"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

Hello Friends!

Friends, Romans, countrymen...y'all. Foodies, gardeners, artists and collectors - let's gather together to share and possibly learn a thing or two in the mix.

Donna Baker

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Gangbusters


My little pearl sized tomatoes did very well this summer.  The plants were as large as regular sized tomato plants.  The ones to the sides aren't really very large for comparison.  I learned a lot about my raised garden beds this summer.  The tomatoes toppled over the edge and were on the ground; hard for the mowers.  I might change their positions next year due to the amount of sun, on the other hand never mind, as they would be much too hard to move.  I do love having them at waist height and no weeds.

The mornings are cool and dewy.  It has been a very rare August - cooler and rain.  Wonder what that portends for winter?  I'm just going to enjoy fall, though, can you believe that Christmas stuff is already on the shelves at stores?

30 comments:

Joanne Noragon said...

Yes, winter sure is up in the air this year. It's in the sixties here, at noon.

oldgreymareprimitives said...

We're headed back up to 107-ugh - hurry fall hurry

La Table De Nana said...

Well you are lucky w/ your tomatoes..I am groing my prettiest ones yet..and the heat has left too soon.:( I saw someone who sells tomatoes..and her harvest is minimal..we have had one of the worst weather wise summers I can remember..we did not have one..today is stunning ..but fall is in the air w/ cool temps and I see indications of changing leaves..gardens are exhausted..too much work for them this year to keep prettty..they gave up;)

The Weaver of Grass said...

My friend and I called in a shop today on our day out and a notice in the doorway told that their Christmas Fair opened on September1st.

donna baker said...

Always triple digits and dry here in August. Strange.

donna baker said...

Oh no. I hope it doesn't move this way.

donna baker said...

Aren't you glad we don't live in the old days when a poor harvest...I don't know what they did to feed their families.

donna baker said...

For those of you out there that have to get the most popular present for grandkids, but you can't find it. Well, you can thank me, because it is the Nintendo II system. Small, not much bigger than you hand and all the games are already downloaded. It retails for about $80.00 and is selling online for $300.00. Go out and get a couple to pay for your Christmas.

Down by the sea said...

Our tomatoes haven't been so productive this year, I think it hasn't been so warm! We have noticed Christmas cards in the shops this week so it is worldwide. Not sure why you want to buy things for Christmas yet! It seems to appear earlier each year. Sarah x

Elephant's Child said...

Christmas goods in the shops? I hope none of our retailers read this.
Love your tomatoes. Home grown has soooooo much more flavour.

donna baker said...

Interesting Sarah. I didn't know it was a worldwide phenomenon so early. I have heard many bloggers write about the summer being different. Small world.

donna baker said...

These tiny tomatoes burst with flavor when I pop them in my mouth. What? No Christmas down under? Smarter down there.

Doc said...

This has been a great year for tomatoes for our area as well. We have had record heat and more in store.

donna baker said...

You are one of the few Doc. My husband's tomatoes did well, but are mealy. Do you know what causes that? I only grew the teeny ones. I have heard of that heat in OR and it seems to be rare.

Out on the prairie said...

You have a nice crop, those big ones need some bacon and lettuce with them, my favorite. I juice the small omes and they are very good, or make a sauce out of them. In Italy the sauce is called pacino and about 5 euros /liter. Headed to the rodeo this weekend, I like it too. Always wanted the buckle, but they don't go well with a belly. LOL

Doc said...

Mealy tomatoes are an environmental problem such as incorrect watering, drainage problems or poor soil. Usually corrected by adding more compost and improving the watering schedule. Hope this helps.

donna baker said...

Thank you so much Doc. I think I'll tell him to shovel some of the cow patties into the garden.

donna baker said...

I actually have an older woman friend that wears a large buckle. I looked at it once and it was for goat roping. I didn't know it was real. She's a tough as a boot so I bet she did. She raises cattle, is local volunteer fire chief, won a battle with lung cancer. She never married and no kids. That's probably what helped.

ellen abbott said...

tomato cages. keeps them contained and prevents them from falling over.

Share my Garden said...

I only grow small 'Red Cherry' tomatoes now as they seem far less prone to disease than the larger varieties. They taste delicious and are very prolific. I've stopped planting out of doors, our weather is just too unpredictable. The plants usually last us until late September but this year we've nearly eaten the lot!

donna baker said...

Definitely next year. Had no idea the plant would get that large. Also need to have a better plan for what to get in there. Had onions, lettuce, purslane, carrots, peppers, cukes and the tomatoes. Might have to cover it with chicken wire next year as the rat tunneled around in it and tore things up.

donna baker said...

Rosemary, you are gardener extraordinaire, so if you can get veggies to grow inside then I believe it.

Frances said...

Hello Donna, I am making the rounds of favorite blogs, having been away from bogland for a good long while. It's been good to get caught up on your most recent posts...very interesting as always! I love the looks of those tomatoes. NY farmers markets are still providing me with lots of delicious tomatoes...and it's still peach, plum and nectarine season, although apples have begun to appear on the farm stands.
Horrible to watch what's going on around Houston. My local summer has been pretty good, aside from long continuing and noisy utility repair and replace work along my street. Of course, political news continues to follow the negative flow.
Promise to visit again soon. xo

donna baker said...

So glad to hear from you, dear Frances. Hope that works goes swiftly. Hasn't summer just flown by? I lived in Houston for 11 years, inside the loop, and it has grown so large, the bayous can't even contain hard rains. I can't imagine the whole place under water. It will take years to repair and probably years before we can get the schmuck out of the White House.

RachelD said...

Your tomatoes and "Tommy Toes" as the tee-ninecy ones are called in the South, are luscious-looking. I'd love to have put the two GIGANTIC ones Chris brought home from the Pawn Shop (don't ask---he loves prowling the gee-gaws) and even the one he got at the Hardware Store (ditto) up beside one of your little pearls for a picture. THAT would have been a lesson in measurements, I'll say. The two large ones weighed a kilo each, the man said, and were convoluted like the Old Timey saved-for-generations seed ones in my Mammaw's garden, and had that familiar garden tang of a vine-ripe raised-at-home tomato.

He held the plastic bag up to the light and I thought he'd bought two cantaloupes with LIPS---that's how oddly stemmed they were and how enormous.

I sheared the hiney off one the first night and each succeeding meaty slice was more and more like a slice of steak. Not only did one slice make a BLT, they hung over the bread like these famous Tenderloins up here that use big burger buns and still end up looking like wide-brimmed hats.

Hope you enjoyed those beauties---we shared out HALF of the last one for supper just now.

r

donna baker said...

Oh Rachel, they are my favorite fruit from the garden. Those giant ones must have been delicious. We just can't grow them like that - deep red and perfect. There needs to be a recipe for soil to grow those. If only the sun, rain and temps would come together too. And, before the deer, turtles and rabbits find them.

jerilanders said...

I was very careless in my Veg garden this year, I just let the Tomato plants die! Squash was all that survived under my neglect. Glad you got such tasty beauties.

donna baker said...

I don't know how you find the time to garden anyway Jeri. Weeding, watering, planting and sowing... Only another gardener know it is nearly a full time job. Hoping for the best for your family, dear.

angryparsnip said...

Your tomatoes look wonderful.
Ihave gone from a bunch of plants in different sizes containers to only one tomato plant.
But... this year it is so hot that I hadthe side yard that had a sun cloth over it to a complete roof with new misters. So no tomato plants. It is the only safe area from the pack rats.
But 118 + the roof it much needed.

cheers, parsnip

donna baker said...

Oh, I hate the heat Gayle. The deer just ate the last of our tomatoes so we'll have to wait for new ones next year. It is my favorite fruit of the garden.