Looks like a tomato plot....photos

Ruth_10 · June 10, 2007

An update and some photos. The mulch (paper under straw) went on the bed on May 29 in a marathon session--had to take advantage of a calm day.

unfinished tomato mulch 29-May-2007 DSC_6899.jpg

tomato mulching in progress 29-May-2007 DSC_6901.jpg

Then the finished mulching job.

finished tomato mulch 29-May-2007 DSC_6903.jpg

Fruitset on a Marianna's Peace that was planted out on April 29.

Marianna's Peace fruitset 3-June-2007 DSC_6913.jpg

Views of the tomato plot a week and a half after mulching. The tomatoes are growing fast now.

tomato patch 3-June-2007 DSC_6924.jpg

tomato plot on 3-June-2007 DSC_6925.jpg

Almost every plant has fruitset or numerous flower clusters now. My Sungold is way behind--don't know what the problem is there, but it won't be setting fruit anytime soon. The German Red Strawberry in the main bed had a bad case of crud and has struggled, but has held on and is starting to grow. I planted a Picardy alonside it when the GRS looked like it was going to croak, so at some point I will have to sacrifice one of them. Fortunately, I have one of each elsewhere in the garden and both are doing fine. My overflow bed has another eight plants. I just finished mulching caging those a few days ago.

I'm predicting the MP will be the first main season ripe, though there might be something else further along that I missed.

dice · June 10, 2007

I only wish I had left that much space between plants.

(I couldn't resist the temptation to get in an extra
couple of plants of this and that, now having 3 or
4 of some cultivars that I only intended to grow
1 or 2 plants of, but without as much room between
them as I had intended.)

shelleybean · June 10, 2007

Good work, Ruth! Everything looks great! I wish I had that much space to plant.

Ruth_10 · June 10, 2007

Oh yes, the squeeze one more plant in syndrome--I know it well. That is why I ended up with an overflow tomato plot.

My original intention was to plant on six foot centers, but I went back to five foot centers to squeeze in a few more plants. By the end of the season (actually, well before that time) I won't be able to walk between the plants without dodging this and that.

dcarch · June 10, 2007

How do you water your plants?

dcarch

feldon30 · June 11, 2007

To move the thumbnail images that you Attached up into the body of your message, use the paperclip (

) icon.

Ruth_10 · June 12, 2007

Dcarch,
How do I water? I don't water. Really. The mulch seems to work very well at retaining moisture. We will go for weeks in the height of summer when it doesn't rain and the temps are up in the 90s, and they don't even blink. Straw alone, at least in the amounts I can afford to use, isn't enough to keep the weeds down, but paper under the straw does the trick.

I now have tomatoes set on almost all of the plants. The first Marianna's peace I set out have five or six, with the largest approaching fist size.

For insurance, I went out last night and did what you're never supposed to do to your children--I shook the plants. I don't have an electric toothbrush or other device, so I did it manually.

Vince · June 13, 2007

Beautiful set up Ruth!

I only wish I had that much space. Maybe some day.

Vince

amideutch · June 16, 2007

Ruth, very nice mater patch. It's obvious a lot of thought and planning went into this project, well done. Ami

Ruth_10 · June 16, 2007

Having a lot of space is a blessing and a curse, but mostly a blessing. The curse part is knowing when to say when, which I am not very good at.

Aside from Kimberly, it looks like Marianna's Peace is going to give me my first ripes. MP has been a good peformer for me, with excellent flavor and production. The fruitsize is a little smaller than EF and BW Sudduth, in my experience.
Marianna's Peace green fruit DSC_6940.jpg

Here are some fruits on Prue. I am also growing Wes, Kalman's Hungarian Pink, and Mama Leone, all of which are new to me (thanks, Carolyn). Prue is another of my favorites (thanks, Tom) and I'm looking forward to trying the others.
Prue green fruit DSC_6939.jpg

This is Dark Green zucchini from Sandhill Preservation. It was direct-seeded on May 15. This photo was taken yesterday, so by today the fruit is twice that size.

I also have Golden zucchini, seeded on the same date and also from SHP, which is just starting to flower. I squished some bugs and egg clusters on the plants this morning. Hate those things.

Please--any Midwest updates, photos or not--would love to see 'em/hear 'em!

Tania · June 17, 2007

Ruth,

You have a beautiful tomato garden - nice distance between the plants, I wish I could resist planting mine more than 3' apart...

Thank you so much for posting the pictures - it is always great to see everybody;s tomato patch.

Happy tomato growing!

bbjm · June 17, 2007

Very nice. I do hope you share some pictures late in the season. It would be nice to see how a properly spaced garden is supposed to look, when I'm struggling with my tomato jungle (I hope -- still a ways to go) with 8 plants in the space of two of yours.

bigcheef · June 18, 2007

SWEEEEEET!

Nice lookin set up ruth. Keep us posted.

RIK

Ruth_10 · July 5, 2007

I picked my first ripe main season tomato this morning.

It was a Marianna's Peace that weighed in at 10 oz. The tomatoes on the left in the second photos are Kimberlys.
DSC_7132 Marianna's Peace, first of season.jpg DSC_7137 Marianna's Peace (rt) and Kimberly (lt).jpg

Currently, the most "loaded" plant with respect to the number of fruits is Orangeheart, which is not a heart. This was a freebie with my Sandhill order this spring.
DSC_7071 Orangeheart.jpg

Someone mentioned a while back a large leaf on a tomato plant--maybe it was Aunt Ginny's Purple(??). At any rate, here is a photo of an AGP leaf in my tomato plot. Those puppies are big.

DSC_7010 Aunt Ginny's Purple leaf.jpg

And here is an update on the main tomato plot (taken July 4):
DSC_7046 Tomato plot 04-July-2007.jpg

And the auxilliary tomato plot:
DSC_7047 Auxilliary tomato plot 04-July-2007.jpg

dice · July 6, 2007

So, what, the deluge stopped at the border?

June 10, 2007	#1
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Looks like a tomato plot....photos An update and some photos. The mulch (paper under straw) went on the bed on May 29 in a marathon session--had to take advantage of a calm day. unfinished tomato mulch 29-May-2007 DSC_6899.jpg tomato mulching in progress 29-May-2007 DSC_6901.jpg Then the finished mulching job. finished tomato mulch 29-May-2007 DSC_6903.jpg Fruitset on a Marianna's Peace that was planted out on April 29. Marianna's Peace fruitset 3-June-2007 DSC_6913.jpg Views of the tomato plot a week and a half after mulching. The tomatoes are growing fast now. tomato patch 3-June-2007 DSC_6924.jpg tomato plot on 3-June-2007 DSC_6925.jpg Almost every plant has fruitset or numerous flower clusters now. My Sungold is way behind--don't know what the problem is there, but it won't be setting fruit anytime soon. The German Red Strawberry in the main bed had a bad case of crud and has struggled, but has held on and is starting to grow. I planted a Picardy alonside it when the GRS looked like it was going to croak, so at some point I will have to sacrifice one of them. Fortunately, I have one of each elsewhere in the garden and both are doing fine. My overflow bed has another eight plants. I just finished mulching caging those a few days ago. I'm predicting the MP will be the first main season ripe, though there might be something else further along that I missed. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be. Last edited by Suze; June 11, 2007 at 02:00 AM. Reason: attachments inserted into body of message

June 10, 2007	#2
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I only wish I had left that much space between plants. (I couldn't resist the temptation to get in an extra couple of plants of this and that, now having 3 or 4 of some cultivars that I only intended to grow 1 or 2 plants of, but without as much room between them as I had intended.) __________________ -- alias

June 10, 2007	#3
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Good work, Ruth! Everything looks great! I wish I had that much space to plant. __________________ Michele

June 10, 2007	#4
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Oh yes, the squeeze one more plant in syndrome--I know it well. That is why I ended up with an overflow tomato plot. My original intention was to plant on six foot centers, but I went back to five foot centers to squeeze in a few more plants. By the end of the season (actually, well before that time) I won't be able to walk between the plants without dodging this and that. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

June 10, 2007	#5
dcarch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,618	How do you water your plants? dcarch __________________ tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato

June 11, 2007	#6
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	To move the thumbnail images that you Attached up into the body of your message, use the paperclip () icon.

June 12, 2007	#7
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Dcarch, How do I water? I don't water. Really. The mulch seems to work very well at retaining moisture. We will go for weeks in the height of summer when it doesn't rain and the temps are up in the 90s, and they don't even blink. Straw alone, at least in the amounts I can afford to use, isn't enough to keep the weeds down, but paper under the straw does the trick. I now have tomatoes set on almost all of the plants. The first Marianna's peace I set out have five or six, with the largest approaching fist size. For insurance, I went out last night and did what you're never supposed to do to your children--I shook the plants. I don't have an electric toothbrush or other device, so I did it manually. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

June 13, 2007	#8
Vince Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 942	Beautiful set up Ruth! I only wish I had that much space. Maybe some day. Vince __________________ Vince

June 16, 2007	#9
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Ruth, very nice mater patch. It's obvious a lot of thought and planning went into this project, well done. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

June 17, 2007	#11
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	Ruth, You have a beautiful tomato garden - nice distance between the plants, I wish I could resist planting mine more than 3' apart... Thank you so much for posting the pictures - it is always great to see everybody;s tomato patch. Happy tomato growing! __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

June 17, 2007	#12
bbjm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 155	Very nice. I do hope you share some pictures late in the season. It would be nice to see how a properly spaced garden is supposed to look, when I'm struggling with my tomato jungle (I hope -- still a ways to go) with 8 plants in the space of two of yours.

June 18, 2007	#13
bigcheef Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: TN Posts: 316	SWEEEEEET! Nice lookin set up ruth. Keep us posted. RIK __________________ When I die don't bury me In a box in a cold dark cemetery Out in the garden would be much better Cause I could be pushin up a home grown tomater Lyrics by Guy Clark

July 5, 2007	#14
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Midwest--looks like a tomato plot I picked my first ripe main season tomato this morning. It was a Marianna's Peace that weighed in at 10 oz. The tomatoes on the left in the second photos are Kimberlys. DSC_7132 Marianna's Peace, first of season.jpg DSC_7137 Marianna's Peace (rt) and Kimberly (lt).jpg Currently, the most "loaded" plant with respect to the number of fruits is Orangeheart, which is not a heart. This was a freebie with my Sandhill order this spring. DSC_7071 Orangeheart.jpg Someone mentioned a while back a large leaf on a tomato plant--maybe it was Aunt Ginny's Purple(??). At any rate, here is a photo of an AGP leaf in my tomato plot. Those puppies are big. DSC_7010 Aunt Ginny's Purple leaf.jpg And here is an update on the main tomato plot (taken July 4): DSC_7046 Tomato plot 04-July-2007.jpg And the auxilliary tomato plot: DSC_7047 Auxilliary tomato plot 04-July-2007.jpg __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

July 6, 2007	#15
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	So, what, the deluge stopped at the border? __________________ -- alias