Florida Growers Thread - Page 5

annecros · October 18, 2007

It is great to see these new faces. I felt a little lonely as an upside down season Florida grower.

Yep, captnkirk, I try to set out a few plants once a month through March. My garden space is limited, so the seeds I start in January I usually seed heavy and share plants with other's in more Northern areas. Because I start them on the porch, my seedlings are already hardened off by the time they are ready to plant in Memphis.

flipt · October 18, 2007

hey captnkirk, glad to join in. Like Anne said, it's nice to have some others to task with during our growing season down here. Most folks are just now finishing up theirs.

My season down in South Dade County runs from Aug 15 when I sow my seeds until early to mid April. By then, the heat and the bugs have beaten me down. During the late spring and summer I grow mostly hot peppers and some melons. I've grown cukes many times (have some seeds that just sprouted) and usually do OK with the hybrids. I've tried a few heirloom types and they don't like me very much.

Yesterday, I had over 6" of rain in less than 2.5 hours. It was really storming. Hopefully, it didn't wash away the fertilizer I'd just recently applied. I'm getting flowers on a few of the plants and rest seem to be close behind. Can't wait to see from fruit start popping.

Flip

captnkirk · October 18, 2007

Marge have you thought of using bugscreen for the younger plants you are getting ready to put out?Might keep them safe from the flys till they get older or the flys leave.Im planning on making me a small screened in starter tray maybe 3ft by 3ft by 3ft to start my seeds in and harden them off in outside till they are 2 to 3ft tall.Im thinking of a homemade selfwatering eb for this that i can leave a drip line in while im out on the road.

flip im not sure if my cukes are hybrids are not.Do you have plenty of bees down there?I see very few bees here.

GatorStamp · October 25, 2007

As far as frost. I have mine in pots and planters close to the abode and I usually don't get much frost damage close to the house. We see frost in late Jan. Early Feb.lately. My Burpee beefsteaks are going nuts in this weather. They love it. In fact all of them do or the most part.

I have found some green caterpillars with green blood(yuk). Not to many. When I see some eaten foliage I go a huntin'.

Right now the beefsteaks are the most mature. Then the Super Sioux, Cherokee Purple, Celebrity, and Bonnie Original(very stout plant). Trailing far behind is my Greater Baltimore(that one will be babied).

In a few weeks I'll be picking the beefsteaks. I'll post some pics. They're more fun to look at than words. 8)

annecros · October 25, 2007

Hi Gatorstamp - Where in Central Florida are you? We are still just a little on the warm side - that first cool front hasn't made it down yet, but any time now!

I grew Bonnie Original a couple of season's ago, and found it to be quite nice. It is a sturdy little plant, and pumps them out. Looking forward to seeing the pics, and I will do the same - we'll torture the folks up north! Let me know how Super Sioux does for you - I have heard lots of good things.

captnkirk · October 27, 2007

anne im looking forward to seeing pics to.Cant wait for my first ripe one.I havent seen my plants since the 15th,so il update when i get home on 29th.i think i should have a few starting to blush real soon,bring on the pics you all.

captnkirk · October 28, 2007

Got to eat my 1st ripe tomatos of the year tonite.Heatwave,Sunmaster and Rutgers all have ripe fruit.Was a little surprised to have so many because when i left out on the 15th i didnt have nothing turning.I picked around 20 toms tonite some still a little green.A few are cracking with all the rain we have had while i was out on the road.

As this being my 1st year ever growing tomatos im pretty happy with the way things have went and going so far.As for scoring the tomatos on taste i didnt notice much difference in any of these so far,all about baseball size with Rutgers being a little better to my taste.All seem to have what i would call old fashion tomato flavor.I will post pics soon.

captnkirk · October 28, 2007

heres what i picked today

http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/c...s5oct13025.jpg

annecros · October 28, 2007

So nice. Yep, the rain is a mixed blessing, but better to have it than not.

Now, I am awaiting Noel's moves before my next precious plants are set out. Stalling them, they would really rather be in the yard. But I would rather keep them in case what I have in the ground goes away next week.

We will see. Anyway - it is good that we have had the rain this fall. I am pleased.

MargeH · October 29, 2007

I ate my first Earl's Faux today and have 2 more that are ripe. I also picked 2 Manasotas and 2 Florida Winters today. I have been eating Sungolds in my salads for about a week. My first Inbar is starting to blush. I am interested to see how it tastes. The Earl's Faux was really good ... a little sweeter than I expected it to be .... really flavorful.

_____

Marjorie

captnkirk · October 30, 2007

Had my 1st BLT with my own homegrown tomatos this morning ,it was so good i think il have some for supper tonite.

I trasplanted 4 new big dwarfs 3 sophies choice and 3 red robins today into pots to grow throughthe winter.From alot of what i have a read on this site about nbd it is supposed to have great flavor for a dwarf variety and sc should do well with the cooler weather from what i have read about it.

Marge have you got to eat that Inbar yet?Is it a op?If it is make sure to save me some seeds.{wink}

flipt · October 31, 2007

Well, my plants have been in the ground for about 3 weeks now and they're all waterlogged and kinda saggy - there's 15 tomatos here in the first pic along with a row of bush beans and some baby cuke vines.

Then there's a row of twelve tomatos - with one I planted today that replaces a tylcv victim.

There's one more garden with another 10 tomatos that were planted less than two weeks ago along with radishes and lettuce.

It's been very windy and rainy here with tropical weather over the past few days. The two pics here were taken with a light drizzle going on. It should be gone by tomorrow night. (I hope)

Flip

annecros · November 1, 2007

I lost one of my Marianna's Peace to tylcv, I think. It is just showing the first signs. Oh well, I have another in another part of the bed, so maybe I'll be OK. Gardener's Delight is still the only one with fruitset, but I have a ton of buds. Turnips and mustard are ready to be thinned. Looking forward to our first cool front this weekend, flipt? It should start drying out for us until June, now. Big weekend in the garden. Setting out six tomato seedlings, planting collards, prepping another bed for southern peas this weekend. I am really excited to be cutting the air off and getting FPL off my back a bit. I'll be sowing another six varieties or so in another week. Haven't decided which ones yet.

flipt · November 2, 2007

Hey Anne - I'm definitely looking forward to our first sub-70 degree temp since last March. It should do wonders for the plants. After all the rain we've had here and me without mulch - my foilage took a beating and it looks like splashback has caused me some leaf issues. I trimmed off the affected leaves (mostly near the bottom of the plants) and sprayed with Daconil. Hopefully, this will help out.

I have fruit set on a few of the cherry varieties I'm growing in pots this year - Galinas and Green Doctor. Also, starting to see flowers on many of the vines! Can't wait to eat a real tomato.
Flip

annecros · November 3, 2007

I need a real tomato bad! Excited about Striped German. Recommended by a friend in NY who is a Farmer's Market fiend. So far it is the most vigorous OP I have seen in some time. I can understand why the market growers like it if it produces as well as the seeds germinate and the vines grow - and we'll see if it tastes as good as my friend advertised. I've got a little foliage disease trying to set in as well.

The windows are all open - take that FPL. This is so nice - we really do live in paradise.

October 18, 2007	#61
annecros Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: West Park, FL Posts: 219	It is great to see these new faces. I felt a little lonely as an upside down season Florida grower. Yep, captnkirk, I try to set out a few plants once a month through March. My garden space is limited, so the seeds I start in January I usually seed heavy and share plants with other's in more Northern areas. Because I start them on the porch, my seedlings are already hardened off by the time they are ready to plant in Memphis.

October 18, 2007	#62
flipt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 59	hey captnkirk, glad to join in. Like Anne said, it's nice to have some others to task with during our growing season down here. Most folks are just now finishing up theirs. My season down in South Dade County runs from Aug 15 when I sow my seeds until early to mid April. By then, the heat and the bugs have beaten me down. During the late spring and summer I grow mostly hot peppers and some melons. I've grown cukes many times (have some seeds that just sprouted) and usually do OK with the hybrids. I've tried a few heirloom types and they don't like me very much. Yesterday, I had over 6" of rain in less than 2.5 hours. It was really storming. Hopefully, it didn't wash away the fertilizer I'd just recently applied. I'm getting flowers on a few of the plants and rest seem to be close behind. Can't wait to see from fruit start popping. Flip

October 18, 2007	#63
captnkirk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 126	Marge have you thought of using bugscreen for the younger plants you are getting ready to put out?Might keep them safe from the flys till they get older or the flys leave.Im planning on making me a small screened in starter tray maybe 3ft by 3ft by 3ft to start my seeds in and harden them off in outside till they are 2 to 3ft tall.Im thinking of a homemade selfwatering eb for this that i can leave a drip line in while im out on the road. flip im not sure if my cukes are hybrids are not.Do you have plenty of bees down there?I see very few bees here.

October 25, 2007	#64
GatorStamp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Central Florida Posts: 5	As far as frost. I have mine in pots and planters close to the abode and I usually don't get much frost damage close to the house. We see frost in late Jan. Early Feb.lately. My Burpee beefsteaks are going nuts in this weather. They love it. In fact all of them do or the most part. I have found some green caterpillars with green blood(yuk). Not to many. When I see some eaten foliage I go a huntin'. Right now the beefsteaks are the most mature. Then the Super Sioux, Cherokee Purple, Celebrity, and Bonnie Original(very stout plant). Trailing far behind is my Greater Baltimore(that one will be babied). In a few weeks I'll be picking the beefsteaks. I'll post some pics. They're more fun to look at than words. 8)

October 27, 2007	#66
captnkirk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 126	anne im looking forward to seeing pics to.Cant wait for my first ripe one.I havent seen my plants since the 15th,so il update when i get home on 29th.i think i should have a few starting to blush real soon,bring on the pics you all.

October 28, 2007	#67
captnkirk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 126	Got to eat my 1st ripe tomatos of the year tonite.Heatwave,Sunmaster and Rutgers all have ripe fruit.Was a little surprised to have so many because when i left out on the 15th i didnt have nothing turning.I picked around 20 toms tonite some still a little green.A few are cracking with all the rain we have had while i was out on the road. As this being my 1st year ever growing tomatos im pretty happy with the way things have went and going so far.As for scoring the tomatos on taste i didnt notice much difference in any of these so far,all about baseball size with Rutgers being a little better to my taste.All seem to have what i would call old fashion tomato flavor.I will post pics soon.

October 29, 2007	#70
MargeH Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sarasota, FL Posts: 224	I ate my first Earl's Faux today and have 2 more that are ripe. I also picked 2 Manasotas and 2 Florida Winters today. I have been eating Sungolds in my salads for about a week. My first Inbar is starting to blush. I am interested to see how it tastes. The Earl's Faux was really good ... a little sweeter than I expected it to be .... really flavorful. _____ Marjorie

October 30, 2007	#71
captnkirk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: florida Posts: 126	Had my 1st BLT with my own homegrown tomatos this morning ,it was so good i think il have some for supper tonite. I trasplanted 4 new big dwarfs 3 sophies choice and 3 red robins today into pots to grow throughthe winter.From alot of what i have a read on this site about nbd it is supposed to have great flavor for a dwarf variety and sc should do well with the cooler weather from what i have read about it. Marge have you got to eat that Inbar yet?Is it a op?If it is make sure to save me some seeds.{wink}

November 1, 2007	#73
annecros Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: West Park, FL Posts: 219	I lost one of my Marianna's Peace to tylcv, I think. It is just showing the first signs. Oh well, I have another in another part of the bed, so maybe I'll be OK. Gardener's Delight is still the only one with fruitset, but I have a ton of buds. Turnips and mustard are ready to be thinned. Looking forward to our first cool front this weekend, flipt? It should start drying out for us until June, now. Big weekend in the garden. Setting out six tomato seedlings, planting collards, prepping another bed for southern peas this weekend. I am really excited to be cutting the air off and getting FPL off my back a bit. I'll be sowing another six varieties or so in another week. Haven't decided which ones yet.

November 2, 2007	#74
flipt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 59	Hey Anne - I'm definitely looking forward to our first sub-70 degree temp since last March. It should do wonders for the plants. After all the rain we've had here and me without mulch - my foilage took a beating and it looks like splashback has caused me some leaf issues. I trimmed off the affected leaves (mostly near the bottom of the plants) and sprayed with Daconil. Hopefully, this will help out. I have fruit set on a few of the cherry varieties I'm growing in pots this year - Galinas and Green Doctor. Also, starting to see flowers on many of the vines! Can't wait to eat a real tomato. Flip

November 3, 2007	#75
annecros Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: West Park, FL Posts: 219	I need a real tomato bad! Excited about Striped German. Recommended by a friend in NY who is a Farmer's Market fiend. So far it is the most vigorous OP I have seen in some time. I can understand why the market growers like it if it produces as well as the seeds germinate and the vines grow - and we'll see if it tastes as good as my friend advertised. I've got a little foliage disease trying to set in as well. The windows are all open - take that FPL. This is so nice - we really do live in paradise.