What did you do in the garden today?

[Rick589]

Watered all the gardens except for what’s on the hill. I picked another 3/4 pound of green beans and some kale. I also picked more black raspberries. The SM tomato plants are looking like they're getting a second wind and growing much better. Total donation for food pantry was 3 dozen eggs, 1 1/2 pounds of green beans and 4 shallots I found after I finished braiding them together. Made a double batch of black raspberry jam. Ended up with 7 1/2 pint jars. Very tasty. Not quite as hot today but the humidity is very high so it feels hot anyway at 87F. I concur, a very bad year for tomatoes.
View attachment 4197112This is the first ripening I’ve seen in the tomato patch. Yay!
View attachment 4197116
I couldn’t resist jar number 8. I didn’t process the half jar. I taste tested it on a slice of orange olive oil cake I made the day before yesterday. Quite a tasty combo.

 

[Rick589]

I’m wondering how on earth is there a banana pepper in my bell pepper bed when all the seeds where bell pepper seeds…. I don’t eat banana peppers so a seed couldn’t of fallen in lol

I had a packet of bell pepper seeds come up as banana and cherry peppers.

 

[akroberts1085]

That's from today and I am going to get another spaghetti squash picked tomorrow

 

[Smokerbill]

Mine have just been being buried by the morning glory yuck

Morning glory, or bindweed? Bindweed looks like morning glory but is a real PITA.

I’m wondering how on earth is there a banana pepper in my bell pepper bed when all the seeds where bell pepper seeds…. I don’t eat banana peppers so a seed couldn’t of fallen in lol

I agree with the previous post that it was just accidentally included with the seeds you bought.

Don't go just by my experience with Black Krim. Some people have GREAT luck with them. Not I.

I had no luck with them but one of them made yellow fruits last year (a mutation? Or accidental inclusion in the seed packet??? Who knows.), so I saved seeds from that one and I'm growing them out this year to see what happens. I think tomatoes are picky about where they're growing, climate wise and soil wise. You just gotta find the ones that grow best in the unique conditions in your locale. IMHO.

 

[akroberts1085]

Morning glory, or bindweed? Bindweed looks like morning glory but is a real PITA.


I agree with the previous post that it was just accidentally included with the seeds you bought.


I had no luck with them but one of them made yellow fruits last year (a mutation? Or accidental inclusion in the seed packet??? Who knows.), so I saved seeds from that one and I'm growing them out this year to see what happens. I think tomatoes are picky about where they're growing, climate wise and soil wise. You just gotta find the ones that grow best in the unique conditions in your locale. IMHO.

It's definitely morning glory.

 

[Justagalwithchicks]

Oh this has definitely been an OFF tomato year. We were too hot for a while, but the biggie was too much rain TOO often. Tomatoes like warm, but not scalding, and they like to dry out before the next wet. I should be FINISHING canning season this week, and I've only done a partial load, and have one to go today. So one load total so far. NUTS.

I hear ya. It's been tough! I'm just really starting to get my tomatoes now, but not the usual amount. I added up what we have gotten for total here and just this month=9.45"!! Now, almost 5" happened in one night but still that's way too much rain for our area!

 

[Justagalwithchicks]

I am so sorry this is the case for you too! I rely on my garden for most of my food, so a bad year really hurts. I don't can much besides marinara, pickles and jam. The rest is made into meals, divided into portions and into the deep freezer. My best year ever I had all 365 meals with only $279.00 spent at the market for the meat to add to what I grow. Will I ever do that again? Not as high as meat costs now, lol. This year I only have 22 pork with plum sauce and another 40 servings of chili in that freezer. Enough marinara from last year to make a few lasagnas. Enough poblanos growing to make stuffed peppers. Thank goodness for those new chickens, looks like I'll be making a lot of quiche!

WOW - that is amazing you did that! That is a lot of hard work! What a pay off to not only save all that money, but have yummy home cooked meals all ready to eat. Quiche is always a good option.. sorry to hear you both are having a bad gardening year.

 

[Justagalwithchicks]

I choose to rely on what others have had success with. I have had success with cherry tomatoes and this year a beefsteak tomato at least produced some tomatoes. Not big enough to be called beefsteak but I will take it. I also haven't had success with Roma tomatoes but I had success with the San Marzano tomato this year. I'm considering going with some deterninate tomatoes just to be able to get some canned.

I planted the newer "Celebrity" this year. I think it's an F2 with great disease resistance. I needed some insurance on my tomatoes because my heirlooms are fussy. Haha. Anyways, they are large and are putting on the most tomatoes of all the rest of my tomatoes combined. And we have had a lot of rain. Maybe try those next year. Not a paste tomato, but i use them with no problem.

 

[WthrLady]

In other tomato news, this is my last time trying Black Krim. They just do not do well for me. This is the 4th time I've grown them, and each time I've gotten 3-4 tomatoes total from 6 plants. Sigh.

I've managed 4 from each of 2 plants, but I am underwhelmed by their flavor, size, and they are overly cat faced and are hard to use. they're out of my garden, as are Moonglow, Pearl Harbor and All meat. Returing next year San Marzano, Indian River and I'll pick one more.

 

[WthrLady]

I hear ya. It's been tough! I'm just really starting to get my tomatoes now, but not the usual amount. I added up what we have gotten for total here and just this month=9.45"!! Now, almost 5" happened in one night but still that's way too much rain for our area!

Well, for THIS time of year. Weird that we're green still and not crunchy. not complaining mind you, but the FLIES in the barns are becoming a problem.