What's Going on in your Veggie Garden-Part 5

Jan, give it lots of room. This variety is very tasty. Not overly okra-y in flavor, but no matter how big the pods get, when cooked, they are so tender. That's very different from most okra, which is best picked when it's not more than about 4" long.

Thanks Stephanietx.

Jan

I thought I would send an update from my garden- My Garlic & Walla Walla onions did great. Tomatoes not so much-but take a look at my Pole Beans (Kwintus variety). I haven't had a decent harvest this year. Last year I had so many I couldn't give them away. Normally they grow nice and straight- the first ones did this year. Now they are curling and growing tadploes! No disease or bugs-no herbicide drift. Can it be the triple digit heat we are having? Also- corn. Although I didn't grow any, what I have purchased this year has not been at all sweet- is it the crazy spring we had? My peppers are dwarf compared to last years- Just really discouraging all around. And I am reading the same from gardeners all over the country.

Yesterday I put some bagged composted manure and also bagged compost on my tomatoes. Then today I folliar fed all the tomato plants wuth Algoflash. Never used it before but I have read where everyone raves about this stuff. Used the tomato Ferlitizer. It greens them up immediately.

Tore up my old tomatoes, and my beans this week. Planted some small eggplants (Little Fingers) and some more tomatoes, and my Lady Peas. My little watermelon are doing well. Lots of tiny watermelons. Put in some new basil, since the old one got all used up. Just waiting til I get back from vacation next weekend to start fall seeds.

I just can't imagine tearing out tomato plants this time of year and planting new ones. My tomatoes are just now into strong production and most is still to come. I know, different climates.

Tried pole beans this year, so far NOTHING. Some flowers but NO beans. Feeding them but so far nothing. Carrots coming along great it looks like, Garlic did well. Better boy tomatoes did alright. Planted some cherry toms a bit late but they're coming along. Baby Romaine lettuce did great. Snap peas were the best, will try doing another crop late summer. Spanis onions not doing as well as last tear, some aren't bulbing yet. A few are.

I picked a large basket of "Ace" sweet peppers this morning, plus some "Royal Burgundy" bush beans that were sown on June 14th.

This is the first year I've had any success with sweet peppers. These plants are loaded! I purchased the seeds from Johnny's.

Good job, Honey!!

We harvested another mess of okra and a few tomatoes this morning.

Nice harvests!

Miss the DG gang, been in FL. at Mom's house since last Thursday. No Internet...Major withdrawal.. Right now sitting in Atlanta, already bumped off 2 flights, another 2.5 hours to wait til last flight of nite...

Garden update... Just hope seeds arrived, but won't have time to plant for fall crop, have to drive to FL. from Tx. in another 2 weeks... It's always something.. Wouldn't be able to start seed GH's until 8/24 or 25 when back home.. Is that going to be too late???

Dessert at noon, nothing more to say!

Oh yummy, yummy!

Happytail,
What types of tomatoes are you growing, and what other seeds did you start? I'm not too far from you and am curious if you're doing broccoli?
~Susan

I have started my CAULIFLOWER seeds indoor yesterday.

I will start BROCCOLI indoor on August 3 or 4, and FENNEL/KALE/CHOI/KOHLRABI on August 5-6-7.
I am following as usual Maria Thun bio-dynamic calendar.

drthor - is the Maria Thun bio-dynamic calendar broken down into zones? Or does one need to purchase a calendar for a particular zone?

HoneybeeNC
the "North American Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar 2013 " by Thun is a calendar for the North Hemisphere. It is on Easter Time (perfect for you)
I have been following this calendar for 3 years now and it has been a success ... or just "magic"
It is very easy to follow and kind of fun too.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Biodynamic-Sowing-Planting-Calendar/dp/0863159184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343664789&sr=8-1&keywords=calendar+maria+thun+2013

drthor - thanks for your reply.

I'm still confused.... gardeners in Florida would not sow their tomato seeds on the same date as those in Maine, even though they are in the same time zone.

Does Ms. Thun's book allow for this?

HoneybeeNC
Thun's calendar, just let you know when it is the perfect time to start/transplant crops like : FRUIT, LEAF, ROOT and FLOWER.
Off course you need to adjust those dates for your zone. It is very easy.

Example: look at the picture.
Let's say you want to start your Pepper seeds in January - look for the red color in the calendar which it means FRUIT crops.
In my zone I started my Pepper seeds on January 3rd.
Since your frost date is after me you can look at the following dates with the red color: ex. January 11,12 or 13th or even later January 20, 21, 22 ... and it keep going.
The calendar doesn't tell you when to plant each crop (you know that right), it just suggest the best day.

The calendar is also divided by hours. So it is very easy.

I am no genius, but Thuns did study the influence of the moon and the planets ... I am just following them and woila' amazing harvests, definitely pest reduction and also days in which the calendar doesn't let me garden (see the dotted line) ... which is nice to have some rest !

My dad followed the lunar phases in Italy before he went fishing (by the way he was twice Italian river-fishing champion)
The moon regulate the moisture in the soil ... so it will influence your seeds germination.

The calendar comes as a little book. You can write notes day by day, but also has a second calendar that you can remove from the book.
I laminated the second calendar and it is in my laundry room aka green house and I look at it every day.

I have already per-ordered my calendar for 2013. Last year I did buy it twice by mistake ...

Did I make any sense?

I'l give anybody cash payment if they can transplant here January 9 to 18.
We are out chopping holes in the lake to go fishing on those dates.

drthor - I think I understand...

Taking your pepper analogy... I am scheduled to sow pepper seeds on March 3rd 2013. If I consulted Ms. Thun's book I would look-up 'March 2013' to see which dates she recommends sowing "fruit" seed in March of that year.

I use the "Task" feature in MSOutlook to set up my sowing schedule, which is how I know the exact date I should sow pepper seeds next year.

Does anyone grow ornamental peppers?
~Susan

I keep picking from these Juliet tomatoes and I have more every two days. There are four plants in there along in back of a daylily bed. I never do anything to them and they produce like crazy!

This is the biggest tomato I have had so far this year. Beefmaster. Don't know what it weighs as I forgot to weight it and gave it to my neighbor already.

We'll congratulate you on that beautiful tomato, after we whip you for giving it away without a weigh-in!

LOL!

Lots and lots of Tomatoes picked already. It is a great year for tomatoes for me. There are Cherokee Purples, Sungold, Big Boy, Early Girl, Superfantastic, Whopper, Better Boy and Beefmaster.

Gymgirl, I usually remember to get pictures of my tomatoes but I always forget to weigh them. I have a scale so I could weigh them, I just forget. I know I took the picture and then I saw my neighbor so I gave it away. I have plenty left LOL!

HoneybeeNC you are correct.
Try the book. it is really cheap and lots of fun.

newyorkrita, congrats on your amazing tomatoes !

Thanks! This is a very good year for tomatoes for me!

Kev what are veggies are you thinking of starting?

Susan I grow ornamental peppers.

newyorkrita - I was considering growing "Juliet" tomatoes next year. Did they get much blossom end rot? I grew "Monica" this year and more than half the crop had to be thrown out because of BER!

drthor - I'm going to put Ms. Thun's book on my Christmas list. Thanks for your information.

Honeybee, grow the Juliets. NO Blossom End rot. None, none, none. They are big for a grape. Some of them the size of a small Roma but usually not that big. But huge compaired to my other grape types of SUGERY. I am growing VIVA ITALIAs also and no BER there either.

The first picture in my post # Post #9218371 on July 25th is of some Juliets I had picked.

newyorkrita - I grow "Viva Italia" too, and agree they have little to no blossom end rot.

I think I'll give "Juliet" a try next year. Thanks for your input ^_^

Well, I stand corrected. I just picked a VILVA ITALIA and it had blossom end rot. But carefully looking at the green tomatoes on the VIVA ITALIA, I see no others with BER. So I think it is just a fluke. But I have been picking so many Juliets now and never one with BER. They rarely split with too much rain either. Unlike my SUNGOLDS which split if you even just leave them too long.

Juliets are just the perfect size. Put them on skewers and then just roast them on the grill when you cook a steak or hamburger.

Juliet performed so well for me here in Dallas. Mid-late season production. No BER. Lots and lots of fruit.
Great for sauces and salad.
A MUST HAVE in my garden.

JULIET never stops fruiting. I can't believe how many tomatoes are on there and more blossoms come and more fruit sets every day. Thus was my first year trying them but they will definately be back next year.

Juliet does well in south TX, produces year round if we don't get a freeze as does Chocolate Cherry and Sweet Treats and I've never had BER on either of those. Abe Lincoln, Box Car Willie, Cosmonaut Volkov and Ruby's German Green were the worst I'd ever grown as far as getting a ripe, edible tomato from either. Legend was fantastic and Black Prince had the best tasting tomatoes, but is susceptible to cracking. My garden is sweet potatoes, cucumbers, okra and squash right now with two rows of Arkansas Traveler tomatoes growing for later harvest. Vacation time!

I planted for years by moon signs, this year decided to plant when I was ready, when I had time, and had the best garden ever in one of the toughest growing seasons ever. I even intentionally planted in baren signs. Those seeds actually came up better than those which were planted in fertile signs. Besides, depending on which calendar I went by, just about any day could be good or bad.

I stopped at the Mankato farmer's market to see Country Gardens. His strawberries and cantaloupe are the best I've ever eaten!

Looks like JULIET grows well in most areas!

1lisac
What types of ornamental peppers do you grow? I've been looking, and there's a lot to choose from. We like the hot, but I want some sweet ones ... something that would take the place of a bell?

I just went and picked three quarts of tomatoes from the JULIET plants. I know I have three quarts as I used those plastic quart containers you get from the deli or chinese food in. I had them stuffed over the top. Can't believe how many tomatoes the Juliets produce. Just fabulous.