Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Zone9b]

The World Health Organization has very recently published a report which from what I can read says that weed killer Roundup (Glyphosate) and insecticides Diazinon and Malithion are unlikely to be carcinogenic through anticipated dietary exposure.
"In view of the absence of carcinogenic potential in rodents at human-relevant doses and the absence of genotoxicity by the oral route in mammals, and considering the epidemiological evidence from occupational exposures, the meeting concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet," the committee said.
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/jmprsummary2016.pdf?ua=1
It appears to me that some of us who have handled or used these products in the past can breath a little sigh of relief.
Larry

[ginger2778]

Larry, that is very great news. Thank you.

[JaxRmrJmr]

I just harvested my first tomato that is over 1 pound. Brandywine Pink. 17.6 oz. Woo-Hoo!

[Zone9b]

[QUOTE=JaxRmrJmr;561505]I just harvested my first tomato that is over 1 pound. Brandywine Pink. 17.6 oz. Woo-Hoo![/QUOTE
Congratulations, that's one big tomato. The biggest tomato for me this season was a First Price at 10.97 oz. A number of Jetsetter and First Price have been over 9 oz. I have harvested 3 Brandywine Cherry Darks over 7 oz. I was surprised that any variety with the word cherry in its name could produce tomatoes that large. I think I will be glad when they finally quit pumping out the tomatoes. I'd like to do something other than freeze tomatoes almost every day.
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by JaxRmrJmr

I just harvested my first tomato that is over 1 pound. Brandywine Pink. 17.6 oz. Woo-Hoo!

Congratulations! I had a few over a pound this year also; Doesn't it feel like such an accomplishment.

Larry - Congratulations of 7 oz Cherry Tomatoes!
All my broccoli is pulled up now. How do you freeze it without the tops/buds falling off?

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Tomato Update - So many of mine are so split because of all the rain in the last couple of days.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Congratulations! I had a few over a pound this year also; Doesn't it feel like such an accomplishment.
Larry - Congratulations of 7 oz Cherry Tomatoes!
All my broccoli is pulled up now. How do you freeze it without the tops/buds falling off?
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Tomato Update - So many of mine are so split because of all the rain in the last couple of days.

Barb,

I don’t think I have any special talents in blanching broccoli but I have a couple of ideas which may help result in less loose buds in the freezer bag. To start with I try to overcome the temptation to leave the broccoli in the field longer in order to get the largest heads possible. As most of you already know if broccoli is left in the field just a day or two too long you can see deterioration in head or it can start to flower. Therefore, it’s best to pick a bit early when the buds are still nice and tight as opposed to later when they are looser or worse yet deteriorating.
When I cut broccoli I include a lot of stalk because I like eating the stalk and stems. However, when I blanch the florets I don’t leave any more stem than needed attached to the floret. The stems take more time to blanch than the florets, so if I blanch them, I blanch them separate from the florets.
Another thing which appears to me to loosen up the broccoli that I blanch is when I cook it too long before cooling it off. I try not to cook it to a point where I could easily push the edge of a spoon through the broccoli. I try for less than fully cooked.
Possibly something else is when the broccoli is ready to to be cooled down, it is good to douse it as quickly as possible in order for it not to continue cooking.
I try to get excess air out of the freezer bag primarily because the air seems to allow room for ice to form in the bag. Before next season and my next crop of broccoli is blanched I hope to invest in one of the vacuum freezer storage systems. I want it to suck the excess air out of the bag and not me trying to do it.
The last time I blanched broccoli I blanched using a steamer rather than just a big pot of water. It seemed I had better control with the steamer and I didn’t have to dump all my hot water down the sink with each pot full. Next season my intention is to blanch broccoli entirely using a steamer rather than just a big pot of boiling water.
Hope this helps and if you and others have ideas please post them. I’m sure we all would love to hear them.
Larry

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by brocnizer

Sooooooooo, I was up and running with plants in the ground end of Feb here is St Aug. I'm starting to get fruit but 1/3rd of my plants have early blight. I sprayed with daconil and due to white flies did malithion. Well blight is growing, and white flies in low numbers but there. With the 10 plants I have I Do predict 100 pounds of crop. Some big guys turning red! But all new flowers seem to be dried looking after a few days and not setting. Just a report here, enjoy!

brocnizer,
I'm curious as to what varieties you are getting the greatest productivity from. This spring/summer I had good productivity from the following 3 F1 indeterminate varieties that grow rather large roundish red tomatoes. ( Jetsetter, First Prize Champion II ) Champion II toms are smaller than the other 2 but the plants are producing more tomatoes than Jetsetter or First Prize. I was hopping that either Jetsetter or First Prize would be superior to the other but they both are putting out about the same amount, which is a lot, of large red tomatoes. I guess I will growth them both in the fall and maybe I will determine which is most disease resistant or most productive. I was at a Farmer's Market yesterday and one of the locals had a sizeable amount of Homestead variety tomatoes with descent size. I may have to try it. If you have a standout variety I would like to know what it is and I may give it a try also. Thanks
Larry

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Windi- one thing that helps with nematodes is solarizing your beds, should be done with clear not black plastic, as the temp under the clear gets about 15 degrees hotter and you are trying to cook the soil to sterilize it. It should be done for the month of August when it is hottest. I am forever in Barb's debt for doing the experiment with black vs clear plastic, thank you Barb for teaching us that. but that is for next year, too late now that they are planted.
Solarizing will give you several months nematode free because it kills everything. You might need to inoculate your plants with a mycorrhizae dip at plant out, as I also do with my Earthboxes( SWCs).
Ginny is another member here, you can call me Marsha. My username of Ginger was my little dog who passed at age 15.
Kay, in S. FL. the nematodes are so bad that right away the first season they are a problem.

Marsha,
You perked my interest in mycorrhizal fungi. I'm curious to what product you are using and where you buy it. If you know of other mycorrhizal fungi products that would be helpful as well. I'm guessing that compost and probably central FL sandy soil is fairly devoid of this fungi. What do you think? mycorrhizal fungi sounds like a subject of interest to lots of gardeners. Others using these products, please share your experiences. Thanks
Larry

[efisakov]

Larry, I believe Texas Tomato Food has mycorrhiza in it already.
What ever mycorrhiza fungi you purchase, just remember to mix it with untreated water.

[Barb_FL]

Larry - Have you tried growing Big Beef? Seems to grow great in all climates. Very disease resistant.

See HUDSON_WY thread about it. I posted recently re: a BB cutting from last summer that put out 20 tomatoes in January; was ready to yank, but had new growth. The plant (picture) is on that thread. Flowering again, with hopefully new tomatoes.

My best BB plant (in a root pouch), put out 18 -(12 oz) tomatoes, and has set fruit again, need to count but probably 12-15 tomatoes. Race against temperature now if any more will set fruit.

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When I transplant I use MYKOS on the roots, but know that any benefit is short lived with our temperatures and using city water.

[Windi17]

Speaking of tomato sizes, I noticed my cherry tomatoes are starting to get their first blush of color smaller than they used to. I'm wondering if this is due to higher temperatures or a nutrient/water deficiency. I'm watering every 2-3 days and fertilizing every 2 weeks with Dr. Earth 711 Organic 5 Tomato Vegetable Herb Fertilizer (5-7-3), which I had sitting in the garage for two years.

What could I do to help the tomatoes get bigger before they ripen?

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - Have you tried growing Big Beef? Seems to grow great in all climates. Very disease resistant.
See HUDSON_WY thread about it. I posted recently re: a BB cutting from last summer that put out 20 tomatoes in January; was ready to yank, but had new growth. The plant (picture) is on that thread. Flowering again, with hopefully new tomatoes.
My best BB plant (in a root pouch), put out 18 -(12 oz) tomatoes, and has set fruit again, need to count but probably 12-15 tomatoes. Race against temperature now if any more will set fruit.
-------------------
When I transplant I use MYKOS on the roots, but know that any benefit is short lived with our temperatures and using city water.

Barb,
Big Beef is on my grow again sometime mental list. Maybe next spring. I grew it and Parks Whopper side by side in the Fall of 2014. I had very similar results with each. Both yielded quite a few large, good tasting tomatoes., Towards the end of the season the main stems on both varieties dried up. Didn't affect production much but I didn't every really know what caused the stem problem. I should have paid attention when I pulled the plants. Possibly I had over watered and the roots rotted. I thought at the time it was Early Blight which had attacked both varieties. Now I'm not so sure. It seems to me it is a good idea to pull plants after production is over and give the roots a good examination. For example, when Brandywine Cherry Dark is finished I am anxious to look at the roots to see if there is any evidence of nematodes. I plan to grow BCD again in the fall in a Raised Bed. To me is seems nematodes and many other pathogens are much more active in the fall than the spring. If I grow BCD in the fall and there is no evidence of nematode root nodules I will have to come to the conclusion that BCD is nematode resistant.
Thanks
Larry

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Larry, I believe Texas Tomato Food has mycorrhiza in it already.
What ever mycorrhiza fungi you purchase, just remember to mix it with untreated water.

Thanks for the info. Here in Orlando the water is treated primarily with Ozone and said to have little chlorine in it. However, ozone would probably kill the fungi just as chlorine. I am wondering if one filled a few 5 gall on buckets with water, put a lids on them so mosquitoes couldn't access them, then left them for a week or so, would the chemicals largely have evaporated?
Larry

[ginger2778]

Larry, this is what I am currently using, info about the company is on the label. It was very inexpensive. A little goes a long way.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Windi17

Speaking of tomato sizes, I noticed my cherry tomatoes are starting to get their first blush of color smaller than they used to. I'm wondering if this is due to higher temperatures or a nutrient/water deficiency. I'm watering every 2-3 days and fertilizing every 2 weeks with Dr. Earth 711 Organic 5 Tomato Vegetable Herb Fertilizer (5-7-3), which I had sitting in the garage for two years.

What could I do to help the tomatoes get bigger before they ripen?

My guess, start them earlier. The heat now is making life rough for most varieties. In my garden tomatoes are winding down. All but one container of 4th of July are done. I believe in 3 weeks the plants in the raised beds will have produced about all they are going to for this season. Some of the indeterminates plants will continue to grow and grow but yield little. I will pull them before they have a change to get monstrous. By pulling them quickly I will have less plant to deal with and it will give me a chance to look at the roots as they were when the plant was producing.
Good Luck
Larry

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Larry, this is what I am currently using, info about the company is on the label. It was very inexpensive. A little goes a long way.

Marsha,
Thanks much for the info on mycorrhizal fungi.
Larry