Heirloom Tomatoes
Last year I gave up gardening on the south side of the property. The soil there was so inhospitable, probably from the oak roots underground.
We had a life event so gardening was on the back burner. I started a few tomato plants in pots on the patio and they did surprising well. I was able to monitor them more closely for hornworms and such. Luckily I had picked up a “cherokee purple” from home depot, it did well even through the record heat and was the best tomato I’ve eaten in years!
For the first time I ordered new seeds from Seed Savers Exchange as they had a great selection of the heirlooms I wanted. I stared them inside in August as it was blisteringly hot outside. They were strong and viable and this month I planted them out in pots, again!
We bought more lighter and bigger pots and the plants went in last week. So far they are doing well! I changed the potting mix and fertilizer, added “black cow” manure.
After scouring the internet for the best tasting tomatoes I started these:
Cherokee Purple
Black Krim
Black from Tula
Green Zebra
Black Cherry
Sudduths Brandy wine
Paul Robeson
From my seed stash:
Ananas Noire
Marvel
Peppers:
Golden sunshine
Feherozon
Hungarain wax
Alaku Sarga
seed starting spring 2015
Got a late start this year in the seed sowing department, better late than never though. It took a little more thought and work this year due to entering into my frugal phase. I used to buy the jiffy starter peat pots but this year the grand project called for recycled paper towel, TP and wrapping paper cardboard cores. Trays are recycled meat trays, markers are recycled plastic containers.
It took a few hours but spoon filling those little tubes with peat moss was a Zen exercise.
I seeded a tray each of tomatoes and peppers, then re-serviced my jiffy tray for herbs and flowers (mainly milkweed) I had so much fun, I actually unrolled three more tubes of wrapping paper so I can make another tray.
Now I can’t wait for the first little seedlings to appear. While I’m waiting, I have to re-design the garden plan. The black pots were an abysmal failure, and the soil around the oak trees stunted growth fairly badly, so while the little seeds are incubating I have to create a new home for them.
kohlrabi ready for stuffing
Finally the kohlrabi is big enough to harvest and my Mum is here to share her cooking experience and family recipe with me. She was so thrilled to see me bringing her fresh roots right from the garden and set to trimming the leaves immediately, flinging bug eaten or withered parts right into the compost. After the quick hosing off and trimming we brought them into the kitchen and finished the preparation. She relished peeling the tender green little kohlrabi’s tossing the puppies slivers as treats. We had just enough for one layer of the little hollowed out rounds stuffed with meat and rice to make the perfect pot of stuffed kohlrabi, or Töltött karalábé . It was a wonderful day ending with warm fresh bread right from the oven and a deliciously beautiful bowl of my favourite traditional childhood food.
Here’s how we made it: Recipe. I hope you try it and like it too.
update 11- 7-2014
Some wilting of leaves in the squash, cucumbers and beans, whiteflies? I’ll have to try a homemade spray?
Tomatoes are actually doing ok.
Shade is overtaking the black pot area, which tells me in winter there’s no sun and summer it’s a furnace.
That idea is a complete flop.
I picked the first green beans and they are wonderful, nibbled on some greens too. Turnips and kohlrabi are looking good.
First cucumber this week, “sweeter yet”
ninth bed
Sun is lower so pots are getting even less sun. Cherry tomato is hanging on. Beans are doing well, setting fruit. Csi Csa thinks its her domain. She loves the bean poles and does her slalom run through them all.
She is a pest and companion. I shoo her away and she’s right back again. Love what Chris Condello has to say about cats in the garden.
blossoms and first fruit
Joy from the black pots. The struggling cherry tomato has fruit.
Curcubits are struggling along too.
eighth bed
Yesterday I put in the eight bed. Found the wonky poles behind the shed, won’t be able to see how crooked they are after the beans grow on them.
Yellow squash seed in #1
Thinned bush cukes in #2
Kinko carrots & pot transplant #3
Nasturtiums & pole beans end of #4
Nasturtiums & pole beans end of #5
Marrow squash transplant from black pots, nasturtiums & pole beans end of #6
Carrots, corn & pole beans, nasturtiums end of #7
Pole beans, carrots, parsnips, turnips #8
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Panoramic view of my progress:
Csi Csa
She thinks this garden is a custom made playground and litterbox.
Not sure how to solve this. Have to make her a private catnip station?
fifth bed
The fifth bed is started, planted two new tomato plants and transplanted the very sad Roma from the black pots hope it survives, also put out four teeny tiny baby pepper seedlings; hungarian golden wax, Romanian anthoni, hamson and big red tomato seedlings. Transplanted kohlrabi, beet and turnip seedlings. I think I’ll just sprinkle seeds for the next generations. Planted sweeter yet cucumber seedling in second bed. Calendar said best for leafy, so I do the root and fruit but they’ll still be happier than in the starter pots. The bush cucumbers are doing better with the fertilizer application, greened up within the week, radish companions going fine. Beans and weeds are doing alright in first bed, lost a few varieties, too much rain, everyday for two weeks. Runner beans are doing better, but they were higher on the slope.
Lost
top crop
strike
slenderette
commodore improved
top notch wax
harvester
cherokee wax
pension
Weak
provider
royal burgundy
blue lake
Doing Well
wax goldcrop
tendergreen
roma II
Jade treated
Jumbo
stringless green pod
Gita
smeraldo
helda
white mountain
Pots Update:
Heinz Tomato dead
green bush marrow ok
pension bean ok
golden crop bean ok
lebanese white marrow weak
jumbo bean ok
roma II bean ok
tatume squash turning white, mildew?
orient express cuke ok
White flies all over papaya leaves, info PDF
Attracting beneficials
Is it over fertilized or white flies? Have no clue
compost
I’ve been doing it wrong, throwing everything in the bucket pile, scraps, shredded paper, clippings, I’m not bringing free compost from the municipal holding tank like I did years ago, so at least the toxins I’m throwing out are my own. No consolation whatsoever. I ordered the paper copy of Steve Solomon’s book after borrowing it from the library. I’ll need it as a good reference for the soil balancing. I also downloaded compost book. It’s free. I cleared an area next to the first bed and fenced in the new compost area. I don’t have all the straw and clippings and all the right stuff recommended, but I will at least put in healthy, clean stuff from the garden.
Csi Csa is mad she can’t get into the pile.
And Seeds 