Summer Has Ended - Page 2

cottonpicker · August 30, 2009

It's NOT been a good year here either. Our tomato production was approx. 40% less than expected due to Late Blight. All but 2 of my tomato plants "bit the dust" early & I yanked'em out...bagged and trashed them a few weeks ago. I now have a VERY!!! healthy large red cherry still producing along with my Cowlick Brandywine. Tough customers--survivors!!, they are!!!

Today I finished my plantings for Fall--- assorted lettuces, Red & Tendergreen Mustards, Mei Qing Choy, Shanghai Bok Choy, Dwarf Choy Sum, assorted radishes, garlic and Broccoli Raab. Worked my fairly friable soil with a garden fork to loosen up deeply...didn't turn the soil this year... added some Espoma Organic fertilizer & a dab of MG Garden Soil... raked smooth & planted. I WANTED COMPOST to layer on my plots but it was not available from my usual (free) Tounship source. As you see, I'm heading towards "no till" planting. Getting older...I reckon! GOOD gardening to ALL!!!! Cooler temps & lower humidity is here!!! ahhhhhhhh!!!!!
LarryD

ovenbird · August 30, 2009

This has been a remarkably poor year for the summer garden. Too cool, too wet, the japanese beetles came late but they have stayed way longer than last year.

But it has been a year to learn that corn suppresses fungus in squash and maybe other things. I plan to have my tomatoes follow the corn bed in the rotation.

rsg2001 · August 31, 2009

I'd say I have half the production that I usually get... a combination of a cool,rainy June, some disease (early blight and gray spot), and my usual issue of not enough sun. All the rain really increased the growth of the leaf canopy of our big double maple tree at the back of my small property, which translated into even less sun than I usually get. However, unfortunately, we have to take down the tree. It's gigantic roots are growing into the wall of our garage and denting in the bricks. The tree is 75 feet high and it's going to cost quite a bit to take it down. The Bartlett arborist couldn't see any way to save it. We're getting another quote on the job. It'll be taken down sometime in October.

As far as the tomatoes go, as usual the cherry tomatoes have done well, particularly Sungold, Black Cherry and Sprite. On smallish types, Kimberly, Moravsky Div and Pozhar did well. The best-producing regular size tomatoes have been Black, Eva Purple Ball and Lemon Boy. The one Brandywine is finally producing with a big 3 tomatoes, and Big Raspberry (a new one from TGS this year) has 4-5 tomatoes. The big disappointments: Hillbilly - I will wind up with maybe 1 or 2, after a banner year with that variety last year; Marizol Purple, which gave one glorious, big wonderful beefsteak and then succumbed to early blight; Jaunne Flamme, which started promising and was first with early blight; Riesentraube (low quantity); Indian Stripe (just getting the first tomato now); and biggest disappointment being Yellow Currant - they were tasteless, and both plants gave up early. That said, though, it could have been a lot worse, and the tomatoes that we've gotten have been terrific.

tjg911 · August 31, 2009

good riddance to a wretched summer.

for may, june and july too much rain, hardly any sun, too cold. i track each day it rains and how much, it rained virtually every day in fact in june there were just 2 days without rain!

starting in august it rained but not like it had been. but then it got very hot with oppressive the humidity in later august.

ct had 2 tornadoes and late blight that ruined the tomato crop. if i got 15% of normal i'd probably be exaggerating my success.

almost no beans or cukes yet (5 days since i picked any and i had 1 cuke!) but i may have some beans today. typically by now i'd be inundated with beans and cukes not to mention tomatoes. it's now coming up to labor day and i see no ripe butternut squash. 1/4 of my garden is butternut squash and i usually pick 45-55. i fear that because they were so slow to grow that there is not enough season left now. by 9/15 they are done, the sun is very weak and the days are shorter. in mid to late july the vines were the length they should have been in mid to late june!

excessive mosquitoes and aggressive to boot.

on the plus side, cabbages, swiss chard and lettuce did well. my garlic and onion harvest were good, much better than i expected. yesterday and all this week temps in low 70's even 40's at night. very low humidity so the weather is finally nice.

i'm ready for snow, never saw such a terrible year for growing but then i missed the little ice age back in the 1700's.

tom

dice · August 31, 2009

Things could be worse (without necessarily being colder):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_desert

August 30, 2009	#16
cottonpicker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: SE PA..near Valley Forge Posts: 839	It's NOT been a good year here either. Our tomato production was approx. 40% less than expected due to Late Blight. All but 2 of my tomato plants "bit the dust" early & I yanked'em out...bagged and trashed them a few weeks ago. I now have a VERY!!! healthy large red cherry still producing along with my Cowlick Brandywine. Tough customers--survivors!!, they are!!! Today I finished my plantings for Fall--- assorted lettuces, Red & Tendergreen Mustards, Mei Qing Choy, Shanghai Bok Choy, Dwarf Choy Sum, assorted radishes, garlic and Broccoli Raab. Worked my fairly friable soil with a garden fork to loosen up deeply...didn't turn the soil this year... added some Espoma Organic fertilizer & a dab of MG Garden Soil... raked smooth & planted. I WANTED COMPOST to layer on my plots but it was not available from my usual (free) Tounship source. As you see, I'm heading towards "no till" planting. Getting older...I reckon! GOOD gardening to ALL!!!! Cooler temps & lower humidity is here!!! ahhhhhhhh!!!!! LarryD __________________ "Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause". Victor Hugo Last edited by cottonpicker; August 30, 2009 at 10:16 PM.

August 31, 2009	#19
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	good riddance to a wretched summer. for may, june and july too much rain, hardly any sun, too cold. i track each day it rains and how much, it rained virtually every day in fact in june there were just 2 days without rain! starting in august it rained but not like it had been. but then it got very hot with oppressive the humidity in later august. ct had 2 tornadoes and late blight that ruined the tomato crop. if i got 15% of normal i'd probably be exaggerating my success. almost no beans or cukes yet (5 days since i picked any and i had 1 cuke!) but i may have some beans today. typically by now i'd be inundated with beans and cukes not to mention tomatoes. it's now coming up to labor day and i see no ripe butternut squash. 1/4 of my garden is butternut squash and i usually pick 45-55. i fear that because they were so slow to grow that there is not enough season left now. by 9/15 they are done, the sun is very weak and the days are shorter. in mid to late july the vines were the length they should have been in mid to late june! excessive mosquitoes and aggressive to boot. on the plus side, cabbages, swiss chard and lettuce did well. my garlic and onion harvest were good, much better than i expected. yesterday and all this week temps in low 70's even 40's at night. very low humidity so the weather is finally nice. i'm ready for snow, never saw such a terrible year for growing but then i missed the little ice age back in the 1700's. tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

August 31, 2009	#20
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Things could be worse (without necessarily being colder): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_desert __________________ -- alias

August 30, 2009	#17
ovenbird Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Eastern Iowa Posts: 27	This has been a remarkably poor year for the summer garden. Too cool, too wet, the japanese beetles came late but they have stayed way longer than last year. But it has been a year to learn that corn suppresses fungus in squash and maybe other things. I plan to have my tomatoes follow the corn bed in the rotation.

August 31, 2009	#18
rsg2001 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Zone 6 Posts: 479	I'd say I have half the production that I usually get... a combination of a cool,rainy June, some disease (early blight and gray spot), and my usual issue of not enough sun. All the rain really increased the growth of the leaf canopy of our big double maple tree at the back of my small property, which translated into even less sun than I usually get. However, unfortunately, we have to take down the tree. It's gigantic roots are growing into the wall of our garage and denting in the bricks. The tree is 75 feet high and it's going to cost quite a bit to take it down. The Bartlett arborist couldn't see any way to save it. We're getting another quote on the job. It'll be taken down sometime in October. As far as the tomatoes go, as usual the cherry tomatoes have done well, particularly Sungold, Black Cherry and Sprite. On smallish types, Kimberly, Moravsky Div and Pozhar did well. The best-producing regular size tomatoes have been Black, Eva Purple Ball and Lemon Boy. The one Brandywine is finally producing with a big 3 tomatoes, and Big Raspberry (a new one from TGS this year) has 4-5 tomatoes. The big disappointments: Hillbilly - I will wind up with maybe 1 or 2, after a banner year with that variety last year; Marizol Purple, which gave one glorious, big wonderful beefsteak and then succumbed to early blight; Jaunne Flamme, which started promising and was first with early blight; Riesentraube (low quantity); Indian Stripe (just getting the first tomato now); and biggest disappointment being Yellow Currant - they were tasteless, and both plants gave up early. That said, though, it could have been a lot worse, and the tomatoes that we've gotten have been terrific.