Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Gardenboy

Hey neighbor! Hope all is well. Rain buckets are full!!! Thanks again for all the summer mangoes.

Hey Gardenboy!

How are things and what are you growing for fall?

Any new favorites?

Ginny

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by efisakov

I would have got it already, but they do not have it in store. Have to order on line only.

I got mine from Wal Mart online, free in store pickup. Same model as Excalibur website, and it was $40 cheaper.

[kayrobbins]

Ginny, those tomatoes are beautiful. Were there less insects to deal with growing up there? What is the bottom tomato?

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

Ginny, those tomatoes are beautiful. Were there less insects to deal with growing up there? What is the bottom tomato?

Hi Kay,

No disease, no pests. I didnt spray or use yellow stickies. I think a part of that is due to this being a virgin tomato plant and veggie yard. There is a perrenial garden but it doesnt show any leaf diseases either.

I'm not sure which tomato you are talking about? The heart shaped are Wes. The purple one is Cherokee Carbon. The yellowish one in between the heart and purple is unknown but tastes and looks similar to Virginia Sweets (it was labeled orange strawberry so should have been an orange heart). The round red ones are Delicious. The pleated red one is an unusally large Costoluto Genovese.

The most exciting plant this season for me was Wes... huge hearts and my plants are leggy and tall and I can see through them so it makes it easy to count the tomatoes. Wes has (including the ones already picked) 39 tomatoes on it. Below is a picture of 6 of those Wes tomatoes piled on a scale and they weigh over 5 1/2 pounds. And its so yummy! I grew Wes in a smallish self watering pot from Home Depot/Lowes (both carry them) and didnt even put in a fert strip. I used TTF daily for a week and then stopped for a few days and then started again. I'm trying to figure out how big these pots are (just out of curiosity) but they dont say on them and I dont know how to do the math.







15 1/2 inches across the top, 14 1/2 inches tall and about 10 inches across the bottom. Not 100% sure about the bottom measurement as I cant measure it properly when full.

One more thing... the days here are longer, generally cooler and the sun is farther away here so not as harsh. I think the tomatoes can get larger because of that. This year wasnt the best year for tomatoes for this area (too many unusually hot days) but I do think this growing environment with the longer milder summer days and good soil make it much easier to grow big beautiful tomatoes. I wish we had this in Florida. Now I know why my northern transplant neighbors told me I would never be able to grow tomatoes where I live in Oak Hill. It is night and day.

Ginny

[ginger2778]

Ginny, I am so jealous! This year you will get your own luscious home grown tomatoes the whole year. I know you will be happy to get back to your gorgeous waterfront and ocean breezes. And while hot, it's not like what's happening up there. How many days till you leave?
I start my seeds this year in the first week of September. I am excited.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Ginny, I am so jealous! This year you will get your own luscious home grown tomatoes the whole year. I know you will be happy to get back to your gorgeous waterfront and ocean breezes. And while hot, it's not like what's happening up there. How many days till you leave?
I start my seeds this year in the first week of September. I am excited.

Marsha,

I was lucky this year in that regard to find a house with a yard.

And thanks to you all and your tried and trusted recipes and advice we are canning most of the harvest this season after taste testing.

Hubbys job here isnt over until the mid to end of Oct (depends on permits, etc). But i might be home sooner than that. Still trying to figure it out.

I am so excited to see your list. You always have a ton of interesting varieties... :-)

Ginny

[kayrobbins]

These are the micro tomatoes I am growing from seeds I got from Bunny Hop Seeds. I call micros house tomatoes since I grow them inside under lights when it gets to cold for tomatoes. I don't usually grow them this early but since they are all new to me and I give the plants as Christmas gifts to my friends I wanted to trial them early. Plus, I just love growing micros because while they are really cute they are also such stocky little plants.

The one in the back with hidden tag is Pinocchio Orange which Ellie says is one of her favorite micros. Baby looks really small but it is suppose since only get 5-6 inches tall. I just got seeds yesterday for Vilma which is a red micro. Here is a link in case you want to see what the actual tomatoes will be like.

http://heritageseedmarket.com/index....warf-tomatoes/

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

I'm trying to figure out how big these pots are (just out of curiosity) but they dont say on them...

15 1/2 inches across the top, 14 1/2 inches tall and about 10 inches across the bottom. Not 100% sure about the bottom measurement as I cant measure it properly when full.

Ginny

They are approximately 1851 cubic inches or 8 liquid gallons. Considering that they are not filled up to the top, a bit less that 8 gallons of soil.

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Marsha,

I was lucky this year in that regard to find a house with a yard.

And thanks to you all and your tried and trusted recipes and advice we are canning most of the harvest this season after taste testing.

Hubbys job here isnt over until the mid to end of Oct (depends on permits, etc). But i might be home sooner than that. Still trying to figure it out.

I am so excited to see your list. You always have a ton of interesting varieties... :-)

Ginny

second that

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by efisakov

They are approximately 1851 cubic inches or 8 liquid gallons. Considering that they are not filled up to the top, a bit less that 8 gallons of soil.

Oh awesome Ella. Thank you so much... :-). I have always wondered mainly because they do so well and I've thought about trying grow bags and wanted to know how large these were in comparison to the various grow bag sizes. Next time I water them I will measure how much the reservoir takes up and subtract that from the soil you estimated.

When the plants are full grown and its hot I sometimes fill the reservoir 3 times a day. Maybe I will ask my husband to make AWS's for them when we get home... :-) I think I have about 10 or so of these including the ones I have at home.

Thanks again.
Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

These are the micro tomatoes I am growing from seeds I got from Bunny Hop Seeds. I call micros house tomatoes since I grow them inside under lights when it gets to cold for tomatoes. I don't usually grow them this early but since they are all new to me and I give the plants as Christmas gifts to my friends I wanted to trial them early. Plus, I just love growing micros because while they are really cute they are also such stocky little plants.

The one in the back with hidden tag is Pinocchio Orange which Ellie says is one of her favorite micros. Baby looks really small but it is suppose since only get 5-6 inches tall. I just got seeds yesterday for Vilma which is a red micro. Here is a link in case you want to see what the actual tomatoes will be like.

http://heritageseedmarket.com/index....warf-tomatoes/

Holy cow, it seems like just a few days ago that you mentioned starting the seeds and they are full blown little plants already. So cute!!

Ginny

[AudreyFL]

Kayrobbins - are these micros similar to red robin or tiny Tim in size? Fit well full grown in 1-2gal pot?

I've never seen these varieties, very interested in getting some seeds. Just started Red Robin seeds today, did great for me this spring, Tiny Tim not so much...seemed to not be as sturdy/healthy.

FLORIDA FOLKS - anyone else growing Maglia Rosa this fall? By a long shot, my favorite container tomato from spring, my first year ever growing. Well maybe close follow up to black cherry.

Trying again, hoping for better results - New Big Dwarf, Sophie's Choice, Remy Rouge, Polish Dwarf. Some produced next to nothing, were hit with foliar/insect issues and seemed to peak just as the brutal heat started. I didn't start seeds until mid-January, knew it was a gamble so fingers crossed this time.

Adding new/never tried - Tasmanian Chocolate and 2 samples from UF I received from their program. I think that's it for this fall. I committed the first year gardening arrogant mistake of growing 18 varieties with Craig's dense seed method. Was WAY in over my head!

[kayrobbins]

Audrey, I am growing Red Robin for the first. It was not on the list of seeds she has for sale but she always sends free seeds with your order so that is how I got mine. Just in case you can't read my labels I am growing Baby, Gold Pearl, Pinocchio Orange, Yellow Canary, Rosy Falls, Red Robin, Ditmarsher and Vilma. Baby is the smallest and should be 6-8 inches tall and the rest should be 10-12 except Ditmarsher and Rosy Fall that are cascading basket plants. She recommends keeping most of them in smaller pots.

Do check out all her listings because I have never seen so many micro tomatoes. Plus she is a Florida grower so knows what are climate is like.

You will love Tasmanian Chocolate. Not only is it a pretty tomato but it is also a good producer. I switch up the dwarf plants each season except I grow at 2 of it every Spring and Fall. It has never failed me.

[Barb_FL]

Kay - What dwarfs are you growing this fall?

Audrey - Also never had luck with NBD after attempting ??x # of seasons. Am trying again and I have seeds from different sources this time....

Ginny - Your tomatoes are gorgeous. Good to know that the container size isn't a factor so it must be other environmental conditions.

Ella / Ginny - It may be hot by you; it may even be hotter than Florida, but keep in mind we have 5 months of it!!!! < 65 days left before good weather.

Marsha - Are you starting later this year?

Larry - when do you start broccoli?

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Kay - What dwarfs are you growing this fall?
Audrey - Also never had luck with NBD after attempting ??x # of seasons. Am trying again and I have seeds from different sources this time....
Ginny - Your tomatoes are gorgeous. Good to know that the container size isn't a factor so it must be other environmental conditions.
Ella / Ginny - It may be hot by you; it may even be hotter than Florida, but keep in mind we have 5 months of it!!!! < 65 days left before good weather.
Marsha - Are you starting later this year?

Larry - when do you start broccoli?

Barb_FL
65 days until good weather. You are surely going to make me feel bad. I'm just holding out for the 2nd of Oct, when the Orlando average daily high is 87 and the avg low is 70.

I have approximately 100 Castle Dome Broccoli plants, all with 4 leaves now but the stems are pretty spindly. I have a note to transplant them at the end of September but maybe I can get them in at the end of the 3rd week in September. However, as you well know they don't much like warm weather.
I plan to plant another set of approximately 100 seed cups 1 week before I transplant my first crop. Hoping for rapid succession of Broccoli crops this season all the way to late May. If all goes well when the weather cools significantly, hopefully with the 2nd crop I may squeeze the spacing down to see how close I can get them without significantly negatively affecting head size. I would like to know where the boundaries are.
Thanks for asking,
Larry