Tomato Tues in New England

You got me to thinking Martha - I started from seed my pepper and tomato plants but next year I might try half and half - half my own, half transplants from the farm store, and see if I notice a difference in quality, taste, growth, etc.

I tried to start eggplants but ended up just getting those plants at the farm store, mine didn't make it. Except one struggler, but I think Mel says if they get interrupted in their growth, they won't produce well anyway. I planted him anyway just to see.

My broccolis didn't make it, but I didn't get my boxes ready in time anyway.

So yeah, for the indoor seeders, I think I'll try to go half and half next year and see if there is a noticeable difference.

Question.... one of my tomatoes has blossoms on it. I noticed it yesterday. I planted them last week. The plant is a cherry and it's it's about 8" tall. Should I pinch these blossoms off to encourage more plant growth?? I almost did it... but I couldn't bring myself to do it until I asked here. LOL

Tril, I've been wondering the same thing. The Big Boy I bought from the farm store has blossoms on it. I couldn't remember if I was supposed to pinch the first blossoms, or if I wasn't supposed to pinch the first blossoms...

Sigh.... I may not need an answer after all. A thunder storm just went over us. Complete with very large hail. Big enough that I was concerned about it cracking the windows in our peak (log home with those tall, tall windows in the gable end). I haven't been out to check my plants. I'm in denial. LOL

Tril, or ?

My garden survived the storm!!! I found some snapped off leaves, but no broken stems.

However... we are now under a TORNADO watch and I can hear thunder again. COME ON... this is MAINE. We deal with Nor'Easters, not tornados! NOT FAIR.

Wind is picking up....

Back in denial.

We are on the same watch, Tril. But it's supposed to be lifted in an hour and a half, and so far nothing dramatic has happened.

(Hang in there little seedlings - yours and mine!)

We got another storm... hard rain, wind... but no hail this time!!!

OOOOh, that downspout is really cool! Where'd you come by that?

Yeah.... that was a "if you're putting gutters on the house, you're buying me rain chains" deal. I didn't want downspouts on the front of the house! I think we got them at Amazon or Overstock. Just google "rain chain". If you're thinking about getting them, choose one with large cups with large holes... and one with the cups close together. The smaller ones can't handle a lot of water. There are a LOT of styles to choose from... I liked some of the "flowery" designs, but not on a log home.

Here's one from Overstock...



And this neat one from Amazon... I would have gone with this one if it could handle water like the large cups do.



I love rain chains!

That is so neat! I wondered what that thing was! I have never seen one of those. Wow.

First time I saw them was in Japan and I thought at the time they were so pretty.


Kay

They originated in Japan!

This is what mine looked like new... now they've developed a patina.





They make a nice sound with the water running through them, too...

That is the coolest thing ever.

I love Japanese architecture, the plain, simple, uncluttered, etc.

Tril,
I'm glad your garden made it thru the storms. We were crossing our fingers here that we'd miss the hail and the storms. We were some of the lucky one.

I've got all my tomatoes transplanted now. The ones potted earlier are doing very well. In fact, I've had to put isolation bags on the fruiting branch of two of them, Early Cherry and San Marzano Nano, so they don't cross-pollinate. I'll be saving seeds for the coming years.

Here's the Early Cherry blossoms in the net bag.

Here's my indeterminates Millefleur, Sausage and Yellow Centiflor that were transplanted a few days ago.

Here's all my determinates in their pots.
At the very end are two dwarf peppers, not tomatoes.
I've got lots of tomatoes this year and I'm thrilled.

How's everyone else doing this week with their tomatoes?

My starts are so tiny, that I went and bought - ahem - several plants at one of my favorite nurseries. (West Groton Nursery, Groton, MA)

The only problem is that I have two determinate types - Marglobes from seed which are one of the few large enough that I think they'll fruit. And we bought a determinate yesterday, but the one we bought only had the name on a stick - not the descriptive tag that says it's determinate. Doesn't sound like a big problem but I have a lot of 'maters with just a stick. I've been trying to find out on the 'net which one it is, but so far, no idea! And it also might be the one plant that came home without a stick!

Anyway, last year I loved having so many tomato plants that I had grown from seed, but I feel a lot better since buying the plants yesterday.

I'll post photos when I finish my grid lines.

PS - I love the rain chains! The fish ones are awesome.

Last year my Gilberties grew to 10 feet before the season's end. So I have been mulling in my mind for months how to deal with that, thus I put up an overhead trellis.

Whoa!!!!!!!!!!! Nice!!! So you'll be using the string method? How did you stabalize the whole thing... what will keep it in place when it's full and the wind blows??

Your garden looks really good. We may get a late start up here... but we make up for it. LOL

Tril wrote:Whoa!!!!!!!!!!! Nice!!! So you'll be using the string method? How did you stabalize the whole thing... what will keep it in place when it's full and the wind blows??

Your garden looks really good. We may get a late start up here... but we make up for it. LOL

Thanks! Yes strings....The top has the conduit running through the strapping and the verticle poles are held in place with conduit clamps on the boxes. I am counting on gravity to help with stability but will add bracing at the bottom if that becomes necessary. This is an experiment, so time will tell.

As many of you have read, I'm bagging tomato blossoms in isolation bags so I can save their seed the end of the season.

To date, all my tomatoes look healthy and are doing just fine. I've got blossoms started on several of them already.

Here are a couple with isolation bags on the early blossoms.

More tomatoes in another bed.

The one on the far right is Dixie's Sweet Heirloom from our own dear Dixie. The left neighbor with the blossoms is Olivade F1, a hybrid, so it won't be bagged for seed.

Even my determinate potted tomatoes, mostly heirlooms, are getting the isolation treatment.

Our weather has returned to normal, thank goodness. Those 90 plus days, I hope, are not to be repeated, at least before a few days in August. The rain has been good for the garden and I'm thrilled I don't have to water them right now.

I hope everyone else is having good luck with their tomato plants in N.E.

I've got my first babies.


There are two green San Marzano Nano babies formed here. Since I'd bagged them for saving seeds, I have now removed the mesh bag and marked the stem with a red yarn so I can save the right ones when they are ripe.

This is a determinate started earlier in a pot along with my other determinates this year.

It's June 28th and I have more tomatoes forming but nothing pink yet.

This is Ensalada a hybrid determinate in a pot. Its got babies for sure.

This is Siberskij Skorospelyi, determinate in a pot and bagged for seed saving. Its got a baby in there but I'm waiting for more before I unbag.

This is Sausage, an indetermnate with a tiny long baby inside the bag.


In my A-frame I have a couple of determinate Beaverlodge Slicers. This one has been bagged but you can see a tomato growing to the left of the bag.

I am well pleased with all the tomatoes so far. They seem healthy and most are producing blossoms. I'm still waiting on Dixie's Sweet to produce blossoms so I can bag that heirloom. I planted her in a 2-space section because Dixie's tomato was a huge thing last year. Maybe by next week I'll have bagged her and will take a photo for that Tues.

So I finally feel as if my plants are established enough to post a few pics.
Tuesday July 5, 2011.
The Gilberties beginning their climb.


Yellow pear and poblanos


Aubergines and Little Blond Girl tomatoes

Great photos. Your garden is lookin' great. Your Gilberties are taking off and your eggplants are healthy and getting bigger. Nice garden.