June Update...

Well, I'm leaving tomorrow for a 2 1/2 week drive up through the Pacific Northwest and haven't really had time to blog due to my daughter graduating, company, the loss of several people and planning this mother-daughter escape. But, I did want to throw out a few photos...more than are here, but Blogger isn't cooperating this morning so this is all I got!

The fabulous Bob Pool came by and built some stuff for me, but I'll be doing a story on him when I return. He did bring me these, supposedly Native Texas Tomatoes...seen above. He couldn't remember the name, but someone had passed the seeds onto him....and so he was passing them onto me, they are sweet and delicious and I'll be giving it a go next season.



This here monster is Chocolate Stripe...they are all this big and ugly, and outrageously tasty.

This is the Japanese Black Trifle, also mouth wateringly delicious.

Left to right, circular Purple Cherokee, Eva Plum, garden peach (yellow one,) Japanese Black Trifle, Brandy wine and in the center, First ladies.

Leaf miner damage has been minimum, but in the last few days the stink bugs have arrived...and in the side garden, I've got some mottling thing that's causing the leaves to turn brown and shrivel up...I don't have time to research this...and I hope they make it while I'm gone. We cut off the dead and threw away the carnage, did a deep watering and I foliage fed what was left with Alaska Fish Emulsion...cross your fingers!

I've also in the last two weeks had some splitting. We deeply water the tomatoes every morning, EVERY morning, and they are now mulched and sit in a terra-cotta tray that gets filled up to help maintain the temps...but 100 degree days, for weeks on end are just too much!

I am so going to miss this while on the road!!!

Because it's my favorite fruit! These are also my onions and basil...YUM!

Other things of note that I want to remember about what happened in June are we got our second delivery of mulch! I'm working on really building it up deep for future projects. We had a mystery plant bloom...it is an orange Pride of Barbados...I have the yellow one, so this must have drifted from my neighbor Regine's yard and our square foot gardening beds are full of greens! Yea!

The beans are still in production, the peaches are ready but riddled with worms...since I'll be gone most of the summer, another trip in July as well...we're leaving them to the birds...and the fig and persimmon are looking mighty fine.

I hope you all are enjoying the cool mornings and I look forward to checking your blogs when I return!

Happy Gardening!

Tomato Island...an update

This is my first time to grow tomatoes in pots. I've been planting them in various places around the garden for years and have decided that I would like to use the space for other things and give the soil a rest from the nightshades. For the last couple of years we've been buying tomato starts at Sunshine Gardens spring sale, this year I sent my daughter Autumn Sage to do the buying as I was at the "It's My Park Day" and devoted spouse at CAMN. She bought 12 plants, 8 are in pots, 4 on the side of the house in the greens-garden along with 3 eggplant and half a dozen basil.

Brandywine

Brandywine was the first to fruit this spring. I filled the base of each pot with my own compost, then added a mixture of organic potting soil and Texas Organic Compost, and topped 'em with Dark wood Organic Mulch.

Cherokee Purple

I stripped the bottom leaves and scrapped up the stem with my fingernail then spiraled them into the pots leaving only the top leaves above the soil. I've used the "trough" method that I learned in the Master Gardener Class for the past two years and wholeheartedly believe that this method is the best for shallow Central Texas soil. I also sprinkled organic plant fertilizer at the time of planting then spritzed the leaves with Alaska Fish Emulsion.

Cherokee Purple is my favorite tomato for taste and overall beauty! We've got 2 plants going this year.

First Ladies

Growing tomatoes is a joy and something I didn't think I'd ever get into...I mean I liked tomatoes and all but didn't get hooked until I had my first bumper crop and ate fresh heirlooms with basil, mozzarella/Tillamook cheddar, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh cracked pepper daily for lunch...now I can't wait 'til July!

Garden Peach

The biggest frustration I've had over the years is with bottom rot...last year I was vigilant and kept the watering regulated, that was the key! The other problem is of course the nasty stink bug, which after seeing the damage, I got tough and started popping them in the early morning.

Japanese Black Trifle

I've put fresh compost on the top once since planting and have tried to hit them with the Fish Emulsion every 10 days to 2 weeks. With them bunched together I'm reminded of my cannery days in Alaska...P.U. I don't have any of the companion plants nearby but so far, no real pests to be concerned with, save a few leaf miners. Of course, the sparrows and wasps seem to be hanging around for a free meal, so thank you to them!

Eva Purple Bell

Except for the Purple Cherokee and, Green Stripe all the varieties are new to me this year...good going Autumn Sage, I'd have been more conservative in the selection process...gotten some Roma's and more cherry tomatoes.

Golden Cherokee

I should also mention that I pinched off the first set of flowers on each plant to encourage root growth, I forgot to pinch off the first new leaves after planting to encourage branching...but I never seem to remember all of the tricks...oh well.

Tomato Island

Green Gage (cherry tomato), Chocolate Stripe, Dona and Carmello are the plants on the side of the house, they don't seem to do so well because they have less light, but this morning I noticed that they all had fruit, and no pests. They haven't gotten the daily care that the Island gets and they are smashed between the fig and pomegranate trees that have now leafed out. The poor little 'maters don't have much sun...so we'll see how that turns out.

It's overcast today and we've got a 40% chance of rain, which we desperately need...this has been one super dry April and the pots require more water than plants in the ground, but I'll have trays under all the plants soon. I plan on filling the trays with water to help keep the roots cool through the hottest of days...yet to come!

Happy Gardening!