Birth Announcement We Have Tomato Sprouts

While most were out celebrating on New Year's Eve, I was planting tomato seeds.  This might seem very early to begin planting, but I plant out my tomato seedlings in mid-March, they will be large strong plants by that time and able to withstand the cooler temperatures.

Photo's taken on January 6, 2014

Green Zebra (2) Dr. Wyche's (2) Gold Medal (2)

German Queen (2) Cherokee Purple (4) plants

 San Marzano (3) Southern Night (1) Flame/Hillbilly (2) plants

 Not showing yet is Green Grape (1)  Brown Cherry (1) Sundrop Orange Cherry (1) Bi-color Cherry (1) plants.  In the middle is Poha (Physalis peruviana) also known as Cape Gooseberry and Peruvian Groundcherry (2) this is seeds I saved from my plants last year and I sure hope they come in because the fruit is delicious.

Not showing yet is Big White Pink Stripe (2) Black Krim (2) Chocolate Stripe (2) plants

 This is the same group of seedlings with photo taken on Jan 8.  Some seeds are not coming in so I will re-seed again.  Some of the seed packages I have are a year or two old and may not make it. I have plenty of seeds to germinate and plenty of time yet to try.  I am giving these a few hours of sun from the window each day now. I also will hook up a grow bulb tomorrow to give them more hours of light.

This tray still not showing their faces, Big White Pink Stripe, Black Krim, and Chocolate Stripe

Still no sign of Green Zebra, will need to re-seed this one as it is one of our favorites.

This tray is a no show yet.  These are a blend of cherry tomatoes called Rainbow Blend from Botanical Interests.  The seeds are several years old and may not show. I will plant more in here and see if they will come in.

Henderson's Ponderosa is coming in very well with most seeds already up.  I will have at least 6 of these plants. One of my favorites, very prolific and is really nice for canning and freezing whole.

At least two of German Queen is up now and this was seed that I had for 2 years from Seeds of Change.  Cherokee Purple is from Botanical Interests and some seeds I saved from years past.

San Marzano and Flame, also known as Hillbilly coming in strong. I will have at least four San Marzano.

I have already used all of my canned and frozen tomatoes so this year I will be planting far more tomatoes. In the past I have had at least 12 plants, but last year I only put in 6 plus two cherry tomato plants. Not enough!

Tomato Update 2013 and, Lots of Links from Past Years Summer and Winter Garden Beds

I was so busy with my kitchen projects that I didn't take a lot of photos of our tomatoes this year.

First of all, we generally only grow Indeterminate tomatoes. We built heavy-duty wood 8 foot cages a few years ago, see the links at the bottom for photos.

We only grew 9 tomato plants this year but boy did we have a nice harvest.  The only one that didn't do as well as the others was San Marzano.  This was a plant that I purchased at a local nursery and maybe it was marked incorrectly because it never grew that tall.  I have heard that there is a semi-determinate San Marzano and that may be what this plant was. It only made it half-way up the 8 foot cage.  It also could have been a hybrid instead of the heirloom or open-pollinated plants that I normally grow.  The fruit on this plant were much shorter than I have had in the past.  Most of them were not much over 3 inches and were not the 'pointy' long looking 5" San Marzano's that I am use to growing.   I also remember that most of the tomatoes came in at the same time which is why I think it was a semi-determinate hybrid.  I only preserved 5 pints of San Marzano this year.  Next year I think I will grow from the seed I get from Baker Creek Rare Seeds. 

All of the other varieties that we grew did very well.   

Goliath, was a real winner and produced all summer.  It is an early producer and a perfect size for canning or freezing.  The tomatoes are meaty,  4" + across and heavy, 1 to 3 pounds.  They have great flavor and a strong, upright tall indeterminate plant. It reached well over 9-10 feet, two feet over the top of our 8 foot cages; I had to let it bend over the top to the San Marzano cage next to it and it just kept on growing, producing more and more flowers as it grew!  Goliath is an heirloom variety dating back to the late 1800's.  Heavy plant, give it lots of room and support early on. This tomato will be on my list for next year.

Cherokee Purple, was another winner, this is always on our repeat planting list!  This plant was loaded with large, fabulous flavored tomatoes. We had many that were just under the 2# size.  An old Cherokee Indian heirloom, pre-1890. Indeterminate plant, heavy vines, give it lots of room and heavy support.

Gold Medal, is not a heavy producer but if you like the pretty yellow-red stripes on this tomato you will want to add it to your list of winners.  It always produces large, sweet fruit. Many reaching the 2 pound mark.

Dr. Wyche's, one of our all time favorites is another one that is a low producer but worth giving it space.  It is a huge, yellow, sweet tomato.   An Indeterminate, Heirloom variety.

Stupice,  is a small, salad tomato with fantastic flavor. This tomato is originally from Czechoslovakia, it is a heavy producer and an Indeterminate tomato. I still have this one growing as it shows no signs of stopping yet and the plant looks healthy.

Green Zebra, was a volunteer plant from last year that came up next to Stupice.  We decided to leave it and see how it would do. Good thing we did because this was the only green tomato that we had this year. I do love Green Zebra!  Indeterminate tomato.  Not a true Heirloom as it was only developed in 1985 but it is on its way to being America's favorite green-stripe tomato.  This one is still growing and is giving us tomatoes so we will leave it until the end of the month or if the weather holds out, both Stupice and Green Zebra will be still growing until December.

We planted two cherry tomatoes this year. One was an Heirloom Black Cherry and the other was a Super-Sweet 100 Red Cherry.  We loved the Black Cherry, it had nice size round fruit, super sweet with a grape or cherry flavor. Dark purple, it looks like mini Cherokee Purple tomatoes.  Super Sweet 100 was a new hybrid that had tiny fruit and the skins broke at the stem end as soon as you picked it.  This is not good if you want to store them in a bowl on the counter. It encouraged fruit flies in the kitchen.  I kept a bowl of cider vinegar next to the bowl to keep them away but with not much luck.  This one will not be on list for next year, but Black Cherry will definitely go on the list.

Except for Stupice and Green Zebra, we have pulled up the plants and are now preparing the beds for the winter garden. I would have liked to keep the rest of the tomatoes growing until December, but we don't have a lot of space.  I may need to devote more space to veggies and less to flowers in the future. With water costs rising all the time, we can't afford to grow roses! 

I bought 20 bags of organic manure and organic soil amendment Saturday.  We dug up the beds yesterday and put in all the goodies, covered the bed with plastic to warm it up and I will plant next week.  The Farmer's Almanac moon planting guides states not to plant seed today, so I will take the day off and relax and plan the gardens.

Here are some links to past years varieties and photos. Since I didn't take a lot of photos this year, these links will give you some idea as to how well tomatoes do for us.

2010 New Tomato Cages and Varieties ( these cages were the first ones we built for the raised beds)

2010 Tomato Photos and Review

2011 Tomato Update

2012 Tomato List

2012 105 Tomatoes in 2 Days

2012 Still Picking

New Cages for 2012  (scroll down to the bottom of the photos to see the new cages.  These are the cages I use along the driveway)

The links below will give you an idea of what we plant and harvest around here in the winter months.

2011 Winter Garden Beds

2012 Winter Garden Beds

2010 Winter Garden Beds

RED DRAGON FLY ON IRIS SEED HEAD September 2013

Tomato Update July 2013, Picking Tomatoes, Confessions of a Tomato Addict

I have been picking for the last couple of weeks now and decided it is time to get a few photos to keep the blog updated.

This year I only put in 6 full size tomato and 2 cherry tomato plants. The plants are healthy and thriving, with no signs as yet of tomato worms. We still have Orioles and they love to visit the plants several times a day, and are no doubt keeping the plants free of pests.  The Mocking Birds also visit and may be doing a good job too, but the Orioles are the workers in my garden; they love to clean the rose bushes too.

 They look beautiful on the old re-purposed cabinet and the smell is wonderful in my kitchen.  The cabinet is still a work in Progress, but it is working out just fine for now for the trays of tomatoes. Once the pine slab is on it will have even more space.

Around this time I start hoarding the tomatoes, lining them up as if jewels to gaze upon.

 Super Sweet 100 Cherry and Goliath

 San Marzano in the back, a few Goliath and a few Cherokee Purple.

 

 Dr. Wyche's on the top left and one Gold Medal towards the bottom. A few more Goliath and then the Cherokee Purples. We picked one last week that weighed in at 1.5 pounds. One of the Goliath, which I wish I had taken a photo of was perfect and weighed in at just under 2 pounds!  This is my first year planting Goliath, I am very pleased with it.  The flavor is that of the old tomatoes, with a bit a acid and thick, meaty and juicy. It is on the list for next year.

 Black Cherry Tomato, these are so delicious, I am putting it on the list for next year!

A few Stupice on the top section of the rectangular dish. They are a very small salad tomato, just slice in half and toss on the salad.  These are just coming in now as I didn't get that one planted until late in the spring.

A handful of Heirloom Ruby Red Swiss Chard, seed is from Botanical Interests (see link on the side of my blog).  I always pick just what I am using and this will go on the dinner table tonight, and my parakeets love it too.

Tomato Update 2013

Cherokee Purple Tomato

Long overdue update on my tomatoes for 2013.  I only planted 8 this year as I have had so many projects going on that I didn't want to put in as many as I have the previous years, plus I just don't need as many as I have had in the past. I still have quite a few jars and bags still in the freezer.  This year we will just eat what we grow and probably not do a lot of canning, that will be determined as to how much of a crop I get this year.

I did plant two types of cherry tomatoes this year. A Black Cherry and a Super Sweet 100 cherry. I generally don't plant cherry tomatoes as I like the flavor of all the heirloom, large fruits, but I got lazy and decided if I didn't have time to work in the garden the cherries would be easier to handle.

 I picked our first batch of summer squash last Friday so we are on our way!  The cherry tomatoes should be getting ripe any day now, the rest will be coming in sometime in July, probably early July with the looks of the plants. We have lots of fruit on the vines and so far not a worm in site.  The Orioles are doing a great job of keeping an eye on the plants. They and the Mockingbirds love to sit atop the wood cages and dive into the plants looking for worms.

San Marzano, still small but sprawling on the back side. Lots of tomatoes on the vines.

San Marzano

Gold Medal

Super Sweet 100 cherry tomato

Goliath

Dr. Wyche, planted in mid-May

Stupice Tomato, planted in mid-May

Crook-neck summer squash

Patty Pan or Scallop summer squash

Yellow striped Mexican zucchini

Black Heirloom cherry tomato

September 2011 Tomato Update

This morning I picked the last of the tomatoes in the raised beds.  There were still a few on the vines but I need to get my winter beds planted so I will pull them out today.  I still have San Marzano, Green Zebra and Dr. Lyles Pink Beefsteak growing along the driveway and these we are picking daily.  The vines are taking over and are loaded with fruit, I planted this group in mid June.

 Dr. Wyche's yellow on a six inch plate.

If you would like to see a list of what I planted this year click HERE.

This group was planted in raised beds:

Abraham Lincoln: grew very well, no signs of disease, medium size tomato with heavy harvest. I would recommend this one. Early tomato.

Cherokee Purple: Winner all around. Large fruit, slightly sweet, beautiful color. My husbands favorite! Must repeat this one next year.

German Queen: Very large fruit, great flavor, would grow again.

Isle Candy: Super Sweet yellow cherry tomato. I loved this one! Give it lots of room to grow. Must repeat next year.

Mr. Underwood's Pink Beefsteak: Huge tomato! Beautiful color and flavor. A must for next year.

Old German (yellow): slow to ripen, medium size tomato, pretty red veins, tart flavor. I liked this one and may grow again next year but will put it in a cage. I grew this one under an orange tree and the vines climbed high into the tree. It needs space.

Persimmon: Beautiful yellow/orange, medium to large tomato. Much like a beefsteak inside. Wonderful flavor, slightly sweet. Will grow next year.

San Marzano: Heavy producer. Easy to pick, almost too easy, they tend to fall into your hand when you move them. A MUST FOR NEXT YEAR!  The only plum type tomato I will grow. (Also growing along driveway).

Wisconsin 55: This is a smaller salad size tomato. Heavy producer, no diseases, would grow again.

Yellow Pear Cherry: No name on this one, but a heavy producer as with most pear tomatoes. I will save seeds from this one to grow next year.

Zapotec Pink: No! Just did not give me enough tomatoes. The ones I did get were good, but with my limited space, I would not repeat this one.

Red Zebra: A real winner, I loved the flavor. This one is a smaller tomato, nice tart flavor pretty striped skin but the flesh is red and not striped like the skin. I will grow again. Early producer.

Balls Beefsteak: Another huge tomato. Winner all around. Late harvest is the only drawback. You need to wait for this one, but you will be rewarded for your patience!

This group was planted on the bank by the driveway in June.

Dr. Lyle's Beefsteak: Huge tomato, very meaty. This was one I was not sure if I planted or not, but found the tag when harvesting. A must for next year. Very vigorous growth. Give it lots of room and a tall large wood cage. The small cages will not support these vines.

Dr. Wyche's Yellow:  Huge size yellow tomato, nice for slicing. Would grow again.

Green Zebra: One of my all time favorites. Tangy, green stripe skin, lemon green color when sliced. Looks pretty with red and yellow tomato slices in a Caprese salad. A must for next year.

San Marzano and Mr. Underwood Pink Beefsteak growing here too.

Review
My tomatoes this year exceeded my expectations!I have canned and froze more than we will need for the winter. I am already planning for next year.

Front Row: L-R Cherokee Purple, Red Zebra, Balls Beefsteak. Second Row: Mr. Underwood's Pink, Dr. Wyche's Yellow, Wisconsin 55.  Back Section: Persimmon, Old German, more Wisconsin 55, and Red and Green Zebra's

Red Zebra in front, San Marzano (plum tomato), Persimmon and Old German

Persimmon and Old German (yellow)

Yellow Pear

Everybody in the mix

more in the mix

Cherokee Purple, Mr. Underwood in front;  Zapotec Pink  in the back, Yellow Pear on right, small yellow is Persimmon.

San Marzano!



Tomato Update, Tomato Addiction, Cucumbers, Summer Squash and Beans too



I am convinced that I have a tomato addiction! With so many heirloom varieties to choose from it is easy to get an addiction to these beauties!



I am already planning next years tomato selections. I will repeat Red Zebra, Cherokee Purple and Isle Candy, though.



The last few days have been busy for me picking tomatoes!  I have picked the San Marzano Tomatoes many times now. I like roasting them and making chunky or smooth sauce for the winter. I froze the sauce again this year in jars; so much easier than heating up the kitchen when canning. I also made 4 pint jars of salsa, I love to bring that out in January and taste the flavors of summer when I am missing my tomatoes and going through withdrawals!.

I am really happy with the Red Zebra tomatoes I am growing this year, last year I only had the Green Zebras, ;which I have I planted but are a little late in ripening as I planted those late in June and with the cooler summer we are having I am not sure that they will do that well.  I have plenty on the vines, but it has been so cool this month they are taking a while to ripen. We are forecast for temperatures down to 59 degrees this week; that is just crazy for August it should be in the high 90's to over 100 now and with much warmer nights.

Heirloom Yellow Pear and Isle Candy, a really sweet yellow cherry tomato.

My cucumbers on the other hand are doing really well this year. I do not have mildew on any of the leaves and the plants are loaded with blossoms.  The bees were busy working the flowers this morning when I was looking for some to pick. I found a few and will make a jar of pickles with these.  I should be getting a bunch in the next week or two as I saw lots of small ones forming.  I can't wait to have these pickles for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. So often my vines get mildew or just get too hot and shrivel up before they produce, I am grateful for the cooler weather we have for these.  And I do have a lot of tomatoes so I can't complain, it has been a good growing season so far.


Organic Bush Bean Pencil Pod and Pickling Cucumbers

I planted Bean Bush Pencil Pod Organic Heirlooms from Botanical Interests this year and have only picked a few handfuls in the last week. The flavor is great and the plants are very healthy. They will do better once we get a few weeks of warmer weather though.

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A few of the summer squash I planted this year, Cocozelle, an heirloom organic zucchini (the ones with the stripes), a Black Beauty zucchini (in the middle), Scallop Patty Pan Blend, so far I have only had white and I should have light green and yellow in the Patty Pan.  And yellow Crookneck squash. All doing fantastic.
Picking lots of basil, tarragon, sage and thyme.  I am still picking parsley with the cooler weather too so that is nice. I will be making Basil Pesto tonight and will also be making a sage and a tarragon pesto. I use walnuts of the sage pesto and pecans for the tarragon.  It is fun to play around with different herbs and nuts to create pesto's. I have also used hazelnuts for the tarragon, but pine nuts will work for all of them. Try using sage, blue cheese and walnuts, you will love this flavor together and it is fantastic on pork and beef. Think Prime Rib!