I dated a guy on and off for several years while I was teaching elementary school. One May I was down and because my kids were going to be moving on next year. I said to the guy, “This is my best group ever and I don’t want new kids!” And he replied that I said that every year. I never remembered saying it before. I feel like that is what is happening now with my gardening. Each year I set out to have several plants and expecting success. Then I get lazy or distracted or even with my best efforts things start turning to shit.
Now it is week ten and the only tomato plant that is really producing is the yellow pair. It has tons of fruit and I am going to have to make a meat sauce or something with them soon.
I have no idea what to do for the Jubilee tomato plant. It has one HUGE tomato and it is not ripening. Oh wait I just went to dump the dehumidifier water on that part of the bulb garden and picked it. It’s about the size of a softball and orange. I just put it in the window with the top of it facing the window pane to ripen a bit more. Also there are two more tomatoes on that plant. They grow at a snail’s pace.
A couple of my bell pepper plants are trying to survive whatever is eating them. I have a lot of red chilis I don’t know what to do with. My bedraggled Tabasco pepper is trying really hard to bloom but probably won’t. That plant is really pretty when it isn’t eaten up.
Even the Early Girl is a disaster. I’ve gotten a couple of tomatoes from it recently and they weren’t very good. It has bottom rot too. Same with the San Marzanos. They make fruit but most of it rots on the vine before maturing.
It’s raining off and on all day today her in Seattle Atlanta AGAIN and the inconsistent watering and high humidity is the biggest problem with the garden and I can’t do anything about that except to pray to Saint Valentina about it.
Lot’s of y’all are sending photos and I just save them to a folder and have no idea who they belong to, so please claim them in comments!
Oh and my brother sent me basil, parsley and cilantro seed and dirt rocks and a little cedar box. I’m going to go put that together now. I’m not really good with seeds so fingers crossed!
That’s my bountiful harvest from last Wednesday! Not even as big as milkduds. Haha! I picked another half palmful today. I’ve kept the two plants alive and how can I complain? They were free from my favorite organic guy at the local farmer’s market who gave away seedlings one Saturday morning in May promising fruit would produce in time for 4th of July! Mater plants still alive, fruit produced and now I made TT’s site? This is going to be a good week!
Red bowl is mine. Peppers, cucumbers and blueberries doing wonderful but I have to say I am failing on the tomatoes. Not sure if it has to do with the rain or I am not showing them enough love. Gave them some fertilizer and weeded a bit hope to turn the crop around. 0h and some critter is eating my eggplants. What critter prefers eggplant?
I’m jealous of your beautiful cucumbers.
Thanks
They are going crazy this years. Lots of cucumber and onion salads this summer
Zinnias are going to be absolutely awesome!!! Carmine, soft pink, vibrant orange, Benary Giants are the best. Too hot for the tomatoes to set fruit.
Inspired by your weekly posts, I decided to try one plant. I’ve got three people checking on it since it’s well known that I am blessed with the black thumb of death but supposedly not even I can kill it. We’ll see.
Happy July!!
Herb seeds were a breeze for me this year Tamara! If I can do it you can do it! They are growing like nobody’s business. I’ve harvested SOO much cilantro, basil, purple basil, Mexican tarragon, parsley, chives and need to thin again!
I planted watermelons for the first time and they started producing beautiful striped watermelons…one of them has gotten to about the size of a large oblong grapefruit but then I discovered they are all getting end rot!!! Not enough calcium. I’ll have to balance out the soil this fall for next year. Such a victory and letdown all at the same time.
Yeah, it’s all trial and error. I just watered my tomatoes with a bit of diluted coffee and add grounds to the brandywine. They are all ready in bad shape, so it’s worth a shot.
Hey do not know if anyone has said it but take the half rippened tomato. And put it in a paper bag and place it in a cabinet. Check it every couple of days. Should help ripen out and not rott.
The first picture of the two tomatos are mine. We have two early girls and one better boy plants that we bought from the band booster club (cheaters). Also have three green and three red sweet peppers and they are growing like crazy.
My favorite pastime is taking pictures of flowers after the rain. Cloud cover and no harsh shadows make the best pictures.
I just love seeing other people’s gardens! Thanks Tamara!
I was out shopping one day this week and saw a sign that made me thing of you and these tomato talk posts. It said, “Gardening. It’s cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes.”
I actually have two pea size tomatoes growing and I’m beyond thrilled!!!! The other plant has started to get flowers and I’m keeping a eye on it.
Not sure if I should be thrilled that I made the post or totally ashamed that the Tomato Fail pic is mine. I finally cut it off today and threw it over the fence. I covered the pot with aluminum foil because it’s mostly mud and a mosquito magnet. The man that cuts my grass will be here tomorrow and I’m hoping he’ll help me dump it because it’s to heavy for me to pick up. So thankful that I’m only a couple of miles from the tomato truck guy. I’ve only been able to keep one house plant alive. I’m not sure what kind it is but it’s green and a friend said it’s impossible to kill. We’ll see.
I told you all you had to do was pick it up and push the cage in deeper!!!!
I DID! It was just too late. I didn’t read the directions on the pot before I planted, I should have drilled a drain hole in the bottom. Between my watering and all the rain, it drowned. I gave the poor plant a decent funeral service before I threw it over the fence into the woods. Maybe it will magically take root and give the critters something to munch on. It did give me three ugly but very good tomatoes before I killed it, so I’ll be trying again next year. Hope springs eternal.
It is raining on and off in Seattle today! Has been for a few days now. Got lucky Friday night, it stopped raining so I could really enjoy the outdoor CCR concert. If they come to your town make sure you see them, amazing show!
I’m harvesting from all my plants now. 2 Cherokee Purples ready in a few days for the plate. I’ll only eat those in slices. I’ve been assigned homemade salsa for the family 4th party. It will all come out of my own garden, if I can find the garlic and shallots. With so many plants that have grown out of control, I have dig thru limbs. I’afraid of snakes though, so I try not to go too deep.
My soil gave a fungus to my beautiful tomatoes, so now I do pots. Third time trying squash. First year, nothing
Last year 1 squash. LAST TRY!
Try trombetta squash. It is not as seedy or watery as zucchini and best grown on trellis or tomato cage, so it doesn’t rot. With oilive oil and lemon, it tastes like artichokes.
I really envy everyone’s determination and patience. I just go to the local farmers market every weekend and buy their beautiful produce. I have chickens so I get fresh brown eggs daily but veggies seem like a lot of work
One thing that I’m kind of excited about is that the raised bed that had tomatoes in it last year is full of little tomato seedlings! I’ve picked out some of the bigger ones and planted them in this year’s tomato bed. They might not actually grow large enough to produce fruit before the frost here in Michigan, but they might! I have five big tomato plants and three of them have flowers and one has fruit ripening so far. I grow my vegetables in 4 square raised beds that are arranged in a grid with gravel paths between them. I have the tomatoes, a bed with green beans and peas, a bed with cucumbers and squash, and one bed that is being used to grow flower seedlings this year. I planted some foxglove seeds (they are SO TINY!) a few days ago and I’m hoping to get at least a couple of plants from them that will flower next year. I also stuck two holly bushes that I kept in their pots for too long and that were starting to look desiccated and turn brown in that bed to see if they would revive, but they’ve died completely and look sad and stupid. I need to dig them out and compost them.
I’m headed to Atlanta this weekend! Visiting friends and going to the lake on Sunday. I’ll try to resist a tearful drive-by of my old house.
I heard Tamara’s Tomato and Topiary Garden is on the Atlanta Parade of Homes tour this weekend. What time does the tour bus leave?? ?
We have a garden at work tended by one of the most kindest of men and coworkers.
The radishes have been amazing, interestingly enough, a lot of our younger employees had never even tasted or knew what a radish was/is…now I have to scramble a bit to get a few!
Tomatoes, peppers, corn, zucchini, pumpkin all with small fruit…beets and garlic have been picked a bit but more to come for sure!
I’m working extra shifts this week so I’m far away from my dvr but did set up Southern charm tomorrow am for viewing tomorrow night, yay!
TT, I searched your site but wasn’t able to find the comment made by one of your followers recommending “The Staircase”. I started watching it a few weeks ago and now am completely vested. I want to thank him/her and you for your ability to attract amazing followers.