General Discussions 2009 - Chapter 27

Eggplants and zucchini

Yellow squash - fried up some more tonight! Mmmm. Mmmmm

Peppers - sideways - sorry

This message was edited Jun 4, 2009 9:29 PM

Peppers

Tomatoes

Swell!

Just curious...how many and what kinds of tomatoes did you plant out?

Oh. You may want to be prepared to stake or cage the eggplants. Mine started to fall over so I dropped down some twine from my guy wire system and used tomato vine clips to support them.

Jerry

Looks great Kent! I have garden and season envy. Its so cold and wet on our little south pacific island at this time of year. Wish I had one of those squash for dinner. Pictures are good too though.

And I agree, there is no substitute for fresh asparagus!

Lena

Hi Lena,

How are the finals going???

Good pictures Kent.

Jeanette

Kent you are definitely a Master Gardner! Everything looks so good!
Jerry we are waiting for more of your photos too!

Jerry: I planted120 tomatoes, 13 different varieties.

Better Boy, German Johnson, Goliath, Roma, Golden Jubilee, Parks Whopper, Celebrity, Sweet Olive Grape tomatoes

Bradley, Mr. Stripey, Talladega, Homestead, Mountain Pride - just 1 each

I definitely need to stake my peppers and eggplants before a wind storm comes through and breaks. Good reminder.

Thanks, all for the compliment.

Lena, I wish I could download some veggies to you! :-)

Then, that would be virtual veggies.
LOL
Right???

Kent: your straw bales are looking very good!

Virtual Veggies, what a concept, LOL. I only wish it was possible.

Another name could be e-veggies! :-)

Had to come in from tying up tomatoes. Shower coming thru.

LOL

Kent; now I not only have zone envy, you are even getting a little rain.
You must have paid your tithe this week !!!!!
I may have to try for some of those E Veggies. LOL
Or Maybe a RAIN DANCE!!

Russ: if you look real hard, you can see a straw bale with a tomato plant in those clouds!

I don't do rain dances, but I'll do a jig for you! :-)

I just threw that picture in hoping it would do some good. LOL
They are talking " CHANCE" this week end - but I ain't holden my breath.
I'll jig too. Maybe it will help. :>)

Thanks for the e-veges! They are great! And the e-bales look lovely too.

I picked up two barley straw bales this morning from a retired potato farmer just out of town. We had a long chat about potatoes and farming and how hard it is to be a grower in NZ. And he said if I want 20 bales I need to get them in the next 2-3 weeks or they will be gone, first in first served. They are very nice looking bales, tightly packed and bright yellow. And a fair bit longer than the bales I get from the equestrian shop, will easily get three tomatoes in each. Might have to hire a trailer during the week and get enough for summer. I could store them in the carport, but the car would have to spend winter with its hind legs in the rain.

Here are some e-tomatoes for you, while you wait on yours! Picture taken in my dining room march this year.

Lena

LOL Lena you are mean. How are the finals coming? Are you going to be in your house another year?

Jeanette

Lena, I probably missed it somewhere , but what are you studying ? where will you use it ? digger

First exam is on Monday, not as prepared as Id like to be. I spent too much time playing with straw and not enough time working today. At least I still have tomorrow. I am studying a mix of agriculture and sustainable energy related papers this year, as a one year post-grad dip. I finished a bachelor of commerce last year (valuation, finance and management, the fun stuff) but dont want to start looking for a real job yet. A lot of my friends are struggling to get decent jobs, theres not much available at the moment. Gives me more time to work out what I want to do. And yeah, I get to stay here at least one more summer :)

Lena

Lena , girl , we are all in Tall cotton . ( a real complement ) . Go girl . digger

Lena: love the tomato pic and all the variations of color!

Kent:
Nice pics; Just set out my tomato & pepper plants yesterday;
Cukes are not even up yet; It was 33.4 degrees of spring weather here at 5am two days ago; Americade is in Lake George this week; so summer cannot be far behind. :))) perry

Perry: good morning, my friend! Good to hear from you.

I was just looking around on the computer b4 I have to head to church.

I love Lake George and upstate NY. It's been a long time since I've been there. Another life. Another story...

You'll have some peppers first and then some tomatoes to go with them.

I had some pizza last night with some fresh cayenne pepper and some hot yellow pepper. Mmmmm. Mmmm!

If I could only grow 2 things, it would be tomatoes and peppers.

Gotta run.

Awesome pics Kent. I only have twelve bales out this year since its my first year. I plan to double it next year... I need more room!



Jeff

I posted this pic on tomatoes forum but don't know how many of you go there , so for your pleasure , here's my first ever germinated toms . From a packet of mystery seeds from Flyboy, I present ,

Wooo Hooo Digger is hooked.
Gonna start her own now :>)
Hey what can I say, It's fun!
Russ

digger: l love the tomato forum!

The 1st 4 or 5 posts at the tomato forum has some great info, especially for those who want to collect their own seeds and germinate them.

Aren't they cute , russ?
Kent , I only discovered tom forum this year . There is a wealth of info there . digger

Sally, let me get this straight!! Are you telling me that these are the first seeds you have ever germinated??? I do not believe that for a minute. To me that is the best part of gardening. I always start so many plants I give them away because I don't have enough room for them.

Great Growing Girl!! GGG

Jeanette

I probably would not have had to start any this year. I could have just waited for all the volunteers. I had plenty of them reseed themselves. Could have dug them up and planted them where I wanted them. However I would not remember which one they came from. I have them in my beets, in the beans and some even in my sweet tader patch.
I will leave a few of them alone as sometimes they have fruit before the ones I have planted.
I have one in a bucket that our daughter brought up from Alabama. It is going great guns now. Needs to be tied to a trellis, I think it will grow too tall for a container. It is close to 3' already.

Jnette,Just toms and pepper. I always just bought my veggie plants because I really have no way to keep them over . I see that if they overwinter in Russ's part of the country , I don't need to put in fridg , since we're gone in winter and cut fridge off . Toms and jalapenos and bells are all I ever planted be 4 this year , and squash. It's just a lot cheaper to buy frozen stuff at the store for me ,and haven't had sunny place to plant . Always incorporated veggies into landscape .I wouldn't peel English peas for the price at the store and I use a lot of them in salads , just raw and the same with corn . And okra needs sun , I don't have much . Haybales are where okra was last year. Got spinach, squash ,zukes and eggplant . I'll buy the okra .
I had two toms come up volunteer this year and have no idea what kind they are .Planted taters in barrel , and am rooting sw. taters to put out week after next .Couldn't find slips and almost waited too late .Have to be in by 4th of July .When a garden ceases to be fun ,and a hobby, then it becomes work and I retired from working . lol digger

Boy I hear you there digger. but, our winters are so long that I really miss the flowers. I wish I could take a picture of my decks and put them over the windows for winter. Wish I could invent and patent something like a shade to pull down and there would be the pictures of my deck with all of my pretty flowers and fountain.

Then I wouldn't mind our winters so much.

Digger I wouldn't exactly call it over wintering. But they will reseed themselves.
But that is only if some are missed and allowed to stay laying in the garden.
I have some coming up in the straw left over from last year, where I have some potatoes. I can't remember which I had growing in those bales.
That whop on the noggin didn't help none at all.

How is your whopped nogggin doing Russ? Healing nicely I hope.

Tomato volunteers are one of the biggest weeds in my garden, they turn up EVERYWHERE! Its hard trying to pick up the rotten or split tomatoes before they disapear into the ground. And because I deseed all my toms before processing, the compost is full of them. I have started microwaving the bowl of seeds before adding it to the compost, hoping to stop the seeds before I start.. Hasn't made much difference though. Tomatoes are survivors. I read somewhere that tomato volunteers had become a weed problem on the banks of council drains leading out of sewerage treatment plants, causing blockages and looking untidy. They are one of the only seed types to survive eating and digesting and then sewerage treatment!

Better go, I have an exam tomorrow, the hardest one. Can always rely on DG to distract lol

Your seedlings are very cute Sally. Makes me look forward to starting mine.

Lena

Lena; They told me it would be 6 to 9 months, before the bones would all nit together. I usually have a minor headache most all the time but that should pass with time and more healing. I can't use my bifocals to read as that position of my eyes I see double. I am hoping the reading glasses I ordered, " like full bifocals" will let me read even though I will have to either hold everything up or just bend my neck. just not try to look down. The Dr's are happy with the progress. I just have to be more patient.
I am glad to have the garden to keep me occupied part of the time. I just have to pace myself, as I can't take as much heat or stress of working very long at a time.
I am happy though that things weren't any worse.
Praying for the very best on your Exam. I am sure you will do well.
I would think that bringing the tomato seeds up to 200 degrees in the micro really should take care of them.
But then as you said they are survivors.
Be well!
Russ

Lena: ace that exam for us!!

Jnette , it 's already been invented , but way pricy .You have lots of options tho , You can get those old fashioned pull down shades and paint on them , then pull down your shade picture , it makes the room dark. You can get the plastic window covers at hd that looks like stained glass .Paint a picture directly on the glass
One other option is , like we talked about b4 ,come on down south and visit me and dh , we will all enjoy the sun together . digger

There ya go Jeanette; Ya can't beat an offer like that! LOL :>)
Russ