Another day off...

[GrimLore]

It's March 30th, 37 F and quite windy here in N GA...coldest temp forecast for the next 10 days is 42 F...and there's a flat with 5 different varieties of tomatoes sitting on my bench next to a Dale Colchoy glazed oval....hmmmmm...

Tomato Forest planting

Grimmy

 

[coh]

Here's what we woke up to on March 30. Ground was mostly clear yesterday morning, now buried under 8-9" of concrete. Oh yeah, this is great...

 

[fourteener]

104 inches of snow so far this winter, 6-10 possible tomorrow. Last April we had a record 54 inches of snow. I pray that doesn't happen this year.

 

[fore]

Here's what we woke up to on March 30. Ground was mostly clear yesterday morning, now buried under 8-9" of concrete. Oh yeah, this is great...

God awful Chris. I feel for ya, and that's saying something comp. to Chicago. It got to 60 yest and today...it's on it's way Chris, a few more days

 

[sikadelic]

God awful Chris. I feel for ya, and that's saying something comp. to Chicago. It got to 60 yest and today...it's on it's way Chris, a few more days

Geez..and I complained to my wife when I rode my motorcycle to work in 40ºF weather this morning. I'll keep my trap shut for the rest of the day.

 

[coh]

God awful Chris. I feel for ya, and that's saying something comp. to Chicago. It got to 60 yest and today...it's on it's way Chris, a few more days

Forecast to be in the 60s tomorrow, but then cooling back into the 40s/50s.

 

[Dav4]

March 31st...looking forward to mid June.

 

[Dav4]

A rare 3 day weekend for me, so I was hanging in the backyard this AM fertilizing the bonsai and checked on the veggie garden...that's a baby Beefsteak in the first picture...we are right on schedule.


Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

 

[lordy]

wow your plants have grown a lot! Mine just went in the ground last week at about a foot tall, but already had 1" fruit. I have to build some supports because the wire ones from the hardware store just fold under the weight. And I'm hoping for a bunch.

 

[GrimLore]

Nice! I only plant 2 Tomatoes for me and the Wife, a small yellow pear type and a larger yellow. No fruit on either yet but if all goes normal we will freeze a lot. Great stuff to have if you cook a lot and like to water a LOT

Grimmy

 

[Dav4]

wow your plants have grown a lot! Mine just went in the ground last week at about a foot tall, but already had 1" fruit. I have to build some supports because the wire ones from the hardware store just fold under the weight. And I'm hoping for a bunch.

Nice! I only plant 2 Tomatoes for me and the Wife, a small yellow pear type and a larger yellow. No fruit on either yet but if all goes normal we will freeze a lot. Great stuff to have if you cook a lot and like to water a LOT

Grimmy

That was probably the driest part of my property until recently, with very thin rocky soil over a sub soil with the consistency of hard pan. Over the last 2 years, I've dumped least a ton of horse manure, plus homemade compost and mulched oak leaves, on to about 200 square feet, and I will add more every year. Despite being a bit dry and hot lately, I haven't had to water at all other then the day the plants went in, going on two months ago. I've got probably 10 beefsteak and Big Boy tomatoe plants up there along with zucchini, butternut squash, and cucumber...plus a small area carved out for some pre bonsai to grow out. I've also got three terraced areas behind a few of my bonsai benches with more tomatoes, lettuce and snap peas...you can NEVER have enough garden grown tomatoes. Tomato salad is a summer time mainstay and any extras get roasted in olive oil on the grill to be frozen for mid winter bliss on pasta or in a casserole.

 

[JudyB]

any extras get roasted in olive oil on the grill to be frozen for mid winter bliss on pasta or in a casserole.

Can you do a how to on this??? I usually make sundried out of my extras, and can salsa, veg soup, and spag. sauce, but this sounds yummy.

I have a large garden- 50x100 or so, -and the tomatos have been in for a week, along with beans and corn and peppers.... Been picking a 2 gallon bucket full of asparagus every morning for a few weeks, bumper crop this year. Had my first strawberry this morning.

I made my own tomato cages out of field fence, if you use the graduated type it gives them more support low when they are young. I used to use T-posts weaved thru them to support them, as my plants get so heavy and big, but put in a fence the length of the garden, and now I just tie wrap the cages to the fence, no more pounding in of stakes...

happy gardening!

 

[Dav4]

Can you do a how to on this??? I usually make sundried out of my extras, and can salsa, veg soup, and spag. sauce, but this sounds yummy.

I have a large garden- 50x100 or so, -and the tomatos have been in for a week, along with beans and corn and peppers.... Been picking a 2 gallon bucket full of asparagus every morning for a few weeks, bumper crop this year. Had my first strawberry this morning.

I made my own tomato cages out of field fence, if you use the graduated type it gives them more support low when they are young. I used to use T-posts weaved thru them to support them, as my plants get so heavy and big, but put in a fence the length of the garden, and now I just tie wrap the cages to the fence, no more pounding in of stakes...

happy gardening!

Take a cookie sheet and coat with a little olive oil. Chop up the tomatoes...fine or coarse- doesn't matter- and place on the sheet until it's covered but only one layer. Pour on more olive oil along with your favorite seasoning- we usually go for the garlic salt and oregano. Roast on the grill (or in the oven) until the tomatoes are liquefying and beginning to crisp up a bit. Some of the tomatoes may char a bit but that adds flavor...let it cool then pour it into a freezer bag, and don't forget to scrape whatever is stuck to the pan into the bag, as well. Freeze, then enjoy when the snow flies.

I love fresh asparagus almost as much as tomatoes. My asparagus patch in MA was just 5 years old and really maturing well when we sold the house and move south...didn't fill up a bucket every day but let's just say my asparagus craving (and my neighbor's) was more then satisfied for about 6 weeks every spring. Unfortunately, asparagus doesn't grow as well here
as it does up north and I just don't have the space to try here.
As far as keeping the tomatoes off the ground, I've got every apparatus known to tomato gardening mankind being utilized at the moment- cages, field fencing, wooden and metal stakes, etc. My yard's topography presents certain challenges in this regard so I have to use what works best in a given space... and invariably we have some failures by mid summer....reminds me of bonsai in some ways- it's as much the journey as the finish.


Judy, let's see some pictures of your garden some time- I'm sure it'll make me jealous.

 

[JudyB]

Working all day (three show and out day) today, but have a rare day off tomorrow! I'll take a couple of the garden... and update a couple trees as well.
Would love to share the asparagus with you, as you know, there is soooo much with a good patch. I've been giving it away to everyone lately.

Thanks for the recipe!

 

[JudyB]

So since the thread is day off, this isn't too far off the mark...
Here are some photos of the garden, the flowering plant that I have bordering the entire thing is Russian comfrey. It's a sterile version so doesn't spread, and it attracts bees by the ton, and all sorts of beneficial insects. Also is a huge boost to a compost pile, and you can cut it as much as you like. Tomatos have blossoms, strawberries are soon, sweet potatos just getting started, asparagus is crazy, and dogs are happy.

 

[JudyB]

A pic of todays haul....
tip for keeping this fresh, stand it up in a container, and keep it in an inch or so of water in the fridge....