Happy Frog Garden Patch

Giant eggplants!

2011-06-08T21:36:00.000-04:00

30%-50% chance of rain each day for the next week. We're almost about to start the summertime rainy season. Until that happens, I'm at the garden watering in especially the eggplants and the zucchini.
Picked 3 giant glossy black eggplants and tomatoes and a cuke this evening.

Here are the new totals:

Cukes: 149
Large Tomatoes: 114
Zucchinis: 46
Eggplants: 44

June gardening in Florida

2011-06-05T19:39:00.005-04:00

I used the one inch of rain as an opportunity to try and extend the garden's production of zucchini and eggplants. By pruning, fertilizing, watering, staking and mulching the eggplants I believe we'll see many more eggplants well into the month of June. The same holds true with the zucchini, especially the Tiger Stripe.

Picked 3 eggplants this morning, and 2 more zucchinis, 2 peppers and 4 more large tomatoes.

I'm also learning the art of cooking. Audrey made eggplant parmesan, just amazing, and I prepared spaghetti sauce for pasta primavera from scratch using fresh San Marzano Roma tomatoes, zucchinis, and eggplants.

Here are the new totals:

Cucumbers: 148
Large Tomatoes: 108
Zucchinis: 46
Eggplants: 41

Here is the total harvest from today, June 5th:

I used my stockpile of Roma tomatoes, both the San Marzano and the Big Mama Roma tomatoes to make the tomato sauce from scratch. First, peeled the tomatoes. Sauteed onions with garlic; then added zucchini. Started the tomatoes and peppers, with some Italian spices on simmer, then added the onions and zucchini. Then sauteed the eggplants and added the cooked ingredients to the mix. With bay leaves, and pepper, and basil, I let the mixture simmer for hours until the ingredients were all mixed together. The end result was an amazing pasta primavera spaghetti sauce made with ingredients that were still on the vine this morning. Thanks to Sandy for explaining the recipe and preparation steps to me so that I could enjoy the harvest in a whole new way.

I felt like dinner at home today was like eating at a five star restaurant! Learning how to cook the freshly picked produce has definitely added a new dimension to the enjoyment of the garden!

It was also great to see Janice and Jeff, our gardening neighbors this morning. The above represents just a small percent of what they've been able to harvest today. Their grape tomatoes are amazing, as are their eggplants. Being new to the garden this Spring, they've had some very nice success with their first garden. One of the things that makes gardening so much fun is having great neighbors and friends such as Janice and Jeff. We look forward to many more gardening seasons with them as our neighbors and friends.

One inch of rain today!

2011-06-01T20:29:00.001-04:00

I lost count of how many days without rain. There were brush fires in Central Florida on account of how dry it has been. Finally, a front came through and it rained for over 3 hours and the final tally was exactly an inch of rain.

Picked about a quart of the Red Currant cherry tomatoes, and didn't even make a dent in what was left to pick.

Also picked a yellow bell pepper, the first ever.

There are at least 4 more zucchinis growing, and more eggplants ready to pick.

If anyone reading this Blog would like to pick their own tomatoes, please feel free to contact me. You can easily fill up a quart, or more, of the Red Currant cherry tomatoes, and use them in cooking or in salads.
It will take about 15-20 minutes or so to fill up a quart. I believe these will be available for at least the next 2-3 weeks.

Also picked the first Solar Fire Tomato today.

There are indeed more new Brandy Boy and Brandywine Pink tomatoes that have set of late, and here I was already planning to remove these giant tomato plants from the garden.

Last day of May

2011-05-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

Picked another mini-bounty today. Was able to pick off all three pole beans, and many more large tomatoes. Tomorrow will be picking 2 giant yellow/orange bell peppers.

The watering has caused 4 more Tiger Stripe zucchinis to set and I'll be watching those in the next several days.

Cucumbers: 147

Large tomatoes: 104

Zucchinis: 44

Eggplants: 38

Delicious

2011-05-29T18:34:00.003-04:00

Finally got tired of waiting for rain, so after over a week without watering, I went to the garden over the Memorial Day weekend to water the eggplants especially. Saw countless red ripe Delicious heirloom large tomatoes.

Also, there are several large yellow bell peppers ready in a few more days. Picked a bowl full of orange sungold and another bowl full of the Chadwick cherries. Picked 3 more large cucumbers, but it may be the end of the slicers for this garden.

Imagining planting both fences with the larger varieties next Spring, and trying for 300 cucumbers. Will have to learn how to make cucumber salad and store for long term use. With the watering support, may yet get another round of pole beans. There are purple podded beans to pick, and more of the green beans also.

But the amazing thing at the garden today was just how many Delicious tomatoes were ripe--apparently these ripen much later than the Brandy Boy and Brandywine varieties. Picked 12 more of the large Delicious tomatoes today!

Also picked 7 more eggplants. Many more on their way, especially after the watering. Eggplants love this heat, so expecting another several weeks of eggplants.

New photos to come soon. Here are the new totals:

Large Cucumbers: 147

Large tomatoes: 99

Zucchinis: 44

Eggplants: 34

Still no rain, but 30% chance tomorrow

2011-05-26T21:38:00.003-04:00

Good thing I did a 5 gallon drench to many of the plants yesterday to give them much needed water; on account of that I was able to pick much produce today. If we get rain, it'll revive the garden even more.

Here's what I picked today after work--with temps topping out into the 90's, at 7:30 PM it had cooled to about 83 and with a slight breeze it wasn't too uncomfortable.

Zucchini--another Tiger Stripe

Eggplant-picked the largest one of the season off the Park's Hybrid Whopper.

Better Boy-still going strong

Chadwick Cherry--extra large cherry tomatoes.

Orange Sungold--picked a bowlfull.

Cucumbers large and small-at almost 8 weeks of producing these are just about at their end.

Red Pepper--several more ripening, one is ripening yellow.

Banana Pepper--many of these

Green Beans--not as many as in the Fall, but still a nice yield. I watered these in yesterday.

Cucumbers: 144

Tomatoes: 87

Zucchinis: 44

Eggplants: 27

Not in the summertime rain pattern quite yet

2011-05-23T19:18:00.001-04:00

Very hot and humid today. At least there were a few high clouds later in the afternoon when I stopped to pick a few veggies.

Picked 2 nice cukes, a serving of beans, a large cup of orange sungolds and Chadwich cherries, and a large Better Boy. Also, the drenching watering I gave the zucchinis yesterday has resulted in a large zucchini ready to be picked today.
There are also more zucchinis that have set fruit on the other 2 plants.

Here is what the harvest looked like today. I also notice that there will be another nice wave of eggplants to be harvested in just a few days. I watered those in as well yesterday.

I think once the summertime thunderstorms begin, there will be another wave of veggies to harvest and it will extend the growing season perhaps.

With today's mini-harvest it brings the new totals to:

Cucumbers: 142
Tomatoes: 85
Zucchinis: 43
Eggplants: 26, with dozens more awaiting harvest.

This has become a summer garden

2011-05-20T15:16:00.012-04:00

The nice few days of unseasonably cooler weather is now a thing of the past, and we are back to hot and humid weather. Still, this morning at 9:30 it was not too bad out at 75 degrees. It'll get up to 90 today they are predicting.

Since no rain since the 1/2 inch of a week ago, I watered everything in. I want to keep the Tiger Stripe zucchini plant going, so I gave it lots of extra water. I picked a nice sized zucchini off the plant today, and there are 3 more growing.

The Red Currant I learned, is an heirloom tomato. I came across the description while doing research.
Here is the description from www.heirloomseeds.com :

(1088) RED SWEET PEA CURRANT TOMATO 62 days
The large vines of this variety produces thousands of tiny ¼ inch fruits. The deep red tomatoes have a great rich and complex flavor. A perfect choice for snacking. Indeterminate vines.

And, they aren't kidding about tomatoes numbering into the THOUSANDS off of just one plant!
Pints and quarts, and more pints and quarts have been picked already, and the plant just keeps producing more than 1 person can keep up with! I've already enlisted the help of several people just to keep the fruit picked!

Here are a couple of photos from this morning of the Red Currant Tomato, a very healthy and vibrant tomato plant: You can easily pick hundreds every day!

And here is a wide shot showing just how big this one Red Currant tomato plant has grown to:

Also, after having my entire eggplant crop wiped out in the early December freeze, the current eggplants are more than making up for those lost in the freeze.

I picked 6 more ripe eggplants today. The crown has thorns and can hurt, and also I've broken a pair of scissors trying to cut the eggplant off the vine. Now I use a pair of bolt cutters as the preferred tool to pick these, and am careful in the way that I handle them.

Here is a photo of today's eggplant harvest:

There are still so many tomatoes to pick! Besides the Red Currant, there are Chadwick Cherries, Orange Sungolds, Delicious, Better Boy, and Razzleberry.

Here is a photo of the Razzleberry tomato plant, followed by a description of this exclusive variety from Park Seed Company. http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/GP/listpage/vegetables

The Silky-Sweet Gourmet PINK Tomato! (as of May 20)

Park's Razzleberry Hybrid is a dark pink variety with a super sweet, mild flavor. But the best part is its texture. Instead of being meaty, mealy, chewy, or otherwise less than perfect, it is silky smooth. The fruit literally seems to melt in your mouth.

These 6 to 7 ounce fruits are simply on a different plane from just about every other Tomato due to its texture.

Consistently ranked at the top of our taste tests.

This is also one of the most vigorous, strong-stemmed Tomatoes. It reaches 4 to 5 feet high and about 2 feet across, producing abundant amounts of fruit.

This is the same Razzleberry plant just 20 days prior. You can see just how many tomatoes set on the one plant.

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And more cucumbers were picked today as well, just 2 days short of 7 full weeks of production.

Here is what was picked this morning:

And here are the updated totals:

Large slicing cucumbers: 140, and well over 200 counting the smaller pickling cukes.

Large tomatoes: 84, and hundreds more counting the cherry and Roma varieties.

Zucchinis: 42, with the majority coming from the very prolific Tiger Stripe variety.

Eggplants: 26, and still going strong!

Five Vegetables That Grow Well Here

2011-05-19T09:51:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Veggiegardener.com, the following information could not be more timely as we head into summer:

Every area of the country has its challenges when it comes to growing vegetables. Growing a vegetable garden in the Southeast is no exception. With blistering hot summer days packed with high humidity, it can be tough to breathe let alone grow fresh vegetables.

An important element for having a successful vegetable garden is choosing vegetables that grow well in your specific area. So, if you live in the Southeast portion of the U.S., here are five common vegetables that are prolific and easy to grow in your area.

Summer Squash

Summer squash and zucchini are ideally suited for growing in the southeast. These vegetables grow well in summer heat as long as they are well-watered. Make sure to pick squash when they are young and tender for the best taste. Picking squash frequently will also help to promote more fruits.
Be sure to watch for those pesky squash vine borers which can quickly devastate your squash crop in the blink of an eye.
Early Prolific Straightneck yellow squash, Black Beauty zucchini, and Sunburst patty pan squash are all excellent choices for the southeast vegetable garden.

Okra

When most other vegetables are wilting and suffering from the crazy southern heat, okra is just starting to fire up. This heat-loving plant originates from West Africa and performs better when the soil is allowed to dry out between waterings.
Nothing produces better in the dog days of summer than okra. Plant just a few seedlings in your garden and you will have a continuous supply of okra pods throughout the season.
Make Clemson Spineless and Burgundy your choices for okra and you can’t go wrong.

Eggplant

Eggplant is in the same plant family as tomatoes and potatoes, and perform well in hot temperatures. They can be very prolific producers with many harvest throughout the season.
Eggplant will need frequent waterings during the very hot days and benefit from a thick layer of mulch around the plants. Look out for large infestations of flea beetles which can destroy the leaves of the plant.
Black Beauty and Fairy Tale eggplant grows well in the southeast vegetable garden.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes thrive in hot weather. Plant disease-free slips in your garden and you will reap delicious sweet potatoes in about 120 to 140 days.

Sweet potatoes are generally grown in very warm climates over regular potatoes because they hold up much better in the heat. Use floating row covers to protect young plants from flea beetles.

Georgia Jet and Centennial are some favorite sweet potatoes grown by many shouthern gardeners.

Watermelons

Watermelons have long been a symbol of the southern summer time, and there’s good reason why. Watermelons grow very well in the southern summers. Watermelons require a lot of space with vines easily reaching up to fifteen feet in diameter.

Be wary of cucumber beetles which can spread mosaic virus and powdery mildew can be a problem in very humid areas.

Georgia Rattlesnake, Crimson Sweet, and Moon and Stars are all perfect watermelons for warm climates.

While these are certainly not all the vegetables that grow well in the southeast portions of the U.S., these should get you started in the right direction for a productive vegetable garden.

Still going strong

2011-05-17T20:22:00.001-04:00

It has been too easy to take all of this fresh produce for granted--been picking just about this amount daily now for perhaps 7 weeks. A few days I didn't even bother to take a photo. The Roma tomatoes, of which are 2 varieites, the Big Mama and the San Marzano will be ripe for picking tomorrow. Those, and eggplants, will make a great Rattatouille. The San Marzano seeds were shipped from Italy and are known to be the Italian Roma tomato of choice in Italian cooking.

Here are the new totals for the Spring Garden:

Cukes: 137
Large Tomatoes: 76
Zucchinis: 41
Eggplants: 20 (with many more on its way)

1/4 inch of rain today and new totals

2011-05-14T21:04:00.001-04:00

The majority of the plants are still producing. Pictured above is only about a third of what I picked since the last post. Blogger was down, and the garden was wet from the much needed rain. Another eggplant, 3 more zucchinis, and 3 more large tomatoes were picked today. Next up is Rattatouille, made with eggplants and Roma tomatoes. The San Marzano Roma tomatoes and the Big Mama Roma tomatoes are both starting to ripen and will be ready in just a few short days.

Here are the new totals:
Large slicing cucumbers: 133
Large tomatoes: 72
Zucchinis: 40
Eggplants: 14

A good day's harvest from the garden

2011-05-11T15:51:00.000-04:00

4 more large tomatoes, 3 more zucchinis, 1 more eggplant, 2 more cucumbers...

I've decided there are 3 types of vegetable gardens; Not enough, enough, and too much. Mine has definitely been a too much garden. On account of it being a too much garden, I have enjoyed sharing all the produce with friends and family. Even eating out of the garden twice a day, there is way more than one person or one family could possibly consume.

I thought the large tomatoes were starting to slow down, and that is true, but just of 2 plants. There are still 8 more plants still producing, or still waiting for the fruit to ripen. There are dozens of plum tomatoes still to harvest

In a few days it will be time to pull the Brandy Boy and Brandywine Pink plants. That will signal the beginning of the end of the Spring Garden. Everything else is still producing. This Sunday will be 6 weeks of picking cucumbers.

Today was the first day of picking the Blue Lake White Seeded pole beans, The purple and yellow varieties are starting to slow down. It seems the pole beans thrive moreso in the Fall garden.

There is also going to be another nice crop of the large bell peppers in the coming few weeks.

Here are the new totals as of today:

Cucumbers: 129
Large Tomatoes: 64
Zucchinis: 36
Eggplants: 12

Eggplant rollitini coming up.

2011-05-10T21:15:00.000-04:00

Eggplants are now needing to be picked every day. Still many tomatoes of other varieties still to be picked. The 3 Chadwick cherry tomatoes picked today are a very large cherry tomato. There will be more to pick tomorrow, including Better Boy, Delicious, Brandywine Pink, and Orange Sungolds.

Total harvest to date:

Cucumbers: 127

Large Tomatoes: 60

Zucchinis: 33

Eggplants: 11

Five more large heirloom tomatoes picked today

2011-05-09T22:01:00.005-04:00

As if yesterday's record 20 pound harvest wasn't enough, I stopped by the garden in the late afternoon, and there were five more heirloom tomatoes ripe on the vine and ready to be picked. The heirlooms have very thin skins, and there is a perfect time to pick them just before the skin begins to perforate on account of the tomato contents expanding to perfect ripeness.

Now that 58 large heirloom tomatoes have been picked, the amount left on the vine is probably down to single digits. These tomatoes are so amazing and so perfect, I can understand how growers have kept the strains pure for well over 100 years. It is amazing that these are genetically identical and are the same exact tomatoes that people in the 1880's ate, before hybrids came into existence. Not that there is anything wrong with hybrid tomatoes. Hybrids have been introduced that have been bred to resist many of the more common diseases that afflict tomato growers which cost the agricultural industry millions of dollars in lost crops.

Since the heirlooms are original strains, many of the diseases have not been bred out of the variety. This is all the more reason that I am just beyond amazement that I've had the success growing these giant tomatoes which are loaded with flavor. Each plant has more than reached and surpassed its expected average size. Each of my tomato plants has exceeded its expected height by more than 50% and has set more than double the amount of tomatoes.

The plants were started in my garage on Dec. 1st, 2010 using the best seed starting mix I could find. I used seedling mats to raise the soil temperature to the optimal temperature that tomatoes like to grow in. Once sprouted, with a near 100% success rate, and when the plants were about 2 weeks old and had set their first true leaves, I took them out of the 2 inch peat pots and put them into 5 inch cow pots using the best transplant mix I could find. I kept them about 3-5 inches from 2 four foot high intensity grow lights using a timer where the plants had 16 hours of light per day. I watered the plants from beneath by keeping the cowpots in plastic bins. I also kept a small desk fan running at all times, as it is very important to keep air movement in the room where seedlings are growing.

Here is a chart showing the optimal soil temperatures for various vegetable plants:
For tomatoes, 85 degrees is optimal to sprout seeds, and they can do well in cooler outdoor soil temperatures for transplanting, as low as 55 degrees.

When the plants were 6 weeks old, in mid January, they were over a foot tall. We planted them outdoors into the garden mixing in all the soil amendments into about 5 gallons of garden soil. We buried the entire stem beneath the surface of the soil, so that only the top set of leaves were above the soil level. Any leaves beneath that were carefully cut off with a very sharp stainless steel clean scissor. Then a Kozy Koat, also known as a wall of water was placed around each seedling. Even though we are in Zone 9, our last frost day is typically Feb. 15th. The Kozy acted like a greenhouse, keeping the seedlings in a warm, climate controlled environment, shielded from the wind, and from the cooler temperatures that both would have retarded maximum growth. The Kozy's also act to prevent transplant shock. I don't find it necessary to harden the plants off when using the Kozy's.

In just a few short weeks, by early February, the plants had grown to over 3 feet. After removing the Kozy's in mid February, the plants were staked and pruned. I pruned all the suckers and all but 2 main stems. The trellis system I chose worked very well and one I'd use again. I cut off all growth beneath 2 feet to give the plant plenty of air circulation and to keep it off the ground, where it would be more susceptible to bugs.

By late February/early March the plant was over 4 feet tall and was flowering like crazy. I put the plant on a regular weekly fertilizing schedule, and kept it watered in just about every day, with about a gallon of well water. Each plant yielded about 25 pounds of tomatoes. There really isn't anything much I'd change when next year rolls around again and I once again grow these heirloom tomatoes.

Even though we are in Central Florida, in early Dec. of 2010 we got hit with a rare early freeze. It is impractical to cover a gigantic plant and shield it from the frost, and the wind. Planting tomatoes in the Fall runs the risk of a plant killing freeze when there is still unripened fruit on the vine. Therefore, it is best to wait and grow these heirlooms under the more favorable growing conditions of the late winter and early Spring again. The Kozy's extend the growing season by easily one month. We were picking red ripe tomatoes by mid April, and have been picking just about every day since then.

Next year, I am going to be growing many more of the large heirloom tomatoes as I mentioned in an earlier Blog post. I will photodocument all the steps in real time. Now that I know it can be done, and I have proven that you can grow tomatoes in bug infested Florida, and without any insect or pest control, I am certainly eager to keep this really rewarding and fun hobby going. My goal by next Spring is to have as many as 8 of these heirloom plants, producing a yield of as many as 200 tomatoes or more, each weighing in at a pound or more!

Over 20 pounds of produce picked today!

2011-05-08T13:31:00.009-04:00

Was joined at the garden today by Sandy, Trish, Brett, and Susan, who was on her way back to Connecticut. In addition to what is pictured here, add into the mix 3 more large heirloom tomatoes, 2 more large cucumbers, and 1 more eggplant.

Since it rained 0.7" on Friday, there was nothing to do at the garden today other than pick some veggies.

This blog will now be read in the Connecticut culinary gourmet community--thanks to Susan--and enjoy the fresh veggies!

Here are the new totals:
Cucumbers: 125
Large tomatoes: 53
Zucchinis: 32
Eggplants: 8

And here are the same veggies pictured above, but split into 2 bins for take home.

Each of these bins weighed in at aproximately 10 pounds!

Easy to say we picked over 20 pounds of veggies from the garden today!

My garden assistant Sandy and I also decided to direct our growing efforts more toward the heirloom tomatoes for the next garden. They also come in purple, orange, yellow, pink, and red beefsteak varieties. (See http://www.burpee.com/ for their heirloom collection) By growing the really big tomatoes, we'll be able to greatly expand our pounds of harvest. Plus, growing these one pound and more tomatoes is not something you normally see growing locally. Now that I know it can be done successfully, and without pesticides, I look forward to more of these amazing heirloom tomatoes down the road.

Here is a Brandy Boy heirloom that I sliced into for lunch today:

For the small cherry tomato choice, the clear winner is far and away still the Orange Sungold. Basically, garden candy. Will likely grow 2 or even 3 plants of these. Whatever cherry tomatoes are second best are a distant second, that is how good these are!

I'll be posting step by step instructions on what I do to grow tomatoes, especially the giant heirloom tomatoes on this Blog once the next growing season gets underway.

Yet another bountiful harvest

2011-05-07T12:17:00.003-04:00

It is easy to take all these fresh veggies for granted and forget all the hard work that went into growing them. Actually have been able to harvest a nice variety of veggies for more than a month, and still going strong.

Here is today's harvest and update totals:

Large Cucumbers: 118
Large Tomatoes: 39
Zucchinis: 31
Eggplants: 4

The best idea of the week was suggested by my friend Lester. To paraphrase, his excellent suggestion was to bring a jar of Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing every time you visit the garden. Gotta love it!

Much needed rain today

2011-05-06T19:36:00.000-04:00

Total rainfall today was 0.7 inches and it was done by lunchtime. Enough to give the garden a much needed soaking. Perfect timing in that it won't be necessary to water this weekend.

Five more large tomatoes were picked today. I have been leaving them on the vine until the last possible minute, so they are ready to eat the same day I pick them.

Picked 3 more cucumbers today, bringing the total to 116. The large tomato total is now 35.

Most of the plants are past their peak due to the fact that we are almost into summer.
It is almost five weeks that the cucumbers have been producing.
The exception are the eggplants. The big eggplant harvest should begin in just a day or two.

Dinner was a tomato sandwich

2011-05-05T21:28:00.004-04:00

Been craving a tomato sandwich ever since the tomatoes have been growing in the garden. Sliced into a Brandywine Pink, larger than a slice of bread, spread a little mayonnaise, and could not have asked for a better sandwich. Tomatoes are good for dogs, and I shared the tomato with Yoo-Hoo and Derby.
Yoo-Hoo is pictured below licking his chops hoping for a handout. He is letting me know that he will gladly be happy to taste the tomato. After one taste, he came back for seconds, and thirds, etc..

Description from the Burpee website (where seeds were purchased):

Tomato, Brandywine Pink

HEIRLOOM. Dating back to 1885, this heirloom wins most flavor contests. Brandywine, which dates back to 1885, is the heirloom tomato standard. One taste and you’ll be enchanted by its superb flavor and luscious shade of red-pink. The large, beefsteak-shaped fruits grow on unusually upright, potato-leaved plants. The fruits set one or two per cluster and ripen late—and are worth the wait. Brandywine's qualities really shine when it develops an incredible fine, sweet flavor.

And this is the more red Brandy Boy sliced:

Serious heirloom tomatoes have arrived

2011-05-05T20:09:00.003-04:00

Seriously, I couldn't fit all the tomatoes that were ready for picking today into this one bin--there were more than you see here! The Brandy Boy's and Brandywine Pinks and Delicious that were started from seed on Dec. 1, 2010 have arrived! I have been checking up on them 2 or 3 times a day just to insure picking them at the peak of vine ripeness. This second wave of tomatoes eclipses the first, which were just a few compared to today. There will be a third wave of tomatoes in just a few days! Here is just an approximate indication of what I picked today.

The 3 cucumbers picked today brings the total to 113.

The total large tomato count is now at 30.

The total zucchini count is also now at 30.

Next up: Eggplants.

6 varieties of Tomatoes picked today

2011-05-04T15:01:00.002-04:00

Pictured below is today's harvest. First, the tomatoes: In the upper left are 2 Brandy Boy heirloom tomatoes, the larger one weighing in at 1 lb, 5 oz. In the lower left is a Brandywine Pink tomato. Next to that is a Razzleberry Tomato. In the upper right are 2 Chadwick Cherry Tomatoes. In the lower right are a handful of Red Currant and just a few Orange Sungolds.

Rounding out today's harvest are 3 cucumbers, 1 zucchini, 1 banana pepper, and a variety of stringbeans.

The cucumber total now stands at 110. The vines have attached themselves to the bamboo roof and I've been harvesting cukes hanging down from the 6 foot high trellis: There are a total of 5 plants growing on a 10 foot long 6 foot high fence.

Here are the Brandy Boy tomatoes ripeningn on the vine. Mostly all of the tomatoes pictured here will weigh in at a pound or more: I believe there will be 20-25 pounds of tomatoes on just this one plant!

By far the best producing of the 3 varieties of zucchini has been the Tiger Stripe. The total zucchinis picked so far is now 29. It looks like there will be more Buttersticks in a few more days.

In just a few short days there will be a bumper crop of the large Eggplants. Here is the largest plant that has more eggplants than can be counted:

Looks like no rain today. The 20% chance is now 10% but there is still a 20% chance on Friday. I watered today and used 2 oz. of Worm Tea as an additive. I also gave the yellow wax beans a little bit of granular fertilizer 5-3-4 to see if that gives them a boost. Still hoping for a good steady downpour.

Here is one last photo of today's harvest:

Summary of Tuesday's harvest

2011-05-04T00:37:00.002-04:00

Picked two cucumbers, and two zucchinis today. One of the largest tomatoes, a Brandy Boy, will be ready for harvesting tomorrow, and the eggplants are noticeably larger each day. There are dozens of eggplants that will be ready for harvest by this weekend.

Large slicing cucumbers: 107
Zucchinis: 28

20% chance of rain tomorrow. Tomorrow is a day off so I'll water in selected plants that look like they need it.

More on the very large ripe tomato tomorrow.

Feels like summer will be here soon

2011-05-02T23:08:00.003-04:00

Went to the garden to pick whatever produce was ready since yesterday, and was surprised by just how much I was able to harvest. Picked 3 more large slicing cucumbers, bringing the total to 105. The cucumbers have been producing for over 4 weeks now. Under the best circumstances, one can expect 6 weeks of production off a cucumber plant.

Also picked one Tiger Striped zucchini today, bringing the zucchini total to 26.

Also picked the first heirloom white cucumber today. There are also many of the red currant tomatoes ripening every day. And tomorrow I am looking forward to picking a possible 3 pound Brandy Boy vine ripe tomato. And more eggplants are perhaps several days away.

Here is a photo of today's harvest: The 2 green tomatoes were accidentally picked, but maybe I will find a recipe for fried green tomatoes!

Over 100 cukes!!

2011-05-01T16:53:00.003-04:00

It has been a week since watering, and we had no measureable rainfall all week. The mulch must really be working because I'm not seeing any drought stress . I watered everything in this morning using 1 ounce of Maxicrop per gallon of water. For information on Maxicrop, refer to this link: http://www.maxicrop.com/pages/benefits.html

Was met at the garden today by Matt and Brett and was able to send them both home with some samples.

With the help of Jeff, Brett and Trish we mulched the paths and put down the landscape fabric around the garden, then we finished intalling the fence for Myrtice's Ambrosia melons to climb.

Picked five more cukes today, bringing the total up to 102. Here is cuke #100 hanging down from the bamboo trellis: Thanks to this Blog, I can refer back to the first post and see that the first cucumber was picked on April 3rd.
April 3 - May 1 = 102 large cucumbers, from five plants, started from seed on Feb 6.

Picked 2 more eggplants today, bringing the total to three. There is a wasp, a beneficial insect to a vegetable garden on the left leaf.

Picked two more zucchinis bringing the total up to 24. Picked a Tiger Stripe Zucchini--our most vigorously growing zucchini plant: There are 2 honeybees in the open flower.

And picked a Black Beauty Zucchini as well:

There were also at least a dozen or two of the Orange Sungold's to pick:

There were purple podded pole beans:

And many of the yellow wax pole beans:

Several more of the Brandy Boy large tomatoes are starting to ripen:

The Brandywine Pink's are starting to ripen:

There were many sweet banana peppers:

There were many ripe Red Currant tomatoes:

The Razzleberry tomatoes are starting to ripen:

Here are some of the eggplants, and the giant eggplant in the center with dozens of eggplants:

And here is some of today's harvest:

And the rest of today's harvest:

First Eggplant has arrived!

2011-04-28T21:17:00.002-04:00

Pictured below is the first eggplant of the year, weighing in at 11-3/4 oz. It was picked off the largest of all the eggplant plants, located on the extreme South end of the garden. It was planted in mid-January using the Kozy Koat. It seems that is the secret to getting the plants off to an early start. I am going to track the total eggplant harvest, and try to determine the optimal size to harvest the eggplants.

From what I've read, it is better to pick sooner rather than later. The eggplant picked today still had a nice shiny glossy outer skin. I read that when the outer skin turns dull you've waited too long. Rather than pull the eggplant off the vine, it is suggested that the stem be cut using a knife or scissor--the stem can be sharp.

After work, went to the garden with Karen and we picked 7 more large slicing cucumbers and 2 zucchinis, bringing the total to 97 cucumbers and 22 zucchinis. I anticipate that cucumber #100 will be harvested as soon as tomorrow!

Also picked a few peppers, several smaller cucumbers, purple and yellow beans, orange sungold, red currant, and a Better Boy tomato.

Another colorful harvest

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Just about another day or two and the eggplants will be ready. Also waiting on more of the large heirloom tomatoes. In the meantime, there is still plenty to pick. 6 more cucumbers today and 2 more zucchinis brings the total to 90 cucumbers and 20 zucchinis.

If anyone is reading my Blog and would like to sample any of the freshly picked organic produce please let me know, as I have been picking way more than my family and I can ever eat. You can reach me at odpadoc@verizon.net

By the way, I have 2 Shetland Sheepdogs, and their favorite vegetable are cucumbers from the garden!