Tomato Progress Report, About Face Rose and Rose Sugar Recipe

The cage is doing a great job at keeping the vines in check.  Next year I will make another one of these to use in the other raised bed.  I also am including a few volunteer tomatoes that came up under one of the orange trees.  One is a current cherry tomato and not quite sure what the other is yet as the tomatoes have not formed.  I have at least 23 plants and have added some cuttings so I might be at 25 now! 

Check out my earlier posts when we first planted our tomatoes in this homemade cage.

8 plants here. 2 Brandywine, a Debarao Red Plum, a Victoria VFFN Hybrid Red Paste, Puple Russian a plum shaped purple black tomato, Dr. Lyle a Pink Beefsteak, Heirloom Carbon a black salad, Erica D'Australia a large red Beefsteak.   Also have Anaheim Chili Peppers, Green Onion, Basil varieties are Lettuce Leaf, Thai, Cinnamon, Lemon and Licorice.

Sprite a  Red Cherry Tomato on this end, also Estiva a new hybrid from France which is a red salad tomato. Heirloom Cherokee Purple tomato and a Green Zebra.  Shallots in the middle and a small round Heirloom Zucchini Plant, rounds out this full bed!

A Purple Calabash Heirloom tomato and a Pineapple Tomato from Burpee seeds.

Small Red Salad Tomato with the new Red Cage, I think this really is helping.

Volunteers! There are about six, some to the left and right of this one.

Golden Sweet Hybrid Yellow Grape and Sun Grape a Hybrid Red.

6 Heirloom Pickling Cucumbers, a German Johnson Tomato, an Early Girl VF Tomato, a large Tomatillo on the right and 4 Straight Eight Cucumbers are all in this bed.

Patty Pan Squash a volunteer in the herb garden.  It looked so healthy when it came up that I went ahead and kept it here.  It gets lots of water from the bird bath and I am sure the birds are keeping it picked clean of bugs.

This is a golden paste tomato called Banana Legs.  The plant is only about a foot tall and is loaded with tomatoes. 

A few of the Onions I havested this morning and 4 Pickling Cucumbers.  I also had about a dozen yellow pear tomatoes, but they did not make it to this picture.  Hand to mouth!

2005 AARS Grandiflora Rose

"About Face"

This rose blooms continuously throughout the summer.  A real workhorse.

"We bring roses, beautiful fresh roses, dewey as the morning and colored like Dawn."   -Thomas Buchanan Read

"Rose Sugar Recipe"

Alternate layers of somewhat dry rose scented geranium leaves and sugar in a clean glass jar.  Cover the jar and set aside for several days in a cool, dry place.  The sugar will absorb the scent of the leaves.  Remove the leaves before serving the sugar.  This is lovely sprinkled on fresh strawberries and served along with some good Greek Yogurt.