where is everyone?

[PaulF]

I do enjoy seeing that some of the old posters are still around. For several years of trying to cut back it just doesn't seem to work that way. Still gardening, still way too much but still enjoying every minute I can be out in it.

[Yak54]

I always look for your posts !

[KarenO]

Still here
KarenO

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

I'm lurking. I had about 700 plants in the ground last year between tomatoes and peppers. One tomato was interesting. St. LLorenz de Colgar is a tomato with thick outer walls and the alc gene for long storage. It is a red tomato with 2 seed locules about 2 inches diameter or a tad larger. Production was good and flavor was well above average. Combining storage with thick outer walls and good flavor is rare. I want very much to make some crosses with it this year.

I hope that you can have a report on your crosses next year.

A long storage tomato with flavor?

[MrsJustice]

I miss everyone as I work on my farm and Legal Work.

Please Pray for Me.

[rxkeith]

still here, still posting, but not as much.
still working on my anna russian cross tomato project.
lempi chocolate is now at f7. we'll see how she goes this
summer. more rabbit holes to go down with each passing year.
also working on my uncle steve/grandma gina cross pole bean.
lots of very good tasting beans coming out of it. each year furthers
things along. still have about a pound of bean seeds from 2021.
then there is the squash project. genetic roulette is what i am doing.
the original players are gills sugar hubbard, emerald gem, sweet fall.
tetsukabuto, a hybrid entered the game last year. i am growing out seeds
from a squash last year that i call the monstah. it was over 33 lbs, light orange
in color with excellent taste. the hubbard hybrid, i have is a green and orange
skinned squash with golden orange flesh. flavor is sweet, slightly dry. very good
tasting. its coming back. tetsukabuto saved seeds are growing. no idea what the
results will be, but thats what makes gardening fun. now, i just need the weather
to cooperate a bit so i can get everything planted. a lot of hurry up and wait at the
moment here.




keith

[PaulF]

Keith: what a wide range of projects! My interests are very much narrower and I feel a bit overwhelmed. Good to hear from you and have fun this year.

[rxkeith]

the tomato, and bean crosses were unplanned. i just decided to run with them,
and see what happens. the squash, i decided to plant saved seeds on purpose
again to see what happens. its something to do. i am feeling overwhelmed this
year. a lot more work is falling on me with our son in college. my wife
was gone a lot too when the lad had some troubles he couldn't handle on his own.
he is better now. garden needs to be weeded, plants and seeds need to get planted.
work interferes, weather won't cooperate, everything is taking longer, i'm getting
older, time marches on.






keith

[PaulF]

What used to take four hours now extends into two days. You are preaching to the choir. Oops, gotta go…got a baseball game to umpire as if there was nothing else to do.

[MrsJustice]

I wish for more Hours during the Day; to get all my work done.
I miss everyone, and pray that they all come back. It is good to see some of our Old Bubbies Dance in their Tomato Fields like me, Amen!! I stopped Ballet Classes 8 months ago to focus on all this work. But I hope everyone comes back, Amen!

[tyrupp]

Good to see some of the old crowd is still around !!!!

[DK2021]

Originally Posted by KarenO

Still here
KarenO

Work's been keeping me busy and I haven't checked in here for weeks. I've got a total of 20 varieties in the ground this year including three plants each of Cowboy and Taiga loaded with (still green) fruit, plus a couple plants of Midnight Sun and Karma Miracle. Can't wait for fruit to ripen. I'll report back on Cowboy.

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

DK2021, How's your year been so far in Coastal CT? Mine in Western CT has been dreadful but improving. Weeks of heat, no breezes and the highest dewpoints I've seen in our 25 years here really wreaked havoc on my best starts to date. Finally seeing some improvement, but I had to remove lots of bottom leaves, now have tall gangly plants that are thriving up high.

Having a wonderful crop of squash, herbs, eggplants and peppers. About to pull and process my celery.

I read all winter, then forget my plans once spring arrives. I had planned on testing out compost tea sprays and adding aspirin to the tomatoes when watering in the first month or two after plant out. I have loads of green fruit on some plants, my Sunsugar appeared to be toast but a spray of compost tea seems to be keeping it hanging on - sad looking thing for sure though! Wonder if better late than never will apply, did seem to help once I remembered it.

I messed up, planted too many. 16 is my comfort zone; sometimes I can push 18 but it causes issues. The guy who usually takes my extras this year moved and decided not to garden in his new house. For the first time I planted 20 and it's far too much, not enough airflow and particularly troubling with all the humidity we've had. Lesson learned!

[MrsJustice]

Hello Everybody

"CrazyaboutOrchids" I think DK2021 is doing good with his Cowboys; if they are anything like my Texas Wild.
My Texas Wild Cherry Tomatoes takes off with the Rainy Spells, keeping me busy, Amen!
I wonder about the Growing habits of the Cowboy Tomatoes.
I must have them next year Amen!!!!!!!!

Keep Safe in the Heat everyone, Amen Amen!!!!!!!!

Farmer, Joyce Beggs of Angel Field Heirloom Tomatoes

[DK2021]

Originally Posted by CrazyAboutOrchids

DK2021, How's your year been so far in Coastal CT? Mine in Western CT has been dreadful but improving. Weeks of heat, no breezes and the highest dewpoints I've seen in our 25 years here really wreaked havoc on my best starts to date. Finally seeing some improvement, but I had to remove lots of bottom leaves, now have tall gangly plants that are thriving up high.

Having a wonderful crop of squash, herbs, eggplants and peppers. About to pull and process my celery.

I read all winter, then forget my plans once spring arrives. I had planned on testing out compost tea sprays and adding aspirin to the tomatoes when watering in the first month or two after plant out. I have loads of green fruit on some plants, my Sunsugar appeared to be toast but a spray of compost tea seems to be keeping it hanging on - sad looking thing for sure though! Wonder if better late than never will apply, did seem to help once I remembered it.

I messed up, planted too many. 16 is my comfort zone; sometimes I can push 18 but it causes issues. The guy who usually takes my extras this year moved and decided not to garden in his new house. For the first time I planted 20 and it's far too much, not enough airflow and particularly troubling with all the humidity we've had. Lesson learned!

It has been hot but I am a block from the water so not as hot as more inland areas, and we almost always get an ocean breeze which helps. The humidity is awful, though (and as a transplanted Californian I will never get used to the humidity).
I'm in a wonderful CSA so have learned to focus on crops that I particularly enjoy--tomatoes, beans, greens. I have a bumper crop of beans and have been giving some away. Harvested some volunteer garlic today (and plan to plant another crop this fall) and I now have enough garlic for the rest of the summer at least.

I generally prune several times as the tomatoes grow and I think that helps keep the plants healthy. We've had a few days of drier weather which helped, but tonight it is raining again and it looks like another wet week ahead.