From commentor MMG:
The orchids in the kitchen window are all from Trader Joe’s and I am proud of keeping them alive and even getting them to re-bloom all by myself. The one second from the left that has almost finished blooming was a gift five or six years ago, and it has bloomed every year since we got it. The one on the far right is a lady slipper orchid that my honorary niece Emily brought my mom in the hospital right before I had to tell her that she would not recover and had to come home on hospice. She gave it to her in September 2010 and it was still blooming on October 22 when mom finally passed. It bloomed at the same time in both 2011 & 2012. You probably can’t tell from the photo, but it has a tiny blossom starting, so it should do it again this year. Such a nice memory of both of them.
The tomatoes are my personal evidence of global warming. I live about half a mile from the Pacific in a high-fog area and due to June gloom, tomatoes are usually just getting started by now. I don’t think I’ve ever had this many so early in the summer. I’ve already had to start giving them away.
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Here in New England I picked the first ripe full-sized tomatoes this week — one Black Krim, one Anna Russian, and a couple of Stupices (which usually ripen a week or two ahead of all the others, but this year they’re in a slightly shadier spot). Lots of plump greenies on most of my plants, but several days’ steady rain/drizzle following last week’s heat wave seem to have discouraged the color change. The Juliet is producing steadily, though, and a half-dozen of the various cherry tomatoes (Black Pearl, Gold Nugget, Black Cherry, Sun Gold, and a new-to-me variety called Sweet Pea) have rewarded me with a few tasty morsels every day…
How are things in your gardens this week?
raven
Our tomatoes were as good as we have ever seen them but they have now passed peak. This week we had our annual fundraiser for the local nurses clinic, Tomatoes at Terrapin. The folks at our Farmer’s Market donate the maters for the featured sammies!
raven
I met the author of a new book on canning and preserving. Saving the Season.
JPL
I just read the Artists in our Midst comments and I’m amazed at the talented people on the site.
@raven: The book cover is gorgeous. One of the tomatoes on the cover is the green zebra which I planted this year for the first time. The squirrels are especially pleased.
Linda Featheringill
@JPL:
Give the squirrels a dish of water and refresh it regularly. I’m serious. It will do wonders for your tomato harvest.
Linda Featheringill
Tomatoes and cucumbers are just beginning to ripen. I’m looking forward to much more.
Question: Can I plant tomatoes in the same spot next year or will I need to give them new ground?
Wag
We just got back to Colorado after a 1 week trip visiting family friends in Finland. Something happened to my tomatoes while we were gone. When we left , the plants were about 18 inches high, without fruit. Got back yesterday, and all are at least 4 feet high with a riot of folliage but few blossoms, and inky a handful of cherry tomatoes. I’m not too worried. In years past the production doesn’t start until August and goes through mid October if we don’t get an early freeze
And the single cantaloupe that I planted is has innumerable blossoms and a couple of melons. I think I’ll be swimming in cantaloupe.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Suzannefrom the artists thread: Have you tried Woman Within? They have a pretty good collection at your size.
waratah
@Wag: Rocky Ford cantaloupe from Colorado are as good as Pecos to me. I have not seen any for a long time. I local small town supermarket would buy them direct from the growers.
I had a volunteer cantaloupe grow from Rocky Ford seed that was really good. I think we have similar weather, hot dry days cool nights.
Karla
@ Linda Feathergill:
Most people rotate where their tomatoes are planted, some every other year, some not returning to the same spot for three or four years. Mostly it’s to avoid soil that may be harboring diseases that may not have caused visible problems this year but may next year. Because all nightshade plants – Irish/Peruvian potato, eggplant, tomato, pepper – are vulnerable to these diseases, you may want to avoid having any of those in that spot next year, as well.
I have five raised beds, and each year keep tomatoes and peppers in the same bed, one that hasn’t seen them for three or more years. My CSA gives me more eggplant than I can handle, and I keep potatoes out of the rotation entirely by planting them away from the main vegetable garden. Success year to year appears to vary with rain more than anything else.
Wag
@waratah:
I agree. Rocky Fords are the best cantaloupes anywhere. Looking forward to trying my own experiment in a week or so.
Scout211
I have about 3 dozen ripe tomatoes in my kitchen. Today I will be giving them away to neighbors. Many, many more are ripening on the plants. This is a good year for tomatoes.
I was late this year covering my table grapes with bird netting. Every single grape was eaten. I hate when that happens . . .
The ambrosia melon is almost done and I will plant that hybrid melon again next year. They were just about the tastiest cantaloupes we have ever eaten. I also have regular cantaloupes staring to ripen and they are great, but the ambrosia lives up to its name.
Anyone have advice for getting rid of voles in raised beds? I have tried castor oil, cheap cologne and mice poison. My garden is fenced and the beds have gopher wire under them. They still get in somehow.
Ira-NY
My cucumber plants appear healthy and have been blooming for several weeks, but nothing has set. Any ideas as to what is wrong and how it might be corrected?
The other plants in the garden have not experienced this problem.
jnfr
My Sun Gold tomatoes have arrived in the dozens, a few heirloom cherries and Costolutos, half a dozen ancho peppoers, bunches of small eggplants. Good garden year so far.
West of the Rockies
Oh, my gosh… my wife and I have that exact same tile in our kitchen. Well, our tiling is about 50 years old now and a bit cracked and nasty in the grout (the home belonged to our landlord’s late parents and he can’t bring himself to possibly make any changes to “the way Mom had it”). The tile is pretty enough, but the flooring is also as old and just looks so weirdly out of date and worn.
Garden update? We mostly have herbs here; loads of great rosemary, lavender, lemon grass, basil, etc.
Hungry Joe
San Diego, five miles inland. Having a VERY good tomato year, after two so-so years. But the Thai guava tree is looking lethargic and uninterested in putting out fruit, which is quite a blow: Thai guavas are mind-bogglingly good. The aroma is so strong we have to store them in the garage.
For some reason our apricot tree, which fruits one year on (300+) and one year off (maybe three), kicked in again this year and put out a couple hundred. No idea what to expect next year.
Joel
First tomatoes (sungolds and gold nuggets) ripening now. Others growing large. A touch of late blight showing up on one of my plants, alarmingly. Lots of chard, kale, beets, lettuce and zucchini. Life in the Northwest…
Litlebritdifrnt
I am making vegetarian lasagne this evening with fresh pasta sauce made from my home grown maters. It is on the stove right now reducing.
Scout211
@Ira-NY:
Re: cucumbers
Are you seeing both male and female blossoms?
Have your nights recently been too cold?
Have you recently had extra rain?
Do you see bees around the blossoms?
That is the extent of my knowledge. Cucumber plants are very sensitive to cold so that may be a problem if it has been cool overnight. You also may be lacking bees right now. Does a neighbor or nearby farm spray pesticides near your garden?
I gave up on cucumbers because around here (hot days, cool nights) they weren’t very successful. Plus, I kept getting the dreaded cucumber beetles.