I have mowed by backyard leaves three times, and that’s enough. If more leaves fall, so be it. However, the leaves on the patio and in the garden beds were not mow-able. So, I sucked them up in my leaf grinder/shredder and spread them in my garden. I totally covered the garden soil with about 2-inches of the shredded leaves and - look out vegetables - it should be another great year … [Read more...]
Brown Bag Tomatoes
It killed me last week to have to go out to my garden and pick unripe tomatoes from perfectly good vines. I did it because of a frost warning that night, and the weatherman was right. It was a helluva frost. The next morning, my vines were toast, but boy I had a great crop of tomatoes this year. To extend my fresh-eating of tomatoes, I put about 40 of the unripe tomatoes in a couple of brown … [Read more...]
Brown Bag Tomatoes
It killed me last week to have to go out to my garden and pick unripe tomatoes from perfectly good vines. I did it because of a frost warning that night, and the weatherman was right. It was a helluva frost. The next morning, my vines were toast, but boy I had a great crop of tomatoes this year. To extend my fresh-eating of tomatoes, I put about 40 of the unripe tomatoes in a couple of brown … [Read more...]
Tomato Update
My four tomato plants think it’s summer. They’re still blooming, and I get daily pickings. My last year’s tomato crop was a complete bust, but this year the delicious fruits are making up for lost time. The only drawback is some of the current ‘maters have slight blemishes whereas the first ones were near perfect. But who cares? Remove the spots and eat them. As I mentioned before, the only … [Read more...]
A Volunteer Something
One perk of being a backyard gardener is that you never know what might pop up. Volunteer plants, for example. One year, I had a strange plant sprout and could not for the life of me figure out what it was. We let it grow to maturity, and finally pulled it up. It was a peanut vine compliments of my resident squirrels This summer, I have another unknown addition to my garden. I thought … [Read more...]
Dr. Earth – Pump & Grow
I have enjoyed an amazing tomato harvest this summer. I have four vines – two slicer tomato plants, one cherry tomato-type plant and a larger “Big Boy” type plant. Not only are they pumping out tomatoes on a regular basis (with many small fruits coming on and still some blossoms) but the tomatoes have been perfect – not a single blemish nor any end rot. This may all be pure, blind luck, but I have … [Read more...]
Some Like it Hot
Hot summer weather? Bring it on, say my four tomato vines. They have survived the 90-degree afternoons and have actually picked up steam. I am now gathering tomatoes every day. I have two vines that are pounding out smaller tomatoes, about the size of a tangerine, and I have yet to find a single blemish and – so far – no critters have pecked away and ruined my fruits. I also have a cherry-type … [Read more...]
Tomato Update
My tomato crop has already exceeded last year’s bust, and I have been getting a slow and steady supply, but nothing special. The best thing is that so far (knock on wood) none of my ‘maters have had blemishes or end rot, and so far, no critters have attacked my innocent tomatoes the day before I would pick them. Last year I bought a gizmo that makes a clicking noise, activated by … [Read more...]
Tomatoes for a Midnight Snack
Luck plays an important part for backyard gardeners. Not only luck with the weather and timely rains, but the luck of the draw when planting seeds or young plants. I had room for 4 tomato plants this spring and wanted one to be a cherry-type vine for snacks and salads. I saw a plant at Cornerstone Nursery that looked healthy and had “cherry-something” on the sticker, so I bought it, … [Read more...]
Growing Tomatoes
(Slicer tomatoes) This year’s crop has already exceeded my pitiful tomato harvest for 2022. It was a bust. I planted tomatoes from seeds last year and the spindly plants never had a chance. This spring I went to the Corner Store Garden Center and bought my plants. I didn’t look at the variety, I just bought the ones that looked healthiest. Two of my plants are called Slicer Tomatoes … [Read more...]
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