Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

That is so wonderful for both of you. It was great that you had someone to help you out, I know she enjoyed being able to help a fellow Florida gardener and you got to actually meet each other.

Kay,

It was great to meet in person. My husband went with me and we could have stayed and talked to Barb for hours sharing info and swapping stories. I'm lucky she was growing our favorites plus some really interesting varieties we haven't tried and that she had enough to share.

Ginny

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[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Kay,

It was great to meet in person. My husband went with me and we could have stayed and talked to Barb for hours sharing info and swapping stories. I'm lucky she was growing our favorites plus some really interesting varieties we haven't tried and that she had enough to share.

Ginny

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Well, my big swap is Saturday, but you guys had your own little one. That is the real fun, being able to swap stories. How cool!

[ginger2778]

Barb- now I am on to the 7 gallon pots. They have to be scrubbed, then the bottom is lined with 2 layers of paper toweling to allow drainage but cut down on the baddies trying to get in. The soil mix is different: 60/40 ratio of promix to cow manure from HD in the yellow bag. Mix in Dolomite and Tomato Tone, then sprinkle the top with a scant handful of Tomato Maker( fish smell), then wet, and plant. I bought landscape fabric to put out and put the pots on. It is going slowly, one wheelbarrow full gets 3 pots done. I have about 12 more to do. I still have the lettuce and basil EB to plant out too.
No gym this week, too much to do, aaannnddd... I gotta get fasting bloodwork tomorrow. I am excited to find out if my HgA1C level is lower, it was just a bit high. I gave up all sugars and starches, even brown rice. All to get my bloodwork better, but the side effect is that I have lost 16 lbs, and dont get sleepy after meals anymore.
I discovered apple chips at Costco. Ingredients, Fuji apples.

[Barb_FL]

Marsha, On the 7 gallon pots, you might want to use coffee liners (double up) instead of paper towels. I've done coffee liners before on the plastic grow bags so the mix doesn't fall out. Same concept; really easy.

I've been using 1C of Tomato Tone in my Root Pouches. Is that the amount you use?

Best of luck on your blood work tomorrow.


It was wonderful meeting Ginny and her husband. She is as nice and friendly in person as she is on the forum. I was so happy to help such an accomplished tomato grower.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Marsha, On the 7 gallon pots, you might want to use coffee liners (double up) instead of paper towels. I've done coffee liners before on the plastic grow bags so the mix doesn't fall out. Same concept; really easy.

I've been using 1C of Tomato Tone in my Root Pouches. Is that the amount you use?

Best of luck on your blood work tomorrow.


It was wonderful meeting Ginny and her husband. She is as nice and friendly in person as she is on the forum. I was so happy to help such an accomplished tomato grower.

Barb- probably closer to 2 cups TT, but I am eyeballing rather than measuring. I measure in the EBs.

I thought Ginny would be wonderful to meet, and very sweet and generous of you to take care of her too.
The Floridians in this thread are a really nice group.

[ginger2778]

OK Barb, here are the photos. I got them all finished today. You might notice my yellow sticky traps, the safe ones, and that there is a small tomato cage around each tomato plant, then the larger EB outer cage was placed. Dh needs to go now and close all the outer cages to secure them. I also got pictures of the seedlings, all to be given away at Saturday's event, and finally the sevem gallon pots. Well... Not quite done because I will need to pot up our KARMA F1s next week, and tomorrow Douglas is bringing me a Prue seedling, and getting a beautiful 1884 purple from me. ( hope this one lives)

This photo is of the west side group.

[ginger2778]

This is the east side group.

[ginger2778]

This is some of the 7 gallon pots.

[ginger2778]

Different east group photo with 7 gallon pots.

The 7 gallon pots will be moved to the west side for afternoon sun, after I put down landscape fabric.

[Zone9b]

Marsha
I enjoyed looking at the photos of your plants. Quite impressive.
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Marsha - Fantastic!!! You really outdid yourself. Your seedlings from last weekend grew a ton too.

I couldn't really see the small inner cage. But the sticky trap location is a big help to me; I was trying to get the trap closer to the plant; but sometimes the plant leaves stick on it.

I'm doing 1 trap per EB; I think I have 1 where I put Vaseline (a lot) on the one side, it caught some small bugs, but kind of melted in the sun.

For individual plants in root pouches, I will do just 1 side to save $. I only have cages around 2 root pouches so far.

Overall, they caught some nasty looking bugs.

--
BTW - what is a Prue seedling?

----
Larry - Kudos to you for growing broccoli so early in the year. As of yesterday, I have all the Premium Crop planted. It doesn't take much direct sun before they wilt; It is still really hot in my backyard; actually much better by the broccoli than the pool deck. But I need to shade them in the afternoon. I still need to transplant the packman and green magic; but afraid I will run out of shade cloth which I still need for the tomatoes on the pool deck. And I have a lot of shade cloth too.

[ginger2778]

Larry and Barb, thank you for your kind words.
Barb, Prue is a tomato variety.

[kayrobbins]

That is quiet a tomato jungle Marsha. They all look so healthy. I had meant to ask you where on the cage you put your yellow sticky traps so the pictures answered my question.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

That is quiet a tomato jungle Marsha. They all look so healthy. I had meant to ask you where on the cage you put your yellow sticky traps so the pictures answered my question.

Kay, I keep the traps just above plant level, so they are raised as the plants grow, until they reach the top of the cage.

This is the best my seedlings have ever looked, and I attribute it to very proactive preventive spraying with the weak copper/BT. I really did do it every day after the heavy rains we got in September, and even October. They are still small enough that it was a quick job. Not one speck on a leaf, a few tiny wormholes, no more after the BT additions.

[Zone9b]

Barb
Even after Broccoli plants are fairly large they wilt fast in the hot afternoon sun but they tend to pop back later in the afternoon. I water every day until the plants are probably 12 inches high then I switch to every other day. I like to give them a big watering early Saturday morning. I'm trying to post a couple of pictures. Hope they show up. I uploaded them but I don't see them here.
Larry