Kyla's Garden Pictures, part two

"Opposite effect" just has to do with black holes having some unintuitive characeristics regarding how things like light and matter work in and near them. When you add mass to a black hole you make the hole bigger and stronger. Its kind of like an onion ...

Picante perhaps you might choose a wormhole. Sofer lives in one so may be of assistance. Does he have the wormhole franchise of Holeistic Services? Also don't forget the fabby soil amendments I scoped out just east of Missoula. Others in MT they are excavating the river bed (or it looks like they are) and have 'Soil Amendments' in big piles. No prices out though. I also found a fabby statuary place on the south side of the highway opposite the Lincoln Silver $$ place. Blinged a cement mushroom, ladybug steppy stone and a fabby new bench into the truck (pics later). That truly is one luvly onion Kyla. ps my one and only pea plant finally bit the dust when I was away sigh. Memorial service at the Compost to occur this weekend.

I thank you on behalf of my onion, which, sadly, disappeared down a black hole quite some time ago.

Kyla's Garden has many layers to it and obviously the part that grows flowers is only the surface.

What have we delved into here?

Hole only knows.

Meanwhile, I did get a shot of this elusive bird this morning, nearly in focus this time, not a great picture but still, I'm a-sharin' it, right here.

If you don't like the bird you can admire the sunflower seedheads.

This message was edited Aug 26, 2009 3:22 PM

This message was edited Aug 26, 2009 3:23 PM

That is a good shot of the bird sittin' on top of the flower.

Ya think? ;-)

Ohhhh, I hate to think of that beautiful little glossy onion getting sucked into a black hole! Maybe it was only a wormhole. Has anyone seen the onion in this picture?: Post #6981799

All is well, its family assures me.

Here is today's harvest. The pale toms are Cherokee Greens. The little ones are about the size of quarters and nickels.

This message was edited Aug 27, 2009 10:54 AM

Looks like a nice day's harvest.

Beautiful onions and tomatoes and they would go together nicely in the pot! Yum! Fabulous for a first year garden!

thanks. the onions are my best success as I grew them from seed, oh wow.

the tomatoes, are iffy. but I am still getting good flavor from them. They have some kind of issue that causes their shoulders to split, I think it is nutrient related and I will never again try to grow big tomato plants in five gallon containers, no matter how many web resources say five gallons is enough. Bah, I say. ;-) the poor things look all crispy at the tops too, it is getting embarrassing. I used to be proud of how my deck garden looked but no more.

The back, where I risked only the onions, is looking better still.

anyway, already whined to pajarito about the fact that I am having a bout of 12 hour work days, yeesh. So little time to do any gardening beyond watering and even that is burdensome most days, tho when I get to it it is peaceful and restorative.

I do take pictures when I can, here is one that I kind of like. Asclepia of some kind, nice one!

Very nice! I like those colors.

Worm holes are productive. Black holes are destructive. I prefer the time travel of the worm. When you first feel the pull of the black hole start looking for a bright halo to the right of your travel and follow it to the worm hole. Its fun.

Cracks on the shoulders of tomatoes are not a bad sign. Many of the best tomatoes have them. It isn't from a deficiency. Some tomatoes crack more than others. Read Dr. Carolyn Male's book on heirloom tomatoes, 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden.

http://tinyurl.com/nhk5td

She shows pictures of cracked as well as perfect tomatoes. It isn't the looks we grow them for, but the flavor -- so pat yourself on the back Kyla if yours taste good. Not all tomatoes are gorgeous, but if they taste good, you have won the battle. Have you ever noticed how ugly the heirlooms in the store are? That's because they were bred for taste and to do well in their local climate, not for looks.

By the way, Dr. Carolyn has a tomato named after her and is a leading tomato expert in the country and still posts on Dave's Garden. She is retired from the University of Colorado School of Medicine where she taught for years. She now leaves in Salem, NY, I think it is. If you want to learn about growing fabulous tomatoes, look up this book.



This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 10:41 AM

Check out this heirloom tomato from Plant Files. Delicious is one of the tastiest tomatoes and has cracks like crazy. This tomato is also very early for its huge size so it is great for us mountain gardeners. I usually grow Cherokee Purple which is incredibly delicious but always looks terrible. Lots of concentric cracks on the shoulders.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/84690/

Here is a truly ugly tomato -- one of my favorites -- but read the description of its taste.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/6695/

Thank you. These cracks are rather deeper than I like though..... but perhaps you are right. ;-)

here's a picture.... some of the cracks are as deep as a quarter inch.... but this picture I saved because I like it, not the best depiction of my complaint.

I am trying to grow Cherokee Purple toms & they look worse than terrible - we're talking black blotches. They look like they are rotting on the vine when they're not even ripe yet. I've only gotten a few fruits too. Very disappointing.

Tomatos are just plain picky. They want rich, moist soil, days that are 82F and nights that are 67F. Any variation or if they are just plain in a bad mood and the fruits will crack. Actually the even moisture is a big factor and it is difficult to maintain in the dry West.

Believe me, cracks do not detract from flavor. Grow a modern hybrid if you want a picture perfect tomato --- but you won't get as tasty a tomato.

As for Cherokee Purple, if you look at the DG Plant Files on it there are lots of raves but also 6 negatives. As best as I can tell, it hates hot weather. One can only tell through experimentation and talking to other locals what will produce an excellent tomato in your location. Cherokee Purple is wonderful here at 7,300 ft, but it may be that Denver is hotter than Los Alamos. There are many other good heirlooms. Again, I refer you to Dr. Carolyn's book. It is my tomato bible. Pick some others to try. You might go to a local farmers' market and see what they are selling -- since those were no doubt grown nearby.

You are right dparsons. Tomatoes are picky. They like certain soils and places and they don't like others. That is why there are so many different heirlooms available. Each heirloom was bred for a specific place and that is what they like for growing conditions.

I grew up on Creole tomatoes which I wouldn't even think of trying here. They are bread for steaming hot weather and the rich clay-ey rich soil of the Mississippi delta -- the most southern part of it. They are also ugly and cracked, almost always and they are one of the finest tomatoes I have ever tasted.

You can only find out what is good in your area is by asking around. Another one that does great for me is Caspian Pink. It is huge and late and so I don't get a whole lot of them before frost. But they are heavenly and I do like fried green tomatoes.

We have had a cooler than normal summer this year, so it can't be the heat. I have had good luck with Stupice tomatoes this year, they are very small but I have had lots of them. And I have Carmello too, both of those are as pretty as a hybrid & that makes my son happy. You can see them here (the red ones, the orange are Sungold cherry toms): http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=6958351

I don't care if the tomato isn't pretty, but this is what I'm getting from the Cherokee Purple. I had one good one a few weeks ago, then this.



This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 1:06 PM

Good picture, Lisabees. D.H. has been getting "regular tomatoes" at the farmer's market. They look great and taste great. The Cherokee Purple looks to have some problems.

Yeah, that would disappoint me too. (Roybird and I cross posted -- farmers mkt toms here are real pretty t oo!)

I agree, pretty is not the point here, and Paj, that purple one is beautiful in my eyes, actually!

I have mostly heirloom and did not really choose them but ended up with them. The Cherokee Green came in the batch of wintersowing seeds. Most of the others I did order but knowing very little of what I was after. Anyway, I learned a lot!

Here is the crispy plant top effect I was bemoaning:

This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 11:31 AM

Here are the splits I don't think are all that great:

Another one:

But I suppose I should not complain too much. I do have to cut all that off which makes it messy and wasteful, but really, I should not complain, as yes, taste is the main factor.

anyway, enough about vegetable woes.

flowers are still rather nice.

I kind of like this combo here:

and I'm grateful the ants, who live nearby to this location, do seem completely uninterested in penstemon.

hahahaha, surveillance goin on:

Dahlia, don't look at this picture, it might remind you of the "F" word that must not be uttered. tee hee

lisabees, those tomatoes seem to have some kind of rot, as far as I can tell and they don't look like Cherokee purples because they aren't purple. Here is a link to the Cherokee purples in plant files.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/253642/

The are much darker than yours. I wonder if your seeds or plants got mixed up. I think customers sometimes mess up the labels at the store.

I usually grow Stupice, too. It is the best early cool crop tomato. But here I find the plants usually give up about mid-summer -- which is okay because that is when the larger tomatoes start to come on. I also love lots of the cherry tomatoes-- sweet 100, sun gold and others. They have a special place in my cooking when you don't want a tomato that goes all mushy in an instant.

I shouldn't talk though. I didn't get any tomatoes in the ground because of my early travels and then my later travels and DH's surgeries. Next year I will do better.

Yep, your tomatos have some something growing on them. The color looks a little off like they aren't healthy. The high brix gardening advice I've read and its increase in disease resistance comes to mind.

Kyla, first thing that come to mind is uneven wetness of the soil.

I know, that was my take too but at this stage I am just letting it be...... would be hard to fix anyway. I also still think there is prob. a nutrient factor but maybe not.

I didn't mean to but in on Kyla's thread but since I got comments on my pic I have to respond: I do believe those are Cherokee Purple toms but they got those spots before they were ripe, so the color is definitely off (they do look more purple in real life too). It's just disappointing, I've had tons of little tomatoes but almost no nice BIG ones.

Kyla, your tomato slices look YUMMY!

Well, I would be the last one to say Cherokee Purple was the only wonderful tomato for the Rocky Mt. Area. It works well in my garden, but my situation is different from those of you in the Denver and Weed, CA areas for sure.
I recommend that both of you research the various heirlooms that might grow in your areas. I do recommend Dr. Carolyn's book for suggestions, but there are far more options than even her 100. I guess I would say experiment. Stupice is wonderful for a small early tomato. I like Caspian Pink and Pruden's Purple, but I do recommend that the two of you experiment on your own. But do know that heirlooms aren't known for their beautiful perfect round globes and perfect red color. That is what modern hybrids look like. Sometimes an heirloom looks that way, bit more often they do not. Experiment, but don't rule out the ugly tomato until you have tasted it!

Lisabees, no worries, you didn't butt in at all. The fate of one's tomatoes is truly a consuming subject.

tee hee.

I had despaired of my lemon cukes too but have discovered a couple that might actually become edible one day.

I think that the uneven watering, even tho I kept after it as much as I could!, is a big part of the probs I have had...... and too, this year was meant to be a learning and an experiment and in that way it is a complete success.

And it seems I have cantelopes in the back, three of them, volunteered in the bottom of the compost for goodness sakes!

Why I can't ever remember how to spell cant elope, I cant tell you.

;-)

Some of us are a little over the top when it comes to tomatoes -- that would be me, actually. Sorry if I came on too strong. I guess you can tell what one of my favorite foods is.

Well, we have had a pretty good crop of cherry tomatoes and one heirloom has been producing lovely delicious toms... (I have to look at the tag to see what it is exactly)... 2 of our tomato plants have produced nothing, but everything that has fruited has been delicious. I intentionally bought heirlooms specific to our area from our local garden center. Also a first year garden... filled with rocks and less than spectacular soil... but we'll keep amending it and turning it and getting more rocks out, and someday, we'll have some good dirt.

Our scarlett runner beans are doing well!

Next year I will definitely try scarlet runner beans. They are so beautiful and I wished all this season I had chosen to start some instead of the other thing I did, the Lab lab whatsit beans, they were supposed to attract butterflies for me but didn't attract a one.

Pajarito, your love for good tomatoes is a beautiful thing. No worries, my friend. And I agree Doc Carolyn's info is a fabulous resource; I did learn much from her writings in the tomatoes forum.

My DH has gone and done it. We have the most beautiful golden mini-tomatoes. I will post a pic eventually, but maybe not on this thread, because his tomatoes are not in Kyla's garden.

But I would like them to be!

Definitely will be doing different varieties next time. My Mexican Midget cherries, out back, by the way, are doing beautifully. They are the tiny ones in this picture. The larger ones are Tiny Tim, a variety bred for container growing. The plant does stay nice and compact, but the tomatoes don't taste all that good, whereas the teeny Mexican Midgets are delicious.

The white smudges are water spots from our hard mineralized well water.

This message was edited Aug 30, 2009 8:24 PM