No fall gardening here other than decorative cabbage. We go from 90 degree days to killing night frost in September within two weeks. I was just reminded that the bistro is closed on weekends, so the girl road trip is off. My jalapenos are looking good and loaded but who knows how they will finish. I suspect they are a month away from being ready. So far I have a dozen ice cube trays (144 cubes) of cilantro put up and the cilantro is finished, so I guess the other ingredients needed for 4th of July salsa will come from the farm stands.
Calcium chloride and frequent water can help prevent/stop blossom end rot though, even in potted tomatoes. Sorry to hear that you are having trouble, @Faye Fox
After tossing a dozen or so, I finally got one ripe one that was edible. The flavor was the best, but skin was tough and lots of hard parts. I have about 60 left and I am guessing 30 of them will be edible. I scooped out the insides and put it on beef drippings soaked bread and then topped with fine chopped garlic and slow cooked brisket. I won't ever grow these again as I found too much genetic defect. So the search for the perfect patio potted bush tomato continues.
Totally agree with being disappointed in the Bush Goliaths. Of course, mine would have done better if I had planted earlier and taken better care of them. I got a bunch of golf-ball sized fruit and they were sweet and juicy... just smaller than expected. I learned a lot of "garden lessons" this season.
It just occurred to me that I forgot to mention that you can prune indeterminates to the height you want. If you get a large cage, you can simply top the plants when they reach the top. I do it when they reach the top of my greenhouse, but you can prune them to be 5 feet tall if you wish or even shorter. You always reduce the potential yield of any tomato plant when you prune it, but sometimes it doesn't matter. Determinates are bred to yield all at once then just kinda die back. Often that is good for commercial harvest and canners who want large harvests at one time, like June-bearing strawberries, but the indeterminates are natural perennials and will live and yield until frozen or disease takes them. Small yields over a long period is often better for those who eat only fresh tomatoes. Indeterminates will get out of control if not severely pruned though.
Yes, I know all that. I just overplanted my small raised beds in my enthusiasm and lived to regret it.
yes except for throwing his back out picking weeds we have no luck growing beefsteak tomatoes, cherry ones grow really well .None of the bell peppers have came up at all. Ears on corn are forming now. And Lordy we have over abundance of mustard greens, green beans and okra, Next year want to plant potatoes and see if they come up. OH and i our onions should be ready least next week,
My veggies are doing well this year because I'm keeping up with the weeding. I'll have tomatoes soon and I'm eating my own zuchinni. In the front yard my wildflowers have passed their peak but I'm still getting flowers I haven't seen before. I suppose a wild flower seed mix is going to have variations from package to package. I need an identification for the first two shown here. I'm thinking the second is a tame flower. I'll forget the names but at least I'll have known them for two minutes. I love wildflowers and wildwomen.
Coreopsis? Gladiola, bachelor button, zinnia. The blue behind the gladiola is chickory.--wild that I wish was tame.
I keep toothpicks in that cleft. The red hat gets me some funny looks like they're scared of me. I try so hard to be normal but it never happens.
They all look flawless. I will use a few for fresh salsa and give the rest away. I just tossed a package of Jalapenos out of the freezer from 2014. So far two useable very small tomatoes, This big one shows promise so far with no damage. You can see I am a radical pruner. I have no mercy for either indeterminates or determinates. @Dwight Ward Sorry I couldn't help ID the wildflowers or connect you with any wild women. I only know ones like me, smart, independent, and domesticated. @Hedi Mitchell It is great to read of your hubs ground gardening. I can't imagine getting down to weed. Maybe he can just hoe the rows daily and save his back. I sure love the high pot or raised bed method. So far this year, not one weed pulled in the veggies, but lots of weeds pulled or hacked off in my flowers. If I ever downsize and move, I will have all raised beds made with concrete blocks and concrete instead of lawn. @Beth Gallagher yes, overcrowding is easy at planting time. If I can ever relocate to a smaller yard, I plan to have high raised beds with concrete pathways and have each raised bed with its mini greenhouse cover so I can get an early start and use seeds. I let the lawn guys go after two weeks as they did a crappy job. Yesterday I did it all myself and had to do a lot of extra that I wouldn't have if I had just kept it up myself. @Lois Winters I may be back on steroid injections soon because I can't lower my standards to living in an unkempt place. I can't seem to find anyone I can afford to do jobs, so I do them myself. Yesterday, after 6 hours of grueling lawn work, I was amazed that taking things a bit slower and resting in-between, really paid off as my pains were relieved to a tolerable level with heat packs, diclofenac sodium gel, and Tylenol. I worked out any soreness this AM during my workout, again moving with more care than before. I know my back, neck, elbows, and wrist are about finished, but the show must go on for now. My facial pain didn't increase, so that was a real treat. I am still waiting to see what the docs decide for me to do next. The last blood test was all normal and that shot down one theory they had, so waiting for another look see with the endoscope. Out to water my mini high potted patio garden and then finish laundry that consist of some dirty sweaty jeans and tops from yesterday. Later, off to a pedicure and leg massage. After yesterday, I decided I deserve a treat.