Show Off Your Harvest ... 2016

[Gardeneer]

Yeah . I know some of us ( you ) have been harvesting for weeks and even months. But for some of us , the Northerners and Canadians, it is just beginning. Speaking for myself, this year's harvest has been way behind, almost 3 weeks, compared to previous years. That is not too bad. Today I picked my first mini harvest.

aug 12- mini harvest.jpg

At the center is AZOYCHKA shining like a sun, in the front some cherries and the rest are Silvery Fir Tree. Actually I have picked few before but they are no longer here.

Okay. Feel free to post your current harvest picture.

[Ricky Shaw]

This went home with little brother tonite.

[HudsonValley]

In order:
- the Marglobe I ate for dinner
- Cherokee Purple
- Tomato sauce - before
- Tomato sauce - after

[AKmark]

Yellow BW is very pretty this time of year, the fruit really smooths out. Picked these today and I thought they even look tasty. Picked some nice peppers too.

[Fiishergurl]

I love threads like this. Those are all beautiful. Mark what are the highest yeilds in weight that you have gotten off Brandywines?

Ginny

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[Ricky Shaw]

Beautiful stuff for everyone. Really like those big bells, I had troubles with peppers and couldn't keep one alive.

I bet those Alaska market customers constantly remark, "Amazing selection, better than the lower 48."

[ginger2778]

Mark- oh WOW! I am so jealous.

[AKmark]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

I love threads like this. Those are all beautiful. Mark what are the highest yeilds in weight that you have gotten off Brandywines?

Ginny

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Hi Ginny, I assume we are talking any BW type? In that case BW Cowlick's yielded 39 lbs on a plant a couple of years ago, but Yellow BW is close, I have never weighed all of the fruit from one though. I am done growing pink BW's for production, Yellow BW does better for me, the fruit never cracks, it yields good, and the shape as you see gets rather smooth as the season progresses. I have to start them very early, they take awhile to get going. BTW, those are the Platfoot strain.
We have put BW Sudduth's and Cowlick's aside as breeding stock and have made several crosses with them, the offspring is more suitable for production of market quality tomatoes. Yellow BW is good for market tomatoes though, KBX is also good for production of yellow orange types. I also like Orange Minsk for taste, still working with that one though.
Ricky, use your tomato blend on the peppers, they love it, HG has a slightly higher N formula for peppers, but I just use the same tomato fert.

Thanks Ginger, I do like growing the bells.

[gorbelly]

This morning's take:



(The stuff on the runner in the background is stuff from earlier in the week.)

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by AKmark

Ricky, use your tomato blend on the peppers, they love it, HG has a slightly higher N formula for peppers, but I just use the same tomato fert.

I just use tomato fertilizer on all fruiting plants. Squash, eggplants, and peppers get an extra glug of fish fertilizer to give the extra N they like. I have relatives that keep buying fish fertilizer when it goes on sale and giving some to me, so I always have it on hand. Doing it this way keeps life simple since I don't have to buy all kinds of different formulas. Plants all seem happy.

Originally Posted by AKmark

Thanks Ginger, I do like growing the bells.

Big bells are tough without a really long growing season. I'm enjoying living vicariously through your great pics and am so impressed you can grow them so far north.

[Gardeneer]

Wow ! Wow !
What a crowd ! What a bunch of beautiful, all different harvest pictures. Mine was just a token, I know. I love the variety of colors and shapes. I used to think that tomatoes are all red and round. And yes, there are other garden fruits too. I love peppers. Last year I have over 20 of them, mostly on the hot and wild side.

Okay. Everybody is doing great . Keep on trucking ! Mine will be a little longer to pick up speed but getting there. With warmer weather and a lot of fruits reaching mature size, the peak season is near.

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by AKmark

Hi Ginny, I assume we are talking any BW type? In that case BW Cowlick's yielded 39 lbs on a plant a couple of years ago, but Yellow BW is close, I have never weighed all of the fruit from one though. I am done growing pink BW's for production, Yellow BW does better for me, the fruit never cracks, it yields good, and the shape as you see gets rather smooth as the season progresses. I have to start them very early, they take awhile to get going. BTW, those are the Platfoot strain.
We have put BW Sudduth's and Cowlick's aside as breeding stock and have made several crosses with them, the offspring is more suitable for production of market quality tomatoes. Yellow BW is good for market tomatoes though, KBX is also good for production of yellow orange types. I also like Orange Minsk for taste, still working with that one though.
Ricky, use your tomato blend on the peppers, they love it, HG has a slightly higher N formula for peppers, but I just use the same tomato fert.

Thanks Ginger, I do like growing the bells.

Mark,

I love the pictures of your operation, and hearing your details about growing produce. Just wondering if your tomatoes have heightened flavor due to the extra day length? I don't think I have ever heard flavor mentioned, or I've missed it. Thanks.

[AKmark]

Gorbelly, I grow the peppers in flower baskets. The main problem is tying up all of the branches because they break from the weight, but they love the program. Some plants set around 50 peppers throughout the season. In my GH's the peppers like the heat hanging up in flower baskets, and the aphids don't get to them as often either.
Gardeneer, I love the enthusiasm.

[AKmark]

Hellman's, I own a commercial GH operation and talk to people from everywhere. I think we are on to something, we get the same "OH MY GOODNESS" comments consistently when people try the tomatoes. We can keep an ideal climate, and have fertilizers and watering down pretty tight, so it comes down to selecting the best varieties. In short, taste, quality, eye appeal is great, we are also travelers, and that helps me when judging whats going on elsewhere so we can keep ourselves honest.

[kath]

Pinks: (top 1/2s on left; matching bottom half is on the right)
left column: Daniels, Biskaya Roza, Barlow Jap
center column: Morado Vejer de la Frontera, La Vie en Rose, General Lee F6, Elgin Pink
right column: Terhune, Rebel Yell, Rosa de Perales, Pink Pioneer

Darks:
left column: Indian Stripe, Daniel Burson, Margaret Curtain, Blackberry, Faelan's First Snow
center column: Owen's Purple, "Not Cherokee Purple", Indian Zebra, Royal Purple, Cherokee Carbon
right column: Violet Noir, Not Purple Strawberry