Saturday, June 30, 2012

Tomatoes

Darn. I seem to have accidentally deleted a post about tomatoes. No time to rewrite the whole thing, but it was a note to myself that Virginia Sweets and Mountain Magic did very well for me. Here's a brief list of tomatoes I have had good luck planting for my spring garden. I'll reiterate: These need to be large seedlings, in the earth no later than March 1. You'll have an abundant harvest all spring, beginning at the end of April, and they'll peter our towards the end of June. The small-fruited ones might make it through the middle of July. Our tomato season is, at best, two months. (We have another season that runs October and November, but I never bother.)
  • Tomande. Pretty, ribbed tomato that produced really well for me last year. Great flavor.
  • Juliet. Hands-down the best for Florida. Small (3/4 ounce) Italian-style plum tomatoes. Very meaty. Can be cooked in a sauce or eaten like a cherry tomato.
  • Jetsetter. Produces early and well. Fine flavor.
  • Sungold. This year, I swear the seeds that TGS sent me aren't the same as the ones in the past. This year, the fruit was very small and they tended to pop and crack. That's not been the case in the past. But, generally, a great little tomato. 
This picture has Virginia Sweets (the gold/red striped), Mountain Magic (Campari-sized), Juliet, Jetsetter (back, right corner) & Sungold:

Thursday, June 28, 2012

High-summer dudgeon...




Harvested the rest of the onions that I started from seed back in August. About forty in all from 10 feet of row, double-cropped. They took six months, but they weren't any trouble.

Debbie sure did a number to my poor persimmon tree-I lost about half the fruit. Typical response for a juvenile tree.

On the plus side, a bumper crop of grapes!

Tomatoes are all but done, though I've managed to harvest a few handfuls every day...Aside from herbs in pots, hot peppers, and sweet potatoes vines... nothing much going on in the garden.

Saturday, June 02, 2012


The Summer Garden in Florida

Let's see... right now, the only things going on in my garden: More tomatoes than I can eat or give away. Lots of red onions (very happy with these--I started them in August as seeds...). Kale, surprisingly still growing and good. It's Tuscan. Eggplants are setting fruit. Peppers coming along...

Ripped out the squash. Need to rip out the cukes.

Ripped out my old green beans and planted yardlongs (Black Seed) and Calabash Gourd (hyb Lattoo). Cleared some room in my salad spot and sowed amaranth (Green Pointed Leaf) and Oriental Spinach (India Spinach Beet). All from Evergreen.

Summer is here! Sweat! Afternoon showers... I need to fish!