Nisi--
I will be picking the first 3 ripe Cherokee Purples in a day or two. They look presentably BIG!
Will take a photo--of course.....Gita
Veggie garden friends of the Mid-alantic 2
Gita: Could you post a picture of the plant, too? Mine is still small.
Oh I really am losing it! OMG I was harvesting today! Really "I" didn't intend to Veggie garden, the idea was to get Ric to do it. First I started to clean it up and talked Ric into helping, idea for me to slowly pull back as he Veggie Gardens, I weeded, he weeded, I watched he rototilled. I encouraged he planted, I put some pretty flowers around the edges and cleaned up the herbs. Ric harvested, I cleaned veggies, he cooked them. I dig and plan flower garden for the edges. I do not harvest, I certainly did not intend to harvest when I went down to water the chickens. Then I got side tracked and started pulling weeds and then thought what a nice hot day to dry onions and the next thing you know I'm harvesting. Sigh....Oh No I hear peppers calling Holllllllly next thing you know I will be knee deep in pepper plants. Good thing Ric will be home soon, I can send him I might save myself yet. LOL
You couldn't have told me 20 years ago that I would come to love Veggie Gardening.
It's very very seductive, isn't it? My granddaughter follows me out to the garden where we're in search of ripe melons or something and has to keep saying, "No weeding! NO weeding! Stop it!" because she's eager to get back inside where it's cool and where vine-ripened melons will await her.
LOL, My GS helped plant a few things earlier this spring and was so excited when we picked them. His favorite is cherry tomatoes, I keep pots of them at the gazebo where he has learned just when they are ripe. Last year I only had two plants and nobody else got any. This year I planted a lot more so far I've only had one just to taste, he is keeping it pretty striped. I think they may out produce him next week.
I always had grape tomatoes for my GD, but she's twelve and by now is just as fond of the regular ones, so I didn't grow any this year. Last year my Sweet 100's didn't do very well so I figured "Why bother!" It's a great way to introduce kids to the wonders of the garden, though, and she's a big help, too. She loves to graze there and munch on whatever's ripe, including arugula and other greens. Of course, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are her favorites!
Saved!!!!
What a great harvest! Looks like Ric saved you after all!
Hey Ric, I have a recipe for Unstuffed Pepper Soup, it's yummy. Interested?
Yes, he is. I made stuffed peppers today, Ric put some chopped ones into the freezer, too. We will have plenty more though.
Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup
2 lbs ground beef
2 qts water
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (29oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups cooked long grain white rice (1/2 cup uncooked)
2 cups chopped bell peppers
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
In a 6 qt. sauce pan or dutch oven brown meat and drain.
add remaining ingredients; bring to boil
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender.
I took this recipe to work one morning, the boss was drooling over it so I told him to get the stuff to make it and we could have it for lunch. It was a team effort as everyone got a bit of time here and there pitched in chopping and stirring. Great lunch!
Hey, Nisi!
Just harvested 4, latge, ripe Cherokee tomatoes from the plant you gave me!
Can't wait to taste the first one! The biggest one was about 15 oz.
The two paler ones on the left are from my "Early Girl" and the 4 small ones--piled up--are Jill's Potato tops. Are they supposed to be this small, Jill? I thought they were big tomatoes????
The cherries are "Sweet 100's". Been picking them for a while....
Gita
Any of you remember my crippled. retarded tomato seedlings? I threw almost all of them out! Lost cause for this year! However--I could not stand the thought of not having any Sun Golds to munch on--so i saved the 2 best of the worst.....
Planted them in my Tomato bed and--Look at them now!!!!! The ones on the right.
There must have been something seriously wrong with the "Jiffy Mix" seed starting soil I used. Never again! They are now almost 3' tall and I am sure will grow a lot od great, sweet Tomatoes....
They're the right color for 'Potato Top', Gita, but usually the tomatoes are larger -- not "state fair prize winning" large, but "fill your hand" size anyway. Groundhog munched my PT plants, setting them back, but they're starting to set fruit now and it looks "normal," so hopefully your plant is "true to type" and will put out some larger ones next.
I was thrilled to be able to visit Greenhousegal's garden yesterday, on my way to Ocean City, NJ to pick up my DH after he rode his bike there on Tuesday - about 65 miles. She lives on the way, so it was great to be able to put a face with a name. Since we plan on growing veggies next year, I wanted to be able to get some pointers and actually 'eyeball' a well-planned garden. It was a wonderful time and I am excited about the possiblities for the future.
Jill--
As you remember--ALL my tomato seedlings (except Mortgage Lifter) were crippled and minute.
Since my Sun Gold is now growing nicely--maybe the PotatoTop will catch up as well and the next ripe tomatoes will be a more normal size. .
These 4 were the only, and first, ripe tomatoes on this plant.
Remember these from May of this year? That is what all my tomato seedlings looked like. I threw them all out--except two Sun Golds and, I suppose, one of the Potato Tops. Just wanted to give them a chance.....
Gita
Thanks, Jan! It was so much fun to meet you; you're also the first DGer I've gotten to see in person. I hope the "garden tour" was helpful; it was neat for me to be able to show it to someone who's really into it seriously! Most of our friends have NO idea what's involved in the finished product...
Leslie
Now, I must find some manure. A friend has goats, would that be good? I know it needs to age, correct? Oh, I just remembered someone else has horses, but I'm sure she uses it for her own garden. :)
I remember that, Gita... wasn't sure if your PT was from your seedlings or one I brought along.
Yep, you want manure to age into "compost" rather than "poo." If you're putting layers down for a lasagna bed to plant next spring, it might be OK to put down a layer of fresh stuff and just let it age with everything else in the bed... ?
I'm thinkin the 'fresh' stuff would be on the bottom of the layers - above the cardboard ??
If you have a friend with horses I'm sure she doesn't need all that they produce. Just be careful of weed seeds. We used some composted horse manure from a friend's animals and the garden came up all in weeds. I'm sure the pile wasn't really composted properly, so it didn't heat up enough.
Goat, sheep, rabbit - any kind of manure is good except for cats' and dogs' - or other carnivores.
That is the problem with my pile I think - not hot enough. Thanks for the tip about stirring it up. Now, if I can get DH to not keep adding to the pile, but have consecutive piles.
You can keep adding to the pile - just stir it up. I think it might even heat up better if there were more material.
Jill,
I do remember now--I gott he PT from you at Hollies--even though you did give me some seeds for it in the "goody Bag"....
Those will be for next year--if I like this tomato....
G.
After a slooooow spring start my tomatoes went wild. Some of them looked so bad when I planted them but they outgrew the weeds. LOL We got quite a few heirlooms at the swap and as to date we were showing no blossom end rot inspite of the wet weather. I could have sworn a couple of them were potatoes till they started setting fruit, I guess that is to be expected since they are both nightshades. I really miss my wife, my dog, and the garden. I can hardly wait to get home. Ric
Picked our first real colander full of tomatoes and peppers this morning ^_^ Holly & Ric, looks like you're having a great pepper harvest! I don't think we have any bells planted.
Photo of: Jill's chocolate cherry tomatoes, 4th of July tomatoes, Juliet tomatoes and sweet banana frying peppers
Thanks NisiNJ and daughter :))) for the veggie plants. I usually start a lot of things from seed annually, but every year I manage to forget certain favorites! The swap was great, we received plants that we just didn't get started here. We're going to have peppers and eggs tomorrow for breakfast thanks to you. It's one of our summer favorites.
I think besides the 4th of July and sweet banana peppers, you also gave us a red basil and early jalapeno -- much thanks, I noticed lots of jalapenos out there too. We have grown the Biker Billy hybrid Jalapeno's in past years. We'll use some jalapeno in cooking and in salsa and I'll freeze the extras I guess. Anyone have jalapeno cooking ideas besides poppers? I've found that jalapenos, and hot peppers in general, are tough to give away to friends.
Happy Gardening everybody
Hot sauce! (I had a couple of articles with recipes last summer.) Or just mince hot pepper combos in the food processor and store in the fridge with a little added vinegar to add to whatever you're cooking all winter long. It's much easier to dip out a spoonful from a jar than to "seed and mince 2 jalapenos" from the store. :-)
I have to catch up on taking and downloading photos... I usually don't have much luck with bells, but I have a couple on my 'Big Red' plants, and my 'Fat & Sassy' hybrid bells are really setting some nice ones!
Thanks Jill, I keep forgetting to make our own hot sauce! I was thinking of pickled hot peppers too for sandwiches. Watch we don't get an abundance now that I want a bunch.
Our tomatoes are just OK, we seem to have a wilt problem in the new raised bed. At first I thought they were just really thirsty, but no such luck. There are still lots of tomatoes though, on the neighboring healthy plants.
I am having a great tomato year , for the first in quite a few years. Got back from vacation just in time to start picking. Many thanks to the Swap!!!
That makes up for the pain of yellow squash already being over (borers and last several squash got huge while we were gone) and zucchini- no fruits??-, and cukes already wilted and ditto on last round of fruit getting huge while gone, and didn't plant enough green beans, and, and...
Potato Top??? I need fresh and seed that are true to name Potato Top. Had twelve seed this year. Only three germinated. All three were Tidwell German. I grew one to see what it may be. So far the horrible area blight has not gotten to the German plant but it is not what I hoped to grow. I am looking at several 1 1/2 to 2 pound green matters. I hope I can ripen and enjoy several of them.
Doug Oster sent me a nice lot of replacement seed for next year. However someone's seed that was grown this year and kept from crossing in patch would please me. Sure would like to grow the real Potato Top. The leaf should have no indents or edge breaks.
doc, you insist on Potato Tops because...?
I grew a row of Edamame green soybeans and have just harvested and prepared them. Sounds weird but are kind of tasty in a vaguely(very vaguely LOL) peanutty way. Not the worst way to get your Soy intake.
Because............................I never heard of them, because Doug Oster of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette is volunteer chairing an effort to restore the seed supply and maybe because I am a little nuts about old things that I discover along the way. Keeping the variety alive and well is the first goal. Each grower with the true Potato Top seed agrees to send him the seed from one tomato in the first set. Read more by going to:
www.post-gazette.com/garden/ click on the gaden forum button, log on and talk with Doug about gardening.
To me the project provides purpose as well as a good eating heirloom that was all but lost just a few years ago.
I believe I have a potato top I got from Jill that has a huge first set. I swear a couple of these heirlooms I got at the swap looked like potatoes till they bloomed. Ric
Ric...................all of your leaves are indented or have broken edges. Potato Top is a solid edged tear drop shaped leaf. Your fruit appear to be in the heirloom arena and should be really good. According to Doug Oster we are all amateur growers who do not prevent crosses. Well most of us anyway. We have to take a number of seed and germnate to find the true Potato Top solid edge teardrop seedling to get Potato Top.
If your seed genetics originated from him the plant you likely have according to him is named Tidwell German. Yours looks very much like mine that I know were Tidwell German as confirmed by Doug Oster. You look to be a week or ten days ahead of my plants development. I see now white let alone red yet.
doc--that is really interesting!
I also got a "potato Top" tomato seedling from Jill at holly's.....or so it was labeled.....
The tomatoes it has been bearing are tiny--smaller than Early Girls. Maybe 1 3/4" diameter. The ARE on the slightly pink side, but the size is WAY off! Also the leaves are regular tomato leaves.
Are you saying in your Post above that if one gets "Potato Top" seeds from someone--and grows them--and gets tomatoes--that there is just a RANDOM chance that you will get a real "Potato Top" plant out of it????????
That is just mind-boggling!!!!!
Here is a plate-full of my first harvest. The 4 "biggies" are "Cherokee Purples". The med. sized ones (at 10 O'clock) are "Early Girl", and the 4 stacked on top of each other below them are the ones that were supposed to be the P.'s. All subsequent fruits on this plant have been the same size. tasty--yeah! But so tiny! The red cherries are "Sweet 100's"....
Gita
My 'Potato Top' came from a friend who got seeds by mail from Doug Oster. This is the first I've heard that it's not the true variety (and Doug has seen photos of my plants, in the article I wrote). What can I say? The plant that I'm growing is my most reliable and best producing pink tomato, and I love it.
Gita, it sounds like yours might be a sport or a crossed seedling (Carolyn says crossing is rare, less than 4% chance or maybe it was 2%, but it can happen). My Potato Top plants are late setting fruit this year because most got munched by the blasted groundhog, but so far all seem to be true to type, or at least true to what I have been growing for several years.
:-)
I have Doug's instructions and pictures in front of me. When I talked to him personally he called my attention to his instructional sheet. That tear drop leaf with no broken leaf edge is his main issue. He sent me fifty or so seed again saying since we are largely amateurs who do not isolate the plantings many crosses are certain to transpire. Seeking the right genetics from his seed involves finding the percentage that are true Potato Top with seedlings showing this in order to of course grow the Tomato Top variety. All others with any broken leaf edges are crossed with something else that was in the gower's patch and incorrectly saved as Potato Top from all of the possible crossed genetics in the saved seed.
My friend Critter...............You can say Doug did not really look at your pix or for whatever reason did not offer positive criticism. Therefore incorrect, "according to his own pix and words" information got brought foreward, in your article. Things like this often happen. No one can be perfect when available information proves to be questionable. This is a black and white issue according to Doug. It all comes down to a leaf he clearly describes and pictures in his flat sheet of instructions. He defines all others as Tillwell German Heritage stock. After it goes through anyone elses garden lots of other crosses would be in the genetics. Tillwell German may be in the original genetics and will if so remain a percentage of the seed while many other genetics enter the picture as the seed is grown on and through other growers patches. The genetics of any seed aparently is not fully understood by Doug either or he would not label all other seedlings as Tillwell German.
......To keep this within reasonable understanding it could be said that any cross getting into the line will still permit the original genetics to appear in future years. Each year crosses will reduce the chance of the original cross to appear by a smaller percentage untill the original is lost. When Doug sends out seed the selection of seedlings is entirely up to the new grower and herein is the difficulty. There is and likely will be no control to guarentee anything because......well that's just the way any event of this nature is. A small percentage even read the instuctions and fewer yet follow them. Then others follow incorrect information thinking it is gospel.
I would not be surprised if after I germinate two dozen seed next spring that still no Potato Top would appear. If that happens I will abandon the ship and just be satisified to know why this effort has gone astray. Doug can not send anyone pure Potato Top seeds. There is no way he could with open polination being in place the previous year.
Hopefully this post will help all undertand what has transpired and is still going on. There is no malace intended for anyone. It set me back this past spring when no Potato Top seedings appeared from the seed I received from Doug. Maybe I will get lucky next year.
.....and maybe I will too....
Jill did give me some seeds. But the one plant I am growing our (that has the small fruit) was a seedling from Jill. Next year I will use the seeds she gave me this Spring. In essence--they will have skipped a growing season--so nothing would have "messed" with them this year in MY garden.
I know you are in another World at this time, Jill. I have been following your Prayer Forum--just have not posted....BUT--Do you know if there might be another small tomato that you grow, that is slightly pink.
You know me--I am not in the Horticultural mind-set....I just grow things that I enjoy and do not worry about much of anything--except keeping everything watered in this heat.
Gonna go out and take a picture of this "Potato Top" tomato you gave me.......The green tomatoes you see are just about the full size now....
Gita
another shot-----
