Memo to my furry critter friends

[TomNJ]

Dear Groundhogs, Deer, Squirrels, Rabbits, and Raccoons,

I know we have not always gotten along on the friendliest of terms, but I would now like to propose a truce. You see, my 42 tomato plants have already yielded over 1,800 tomatoes weighing over 700 pounds. My canning shelves are filled, even double stacked, with hundreds of jars of tomato salsa, tomato sauce, tomato soup, and tomato juice, all for just my wife and me. But is the season over ..... noooo! Those dang green monsters just keep pumping out more and more of those confounded red juice balls! I'm done, through I tell you, I can't take it anymore...UNCLE ALREADY!!! If I see one more ripe tomato I'll scream!

So, my furry friends, please be advised that the garden gate is open, the shotgun unloaded, and the welcome sign is up. Please feel free to help yourself - bring your families and take 'em red, take 'em green, take 'em any dang way you want - JUST TAKE 'EM! This is a limited time offer, so please hurry, and bring you appetites!

Your friend,

Tom

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by TomNJ

Dear Groundhogs, Deer, Squirrels, Rabbits, and Raccoons,

I know we have not always gotten along on the friendliest of terms, but I would now like to propose a truce. You see, my 42 tomato plants have already yielded over 1,800 tomatoes weighing over 700 pounds. My canning shelves are filled, even double stacked, with hundreds of jars of tomato salsa, tomato sauce, tomato soup, and tomato juice, all for just my wife and me. But is the season over ..... noooo! Those dang green monsters just keep pumping out more and more of those confounded red juice balls! I'm done, through I tell you, I can't take it anymore...UNCLE ALREADY!!! If I see one more ripe tomato I'll scream!

So, my furry friends, please be advised that the garden gate is open, the shotgun unloaded, and the welcome sign is up. Please feel free to help yourself - bring your families and take 'em red, take 'em green, take 'em any dang way you want - JUST TAKE 'EM! This is a limited time offer, so please hurry, and bring you appetites!

Your friend,

Tom

Tom, that is very humane. Live and let live !

[ContainerTed]

Tom, I just had a similar discussion about my apple trees. The groundhog which lives under the metal shed is already packing on the winter fat. The squirrels have nothing to eat up here now and have all descended down to the wet-weather creek and a host of walnut trees. The oaks with bumper crops of acorns are loaded down up on the hill above the pines.

Even the possum is a heavy-weight this year.

Tom, we share at least one kindred spirit. And guess what? It's hunting season on almost all of those fattened critters.

[kurt]

My family in PA leave corn on the stalk before winter so as we can go and flush out Pheasant and my favorite Grouse.If you need a wake up call have a Grouse take off at your feet,the inexperienced should bring toilet paper!

[MrSalvage]

Originally Posted by TomNJ

My 42 tomato plants have already yielded over 1,800 tomatoes weighing over 700 pounds.

I would be interested in knowing what kind of tomato's you planted. I had 28 plants going this year & my yield was no where near what you have grown.

My plants are starting to brown now and I keep telling Cathy I might zap them one more time because it's been over a month now. It hasn't really rained here in all of August. We had a little rain the other day. So I cut back on the water to make sure i didn't run the well dry.

I do believe the story of three springs intersecting on the property here. However we just put in a new pump and air tank and i didn't want to take the chance...

[clkeiper]

You may as well offer them to your fury "friends" as no one else will come and do the work even for free produce. can you tell I am a little cynical? I totally support your give away. if I pick it and give it away they will take it but if I say come pick it you can have it... will they show up? noooooo........

[Father'sDaughter]

Given my meager harvest, if I lived closer I would be out there in your garden fighting the critters for those tomatoes!

[maxjohnson]

700 / 42 =

[TomNJ]

Originally Posted by MrSalvage

I would be interested in knowing what kind of tomato's you planted. I had 28 plants going this year & my yield was no where near what you have grown.

So far my 42 plants have yielded 1,900 tomatoes totaling 750 lbs or nearly 18 pounds per plant, and many are still producing. I attribute my good yields to full sunshine, mulch, and the cooler, drier air here in the Blue Ridge Mountains at 2,600 feet that reduces diseases.

My best yielder this year was a new comer called Rio Grande at 32 lbs/plant. This is a larger Roma type paste (avg. 3.5 oz each), oval in shape and very firm. With a tiny core and no scabs or imperfections they are great for canning. They are a determinate OP and, needless to say, Rio Grande are invited back.

The second largest yielder was Kosovo at 22 lbs/plant and still producing. Kosovo is a staple in my garden, consistently being my earliest and most productive tomato. A large, tasty, solid, pink heart averaging 12 oz each, Kosovo is great for both canning and eating fresh on sandwiches. They are typically blemish free with a small core and no scabs. Real beauties!

Heidi was next at 21 lbs/plant. This is a smaller Roma type paste averaging 2.5 oz each. Good, but I prefer the larger Rio Grande for canning.

Opalka is up to 16 lbs/plant and still producing. A solid, pepper shaped paste averaging 6 oz each these are also a regular in my garden and great for making sauce.

Brandywine Sudduth is at 13 lbs/plant and still producing (did 16 lbs/plant last year). A wonderful pink beefsteak averaging 1 pound each, these tasty tomatoes are reserved mainly for fresh eating (tomato, bacon & mayo sandwiches!). Also a garden staple.

Ernie's Plump was a good yielder at 19 lbs/plant, but I stopped picking them because they were puffy (hollow pockets inside). I also stopped picking Danko because of their orangish color, and San Marzano Redorta because it was too similar to Opalka. I was just overwhelmed with tomatoes and got more selective in picking as the season went on.

Last year I yielded 900 lbs of tomatoes from 60 plants, and probably would have gotten around 1,100 lbs if I was more diligent about tying and picking pink before critters got to them (I let half of them sprawl). In the peak of last year's canning season I commented to my bride that I needed larger baskets and pots and bowls. She said "No Tom, you need fewer tomatoes!". She was right, which is why I reduced the plants this year.

For next year I will reduce again to 12 Kosovo, 12 Opalka, 6 Brandywine Sudduth, and 6 Rio Grande. Enough experimenting - after many years of trying dozens of varieties I have finally narrowed the field to these four to best suit my needs. Since I can 95% of my tomatoes in things like salsa, sauce, and soup, I place yield ahead of taste, although the Brandywine, Kosovo, and Opalka varieties are real tasty tomatoes.

TomNJVA

[MrSalvage]

Thanks for taking the time Tom to post your observations. It really's does help us all in the long run. What an impressive year you had. What a great list of your favorites. You must really have a lot of patience to weigh them in and keep count of how many each plant produces. Are you tracking that data in excel or something else?

Thanks again
Bill

[TomNJ]

Originally Posted by MrSalvage

Thanks for taking the time Tom to post your observations. It really's does help us all in the long run. What an impressive year you had. What a great list of your favorites. You must really have a lot of patience to weigh them in and keep count of how many each plant produces. Are you tracking that data in excel or something else?

Thanks again
Bill

It's not as much patience as just being anal (as in analytical!). I am a retired scientist so keeping records is natural to me. For many years I actually count and weigh my tomatoes by variety and keep the results on a spreadsheet (Lotus - yes there are still Lotus users). I also weigh and record every ingredient in every batch of products that I put up in jars. I did 11 canning runs so far this year and put up 205 pints of tomato and pepper products, plus 17 quarts of marinara in the freezer. After two great tomato and pepper years I have a 2+ year supply, so I can lighten up a bit next year.

Here is a picture of my canning and wine shelves (I need to add a new shelf). Also my seed garlic reserved for November, a small portion of my onions, a roasted marinara batch, and my main garden (50'x50').

TomNJVA

[ddsack]

Tom, your produce, storage facilities and garden pictures are a pleasure to see! Everything is so tidy and orderly it puts me to shame. I will use you for inspiration!

[Bruinwar]

Nice thread! I am feeling the same way, critters are welcome. It was a weird but good year for me here in Michigan. Blossom drop (likely due extreme temps in June) limited the early harvest but late July there was 6 weeks straight I couldn't keep up. 42 quarts of sauce canned. Other than the Garden Peach & a few Kelloggs, most have stopped producing. Kelloggs are going nuts, taking over their portion of the garden, blooms everywhere.

It was not really feasible for me to weigh them as it's a rented plot at a local food pantry. When (if?!) I retire I plan to be as analytical as Tom. The pantry got 165lbs of the hybrids. We are supposed to donate 10% but I got no clue how many pounds of tomatoes I got. In my head I counted around 17 bushels which is a record for me. 2012 was 16 bushels.

[PhilaGardener]

Looking fabulous, Tom! Are you making your own wine too?

[TomNJ]

Originally Posted by PhilaGardener

Looking fabulous, Tom! Are you making your own wine too?

No, as with art I collect and consume wine but have not attempted to make it. I have never had a home made wine that that I would want a second glass of, and have no reason to believe I could do better.

TomNJVA