This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
peas planted!
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Sunday, June 20, 2010
baby tomatoes
Finally! Little baby tomatoes on the vines! These are Beaver Lodge plants. A new ultra early variety that I have never grown before.
Any talk at your garden about late blight? Here in Cambridge I bought a bunch of seedlings at Verrill Farms this year, and they all look great -- but my downstairs neighbor (with whom I share a garden) just put in a bunch of other tomato plants, and it looks like they're getting brown spots on the leaves, which have spread to one of mine. The stems haven't been affected yet, and I'm keeping fingers crossed that it's something else and not late blight. Would be so sad to have to pull everything out of the ground!
I will post about the perennial purple broccoli when I find out. She said she'd leave some seeds in my garden mailbox, so I need to run by and take a look soon.
I don't use much fertilizer, but it looks like my my plants could use a boost right now. I will add GardenTone, an organic 3-4-4 plant food.
I try to add enough nutrients to my tomato beds by adding a heavy layer of compost and manure in fall and spring as well as turning in a legume cover crop.
My Dad's tomato plants are at least 10-times bigger than mine right now. His tomatoes are the same size as mine but he has many more of them. I have a serious shade problem where I planted my tomatoes this year, but mostly, my Dad's garden was super well composted this spring. We double dug 6 inches of fresh high quality compost this spring. (I added at most 2 inches and forgot to seed clover in fall or spring.) I will post photos soon of my dad's absolutely amazing garden.
I have been looking, but have not seen any late blight (yet?) on tomatoes or potatoes. So far, so good. I have seen only Septoria leaf spot (on my dad's tomatoes). Here are some good early blight and leaf spot photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/grow.eat/EarlyBlightSeptoriaFoliarLeafDiseases#
Its great to see those tomatoes, we've recently planted some vine tomatoes in gro-bags on the patio. Hopefully we're not too many weeks behind you, hope ours do as well as yours seem to be doing.
Any talk at your garden about late blight? Here in Cambridge I bought a bunch of seedlings at Verrill Farms this year, and they all look great -- but my downstairs neighbor (with whom I share a garden) just put in a bunch of other tomato plants, and it looks like they're getting brown spots on the leaves, which have spread to one of mine. The stems haven't been affected yet, and I'm keeping fingers crossed that it's something else and not late blight. Would be so sad to have to pull everything out of the ground!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see your tomatoes are well-grown!!
ReplyDeleteI believe it's important we have to add fertilizer in order to get good-taste tomatoes.
Today I gave organic fertilizer mixed with powdered oyster shell and fermented cow manure.
What kinds of fertilizer do you use in your garden?
I like to have everyone's opinion.
Please post infortmation about the perennial purple broccoli from Saturday's post - variety name and where to get some seeds.
ReplyDeleteMine are about that size too! Just so exciting to see little veggies developing and growing every day. Just wait for the colour to change...
ReplyDeleteRegina,
ReplyDeleteI will post about the perennial purple broccoli when I find out. She said she'd leave some seeds in my garden mailbox, so I need to run by and take a look soon.
Takaeko,
ReplyDeleteI don't use much fertilizer, but it looks like my my plants could use a boost right now. I will add GardenTone, an organic 3-4-4 plant food.
I try to add enough nutrients to my tomato beds by adding a heavy layer of compost and manure in fall and spring as well as turning in a legume cover crop.
My Dad's tomato plants are at least 10-times bigger than mine right now. His tomatoes are the same size as mine but he has many more of them. I have a serious shade problem where I planted my tomatoes this year, but mostly, my Dad's garden was super well composted this spring. We double dug 6 inches of fresh high quality compost this spring. (I added at most 2 inches and forgot to seed clover in fall or spring.) I will post photos soon of my dad's absolutely amazing garden.
Thanks for the fertilizer reminder!
Emma,
ReplyDeleteI have been looking, but have not seen any late blight (yet?) on tomatoes or potatoes. So far, so good. I have seen only Septoria leaf spot (on my dad's tomatoes). Here are some good early blight and leaf spot photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/grow.eat/EarlyBlightSeptoriaFoliarLeafDiseases#
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteYour blog looks great! I especially enjoyed the pics of those hawks. My wife likes Skippy. What breed is he?
Skippy is a Portuguese water dog.
ReplyDeleteIts great to see those tomatoes, we've recently planted some vine tomatoes in gro-bags on the patio. Hopefully we're not too many weeks behind you, hope ours do as well as yours seem to be doing.
ReplyDelete