Vegetable Growing

[Saponista]

I have sungolds too irishlass. My father in law grows them every year and they are really heavy cropping and taste amazing. I have three plants from him. In total I have 12 tomato plants this year in 7 different varieties lol

 

[navigator9]

For me, it's so many tomatoes to try, so little space!!!

Last season, I grew 3 tomato plants in my tower, which was really pushing things seeing as how I also had a cucumber plant and a poblano pepper plant growing in it at the same time. For what its worth, the tower instructions recommend not growing more than 4 heavily-fruiting plants in it at a time......and, ummm.....I had 5. Everything grew quite well, though- I had lots of 'maters, cukes and peppers, but I also ended up with a wild mass of tangled vines! It was quite the thick jungle! lol

This season, I'm going back to having just 2 tomato plants (the Opalka and Black Prince), in addition to my 1 cucumber and 1 pepper plant.

The next season after this one, I want to try growing those Sungolds you mentioned (they've been on my list), but I don't know what the other tomato will be yet (there's just soooooo many choices to choose from....ack!!!!). That sauce you posted looks yummy!

I chose the Opalka and Black Prince to grow this season because I was reading that they are very prolific, and they double as being delicious sauce tomatoes and quite yummy to eat straight off the vine (tomatoes just aren't worth growing to me if my tastebuds can't also enjoy them fresh off the vine, dagnabit). My plan is to save enough of them to try out in my old world Italian 'Sunday Gravy' recipe. Normally, I make it with store-bought canned Marzano tomatoes, but I really, really want to try making it with home-grown tomatoes.



IrishLass

You don't need to explain to me the desire to cram in just one more tomato plant! I'm doing square foot gardening, and have only one bed, but way too many tomatoes in it, and thoroughly understand the "wild mass of tangled vines" you describe. I lost tomatoes last year because I just couldn't find them or get to them, because it was so jungly in that little garden bed. A jungle of tomato plants...kind of heavenly. And like you, I also like to snack on them right off the vine, still warm from the sun, my hands smelling like tomato leaves. It just doesn't get any better than that! Thanks for the Sunday Gravy recipe, it looks delish, and there's little that I enjoy more than some good, homemade tomato sauce with some pasta and a few meatballs. I will be giving this one a try. Happy gardening to you!

 

[Escott752]

This looks so great! We have 4 raised beds. I'm trying my hand at lufa gourds this year!

 

[Misschief]

This looks so great! We have 4 raised beds. I'm trying my hand at lufa gourds this year!

Me too! I have 3 luffa plants that I transplanted out of pots this week. We'll see if they survive.

 

[Escott752]

Me too! I have 3 luffa plants that I transplanted out of pots this week. We'll see if they survive.

Fingers crossed for you! If this works out I saw some great plans for a little hanging luffa trellis that is supposed to help with drying the gourds without a whole bunch of extra work. Might be worth a try next year!

 

[David1pro]

First, let me say I'm envious of everyone who has posted pictures.

I just live in a simple plat filled with "little boxes" in Southern Ohio, but I've worked for the last decade making my back yard my oasis. It's pretty private behind my property with larger lots for the wealthy. I bought the house because it was a wooded wonderland (1/3 acre lot - so the back is likely 1/6 of an acre), but all my trees were Ash, so thanks to the Emerald Ash Borer, they are all gone. Honeysuckle and other smaller items have taken over... I still have several trunks of dead trees that I have been topped for safety (I burn the wood and will take the trunks when I need the wood - all trees dying at once was a bit much). Because my shade canopy left, last year I thought I'd try gardening. I assume I'll do every year for now on. Here's one of my views.

I've had success with green beans, sweet peas, corn, carrots, tomatoes of all sorts, bell peppers, and watermelon. I look forward to trying new things.

To the right of the picture above is an elevated bed - had radish and lettuce before it got too hot.

And since it's really hot out, a winter view seems cooling.

 

[dibbles]

Your space is lovely. I feel your pain with the loss of your trees. We are steadily losing our oaks to oak wilt. It’s sad to see them go.

 

[DawninWA]

I love growing tomatoes. I have about 30 plants this year, and I think 19 varieties. I'm trying a bunch of new ones this year, so most have just one plant so I can stuff more varieties in .

 

[Saponista]

My Black Russians have succumbed to blossom end rot. It hasn’t rained here in about six weeks which is extremely unusual. I hate to think how the farmers are coping.

Also does anyone make dill pickles? I have some cucumber plants specific for the purpos but the little cucs aren’t ready at the same time. I shoved some in the fridge but they are going soft. A recipe I looked at said soak them in salt water for 24hrs before pickling. Wondering if I can just keep throwing them into the salt water jar as they come ready until I have enough or will the older ones get over salty?

 

[Terri E]

We have always grown a fairly large garden, corn, squash, tomatoes, various peppers, potatoes, onions, greasy beans but the past two years it is just a patch of green grass in the field. My hubby had knee replacement surgery and the garden has been too much to do. You can see the green patch in the field that once was our garden.

 

[DawninWA]

Big tomatoes are starting to ripen. In this photo: Mocha Splash, Captain Lucky, Bear Creek, Girl Girl's Weird Thing (yes, that's really its name), Cherokee Green, Pineapple, and Martino's Roma

 

[Lin19687]

There is some kind of vine in my back yard that I think is a cuke It flowered and something started to grow. Will see what happens to it since I never watered it and don't plan on it.

Also found out that my German Chamomile is Fleabane

 

[Saponista]

We have always grown a fairly large garden, corn, squash, tomatoes, various peppers, potatoes, onions, greasy beans but the past two years it is just a patch of green grass in the field. My hubby had knee replacement surgery and the garden has been too much to do. You can see the green patch in the field that once was our garden.View attachment 31220

It looks beautiful Terri, what a lovely place to live!

Big tomatoes are starting to ripen. In this photo: Mocha Splash, Captain Lucky, Bear Creek, Girl Girl's Weird Thing (yes, that's really its name), Cherokee Green, Pineapple, and Martino's Roma

I would love to swap some seeds, but I’m all the way in England so they probably wouldn’t make it through customs.

 

[Terri E]

It looks beautiful Terri, what a lovely place to live!
Thank you so very much! I love the mountains


I would love to swap some seeds, but I’m all the way in England so they probably wouldn’t make it through customs.

 

[Dahila]

you have so many kinds of heritage tomatoes in States , In my city (75000 peeple) we can get like 5 kinds maybe 5 I personally had seen three kinds my favorite is almost black tomato , Black Krim , I think

 

[DawninWA]

There's a forum called Tomatoville, the members often have seed swaps, where they exchange tomato seeds for the cost of shipping. I know there's a Canada swap that happens once a year. And others will send to other countries. Great way to get some really nice and hard to find varieties.

 

[Dahila]

There's a forum called Tomatoville, the members often have seed swaps, where they exchange tomato seeds for the cost of shipping. I know there's a Canada swap that happens once a year. And others will send to other countries. Great way to get some really nice and hard to find varieties.

I do not grow veggies from seed it is too much work and I do not have that much time, so I just buy seedlings from good supplier

 

[DebbieG]

All I wanted was a couple lousy tomatoes, cantaloupe and watermelon. The first night I lost the cucumber plant, the next a pepper and so it went! We put the game camera up and got these. The fox eats the tomatoes and the rabbit eats the cantaloupe plant and the leaves from the watermelon. Last night the rabbit got in again, despite putting up extra fences and ate the little cantaloupe leaves that had started back. Luckily the fox didn't find the peach tree until the only ones left on the tree were the ones the birds and ants had gotten, but he climbed up there and got those too!! lol I've been fighting drought and 100 plus temps, I didn't know the wildlife were going to be against me too!!! lol I guess I'm just lucky they both haven't shown up at the same time!! That would not be good!!

 

[Lin19687]

Well, one might cure the other issue

 

[earlene]

Many times I have watched rabbits jump up onto our 3 foot high raised garden beds to eat the vegetation therein. Keeping rabbits out is not an easy task. But I love watching the rabbits, so never mind sharing vegetation with them.

I do get irritated when I see a squirrel rip an eggplant off the plant, take one bite an toss it aside because it doesn't like the taste. I had not planted enough of them to share, unfortunately.