Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[maxjohnson]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Max, you can get about 50 seeds of SunGold ( they say 30 but its much more) from Tomato Growers Supply for around $3.50. Typically you get 100 % germination on them, and you only need just a few plants, really I find it to be just pennies. Why pricey?

I guess that's the first time I heard of that website. I did get full germination with the ones I ordered, although people were moving and knocking down my seed trays, flipped one upside and didn't even bothered picking up the mess, so a few were destroyed.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

I guess that's the first time I heard of that website. I did get full germination with the ones I ordered, although people were moving and knocking down my seed trays, flipped one upside and didn't even bothered picking up the mess, so a few were destroyed.

Sorry to hear that. If you have seeds left, keep them in a cool dry place and they will last for years.
Warning about TGS- don't go there if your cash is low, their selection is outstanding, and hard to resist.

[MissS]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Max, you can get about 50 seeds of SunGold ( they say 30 but its much more) from Tomato Growers Supply for around $3.50. Typically you get 100 % germination on them, and you only need just a few plants, really I find it to be just pennies. Why pricey?

They are also available here at Tville if you participate in the 2016 MMMM. You just request them and send in $1 with your wish list and you will get your seeds.

[JaxRmrJmr]

My Pink Brandywine started off slow (I posted about the the low setting rates), but I have had more tomatoes from those two plants than I could eat. It is still setting fruit even though we have been in the 90's for a couple weeks. They are getting smaller when they ripen, but I have been very impressed. It is PL and I have had next to no problems with it compared to the RL's I planted.

I want to pull it and make way for the fall plants, but it is just chugging along too well for me do. If I lower it a few more times the stalk will be on the ground.

Should I just start rooting a few suckers and replant it in the parent's place?

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by JaxRmrJmr

My Pink Brandywine started off slow (I posted about the the low setting rates), but I have had more tomatoes from those two plants than I could eat. It is still setting fruit even though we have been in the 90's for a couple weeks. They are getting smaller when they ripen, but I have been very impressed. It is PL and I have had next to no problems with it compared to the RL's I planted.

I want to pull it and make way for the fall plants, but it is just chugging along too well for me do. If I lower it a few more times the stalk will be on the ground.

Should I just start rooting a few suckers and replant it in the parent's place?

You have nothing to lose with cloning it. Unbelievable that you are still having fruit set. Our nights have been up to 80 which is hotter than August/September.

I'm in process of pulling all my tomato plants. Peppers are still producing really well.

[alexita]

My friend in Jax grew beefsteaks all summer with no issues, too. I think the slightly cooler night temps are all it takes.

Here, I'm also in the middle of pulling up maters. I've only let them go on this far since I started so late, and they exceeded my expectations, but it's sad to see everything winding down. One of my plants got tomato spotted wilt virus, which I'd never dealt with before, but my only significant issues were tomato yellow leaf curl virus and russet mites.

Most of my tomatoes are planted along a southern-facing wall, so they're not even getting direct sun anymore. Whomp whomp. And those are all infected with TYLCV. I'm still waiting for a lot of fruit to ripen, and Heidi and Riesentraube are hardly showing signs of infection. Yellow pear look the most affected by TYLCV, but unlike the others they're still happily setting fruit.

Time for me to start focusing on that soil, anyway!

[alexita]

Originally Posted by pkplatypus

Unrelated question... What is this? Reddish brown centipede thing. Miami soil. Good or bad?

I'm by North Miami too and my soil is also full of those red millipedes (I think they are rusty millipedes). I toss the ones I find into the lawn, but I doubt it makes a difference. Next time I'll toss them into my compost bin.

[Barb_FL]

Here's a couple of pics from my test cucumber plants to see if they will produce fruit over the summer. Daytime temp highs are typically 83-87, a few 90 days.
Night time low temps have been 74-80. Everynight these plants are covered in tulle (moth/worms)

If I had to do it again, I would use Sweet Success cucumber seeds because they self-pollinate.

Cukes are really healthy plants; 2 seeds in the EB, 1 seed in the RP., able to withstand full sun, lots of flowers hidden behind those leaves. Mostly male flowers but some females. The other day I decided I to take things in my own hands and try pollinating them. I had also brought out the vegibee; plant was to take some male flowers off the plant and get the pollen in the black spoon and go from there.

As soon as I started the Vegibee, a real bee arrive so I let him/her take it from there.

---
Also started solarizing: If you think others would be interested, I could post on that old thread.

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Most tomato plants are been taken down

[Fiishergurl]

Barb, your cucumber plants look so healthy! My neighbors said they have taken care of the plants i left in Florida and they have all been picking tomatoes and enjoying them still.

My Philly plants are growing like crazy. Some I dont think are getting enough sun but some are in a good sunny spot so we will see what happens. Im going to start my pepper plants for fall withinin the next few weeks and start my baby tomato plants at the end of july and bring them back with me for fall (I hope).

Ginny

[Zone9b]

"Also started solarizing: If you think others would be interested, I could post on that old thread."
Barb,
If you post it and I can find it, I would be interested in reading it.
Thanks
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Larry - bumped the solarizing thread.

Ginny - Unless you are afraid the peppers would get too large by October, (could always top them) I don't see why you couldn't start the seeds now. I don't think it gets too hot for peppers. Mine are still setting fruit. I have young plants too, some are still seedlings.

All I basically have is those 2 cucumber plants, pepper plants, blueberry plants,

Pineapple plants which I do nothing, and Mango trees which I do nothing but wait.

----
Marsha - How are your mangos doing? Any ripe fruit yet? My Kent tree (4th summer) has about 40...hard to count. 3 times as many as last year. Most have the final pink color, size but hard as rocks....I'm keeping them on the tree.

My other first time producing tree (5th summer) mangos are small.

[kayrobbins]

I know several of us love Shi★★★★o peppers blistered while they are still green which is how you usually see them. I had given some plants to a friend and she got distracted and let some them get red before cooking. She told they were really good that way. I let a few get red and cooked both red and green ones at the same. The red ones are much sweeter but a still really good. Having the combination of red and green plated looked really good and it interesting to be able to do a side by side taste test.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - bumped the solarizing thread.

Ginny - Unless you are afraid the peppers would get too large by October, (could always top them) I don't see why you couldn't start the seeds now. I don't think it gets too hot for peppers. Mine are still setting fruit. I have young plants too, some are still seedlings.

All I basically have is those 2 cucumber plants, pepper plants, blueberry plants,

Pineapple plants which I do nothing, and Mango trees which I do nothing but wait.

----
Marsha - How are your mangos doing? Any ripe fruit yet? My Kent tree (4th summer) has about 40...hard to count. 3 times as many as last year. Most have the final pink color, size but hard as rocks....I'm keeping them on the tree.

My other first time producing tree (5th summer) mangos are small.

So sorry Barb, I just saw this. With my Kent, they never really get that yellow orange color, they just get yellower and soften a good bit. I start to pick them when they are getting a decent size, so I am picking some now. I scrub the skin with soap and the scruffy part of a dish sponge, then I dry, then I actually spray the outside with Lysol Spray. This kills any anthracnose fungus and allows them to ripen without rotting. Lysol's active ingredient is ethanol, that's the same thing as the alcohol we drink, plus some scent chems. The mango skin is really thick, so that is completely cut off when they are ripe.
I put them in a paper bag closed up and it speeds the ripening. The orders are coming in already from my friends for dehydrated Mango. LOL.
Bad photo, but you can see how loaded the tree is this year.

[efisakov]

Marsha, beautiful Mango tree. My son would love it. How old is that tree?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Marsha, beautiful Mango tree. My son would love it. How old is that tree?

Thank you, Ella. It is 22 years old. It was about 40' high last year, so we trimmed it back. Last year only about 50 mangoes, but look at it go this year.