July 30, 2011 - What's New?



Nothing. Well, almost nothing. The hot weather finally arrived, though not miserably hot like some of you have been experiencing. Just hot enough to keep me out of the garden except for mornings and evenings.

There is a lot to be done to prepare for fall.

Fall.....it doesn't seem possible that it's nearing the end of planting season, as we had no spring and such a cool summer. I have done some fall planting, a row of Ruby Queen beets and a row of Little Gem lettuce where some of the early bush beans had been pulled. I'm just taking a chance the birds will leave the lettuce alone, as it's in an unprotected bed next to the peppers. Yesterday I pulled a large broccoli. It was producing a few small side shoots, but not enough to earn a space in the garden. I amended the soil with compost, and planted some Tyee spinach. There are still two heads of cabbage in that bed, small and full of holes from slugs. I'll leave them for a bit, just to see if they are ever going to amount to anything. I don't really need that space now, I'm probably through planting anything but lettuce and radishes. Those can be tucked in wherever there is an open spot.

The tomatoes are a real bust so far. I'm getting just enough for us to eat, but not enough to preserve. There are some nice Cherokee Purples coming on, but the Brandywines are disappointing, and the only one that's bearing tomatoes looks diseased. One of the three Rutgers has been pruned down to two small branches, I might as well just give up and remove it. All the other plants look healthy, except for one of the two Coastal Pride Orange, which has wilted down terribly. I think the pot it's in is just too small for it. The other one, in a larger pot, is looking fine.

I have two cherry tomato plants that are unknown as far as variety. They came from a packet of mixed seeds, so the only way I can possibly identify them is from the website where they were purchased. The larger plant I'm guessing is Una Heartstock, a large plum shaped cherry. Whatever it is, the two tomatoes I've picked so far were delicious. I will definitely be saving seeds from this one for 2012.


Una Heartstock? It's loaded with large (for cherry) green tomatoes, and has grown up past the roof line of the patio! I'll need a ladder to pick these.

The other unidentified cherry tomato from the same mixed seed packet has much smaller, but plum/grape shaped fruits. It is just beginning to ripen, but I can't yet tell if it's going to be green, yellow or red. Green Grape is the only other cherry listed that looks anything like what is growing, so I guess I should test the one tomato that is beginning to show a yellow color.


Green Grape? It's also loaded with small fruits.


I've had two ripe cherry tomatoes from The Little Sungold That Could, the plant that had no chance for survival! It is alive and well and bearing fruits. So far, I can't tell the difference between it and the Sunsugar. Maybe later fruits will taste sweeter.


Heatwave is showing promise.


Thank you to Mr. H. for sending me the Bloody Butcher seeds. At least we have some tomatoes to eat each day, and the flavor is much improved now that the weather has warmed. I'll definitely find room in next year's garden for them.

For the next few days the garden will be rather messy. I have flowers that need to be deadheaded or cut way back and spent raspberry canes to prune to the ground. It needs to be done soon, but my get up and go got up and went. I keep saying "Maybe tomorrow".

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26 comments:

  1. I say we just forget this year. I have done some real STUPIDS this year. You talk about fall just around the corner? I'm expecting my first frost in ONE month, and have NO fall broccoli/cauliflower/carrots planted. It's been so blasted hot and dry I have planted diddly. So much for my keeping all beds full and productive.
    I've not drank in I don't know how long, but a drink (or 3) sounds good right now.
    Are you in?
    ;)

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  2. Sue, I've been threatening to kick Mother Nature's ass. I say let's all get drunk and gang up on her. I'm in.

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  3. I'm guessing some years are just not the year! I'm glad I had a good canning spell last year even if I didn't grow it all myself..This year seems to be one of the hottest I've had here...Glad I at least got the Sweet potato's going.. I have to get in some greens one way or the other..

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  4. Ginny, it's a good thing I found the salsa in the cupboard, and the peppers in the freezer! At least I'll have those and lots of green beans ;-)

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  5. Too bad the tomatoes are not going well. Mine are producing now, but the are much much shorter than last year. So I think early tomatoes will be OK but I think they will peter off quickly. I gave them all some fish emulsion today. I hope they start growing again, but they seem stuck.

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  6. Daphne, monthly totals for 2010 were lost in the computer virus ordeal, but I checked July 2009 and I picked 56.9 pounds. This year July's total is only about 11 pounds. Quite a difference!

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  7. Granny, I hope your tomato plants pull through! My plants are looking healthy and have green tomatoes but they're green. *shrug* I'm hoping to have a late harvest to can and make more salsa!!! Not even a single ripe cherry tomato here!

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  8. Sorry to hear things in your garden are not shaping up the way you wanted. I have a feeling it is just one of those years. You are growing varieties of tomatoes I have never heard of! I am going to have to expand beyond my roma and hot 100's!

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  9. Holly, we can hope for a looooong warm autumn, huh?

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  10. Mrs. Pickles, I've tried out many varieties of tomatoes over the past three years. Just when I think I've found my favorites, I have an off year when they don't do well!

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  11. "Fall...it doesn't seem possible that it's nearing the end of planting season, as we had no spring and such a cool summer." - Shh, don't say such things, I'm in denial, it can't be possible that summer is already so far along and the heat has just now arrived. We've also been struggling with some of our crops and while we have a few tomatoes starting to form I'll be surprised if we have nearly the amount of "green" tomatoes that we ended the season with last year. With good growing weather finally upon us and the word out that Aug & Sept will be warm, I still hold out some hope.

    As far as your plan for Mother Nature...I'm in.:)

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  12. Mr. H., I actually saw a female blossom on one of the butternut squash plants today, so fingers are crossed. I shouldn't complain so much, I've actually exceeded last year's total for several crops....but just how much lettuce can we eat? ;-)

    Good, that's three of us in the whooping party so far.

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  13. Mother Nature definitely needs something and maybe a whooping party is in order!

    It's been so hot here that nothing is setting any new fruit. I hope that things change soon. I planted my cucumbers late and don't have a single one on any of the plants and the plants at the house are almost 5' high! We need pickles!

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  14. Robin, I got one deformed cucumber this week. The first of the year. The pickling cukes aren't even blossoming this year. I do have a butternut squash forming, so all is not lost!

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  15. Glad to hear you were able to get some things planted for fall. Thank you for all the help you gave us along these lines. Yesterday we planted beans, lettuce, beets, spinach and radishes. We probably would have missed this window without your help. Now the empty beds are back in use!

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  16. Granny has not tomatoes!? That's crazy talk. I'll log a complaint with the boss.

    I need to get started on some fall planting - although I may wait until mid August. This heat's killing me.

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  17. I've been too depressed with my garden to use what little time I have to blog, but I'm right there with you. The heat has just destroyed my garden this year. Disease is all over, blossom end rot, SQUIRRELS, you name it, my tomatoes are just not happy. This is definitely not a great gardening year... Glad you're at least getting some regular eating tomatoes.

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  18. the first one is certainly una heart stock, if you send me a close of photo of the second's fruit, i can let you know! glad you are enjoying them & planning on saving the seeds! urbantomato

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  19. It really does seem odd that fall plantings are right around the corner, although with our heat this year I'm happy about it. Things are looking good as always in your garden!

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  20. Jody, wishing you good luck with all your fall plantings. I forgot to add peas to that list.

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    Ribbit, it is crazy, huh? I hate it when the veggies trickle in like this. I want either enough to can/freeze or only enough to eat fresh. None of this in between stuff!

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    Megan, I guess we should be happy we get something from the garden, but it has been disappointing. I'm hungry for some summer squash. I suppose it will all come on by the end of August, then I'll be complaining because I can't keep up with it!

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    Urbantomato, thank you for identifying Una Heartstock. I have bagged some blossoms for seed saving. I will photograph the other tomato and send it to you, thank you. The original seed packet is being well cared for, stored in the refrigerator. I'll be using a few seeds next spring. It's fun to be surprised at what variety happens to grow. I'm happy that the only two seeds I planted this year turned out to be two different varieties.

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    Erin, you've really been hit hard with the heat, while my garden has suffered from unusually cold weather that suddenly turned hot. Actually, what little summer we've had has been perfect, mid-80s to mid-90s. We're usually sweltering up in the triple digits by the last week in July. I think we had a record breaking cold night last week though. I swear it confuses the veggies ;-)



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  21. Hard to believe it is almost August. I find it funny that someone who has harvested over 200lbs already is thinking its a down year, and I suppose it is, compared to the last two. But still! I'm thrilled to have passed the 50lb mark. It's all relative isn't it?! Now come on by and have some pulled pork! ;)

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  22. David, as I was telling another blogger, when July tomato harvest drops from nearly 60 pounds down to 11 pounds, it's an off year!

    Hey, I have your pulled pork page up. As soon as I cool off (I've been pruning raspberries) I'm going to spend an hour or so licking the monitor. I have an extra bedroom...can I adopt you?

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  23. Perfect tomatoes u have there,Granny..:) i'm currently trying to grow tomatoes upside down...

    http://upsidedowntomatoplant.com/dyi.html

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  24. HangKebon, I'm finally getting a few good tomatoes. They have been very slow ripening this year. good luck with your upside down tomatoes. I've heard some people have very good luck with them, but others not so much. Be sure to let us know how yours turn out.

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  25. I'll have to try growing sunsugar next year to compare it to the sungolds. I'm in love with the sungolds!

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  26. Meems, so far I can't tell the difference, but none of them are as flavorful yet as I think they will be once they begin producing faster. The only tomato that is really tasting as it should at this point is the Brandywine, and that one looks like it's dying :-(

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