Aint It a Shame?

[marc_groleau]

It's that time of year and it's a bit of a shame that I don't believe my 2012 garden is ever going to look any better than it does today. Everything is at its peak. It's going to be downhill from here. Oh well, I'm just starting to get ripe fruit on my 4th of Julys, Cherokee Purple is blushing and I think I'll be eating some by next weekend. My paste tomatoes are looking fine.
Highlights of my season have been that I believe I managed to cross my Pineapple and Cherokee Purples so I have that F1 planting to look forward to next year. Also, I apparently grew out seeds from a hybrid cherry plant that came Italy. These came up showing three similar yet different types of beautiful plants and fruit all from the same seeds. So next year, I'll be growing out F3s and that will be something to look forward to.







One row of paste tomatoes


F2 Italian Cherries eager to grow out next year!


Surrounded by great plants in 2012

[Farmette]

Nice looking garden! Your rows of tomatoes are so neat and the plants themselves so straight. Is that the Florida weave system you are using and if so do you prune your plants much?

[marc_groleau]

Originally Posted by Farmette

Nice looking garden! Your rows of tomatoes are so neat and the plants themselves so straight. Is that the Florida weave system you are using and if so do you prune your plants much?

Thanks.

Yes it's sort of like the Florida weave but I start off by staking individual plants. When they really get rockin & rollin, I start stringing the weave. It's the first year I've done this and it worked out great! I posted something about it a while back. Here's the link.
By the way I do prune religiously at first but only until I get the first buds. I then prune only the stems below the first buds. I do prune a little more from now to the latter part of the season but I only remove those stems that have little chance of being productive by the end of the growing season.

Link to Florida weave
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=23867

[sprtsguy76]

Nice looking garden you got there. I always enjoy my homemade crosses too.

Damon

[Tania]

Very beautiful and plentiful garden, I so enjoyed looking at the pictures! I hope it'll stay as beautiful for much longer.

Tatiana

[meadowyck]

I think you are knee deep (or should I say shoulder deep) in a wonderful looking garden. I love your perimeter fence for it.

[marc_groleau]

Originally Posted by meadowyck

I think you are knee deep (or should I say shoulder deep) in a wonderful looking garden. I love your perimeter fence for it.

Thank you Tania and Sprtsguy76.

Meadowyck, the fence was erected about 3 years ago. I had such a time fighting the woodchucks that I was ready to quit. I put up the fence and also buried chicken wire below ground level. This has completely eliminate the varmint factor. I still get birds or chipmunks invading but at least I don't have to pick tomatoes as soon as they show any signs of ripening to keep them away from the varmints. The fence is the best thing I ever did for my garden.

[lakelady]

Great looking garden ! Chipmunks, ugh! I hate them. Cute little rats if you ask me. I only have a chickenwire temporary fence around my garden with tposts, but need to make something more permanent for next year.

[meadowyck]

For the work involved in putting fencing below ground level, is soon forgotten when you are able to harvest from your garden. Live or not traps are for the cute little rats....

I never could kill them when we had them up north as I got too much enjoyment out of watching them tease the squirrels so I would keep them fed so they would leave most of my other plants alone.

[JayPaul1024]

Really beautiful, nice-sized garden. Congrats on all of your work!!!

[Mmsfoxxie]

The shame is that that garden is not mine, lol. Good work!!!

[greyghost]

Your garden is beautiful, Marc! Thanks for posting photos. Darlene

[carolyn137]

My plants should look so great, but they aren't and far from it.

Color me very jealous.

[marc_groleau]

"The shame is that that garden is not mine, lol. Good work!!!"

Thanks folks.
Mmsfoxxie, that's a funny line.

Originally Posted by carolyn137

My plants should look so great, but they aren't and far from it.

Color me very jealous.

Carolyn,
coming from the woman who wrote the book,
I do appreciate your comment.

Happy Summer everybody!