It's hard to believe it's June already. But then again there are only2 tomatoes left in my garden now so that makes sense. The rest are pulled and gone. A couple in pots on the porch are still fighting a good fight. I'm trying to keep them for fall - we'll see if that works. Something went wrong on the spring crop. I pulled in 5 pounds of green tomatoes this week before I yanked the vines. I'm sure I'll have more of the sungolds and such coming in here and there but that is it for the slicers until fall. *sigh* Somethings gotta give. I'm not a good tomato grower. AT. ALL. This year the tomatoes barely grew, and I didn't get a lot of fruit. Last year... Oh, last year i had a bumper crop despite having what i think was Septoria leaf spot. But so much of the fruit was damaged to the stinking worms. This year not a lot of fruit but no damage at all to cats... Keep on trucking. But I'm getting into the funk part of the year. I don't want to keep going, but I know if I do there will be rewards. I need to get a bunch of marigolds out into the garden, and get the cow peas in the ground. More okra and let the garden start taking care of itself while I start concentrating on the screen porch and getting ready for the fall garden.
This weeks harvest:
broccoli I swear wasn't white- the flash was on. Just a bowlful. Perfect for a side dish.
Carrots 1lb 3oz. Not all of them are pictured here. This in one picking. I've got one more like this coming maybe. Then the rest might be weaklings. I'm not sure if any more after the next batch would be worth showing so this is getting very close to the end of them. *sniff* Same for the broccoli. I'm amazed that I still have it really. I've started eating some of the leaves knowing that the plants won't be around much more
Mmmm...beet cake from the last of the beets....
Tomatillos (very small I'm disappointed in them) sungolds, chilis romas, and a cuke.
AND.... GRAPES> C.O.N.C.O.R.D.....grapes!!!! And they are Delicious!
I didn't even know I had them! I assumed that the second vine was green like the first, but I was wrong, and I am OOOOOooooooo so happy to be wrong! They are small but so good!
Linking in for Harvest Monday over at Daphne's Dandelions. Thanks Daphne for being such a wonderful Hostess!
Don't forget to stop by her place and check out all the posts for Harvest Monday that highlight everyones Harvests from all over the world.
'Till next time!
Barbie~
I don't understand...why are your tomatoes already done? Surely, even down in FL, the live longer than this??? Espcially if you're still getting broccoli. I'm confused. :)
ReplyDeleteBetween the humidity and the constantly above 90 degrees they no longer were setting tomatoes. The diseases were beginning to catch up to them. No tomatoes setting & disease spreading = time to pull the plants and start something else. *sob* I <3 tomatoes so this is not a decision made with ease. Only cherries and some major players developed for Florida will still set fruit in this mess now. 3 more months will be time to put them back into the garden so not all is lost. It's time to start seedlings again indoors.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the broccoli is a complete fluke. Everyone who visits is astouded! :-D Me, included.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya about the tomatoes. My crop was better than last year's heirloom disaster - hardly any fruit. My hybrid slicers are still looking good, but the paste variety is succumbing to some disease, I think. I also have nematode issues. The Fall will be better, I know. For next Spring/early Summer, I wonder whether a regular spray schedule would help - something to help combat disease? Have you ever done that? I would want to use something suitable for an organic garden. What varieties have been developed for Florida?
ReplyDeleteSorry, realize that last sentence should read, "What tomato varieties have been developed for our FL summer?"
ReplyDeleteI did not know that heat and humidity affected tomatoes, learnt something new, thanks.
ReplyDeleteAlways challenges - always. Lots of good surprises too though - like those grapes! I had to reread the intro to the cake twice... as I did not see the "beet" designation and assumed you had a magical cake growing vegetable plant you were harvesting from! ;)
ReplyDeleteI want me one of those if you have it please!
Nice score on the grapes! Beet cake huh? I will have to give that a try!
ReplyDeleteOh yay for grapes! My tomatoes were disappointing this year too - I think I underfed them though, at least thats my theory and I'll have to wait til next summer to test whether I'm right.
ReplyDeleteGrowing tomatoes can be addictive and frustrating, every year is different my last crop was useless lots of growth but hardly any fruit and then what i did have didn't ripen........
ReplyDeleteMaybe next year will be a better tomato growing year for you!
Broccoli looks good and the Beet cake, YUM.
Melissa- OOOOhhh- Good post topic... LOL
ReplyDeleteNorma- Yes the tomatoes stop setting once it constistantly hits 90* and 90% humidity here. It's a shame... it stays 90/90 in the shade now until August.
KFG- Oh! A Cake tree- Now that is one worth babying! ;-)
Allison- it's a lot like a cross between carrot cake and red velvet. Delicious!
Liz- They are a mystery for sure. Going with hybrids this fall to keep the disease at bay. Wish me luck.
Andrea- Luck to us both! :-D I hope we both have wonderful crops.
It is so strange reading about how you have already pulled out tomatoes, when mine just recently went into the ground. At least you will be able to have a second go at them this year.
ReplyDeleteI have the problem of high heat preventing fruit set and extreme dryness contributes to blossom end rot. Solution, start plants in Jan. Put on some shade cloth when the heat really comes on (mostly over the top and west sides of the plants so they still get full sun in the early morning) spray fruit clusters and the leaves around them with calcium for the BER and try to keep them well mulched and watered. mid summer when I've harvested the early fruit but they aren't setting new I whack back all the growth. Then they grow more branches and flowers that begin to set fruit as things cool off; then they are done around Oct because we start freezing. Small fruited tomatoes seem to set fruit all summer as long as I can keep them watered. Of course we don't have the fungal diseases that ya'll have.
ReplyDelete