Hello Zone 6/7, How are things?

[tanagerzoo]

Last Saturday, we left on vacation (Asheville, NC & Luray, Natural Bridge, VA areas). The day we left, there were a few Sungold's ripening up, but nothing else looked close. Got back yesterday. Everything had grown 2+ feet and I was able to pick 1 of each of the following: Anna Russian, Black from Tula, Momotoro, Black Ethiopian, Black Cherry, and Cherokee Purple. Amazing what one week can do. I've also never picked non-cherry tomatoes so early. All picked before July 1st! I also planted May 1st this year, about a week later than last year. Last year it was mid-July before I picked my first non-cherry!

I also picked about 15 baseball bats, ugh, I mean zucchini and about a dozen monster huge cucumbers. My mother was supposed to be monitoring the garden, but I don't think she even looked at it much less walked into it! ;-)

[BigdaddyJ]

tanagerzoo,

I am in northern Delaware, barely zone 7, and also planted out on May 1 and am still waiting for my first slicer so you are fortunate indeed! I have been getting SunGold's about a week now. Like you I am also growing Momotaro but I'm waiting for my first one. How do you like Momotaro? I tasted a few last winter and thought they were excellent.

I grow some cukes I call 'Ancient Chinese' that go 14 to 24 inches long and are tasty. They have been doing great this year. Not a single cuke beetle in sight! Now Japanese beetles are really bad this year...

[Tomstrees]

From last week - looking for my forst ripe maters this week ~

Tom



Black from Tula (looking to be the most productive of my bunch)


Yellow Submarine (loaded)


Bloody Butcher (cool semi-determinate plant, very productive so far)


Non-Dwarf Bashful
(seems to me like the "Bashful Dwarves will be among my first)


Bashful F3 #8


Bashful F2's

[tanagerzoo]

BigDaddyJ,
We've talked before--I'm only about 10 miles away from you at best. I'm telling ya, when we left town on the 23rd, NOTHING looked even remotely close. I picked the first sungold on Father's Day, so I'm not counting it. We got back Saturday, and my jawed dropped. I couldn't believe how many were ripe and there are quite a number ripening up on my other varieties.

Funny how a few miles can make YMMV so prominent. I've seen 2 Japanese Beetles (knock on wood) and that's it. And no cuke beetles either, which is a miracle considering I've never ever successfully grown a cucumber before because of them. But the whiteflies and aphids. Sheesh! They have been *hideous* for me this year. Soapy water, Safer, and Neem have done *nothing*. The critters just seem to lick it like it's dessert.

I'm reserving judgment on the Momotoro. The first ones off a plant aren't always the best. Actually, I should qualify it--as a stand alone it was okay and my daughter inhaled it. But I sliced the Anna Russian at the same time I sliced the Momotoro and the Anna was so sweet and delicious the Momotoro didn't measure up. Skin was a bit tough and it was a bit sour. Not tart, just sour. 2 more should be ready to pick in a day or two and I'll give 'em another test run.

[dokutaaguriin]

Momotarou was breed to have a shelf-life to it so let it ripen to the point of being deep pink-red and it gives a little when lightly squeeze it.
Jeff

[tanagerzoo]

Ah ha! Thanks Jeff. I will do just that. The one I sliced was a lovely, universal shade of pink, but it wasn't a deep pink/red.

Christine

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Tomstrees

From last week - looking for my forst ripe maters this week ~
Tom

Nice job, Tom. Goes to show you Z 6/7 grows better maters than all other zones

dcarch

(let's start a fight here)

[BigdaddyJ]

Christine,

Hi again. Yes it is SO interesting that we are so close and yet some differences. NO whiteflies here yet at all. Yet I have a plague of Japanese Beetles and you don't.

I'm organic and I order those green lacewings every summer and they do a great job on whitefly, aphids and mites. Up until a few days ago I was keeping up with the Japanese Beetles by knocking them off into a soapy water bucket every morning and evening. But I had to break out the Big Gun on them and that is Pyola. The beetles prefer my zinnias, coneflowers, rose of sharon's and Japanese maples (OF COURSE they would prefer JAPANESE maples haha) so I only spray those plants with the Pyola as I don't want to destroy my beneficials on all my other plants. This tactic is working well. For the first year I am noticing them on some but not all of my basil plants. Man I hate to see that!

My tomato plants, seed started and planted out May 1, are pretty much all over 6 feet tall now and loaded with fruit but none near ripe. It is shaping up to be an excellent season for them so far. 23 tomato plants, the most I ever grew.

Here are my varieties:

Sudduth Brandywine
Pruden's Purple
Neves Azorean Red
BrandyBoy
Momotaro
Kellogg's Breakfast
Magnum
Chapman
Jet Star
Big Beef
Big Zac
Porterhouse

Happy gardening to ya!

[tanagerzoo]

I've often thought of getting lacewings or ladybugs, but never have. Probably still should. At this point I've pretty much thrown up my hands and given up and am just hoping they don't totally decimate my garden.

You've got some great varieties growing there. Some ones I've got my future grow out list. This season I have a mixture of replays and new-to-me varieties:

sungold
black cherry
juanne flamme
black ethiopian
prudens purple
cherokee green
neves azorean red
momotoro
goosecreek
english rose
work release paste
allegheny sunset
cherokee purple
big ben #2
mike's australian
brilliant pink
anna russian
black from tula
kellogg's breakfast
lucky cross
earl's faux

[Tomstrees]

Yeah - I'm lovin my garden these days ~

Tom

[Tomstrees]

Have some Yellow Submarines blushing and a few of these
Bloody Butchers.
You beat me Dcarch -
but for as busy as Ive been (getting married in Sept.)
things have happened at my pace ~

Good growing ~

Tom

Pic from last week :

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Tomstrees

--------You beat me Dcarch - -------------Good growing ~
Tom

We are all here to beat Mother Nature!

dcarch

[Tomatovator]

So far I've got ripe Moskvich, New Yorker, Ugly, Brandy Boy, Mariannas Peace and Bucks County. The first BB and MP were both over a pound. The biggest BC so far was 15 oz. Uglies are around 10 oz. Moskvich and NY are pretty small <8 oz. I'm still waiting on Big Zac, Polish and Goose Creek. So far a good tomato year in western PA. The only bad news so far is I found a stink bug this morning and had to dispatch it.

[BigdaddyJ]

Tomatovator,

I am still waiting for all my big slicers. I too am growing BrandyBoy and MP and planted out May 1 and I'm zone 7. What is your secret? Did you plant in April? Do you prune? Do you have a magical chant? I am jealous...LOL

[Tomatovator]

Bigdaddy
I planted out on 4/24. I set up a frame of frence posts and bamboo and then covered with frost protect cloth. I removed the cloth when the threat of frost was over. Here are a few pics. They are not current as almost all of my plants are now over the top of the supports now