Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[MarlynnMarcks]

How do the Tomande tomataoes do in our hot humid climate?

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

How awesome to receive a tomato box like that! What are the smaller yellows in the back?

Probably Chefs Select Orange. I'm keeping track of everything so if you need avg size, etc let me know.

I grew Kelloggs Breakfast, Orange Slice (F2 seeds), and Chefs Select. Best year ever for productivy of KB, but doesn't come close to productivity of OS or Chefs Select.

BTW - I know you are a grower / seller, Chefs Select and Orange Slice have pretty good shelf life. Also, Momotaro - people are loving it, including my DH.
I also grew Lizzano Cherry tomatoes (Red) - Plant never got taller than 2', determinate, and super productive, great taste, and long shelf life and hang life. Seeds are not cheap, but 100% germination. I will never grow regular size plants for red cherry tomatoes. Lizzano is the bomb

I sowed the F2s to see what they bring for spring.

[Ricky Shaw]

The fabric pots are rockin' it! Great looking foliage top to bottom and loaded up, in harmony with conditions.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by MarlynnMarcks

How do the Tomande tomataoes do in our hot humid climate?

Tomande tomatoes do quite well for me in Orlando. They do best in a Raised Bed but also do well for me in a 10 gallon pot. The plant is manageable but do get large especially in a RB. The fruit is somewhat variable in size but some are on the large side. Best of all the taste is quite good.
Larry

[Zone9b]

Early blight has taken most of the leaves but Esterina Cherry will continue to provide tomatoes for sometime. Esterina has been more productive than Sun Gold for me and it tastes good to me, however, I wouldn't make a great tomato taster. The plant in the picture is growing in a 6 gallon pot. Also, picked well over a 100 tomatoes from this plant alone this morning.
Larry

[efisakov]

Bar, your garden looks beautiful. What an oasis! ... lots of work...

Happy holidays to all!

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

Early blight has taken most of the leaves but Esterina Cherry will continue to provide tomatoes for sometime. Esterina has been more productive than Sun Gold for me and it tastes good to me, however, I wouldn't make a great tomato taster. The plant in the picture is growing in a 6 gallon pot. Also, picked well over a 100 tomatoes from this plant alone this morning.
Larry

That Esterina looks really wonderful. You do a very nice job Larry.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

That Esterina looks really wonderful. You do a very nice job Larry.

Thanks much, but the variety did most of the work.
Larry

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

Early blight has taken most of the leaves but Esterina Cherry will continue to provide tomatoes for sometime. Esterina has been more productive than Sun Gold for me and it tastes good to me, however, I wouldn't make a great tomato taster. The plant in the picture is growing in a 6 gallon pot. Also, picked well over a 100 tomatoes from this plant alone this morning.
Larry

That is a lot for a 6 gal pot. Marsha is right.
BTW, any recommendations on greens? I am growing tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, peppers, dill, celery, parsley, cilantro, scallion, broccoli (first year) and lettuce. I love lettuce but it gets bitter so quickly and my DH does not like it because of that. Any recommendations for greens, that do not get bitter, for salad? I never grew arugula. My SIL makes great salad with it, she gets it from the local market in PA. We are trying to eat healthier and definitely need variety.
Thanks.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by efisakov

That is a lot for a 6 gal pot. Marsha is right.
BTW, any recommendations on greens? I am growing tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, peppers, dill, celery, parsley, cilantro, scallion, broccoli (first year) and lettuce. I love lettuce but it gets bitter so quickly and my DH does not like it because of that. Any recommendations for greens, that do not get bitter, for salad? I never grew arugula. My SIL makes great salad with it, she gets it from the local market in PA. We are trying to eat healthier and definitely need variety.
Thanks.

Escarole Cornetto di Bordeaux (French endive) is a plant I’m growing this fall/winter and I have found it easy to grow and quite productive, however, I don’t like the taste. I won’t be growing it again.

I have grown a number of varieties of lettuce but the one which has worked best for me is 2 Star loose leaf. The taste is good and the variety was quite productive. The plants hung in there for the longest time. We just kept picking the bottom leaves and it just kept growing longer. Finally it went to seed and we harvested some of the seeds. I will probably plant some of these seeds within a week. I also plan to plant seeds for Vulcan loose leaf and see if that works well for me.

I have Early Wonder Tall Top Beets growing. I grew them for the tops but they seem to have some sort of fungal issue so I will let them grow and see if I can harvest some beet roots from them.

I have some Swiss Chard seeds and will be trying them. I grew them sometime back in native soil had some success. I suspect they will do much better in a Raised Bed. Based on a much appreciated suggestion from Marsha I also hope to try Swiss Chard in my 2017 summer heat garden.

I have grown 3 varieties of Arugula. I grew Astro in my 2016 summer heat garden and it did quite well. I also am growing Astro now and it is doing well. It appears very tolerant of heat and tolerant of cold as well. I also grew Sylvetta in my 2016 summer heat garden and it also did quite well. It appears to come from a different group of plants than Astro and Roquette/Rocket. Sylvetta leaves are shaped somewhat like dandelion leaves. I liked the taste of all these varieties. But I will probably plant more Astro because its tolerance to heat and cold and the leaves are easy to prepare for salads. Also, the plants seem to produce quite a bit longer than Roquette. These varieties of Arugula all have a stronger taste than lettuce but unlike Endive I actually like the taste of Arugula in a salad. I purchased these varieties from Fedco.

I’m also growing Lacinato Kale which is quite easy to grow and a very attractive plant. Some say they like Kale in a salad but that’s too hard core for me. I cook it.

I’m looking forward to growing Stewart's Zeebest Okra in my summer heat garden in 2017. I have visions of growing lots of fine Okra.

I really like Snap Beans and I am hoping to grow a whole lot this coming spring to eat and blanch and freeze.
All the best,
Larry

[efisakov]

Larry, thank you. That is great info. I am going to try arugula. Not sure about chard, my DH does not like cooked greens. I do, but cooking for one is not fun. I love okra, I eat it raw. It produced better in container for me, I had 5 plants in 25 gal. container. Snap beans sounds interesting, never grew them. Usually make some for holidays with garlic. They are great frozen in soup too.
Thank you , Larry.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Larry, thank you. That is great info. I am going to try arugula. Not sure about chard, my DH does not like cooked greens. I do, but cooking for one is not fun. I love okra, I eat it raw. It produced better in container for me, I had 5 plants in 25 gal. container. Snap beans sounds interesting, never grew them. Usually make some for holidays with garlic. They are great frozen in soup too.
Thank you , Larry.

I also grow okra in containers. Too many nematodes in Raised Beds. I'm also growing some Brussel Sprouts to see if the Jade Cross E variety will work for me. They are hard to grow here and take the longest time, but I think they are worth it if they ultimately produce descent sprouts. I like to slice them up in very thin strips and make a salad with them. Very tasty.
Larry

[MarlynnMarcks]

I grow Swiss Chard and Perpetual Spinach (which is really a variety of chard) in a grow bag and it is easy and makes a forest of greens.

[efisakov]

I did not know you can eat Brussel Sprouts raw. My mom makes soup and fries them as well. Thanks, Larry. I looked at recipes, found one with apples. Do you make them with apples and spicy?

Marlynn, Perpetual Spinach is interesting variety. Do leaves get tough quick? I prefer to make salads not cook my greens.

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

I also grow okra in containers. Too many nematodes in Raised Beds. I'm also growing some Brussel Sprouts to see if the Jade Cross E variety will work for me. They are hard to grow here and take the longest time, but I think they are worth it if they ultimately produce descent sprouts. I like to slice them up in very thin strips and make a salad with them. Very tasty.
Larry

Larry thought I'd try growing okra in 15 gal containers this year. Do they prefer rich potting mix? Jimbo