Garden Update

This time of year I get very tired and sometimes, tired of the garden! I work out there usually 2 or 3 hours early in the morning, then in the afternoon end up going out to do one quick thing and then staying another hour or so in the garden. In the evenings I’m usually out there til almost dark – sometimes after dark. It’s raining at the moment. I’m so thankful for the rain (1) we desperately needed it and (2) it gives me an evening off from the garden.

When I get the point that I think I won’t plant a garden next year, I pick a batch of peas for dinner, or fry up some green tomatoes for dinner, or grab a variety of peppers to chop and saute to go into a meatloaf. Yesterday I put up 20 bags (2 .5 cups in each) of rhubarb. I look at the boxes of potatoes and know we’ll soon have boxes of sweet potatoes and it makes all the work worth it . . I guess.

This is the first year ever that I’ve had a problem with my tomatoes. I’m having massive numbers of tomatoes with blossom end rot. I’ve heard and read all the reasons/fixes for blossom end rot but here’s where it confuses me. I have three main types of tomatoes growing. They’re all in the exact same area. There may be two of one type, then one of another, then four of another. They’re all mixed together. so there are multiple varieties getting the same amount of sun, wind, heat, etc. I used the same soil; the same fertilizer, the same amount of water for all of the tomatoes and only one type/brand is having a problem. That makes no sense to me. I’ve tried adding calcium, using a tomato fertilizer with calcium. I water them all just before daylight and since they’re in bags or buckets, if they look extremely dry, I’ll water them again as soon as the sun goes down, being careful not to get the leaves or water wet. Again, I treat them all the same and two kinds are not having issues.

All is not lost, I check the blossom ends every morning and for those that show sign of rot beginning, I pull them and use them for fried green tomatoes, green tomato salsa, green tomato relish, or green tomato pickles.

Any thoughts on the blossom end rot? I will add – this is the first time I’ve grown this variety of tomatoes and I’m not ready to say I won’t grow them again. They are prolific.

I’ve already picked dozens off these two plants.

They don’t look so big in this photo but they’re all paste tomatoes and they’re huge and heavy. I pick them when they’re the color of those on the top row. By the time they get moved to the bottom row, I put them in gallon bags, weigh the bag and stick it in the freezer. When I get 25 pounds, I’ll take them out and can them. I’ve already canned two batches and hope to have at least three more batches to go.

These are black strawberry tomatoes, which I’ve never grown before. The reviews on these are mixed. Some say they have no flavor and are grainy, while others say they are the best tasting tomatoes ever so I’m anxious to see how they taste. It will still be probably a month until they’re ready for harvesting.

As far as the rest of the garden, I’ve planted a second crop of potatoes and they’re looking great. I heard someone say they were hoping to get a third crop so I may try to get a few to chitting. I’m not sure the fresh potatoes I’ve dug recently will chit but . . never know til you try it, right?

I don’t think our asparagus patch has ever looked this good in July. I’m no longer harvesting asparagus except a few spears daily for Oscar, who LOVES it.

The sweet potatoes seem to be doing fine. I haven’t yet been digging around to see what’s underground.

Considering some of the rhubarb is only 2 years old, it’s done great. On past the sweet rhubarb is a bed of black eyed peas.

I sometimes wish I had more space and could grow pretty flowers but I don’t think I can keep up with any more than I have now but on Mother’s Day, we had gone to Lowe’s for something and they were giving away tiny little plants in 4″ cups to the mothers who wanted them. There were several varieties and I wanted the lantana. I planted it in a pot and it has thrived and is so pretty. In Louisiana, it was pretty easy to grow lantana as a perennial but not so much here. I may try to bring it in but it may not be worth messing with it. I so hate to see a plant die if it doesn’t have to die.

That’s about it for the garden tour. There are peppers but they aren’t anything really worth sharing. Last year my peppers produced like crazy. They are alive and producing a little but they definitely aren’t doing great. I still haven’t harvested the onions. I keep saying I’ll do it “tomorrow” and just haven’t done it yet.

Today I did pick herbs for the freeze dryer and that’s going now. I had 1-1/2 trays of mint, 1/2 trays of sage and 2 trays of basil.