How's Zones 3 & 4 Looking?

[Tom'sson]

NW Minnesota has been wet, wet, wet. I was able to get a few planted the weekend after Memorial day. Just in time for a hail storm! They're all a little the worse for wear but should survive. The rest of mine were planted last weekend. I was late starting seed & planting this year - we'll see what happens

[Douglas14]

My tomato plants look great here in central MN. I planted out on May 17...risky I know. Plants look very healthy, and I have fruit set on some varieties.
I'm growing:
Patio Orange, Urbikany, Earliana, Red Brandywine, Fox Cherry, German Lunchbox Cherry, Levino, Polish, Rose, Angelo's Red, Granny Cantrell's German Red, Supersonic Hyb., Nyagous, Martino's Roma, Heidi, and Ernie's Plump.

[greggf]

Ruth,

I read Klaus, too!

I've grown Enchantment before, and liked it quite well. An oval saladette, as you say. Production was high, but the taste was a tad too sweet for me. I suspect some folks would like it more than I do.

It'll be interesting to see how well it does a second time around. The only seed source I can find for it is J. Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds, which seems to be advised by garden writer Barbara Damrosch, Elliot Coleman's wife.

=gregg=

[FlipTX]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but I did a search for Native Sun and it was mentioned here...

I was just looking at the Peters Seed website and thought I might order some to try as a fall tomato. Has anyone who tried Native Sun also tried New Sun? It's described as a Native Sun type, slightly later with more disease resistance.

[barkeater]

Well, it is now one month since setting out transplants for most of us. This season is very different than last. It's been generally very cool out, and going into July, highs only in the 60's and lows in the 40's.

But the tomatoes seem completely unaffected. We've had plenty of rain, and the ground has been fairly saturated at times.

Of the 1st timers, I can only identify 1 true dud so far, Bulgarian #7, the only variety with no flowers yet.

German Red Strawberry has the largest tomato, ping pong ball sized, twice as large as any other.

Manitoba is loaded and seems to really love this weather, which it should.

Ramapo F1 is huge, and a couple nice sized tomatoes.

Sioux is kind of funny looking, one stem, a bit spindly looking, but has 2 nice tomatoes side by side, bigger than marbles. I have a feeling this will not be a heavy producer.

Bloody Butcher and Kimberly look almost identical in plant habit and fruit size, they are loaded.

Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe look identical too, right down to fruit size and shape.

In the rest of the garden, my hot peppers, eggplant, and cukes are suffering from the cold. I put 4 stakes around my Dusky eggplant a week ago, and wrapped it with saran wrap. I should have done it sooner, it's made a big difference.

So how's your gardens' coming along now in zone 3/4?

[lumierefrere]

Here's my Grandfather Ashlock

[montanamato]

Summer seems to have settled in again...Highs in the low 90's and lows in the mid 50's for the next week...

Freezng 3 rows of spinach today and hoping the lettuce will hold awhile longer. Rocky top mix is outstanding...Thanks Jeff. Peas coming out today and my red cabbage from Andrey is going in. I have heads of Savoy cabbage that are huge...All cole crops have gone gargantuan.

Tomatoes are doing pretty well...The laggers seem to be Grandfather Ashlock, Variegated, Russian Persimmon , and Beauty King...Tomatoes going gangbusters are Granny Carvilles Yellow Roma, Slava, Sicilian Plum, Dar, Cost. Genovese, Early Annie, Red Zebra, Redskin, Yasha Yugoslavian, Cabot, Eye, Prescott Heirloom, Peruvian Bush and Goosecreek.
Container tomatoes out in front are Sulia's Heart, Aurora, Siberian Pink, Early Glee, Sixth Ave, Witty F2, Lime Green Salad, Canestrino di Lucca, and Branscomb's Orange.
Eating a few ripe peppers fromm the cold frame...Giant Szegedi, Frank's, and Santo Domingo...
Eggplants and Okra in bloom.
Onions went in over several weeks and are starting to do well (the earlier plantings that is).
Squash and pumpkins uprooted in some wind storms and I have fewer than I would like left, but the survivors are starting to thrive...Padana, Potimarron and Penguin guord doing best.
I lost many cukes in the wet and have replanted them too...Home made pickles doing best.
Parsley is waist high as is the raab and broccoli...
My daughters planted a huge cutting sunflower garden and it is growing faster than the grasshoppers can eat it...

Jeanne

[Andrey_BY]

Originally Posted by akgardengirl

This is my first year growing the Orange 1 also. Will let you know the results later. I don't know if stinkbugs are a problem here. I like this thread since there are so few of us in this zone(s). Most of the time I just can't relate to the "huge" productions on those late season tomatoes!
Sue

Here is my Orange-1 so far. It was very productive when grown outdoor, but this year I'm growing it indoor and see much bigger fruits with the same productivity

[akgardengirl]

Andrey,
Thought you might like to see the dwarves you sent me this spring. Left to right:
Arkticheskaya Vishnya
Pinnochio
Balkonzauber
Please correct any misspelling. Both the Arkticheskaya Vishnya and Pinnochio have brown/purple tints to the shoulders. Is this due to cool weather?
Sue

[Andrey_BY]

Nice photoes, Sue.

Since Arkticheskaya Vishnya (or Arctic Cherry) bears pink fruit it's OK. But I've never seen purple tint on Pinnochio fruits... Yes, I think it can be dur to the cold weather in Alaska

[Sherry_AK]

Our weather here in Alaska continues to be cool and cloudy most days. We have had a few really nice, warm days which have helped a lot.

Despite this weather, I have been able to pick a few tomatoes. I'm growing Polar Baby for the first time in about 10 years. I think I see why I haven't grown it for so long. I didn't really remember anything about it, but they are wimpy little plants with tomatoes which are very tart. Maybe this isn't typical, because I think it's a fairly popular variety here.

Flower gardens are looking good. It's going to be a great year for the currants. The cool weather has afforded us the opportunity to do some rearranging in the yard. We've relocated several berry bushes and lilacs due to overcrowding. We also added 6 cherry trees to the "orchard." I'm hoping the moose don't find them for awhile!

What's up with you all?

Sherry

[montanamato]

Missing AK this week ! Next six days at 99-102... I am eating a few Aurora and Slava, in addition to Kimberly and Stupice...Still waiting on Siberian Pink...Glen's blurb said the plant would break under the wieght of tomatoes and he was right...If they are even slightly edible this plant is coming back threefold next summer...The main toms are setting , but everything seems slow to set and grow, compared to normal...
I think it well may be labor day before I get a BLT out of real size tomatoes...
Lettuce is all picked and bagged, even the batavian as the hoppers were taking an interest...Great cover crops for hoppers are chard and zucchini plants...My husband wondered why I planted 8 plants...6 for the hoppers and 2 for us...
Patio containers have grown so lush they are nearly tangled...Demidov and Mano are loaded up as is LGS (no surprise there).

Jeanne

[akgardengirl]

I have some small green Auroras on the vine along with Early Siberian. Just moved all tomatoes into a 10X10 portable type greenhouse. I really shouldn't call it portable as I never want to take this thing apart and put it together again. Tomatoes seem cozy and warm in there. How did you like the taste of the Aurora Jeanne? Rainy and 54 degrees. Are you sure you want to be here?
Sue

[montanamato]

Sue...Aurora is pretty good...It has a little more acid than Stupice/Kimberly which I like for salads, plus it is 3 times the size of the others...Looks to be super healthy and productive despite the heat...I have noticed in several other varieties that are known for cold setting, they will usually set in heat too...Seems odd, but I started noticing it last year and again this year...I will always plant Aurora.
It is 101 and windy. My neighbors came to p/u my daughter and were afraid to open the car doors for all the grasshoppers...They said we should be filming a horror movie here........
AK still looks good....

Jeanne

[dice]

Trout love grasshoppers. Maybe you should be
dehydrating them and selling them by the ounce
on eBay.

"Montana 'Hoppers"

The all-natural bait that trophy trout
simply cannot resist.