch this year.
ReplyDeleteIf it were me in your shoes, I would be ripping those plants out too since you have gotten so much production this summer (again!). I just wish it was me in your shoes! LOL! What a difference between centra/eastern Washington and the coastal areas of our fair state.
Nartaya, I removed another two after I took the photos. I mean business!
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Kitsap, that's why I always over plant. I figure only half the plants will grow and bear, so I plant double what I need....then they all decide to get huge and prolific!
That is a huge weather swing. Sounds like our Chicago weather. I don't usually feel like this, but I'm looking forward to the cooler lettuce growing weather, as long as it doesn't get cold too soon.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, we had nearly 50 degrees difference between our high and low temperature the other day. 104 daytime and 56 that evening. If I had my way, it would hover around 75 every day! I do like our cooler evenings, though.
ReplyDelete75 every day would be Heaven around here. We're lucky if it gets that cool come winter'
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, I think you pulled more greenery than I have in my entire garden.
Not much left between Alex and the heat, but I have planted some seeds for my fall garden. Still don't know if we'll be moving any time soon, so decided, what the heck, go for it, right?
SB, right. That's kind of like our AZ place. It's been on the market for almost a year, but we might as well use it like it's never going to sell...'cause it might not. We were hoping the economy would pick up enough to get home sales going again.
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