2012 PNW gardens progress - Page 12

plainolebill · July 27, 2012

Tom, I grow stupice every year here in Corvallis - they never fail to produce fruit even if everything else is struggling. We've eaten a few stupices but surprisingly Jet Star was ahead of stupice this year. Go figure.

Tom Atillo · July 27, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tania

Tom Atillo, welcome!

I also find Stupice, Kimberley, or Matina tomatoes to be earlier than Early Girls, at least in our climate. Do you have any ripe Siletz yet?

No ripe Siletz yet but they were very early last year if I remember correctly. I like Siletz TM 867 from Territorial seed Co, nice slicer, great flavor, low maintenance (determinate). I don't even cage or trellis them and they do well, by letting them sprawl on the ground I think it helps shade the soil more and act like a mulch. I believe water needs are lower and and more even than upright plants.
Champion seems to be an early riser as well. I think black plastic for mulch does more than the red plastic.
I base my non-scientific conclusions on 30 years of gardening and belonging to a community garden where I get to see many excellent ideas in use.

jwr6404 · July 27, 2012

Tania
These cucumber are an earlier grower. I'll try and locate some seed for you to try. It is a very sweet and crispy Cucumber as well.

Tania · July 30, 2012

Thank you Jim!

Tom, my Siletz was quite late last year.

It is a potato harvest time! We are digging some nice large tubers - looks like they loved the cool and rainy weather. Unfortunately I had to remove all the potato foliage asap, as late blight started to spread very quickly. I hope my tomatoes will last much longer under cover.

janezee · July 31, 2012

OMG! Our low today was 58º, and the high was 61º! It's starting to get like October!

I finally got the frame for the hoop house done today, and the plastic goes on tomorrow if it's not raining. I hate working with plastic in the rain. The sun is supposed to come out later this week, so maybe I'll have 6 weeks to produce some tomatoes, and get some peppers going.

Potatoes sound like a good idea for next year. When did you plant yours, Tania? It sounds like they're easier to get a crop from up here these days!

j

Tania · July 31, 2012

Jane,

I usually plant my potatoes from last week of March to mid-April. There is still a risk of frost, but they usually make it through. Worst case, we end up with some frost damage on the growing tips, but it does not seem to affect them too much, other than setting them back a bit.

The biggest danger is of course late blight that affects potatoes every year in our area, and it happens in July EVERY YEAR, so you have to take this into consideration, especially if you have tomatoes growing close by.

It was also quite chilly yesterday, until the sun finally came out after 3 pm. Looks like another grey day today. Another cold summer... Sigh.

PNW_D · July 31, 2012

Here is a pic of Sunday's harvest at SPEC community garden where I volunteer - Yukon Gold and fingerlings and more to come

must be the year of the potato

janezee · July 31, 2012

I'm rediscovering the joy of potatoes this year. I have found that if I cut raw ones up into the size I want for home fries and microwave them for 3 minutes with about a tablespoon of water, they're ready to go directly into the frying pan and they're ready to eat in 5-10 minutes. Yum! Just like eating at a restaurant, but they're crispy, and I control the quantity. Especially tasty with some home-grown Walla Walla's.

j

Tom Atillo · July 31, 2012

Those are sum fine lookin clean taters PNW.....I grew the fingerglings the past two years and really like the flavor. This year is the year of the volunteer! Taters are rockin and I didn't have to do much work! So much for crop rotation, Mutha nature knows best!

Tom Atillo · July 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Atillo

No ripe Siletz yet but they were very early last year if I remember correctly. I like Siletz TM 867 from Territorial seed Co, nice slicer, great flavor, low maintenance (determinate). I don't even cage or trellis them and they do well, by letting them sprawl on the ground I think it helps shade the soil more and act like a mulch. I believe water needs are lower and and more even than upright plants.
Champion seems to be an early riser as well. I think black plastic for mulch does more than the red plastic.
I base my non-scientific conclusions on 30 years of gardening and belonging to a community garden where I get to see many excellent ideas in use.

I think I'm gonna give the Early girls the boot next year......waste of space and not much flavor.
I will always plant at least one.....Willamette, Oregon Spring, Grape, Sungold, Stupice, Brandywine, Roma....(not much luck with the San Marzano?)

dice · August 2, 2012

I had the first of the PL Bear Claw x unknown tomatoes.
(It was the earliest to set and ripen fruit this year.) I am
still waiting for the Stupice to ripen a fruit so I can compare
the flavors and see if the apparent Bear Claw cross was
actually a Stupice seed that somehow jumped the rails in
the seed-starting tray, perhaps from heavy handed watering
or whatever. (I remember my chagrin at one incident when
I was watering them and thinking about something else at
the same time.)

It had good flavor, though, seemed to have a little more zing
to it than what I remember for Stupice. We will see. (If
it is a cross, the next generation will have a mix of RL
and PL seedlings. If it was Stupice, the next generation
will have all or almost all PL seedlings.) The RL Bear
Claw (x unknown) plant came down with some affliction
a couple of days after spraying it with a mix of chelated
calcium, epsom salt, and fulvic acid. I do not know if
the spraying was related or simply coincidental timing.
I sprayed about 50 plants, and only two or three of them
seemed to be affected, the RL Bear Claw (x unknown)
the worst of them. I pulled it and tossed it.

A Ludmilla's Pink Heart has the same symptoms
but only about half as severely, so I have just been
cutting off crispy leaves on it and tossing them.

Siletz is quite early here, too. It is head and head with
a Fireworks II plant in the same bed, in both plant and
fruit size. A Magyar Piros Boker next to them was about
a week later to set.

plainolebill · August 4, 2012

Jetstar, I know people like heirlooms better but with a limited amount of space we want to produce as much food as we can and they taste pretty darned good. Picked these two today.

velikipop · August 10, 2012

This is truly the weirdest year that I have experienced growing tomatoes. My plants look great and have the most flowers that I've ever had, but blossom drop is also the highest and fruit set the lowest!!! Anyone know what might be causing this?

Alex

dice · August 11, 2012

I have numerous plants that set one fruit and then stopped.
Their flowers looked fine, but no more of them set. We have
been having weather that is cloudy or foggy in the mornings,
but burns off to sun by noon.

Others have set all along, slowly but surely. A few set as if it
was the best year ever. Some of those that set one fruit and
then stopped put on another foot or two of growth, developed
new flower clusters, and set more fruit further up the plant.

I am thinking it is just variable reactions to the accumulation
of growing degree days this year.

akgardengirl · August 11, 2012

Sounds like Anchorage weather to me. I have very little fruit set but major blooms that won't do anything since it's too close to the end here.
Sue B.

July 27, 2012	#168
jwr6404 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: University Place, WA Posts: 481	Tania These cucumber are an earlier grower. I'll try and locate some seed for you to try. It is a very sweet and crispy Cucumber as well. __________________ Jim

July 30, 2012	#169
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	Thank you Jim! Tom, my Siletz was quite late last year. It is a potato harvest time! We are digging some nice large tubers - looks like they loved the cool and rainy weather. Unfortunately I had to remove all the potato foliage asap, as late blight started to spread very quickly. I hope my tomatoes will last much longer under cover. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase Last edited by Tania; July 30, 2012 at 01:56 PM.

July 31, 2012	#171
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	Jane, I usually plant my potatoes from last week of March to mid-April. There is still a risk of frost, but they usually make it through. Worst case, we end up with some frost damage on the growing tips, but it does not seem to affect them too much, other than setting them back a bit. The biggest danger is of course late blight that affects potatoes every year in our area, and it happens in July EVERY YEAR, so you have to take this into consideration, especially if you have tomatoes growing close by. It was also quite chilly yesterday, until the sun finally came out after 3 pm. Looks like another grey day today. Another cold summer... Sigh. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

July 31, 2012	#172
PNW_D Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: West Coast, Canada Posts: 961	Here is a pic of Sunday's harvest at SPEC community garden where I volunteer - Yukon Gold and fingerlings and more to come must be the year of the potato __________________ D.

August 2, 2012	#176
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I had the first of the PL Bear Claw x unknown tomatoes. (It was the earliest to set and ripen fruit this year.) I am still waiting for the Stupice to ripen a fruit so I can compare the flavors and see if the apparent Bear Claw cross was actually a Stupice seed that somehow jumped the rails in the seed-starting tray, perhaps from heavy handed watering or whatever. (I remember my chagrin at one incident when I was watering them and thinking about something else at the same time.) It had good flavor, though, seemed to have a little more zing to it than what I remember for Stupice. We will see. (If it is a cross, the next generation will have a mix of RL and PL seedlings. If it was Stupice, the next generation will have all or almost all PL seedlings.) The RL Bear Claw (x unknown) plant came down with some affliction a couple of days after spraying it with a mix of chelated calcium, epsom salt, and fulvic acid. I do not know if the spraying was related or simply coincidental timing. I sprayed about 50 plants, and only two or three of them seemed to be affected, the RL Bear Claw (x unknown) the worst of them. I pulled it and tossed it. A Ludmilla's Pink Heart has the same symptoms but only about half as severely, so I have just been cutting off crispy leaves on it and tossing them. Siletz is quite early here, too. It is head and head with a Fireworks II plant in the same bed, in both plant and fruit size. A Magyar Piros Boker next to them was about a week later to set. __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; August 11, 2012 at 04:58 PM. Reason: clarity, grammar

July 27, 2012	#166
plainolebill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Williamette Valley, Oregon Posts: 33	Tom, I grow stupice every year here in Corvallis - they never fail to produce fruit even if everything else is struggling. We've eaten a few stupices but surprisingly Jet Star was ahead of stupice this year. Go figure.

July 31, 2012	#170
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	OMG! Our low today was 58º, and the high was 61º! It's starting to get like October! I finally got the frame for the hoop house done today, and the plastic goes on tomorrow if it's not raining. I hate working with plastic in the rain. The sun is supposed to come out later this week, so maybe I'll have 6 weeks to produce some tomatoes, and get some peppers going. Potatoes sound like a good idea for next year. When did you plant yours, Tania? It sounds like they're easier to get a crop from up here these days! j

July 31, 2012	#173
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	I'm rediscovering the joy of potatoes this year. I have found that if I cut raw ones up into the size I want for home fries and microwave them for 3 minutes with about a tablespoon of water, they're ready to go directly into the frying pan and they're ready to eat in 5-10 minutes. Yum! Just like eating at a restaurant, but they're crispy, and I control the quantity. Especially tasty with some home-grown Walla Walla's. j

July 31, 2012	#174
Tom Atillo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Pacific N.W. Posts: 32	Those are sum fine lookin clean taters PNW.....I grew the fingerglings the past two years and really like the flavor. This year is the year of the volunteer! Taters are rockin and I didn't have to do much work! So much for crop rotation, Mutha nature knows best!

August 4, 2012	#177
plainolebill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Williamette Valley, Oregon Posts: 33	Jetstar, I know people like heirlooms better but with a limited amount of space we want to produce as much food as we can and they taste pretty darned good. Picked these two today.

August 10, 2012	#178
velikipop Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Langley, BC Posts: 768	This is truly the weirdest year that I have experienced growing tomatoes. My plants look great and have the most flowers that I've ever had, but blossom drop is also the highest and fruit set the lowest!!! Anyone know what might be causing this? Alex __________________ I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf Bob Dylan

August 11, 2012	#179
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I have numerous plants that set one fruit and then stopped. Their flowers looked fine, but no more of them set. We have been having weather that is cloudy or foggy in the mornings, but burns off to sun by noon. Others have set all along, slowly but surely. A few set as if it was the best year ever. Some of those that set one fruit and then stopped put on another foot or two of growth, developed new flower clusters, and set more fruit further up the plant. I am thinking it is just variable reactions to the accumulation of growing degree days this year. __________________ -- alias

August 11, 2012	#180
akgardengirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anchorage, AK zone 3/4 Posts: 1,410	Sounds like Anchorage weather to me. I have very little fruit set but major blooms that won't do anything since it's too close to the end here. Sue B.