September Greens, September Flowers
Category: Tomatoes
Early September Plot in Pictures
It’s a “Slow-Roasting Tomatoes” Kind of Day
This cool and rainy August Sunday was the perfect day for slow-roasting a sheet of (mostly) cherry tomatoes. I convection-roasted tomatoes (plus unpeeled garlic and thyme) at 270F for 2 hours until they had a slightly dry/jammy consistency, then packed them in olive oil and let them cool. They will be stored in the freezer for a few months.
First Tomatoes
Finally, my first vine-ripened tomatoes of the season! I already picked two blushing, green ones to ripen on the counter, but these two are the real deal. One Mountain Sunrise and one Caiman. These are the first two that I harvested after covering whatever the rats left on the vines with those wire mesh bags. It seems to be working. I hope to get at least a few handfuls from my 12 plants.
Mid-August Garden Plot in Pictures
Oh, Rats!
We are having a major rat problem in the community garden this year. They are decimating the tomatoes. Even the unripe, green ones. There are bait stations in and surrounding the garden, but with the abundance of fresh food, the rats do not seem to bother with the bait.
Everyone’s plot is affected. We always have some losses, but this year, we reached a different level. About a week ago, another gardener gave me a couple of nylon mesh bags. I assumed the rats might just “juice” the tomatoes right through the bag, but it was worth a try.
The nylon bags have been working so far but they are small. I was trying to take one bag off today, and accidentally pulled the tomato, which had grown and was now stuck inside (it was the tomato from the picture above; all the other tomatoes in the picture had disappeared).
I also ordered wire mesh bags to cover individual tomatoes. They finally came today. I installed about 15 or so – all the tomatoes I have currently left. It’s just sad. Fingers crossed I can save at least a few handfuls of tomatoes.
Late June
I love late June in the garden. Everything is starting to take off, and typically, there are no major pest issues yet. Apart from the rabbits, rats and birds perhaps, but no mildew, blight or aphids etc.
I harvested the garlic scapes and lettuces. The rhubarb is still producing. I also harvested mint, which I hung to dry in my pantry, and I picked some flowers, herbs and seed heads to make small bouquets. The tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers and squash are starting to flower. Everything looks fresh and green and full of promise 🙂
Planted!
Over the last two days, I completed almost all the planting for my plot. I transplanted my tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, squash, hot peppers, marigolds, strawflowers and dahlias, and also added an Asian eggplant seedling I had purchased from The Neighborhood Farm. My lone surviving Delicata squash was leggy and did not survive transplanting, so I will pick up two more Delicata seedlings from The Neighborhood Farm this weekend. All that’s left for now is to inter-plant everything with more marigolds, and sow nasturtium and beets. I may move the dill I had planted last week closer to the cucumbers. I also need to stake the tomatoes and refine my cucumber teepee.
Late Start
It has been an excruciatingly slow start to the season. Such a cold and rainy spring so far, which after this long and cold winter is especially hard. So, things in the garden have been slow to come up. I did not plant peas this year, and have not started anything yet in the garden plot. But both, the garlic and the rhubarb are coming up nicely. As are the grape hyacinths and a few tulips, which have yet to open.
My dining room table is full of seedlings. I thinned the basil seedlings on March 30th and plan to re-pot tomatoes, Swiss chard, sage and thyme this weekend. I will also start hardening off the snapdragons. The kale has been living on the porch full-time for about a week now. This weekend, I also plan to plant my shallots and start my cucumber and squash seedlings.
The radishes and spinach on my porch are coming up nicely. I had started them on March 30. Because it was so cold (we even still had a few frosts), it took them a while. On April 21, I also started leaf lettuce mix in one of the big containers.
Starting Tomatoes
Today, on this raw and rainy early spring Sunday, I started my tomato seedlings. As usual, I went for a mix of early, mid-season, and late tomato varieties. This year, I am growing some favorite heirlooms and some new-to-me disease-resistant hybrid varieties as I had a lot of issues with some mysterious (fungal?) disease last season. I started two each of Stupice (early), Mountain Sunrise (early), Ailsa Craig (mid), Marmalade (mid), Galahad (mid), Dr. Wyche’s Yellow (mid/late), Caiman (late), Purple Zebra (late). I also started four Mountain Magic and two Peacevine cherry tomato plants for the communal flower/vegetable bed.
Today, I also started strawflowers (Tall Double Mix), Swiss chard (Five Color Silverbeet), and butterhead lettuce (Salanova green butter and May Queen). And I repotted the kale (7 plants).