Summer Harvest - here they come

[dokutaaguriin]

Momotarou was bred to have an extended shelf life so don't be afraid to let it sit on the counter before you try one. You may have to wait a bit before it softens up slightly but I have found that it is certainly worth the wait.
I think if you were to try Azoychka and Momotarou side by side you certainly would experience opposite ends of the sweet tart spectrum.

I took a few suckers off my Momotarou plants late summer and grew three plants from them in pots. I expect to harvest about 10 fruit off them in total. I have about four that I plan on harvesting this week. So little sun this far north.......

Jeff

[Mantis]

Heres todays lot


From top left clockwise, Aunt Ginny, Gregoris Altai, Grubs Mystery Green, Kellogs Breakfast, Bush Whoppers and a few Kimberlys and Juanne Flammees

[greggf]

I am loving these reports. I am loving these pictures. Thank you deeply. There is about a foot of snow on the ground, the guy who plows our driveway has been here twice in 24 hours, and it is time to hear about Azoychkas and such - - - and to pick out next year's seeds based partly upon what you good folks have to say.

=gregg=

[Grub]

That Aunty Ginny seems to be pretty pruductive. Great to see a GMG as well. Especially considering I thought it mid-to-late season, setting good fruit early, but taking a while for them to ripen. So your early sowing has paid off after all?

I checked my lot and it's a very very different year. Some like Gregori's Altai haven't set a fruit, others like German red Strawberry, Wes, Cherokee Purple, Momotaro, Neves and Stump are so loaded.

[Mantis]

Good news for most of them eh. You might like Momotaro and my F2 growout is looking every bit the same as mom so far. So hopefully saved seed will come true. Cant trust those Japs eh.
Yeah, ya just cant pick em. Kellogs breakfast a dud for size , Brandywine, Prudens Purple, Cherokee purple the same. Aunt Ginny is the absolute standout of this bunch that have been sown in the same situation.
Others like Arkansas Travellor and Momotaro are giving me much larger fruit than last year.
Last year I got lots of fruit over a pound but this year Berkely Tie Dye looks like the only candidate for a pounder.
I really am thinking that a manure tea I made a few months back has tied up the nutrients in the greenhouse border soil, bugger.

[Grub]

Maybe they will grow out of it?

This year's dud patch was a surprise, being the one near the gum tree, which sucked nutrients and moisture out of the soil like a leech last year.

But, alas, after growing silverbeet in there then renovating the bed with homegrown compost with aged chook manure it held way more moisture than I ever imagined.

Plants drowned and were frozen for a while and are only growing back now, incluing Indian Stripe, JF, some rainbow one and this and that.

Your Tommy Toe x Nepal is pumping out basically Nepal-sized fruits. Not a bad fruitsetter and very tough.

Got a blush on a truss of Sungold. Hundreds of Kimberly waiting to ripen. Sophie's loaded. Russian Red aplenty. All green green green.

[Mantis]

They will come in quick enough dont worry. Mine are starting to ripen everywhere.
Nepal size fruit off my NxTT yikes. The fruit I got were large cherry size but guzillions of them. The fruit got bigger later in the season and the one I grew out was in a dodgey spot. Get a photo man, I'm a daddy :-)

[Grub]

How big were your Nepal then? Mine were medium round ones a bit bigger than an apricot. The NxTT seem to be heading in the same direction, through it's early days and there is some variability in each truss. Will get a pick up ASAP.

[Mantis]

Yeah thats about the size I got with Nepal. Interesting. Are your fruit round or slightly flattened with 4 ribs on the top. Mine were the latter last year, and pretty much identical to Russian Reds when sitting on the bench.

[Grub]

I think they are flattened with four ribs, but will have to don the jungle greens and dive in for a closer look this arvo.

Between NxTT F1 and Pasture alongside, both in pots, I have a 5ft wall of green shading the chook run. And these are early days.

Mexico Midget has set a bundle of pea-sized fruits alongside. But it's no midget plant. Thanks heavens Sungold and Reisentraube are at the other end of the garden.

[Mantis]

Sounds like the chooks will do ok eh. Pink Ping Pong is my monster here which is in a SWTub with Lime Green Salad.
I have a Reisentraube in a hanging pot outside the kitchen window which is doing really well. I am trying to prune it so that it grows downwards but it doesn't want to as yet. The weight of fruit might change its mind eh.

[Grub]

Pink Pong is beside the above, but it's one of the slow ones that got drowned. But it has some fruit and is coming back.

I like your basket idea. Let me know if it works, as I have just the spot.

Hey, I'm beating this changeable weather, ie, low-20C tops some days and high-30C tops other days, by keeping the Bloom Booster up to them. So many flowers and always some flowers ready to set fruit on the right days

Hey, Mark Korney sent me Oleyars German a couple of years back. It's got so much promise. I can't wait to follow the progress. Heaps of flowers, good fruitset, and supposed to get really big ones that are tasty as can be.

Rare family one from his neighbourhood. Seeds hard to find. Everyone will want some. it will be like the running of the bulls. A scramble.

[cdntomato]

Mantis, would really love a report on Bush Whopper when you have a chance. I happen to think that it's a really good all-rounder (as in red and rounder). Not fussy about water either--a perk! Nice to see it growing at home again.

Am sending seeds for some Aussie dwarf varieties to PP for Christmas....Shhhhhhh.

Best to all,
Jennifer

[Mantis]

Hi Jennifer. I will taste test the Bush Whopper tonight along with Opalka. My plant is a bush and only about two foot high and 3 wide. A determinate and has stopped flowering but has a lot of fruit set.
Grub, I might have to hit mine with more Bloom Booster as they have stopped flowering.

[Grub]

Yeh, as long as they are healthy otherwise give them a boost. Otherwise, a drink of Miraclegrow then Booster a fortnight later. But need I tell you how to grow 'em. Lol.

Checked NxTT and there are little ribbed ones like beefsteaks and round balls on the one truss. The beefs look like they could get to Nepal size.