What's in your Garden?

[Tom L.]

I have lots of tomatoes on the vines, but they are not turning red. I wants to eats them.

Tomatoes can be strange. I remember about 25 years ago my tomatoes were producing a lot, but most of them just stayed green. Finally the weatherpeople predicted a freeze, so I just picked everything and piled them on newspaper on a corner of my living-room floor... It was kinda like Richard Dreyfuss making that model of the alien landing site in "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind". But they did ripen eventually, and were good, even though I didn't wrap them individually in newspaper like they recommend.

I collected seeds from my lovage last year and thought I had a lovage plant in a seed starter pot, but as it got bigger it didn't really look like lovage. It's now an inch tall, and I see it's another plum/sauce tomato plant. I had thought it hadn't germinated, and that was why I stuck a lovage seed in. So it's well into the time when tomatoes should be in the ground, and it's only an inch tall. Maybe, instead of taking cuttings from it like I sometimes do with my tomatoes, I'll just grow it in a big pot and bring the whole thing inside come fall.

The peaches on my peach tree seem to get a bit bigger every time I look at them... but this is the first year the tree was big enough to bear a significant number of them and now they might have the attention of peach-munching critters.

 

[KLS52]

I need to get the plants I bought in the ground, ASAP...three tomato plants and a few flowers. The dahlias are starting to bloom and they're beautiful.

I didn't do it yet.

 

[silva]

I am really sorry I didn't till the ground. The peppers, broccoli, and rhubarb aren't doing anything. I do have have some starters of lettuce and mixed greens.
The peas are doing fine, but the beans are getting munched. I can't bring myself to make a fence. I think I overcomplicate it.
The tomato plants in pots are good Cherry tomatos have babies and the big one lots of flowers

 

[Katrina]

I'm growing peas, eggplants, and garlic. Just planted brussels sprouts seeds, which I'm hoping will sprout. The grape plant is on year 2, so I'm hoping to get something out of it this year. Just planted a raspberry bush, which likely won't produce fruit until next year. Oh yeah I just planted malabar spinach seeds next to the grape trellis so the vines can climb the sides. I'm planning to go back later and plant butternut squash.

Trying to decide if I should grow green beans or cucumbers. Both are supposed to be easy to grow and easy to pickle. I like pickled green beans, but I also like pickled cucumbers. I probably have room for both. I just don't know if my back can handle all that work. I'm still trying to lay down weed barrier and get rid of all the grass.

 

[Tom L.]

^^ In my experience, green beans and cukes ARE easy, vigorous growers. I don't know what kind of raspberry you have, but my wild black raspberries were always trying to take over my whole yard. If you have red raspberries, I think they'll be more manageable, but I think they're strong growers too.

I've finally found a variety of garlic which does well in my garden. I planted a few cloves last fall, and one of them is really impressive!

The blackeyed peas I planted had a low germination rate, so I planted more just now. My butternut squash and tomatoes are growing well, although they're kind of small to bear anything yet... except maybe the cherry tomato, which grows like a weed.

 

[Poppy]

My tomato harvest has begun!!!

 

[Chryssie]

Those are beautiful tomatoes!

 

[KLS52]

I'm doomed. I just found out I have clay soil. Some research is pretty much telling me I will not have tomatoes this year, either. I was not supposed to mix good soil with the clay and I already did. I need to amend the soil first and it's pretty complicated. I suck. Bummer.

 

[Val]

I'm doomed. I just found out I have clay soil. Some research is pretty much telling me I will not have tomatoes this year, either. I was not supposed to mix good soil with the clay and I already did. I need to amend the soil first and it's pretty complicated. I suck. Bummer.

We have clay soil always. And every spring we have to buy the truck of normal soil. It's a little bit expensive, but it helps to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and berries, and much more

 

[Jeremy]

I'm doomed. I just found out I have clay soil. Some research is pretty much telling me I will not have tomatoes this year, either. I was not supposed to mix good soil with the clay and I already did. I need to amend the soil first and it's pretty complicated. I suck. Bummer.

I'd really try container gardening using straight potting soil.. I don't know if Chryssie has mentioned this, but the pots we use, they're called Smart Pots, they are an absolute godsend. The plants get every bit as big as they would had we planted them in the ground. Our beefsteak tomato is every bit of 12 feet tall, and our jalapeno plant is an absolute MONSTER too.

The Smart Pots are made out of a felt-like material that allows the roots of plants to grow the way they naturally are supposed to. You don't actually see it, but the roots grow through the material and the air prunes them. With hard plastic/clay pots the roots hit the sides of the pots and grow around in circles forming a really confined, tight root ball. Not just marketing spin, they actually deliver what they promise!

 

[silva]

I should try that! My garden sounds just like KLS52! Not sure if I'd call it clay, but hard, and the topsoil I added and used a garden weasel on seems like the same stuff! Nothing in soil is growing at all. No dying either. My potted tomatoes are ok and have a fence around them now. they're still small
Ive never seen a 12 foot tomato plant

 

[Jeremy]

I should try that! My garden sounds just like KLS52! Not sure if I'd call it clay, but hard, and the topsoil I added and used a garden weasel on seems like the same stuff! Nothing in soil is growing at all. No dying either. My potted tomatoes are ok and have a fence around them now. they're still small
Ive never seen a 12 foot tomato plant

It towers two or three feet above the roof of the patio

 

[silva]

Geez . You've sold me on that pot!

 

[KLS52]

That's crazy! What size smart pot do you use? Seven gallon seems to be the average size.
Honestly, I've done container gardening the last several years. This is the first time trying the tomatoes in the ground. I even used the topsy turvy planter two years ago. And last year hubby built the really nice raised deck planter. And I always buy the organic soil. It's just really frustrating...waste of time and money. I just want some really nice, big, juicy tomatoes. I don't need a lot. A few would be nice, though. I guess we'll see what happens. The three plants have flowers and three little green tomatoes so far.

 

[Jeremy]

That's crazy! What size smart pot do you use? Seven gallon seems to be the average size.
Honestly, I've done container gardening the last several years. This is the first time trying the tomatoes in the ground. I even used the topsy turvy planter two years ago. And last year hubby built the really nice raised deck planter. And I always buy the organic soil. It's just really frustrating...waste of time and money. I just want some really nice, big, juicy tomatoes. I don't need a lot. A few would be nice, though. I guess we'll see what happens. The three plants have flowers and three little green tomatoes so far.

I think I got 20 gallon this time, but I'll have to double check that!

I can't totally understand being frustrated... It sucks to work hard and it not work out

 

[Jeremy]

Yep... 20 gallon!

 

[KLS52]

That's big! Glad I asked. I would have bought the pack of five seven gallon ones on Amazon. I don't know if I will bother at this point. Maybe next year, though, if I'm not totally disgusted. I'll stick to buying from the local farm stand for now.

I'm sure living in Florida helps, too.

 

[Jeremy]

That's big! Glad I asked. I would have bought the pack of five seven gallon ones on Amazon. I don't know if I will bother at this point. Maybe next year, though, if I'm not totally disgusted. I'll stick to buying from the local farm stand for now.

I'm sure living in Florida helps, too.

Well, Florida helps in the fact that we get an early start. We have plants established for a good three months before you all up that way can really do anything.

 

[Jeremy]

The 20 gallon pots really aren't as big as they sound.. We have five of them lined up on our little patio

 

[Poppy]

The squirrels have discovered my tomatoes. Little twerps, they take a bite, then decide it's not quite ripe enough and try another. I had five tomatoes with bites taken yesterday! And it's not like the squirrels in my yard are not already well-fed - they get peanut splits daily, sunflower chips and the random mealy apple!!! Ungrateful little turds.

I think I'm just going to harvest the tomatoes as soon as they get a hint of pink and hope they ripen on the window sill.