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Post by camochef on May 21, 2015 7:56:53 GMT -5
Spring plantings are now over. After severe wind storms, I'm now down to 68 tomato plants having lost 4 to winds. Lots of Spinach, Swiss Chard, Beets, Lettuce's, Pak Choi, Arugula, and other greens. Peas, beans are doing well. Cucumbers, Squash and Zucchini are up and doing well. My recently planted Okra have just sprouted and my herbs are looking very good. All Allium's are exceptionally good. Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Brussels Sprouts are developing quite nicely.
Best part, most tomatoes have buds on them and 3 (Turkey) have open blossoms. Can't wait till I have some ripe tomatoes, but will be content for now enjoying Spinach, Lettuce and other greens including Beet tops and Swiss chard.
Although it was late coming, Spring plantings went reasonably well, a few losses here and there due to late frosts and severe winds, but off to a great start. Looking forward to fall plantings, but first I hope to be harvesting tomatoes and other warm weather crops.
Wishing the best to all. Enjoy! Camo
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Post by garrett on May 23, 2015 21:48:29 GMT -5
Thanks Fer the update camo. good to hear from you buddy.
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Post by cliffrat on May 26, 2015 23:15:16 GMT -5
So I am busy pickin n eatin stuff. Fresh salad greens and radishes for a few weeks now. The zukes are delicious, the mystery squash turned out to be sweet dumpling and I've got a ton of 'em coming in. Already cut and dried a bunch of cilantro, dill, and basil. I picked my first Carosella Tonda and ate some of it today. Mild flavor and serious crunch. Picked a head of garlic yesterday and the tomatoes are setting fruit and growing like weeds. Man, life is good. I wish my other computer hadn't crashed or I could load some pics of the ongoing harvest. However, I do have a weird little thing and I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen. I have a tomato plant that sprouted a sucker out of the end of a flower cluster. Now I have a little group of 4 tomatoes with a new leader growing out the end and another flower cluster on that. Never seen that before.
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Post by LinFL on May 27, 2015 9:01:42 GMT -5
cliffrat, I have seen that a few times. I'm not sure why it happens, but it does. I just let it do its thing. Glad to hear you are having nice harvests from the garden! I am getting tomatoes and LOTS of cucumbers in, while I anxiously await the first ripe bell peppers - I have some nice big green ones that seem like they could color up any day, but for all I know it might be 3 weeks still. Peppers have heir own timetable and refuse to be rushed.
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Post by cliffrat on May 27, 2015 22:37:36 GMT -5
Yeah those peppers take some time, but not as long as the eggplant. I swear those little buggers sat there 3 inches tall for two months and just tripled in size over the last week or so. They probably won't start growing fruit until after summer. at least that's what they seem to do every other year. I wish some of the tomatoes would ripen. Only a few of the cherry and one or two grape are turning color. The plum and moskovich tomatoes are almost as big as my fist and green as oak leaves in July. The rest of them are still deep green, but there are lots of them! Sooner of later......I'll have them yet.
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Post by garrett on Jun 8, 2015 10:25:02 GMT -5
Dig in ya'lls summers here......lol
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Post by garrett on Jun 21, 2015 23:03:40 GMT -5
Still dropping crinum
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Post by camochef on Jul 12, 2015 8:02:14 GMT -5
Tomatoes are finally beginning to ripen on the vines. Have already picked a couple Dana's Dusky Rose, a Margaret Curtain (all small)and a Pink Sweet (11oz) and a Cherokee Purple(just over a pound). I expect many more to ripen this week, especially those large slicers that I have my eye on. Have been picking yellow summer squash, zucchini and other summer squashes like crazy this past week. Also lots of cucumbers. Been making squash medleys over Basmati rice with canned tomatoes and okra. Yesterday was the first time I made Faux or Mock crabcakes with a large zucchini and was surprised just how good it was. Really tasted like crabcakes.
Spinach, lettuce, and other greens are finished and I have to wait till fall plantings for more of their bounty. Just finished the last of the pea picking and this past week and a half have picked gallons of beans, mostly rattlesnake beans that are simply delicious. Beets were fantastic this season, especially the Bull's Blood and Chioggia beets, the Golden Detroit were also great, but not as easy to grow, even after reseeding a few times. Swiss Chard has been good, but I prefer Spinach and Beet tops.
Did have some of the best tasting cabbages I ever grew. Early Golden Acre, and Gonzales. Grew other varieties but not as good as these two which steamed up well for making cabbage rolls that were simply delicious.
Must mention a variety of cucumber out of the ten varieties that I'm growing that really stood out and will probably replace all others I grow, that's Tendergreen. More like an English style cucumber, Sweeter tasting than most, and excellent in tzatziki sauce, or just placed in a garlic pickle jar in the fridge. We've had a very cold spring, a very wet June and July, so far, and everything is a lush green and almost like a jungle out there. Areas down near the road that haven't been able to be mowed really are a jungle. Looking forward to this week in the tomato garden. Hoping all are having as much luck as we've been having here, or even more. Enjoy! Camo
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Post by camochef on Jul 27, 2015 7:24:15 GMT -5
Well, it's happened again...you think I'd learn by now! I'm up to my eyeballs in ripe tomatoes. I've been eating them like crazy, giving them away to friends and neighbors and I'm still getting more than you'd believe. There have been some pleasant surprises in the new to me varieties from Darlene. Also, some major disappointments. Rebel Yell was one of those pleasant surprises. What a great tasting tomato! Production is good. Taste is exceptionally good. Core is small, which I like and consider important, skin is thin and peels easily, but it's that exceptional taste that makes it stand-out! Not Purple Strawberry is another very good tasting tomato from Darlene that will fall into the top tomatoes for this season. Production isn't as high as Rebel Yell, but it's taste is comparable.
On the other hand, Margaret Curtain was a major disappointment for me. It's taste wasn't bad, actually quite good...but it's core took up 3/4 of the fruit, perhaps more on some of them. It was enough to make me pull a couple of the plants. Still a few left just in case it changes as the season progresses. Right now, I'd have to say I won't be growing this one again.
Of my favorites, that I grow year after year, Brandywine-Glick's and Barlow Jap have been outstanding. Great taste! good production, thin skin, little core, very solid and meaty. German Johnson-Benton Strain is another Pink that falls into the same catagory as Glick's and Barlow Jap. Barlow's Best Black, (a German Johnson-Benton Strain crossed Black P.L.), is the best tasting Black tomato this year, once again, beating out Bear Creek, Cherokee Purple, and Dana's Dusky Rose by a narrow margin.
Pink Sweet, Earl's Faux, and Cowlick's Brandywine are all pinks that are still in the running for this years best tomatoes too. There are still many other of my favorites and of Darlene's that I haven't gotten to taste yet. I can only eat so many tomatoes, but the testing goes on daily! It's a trying job...but someone has to do it! Enjoy! Camo
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Post by gulfcoastguy on Jul 27, 2015 17:14:18 GMT -5
When I grew Rebel Yell the results were mixed. Dad liked everything about it. Mom and I thought it was too sweet and lacking in "tomato flavor" but liked everything else about it.
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Post by garrett on Jul 29, 2015 20:19:03 GMT -5
folks doing ok gulfie.? I like the name rebel yell.
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Post by gulfcoastguy on Jul 30, 2015 6:29:15 GMT -5
Well they are getting old which makes sense since I turned 55 last saturday. Over all not bad though.
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Post by camochef on Jul 31, 2015 7:27:58 GMT -5
When I grew Rebel Yell the results were mixed. Dad liked everything about it. Mom and I thought it was too sweet and lacking in "tomato flavor" but liked everything else about it. GCG, Location, personal tastes, and local weather have a lot to do with individual assessments of tomato taste. This is my first year growing Rebel Yell as I've been reluctant to try new varieties the past few years, preferring to grow my favorites instead. Finally decided to try some others favorites and after eating a number of Rebel Yell, I'm quite impressed with its characteristics and taste and will be adding it to my favorites in the future. Same goes for her Not Purple Strawberry. Another great tasting tomato joining the ranks of my favorite Dark tomatoes like Cherokee Purple, Barlow's Best Black, Bear Creek and Dana's Dusky Rose. I would recommend giving Rebel Yell another try. I found its Pink skinned taste comparable to Brandywine-Glick's, German Johnson-Benton Strain, Cowlick's Brandywine, Barlow Jap, Earl's Faux, Pink Sweet, Sandul Moldovan and others. Will see where it ends up in the standings come the end of the season, but right now its pretty high on the list. Enjoy! Camo
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Post by garrett on Aug 4, 2015 1:36:26 GMT -5
thanks camo.smiles cliffrat how did those peppers turn out?
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