OT -- Any gardeners out there?

Chubbs

BbqCamel said:

First sample pick of the season. 

Babbbbaa boom. Nice. What you doin with all dat der melons?

Firemanyz

@chubbs what flavor tomatoes do you have there?  Looks like some sungolds, maybe Heinz paste and some kind of heirloom. What sauce recipe do you use, and do you peel and seed your tomatoes. I use the vitamin and blend everything up and cook it down. 

bboulier

Added a new backyard bed this year; that makes two in the front yard and two in the back.  This week, I harvested garlic planted last fall, onions, beans,
kale, and the first cucumbers of the season.

Chubbs

@Firemanyz good eye. Got some sungolds, roma, Brandywine, Abe Lincoln. Got a ton of varieties this year. I use my own recipe but first I core and then boil them a minute and then drop in ice water. Skin slides right off. Then try to squeeze as much if the seeds out as possible and then pulse lightly in food processor. Start Dutch oven with garlic onions and bell pepper. Little sugar, salt, pep, EVOO, dry basil and cook for a few hours on low. Then can away. 

BbqCamel

@Chubbs  I sell produce on the side. Nice tomatoes. For the life of me I can't grow tomatoes or pumpkins very well. Not sure where you are located, but if you live close to fuquay-varina, NC. I will def trade melons for tomatoes! 

Firemanyz

@chubbs sungolds grow like weeds. My daughter loves picking right out of the garden and eating them. This year I planted 12 sungolds. With all of the sungolds most of my sauce has an orange tint to it. 

Firemanyz

@BbqCamel I wish I was close to you. I would trade tomatoes for those melons any day. 

Chubbs

BbqCamel said:

@Chubbs  I sell produce on the side. Nice tomatoes. For the life of me I can't grow tomatoes or pumpkins very well. Not sure where you are located, but if you live close to fuquay-varina, NC. I will def trade melons for tomatoes! 

Man I wish. Not too far -- Columbia SC-- what kind of problems with tomatoes are you having?

Chubbs

Firemanyz said:

@chubbs sungolds grow like weeds. My daughter loves picking right out of the garden and eating them. This year I planted 12 sungolds. With all of the sungolds most of my sauce has an orange tint to it. 

Yes they do. I have two bushes and have enough for two salads daily for lunch and dinner

TN_Sister_State

I decided to check my black carrots and pick the first fruits of my labor. Hope my cucumber plant holds on and my gherkins should start fruiting soon too. Lebanese blush squash, round zucchini, and tomatoes. Went with heirloom varieties. More fun that way.

BbqCamel

@Chubbs I will take some pics tonight. I am not sure of the problems that I am having with tomatoes.  

Chubbs

BbqCamel said:

@Chubbs I will take some pics tonight. I am not sure of the problems that I am having with tomatoes.  

Are you growing from seed or seed starts? Big thing for me with tomatoes is pruning. Good airflow allows limits fungus and healthy pruning allows energy in plant to make fruit instead of foliage. 

Chubbs

I added Azomite (Rock dust) to my beds today to replenish nutrients and trace elements in the soil. Don't forget to give your plants some food now that we are in mid summer and they are likely stressed

MaskedMarvel

There's a YouTube guy who goes crazy for rock dust. Is azomite your recommendation in that area?

BbqCamel

Forgot to take pics. Been peddling melons hard past couple of weeks. More of a family tradition. The trailer you see was originally used by my great grandfather pulled as a drag by a team of mules to harvest tobacco, providing for a family of 15... then my grandfather converted to a tobacco/produce trailer with tires (no mules required), so on and so forth still using it today to provide for my family. My family heritage!

Chubbs

MaskedMarvel said:

There's a YouTube guy who goes crazy for rock dust. Is azomite your recommendation in that area?

I usually get mine off of Amazon. I usually buy a 5lb bag every season for around $8. It is hard to beat and very good. Can't grow plants/veggies with crappy soil. The rock dust gives them what they need to thrive organically

MaskedMarvel

theyolksonyou

@BbqCamel like x 1 bazillion!

MaskedMarvel

This was a few weeks ago I prolly pull ten pounds every other day out of tomatoes. Ridiculous. Tomato plants are already dying off though. Too hot. 

Peppers arent doing anything. 

Chubbs

Looking great @MaskedMarvel. Definitely been hot. Drip irrigation is a must around here. Everything is doing well for me but squash and zucchini. A lot of males flowers and little to no female. 

MaskedMarvel

I top dressed with leaf mulch. Our county sucks up everyone's leaves every year and mulches them. We can buy cheap compost by the truckload, or get as much leaf mulch as we want for free. They have more than they can get rid of. Trade off is possible herbicides and some minor trash. I loaded it in the beds to help with moisture retention. 

Cant complain. Everyone I know is buried in tomatoes right now from my garden.  Lucky.

Will be dumping a bag of lime in there after the tomatoes are done. Maybe some rock dust. 


Might be be planting pumpkins this week as well. When it gets late in the season, available beds are free for those who want to maintain them.  Might make a few pumpkin patches.

fishlessman

you guys are killing me, still a couple weeks for the maters. so far ive only picked basil and green beans

MaskedMarvel

NDG

well I failed this year.  Your harvest pics make me very jealous - my tomato plants (cherry or beef) are healthy and lots of fruit - but the animals take it! 

As for my lettuce/herbs raised bed . . . not pretty.   I have not given it the proper TLC, so are the super long lettuce stems due to lack of harvest?  Trying to learn, so let me have it !!

Chubbs

@NDG lettuces will go to seed and turn bitter if you don't pick it. For it to really do well you need to harvest early and often. Also not sure where you love but it thrives it cooler weather. Way to hot in SC for lettuce right now. I lost my cucumbers and squash this year to bugs. Bummer

Dredger

Here are some pics of my Earthboxes. None of the tomatoes were supposed to grow any higher than 8 feet, but you can see they have greatly exceeded that. The Principe Borghese was only supposed to be 6 feet high, but it's the tallest so far, at around 10 feet and still reaching higher.  These are Better Boy, Black Krim, and Arkansas Travelers.



This one is the Principe Borghese.



Tomato lineup.


These are Boston Pickling cucumbers, which are quickly filling the fridge veggie drawers.


Then we have peppers.



I still have four more boxes not planted that I am saving for fall crops. If the tomatoes and peppers perform like last year, they'll go strong into November.

NDG

Chubbs  that makes sense - now I know - thanks for response. @dredger that setup is B.A.

Dredger

Thanks @NDG. All we have to do is water them and keep the bugs at bay. Oh, we also have to harvest, lol. I'm thinking we are going to need the ladder to harvest the Principe Borghese toms at the top. It has been really hot, mostly mid to upper 90's, but all plants are still producing blooms, thank goodness.

fishlessman

what turns jalapenos shiny black, its not a rot just half black peppers. too much sun, rain, nutrients?  oh and my little red cherry sized hot peppers are 6 inches long and green maybe i shouldnt buy plants at lowes

Chubbs

@fishlessman if it is shiny black you are fine. Sometime they look like that. Perhaps cross pollination? I honestly don't know but the times mine have looked like that they tasted normal and I am alive