How does your veggie garden grow (v.2011)?

Some of our garlic I dug up today.

Zucchini both green and yellow coming in like gangbusters. Other than that just herbs.

Unbelievable, it is almost August and still haven't picked any ripe tomatoes other than a few cherry tomatoes from a volunteer plant. Plenty of nice fruit, but green and not even a slight blush on any. I guess it is all the 90 degree days we've had in July.

Herbs are great, winter savory popping up. All my sweet peppers and the jalapeño are prolific. I get a handful of Sungold, yellow pear and red cherry every day, regular size tomatoes are there, just not ripening, I get one a week, if that and they have stopped growing. My heirlom Diva cuke is trying very hard, but for some reason the cukes drop off after about one inch long. Thank goodness the growers at the Farmer's Market are having a great year, because the throngs of people arriving by 7:30 am are amazing this year.

[Jenise]

Unbelievable, it is almost August and still haven't picked any ripe tomatoes other than a few cherry tomatoes from a volunteer plant. Plenty of nice fruit, but green and not even a slight blush on any. I guess it is all the 90 degree days we've had in July.

I would think 90 degrees would have had the opposite effect.

I'm about to pick tomato #3. Considering that it's not August yet and that we have yet to have a day touching 80 F, here that's pretty good.

Unbelievable, it is almost August and still haven't picked any ripe tomatoes other than a few cherry tomatoes from a volunteer plant. Plenty of nice fruit, but green and not even a slight blush on any. I guess it is all the 90 degree days we've had in July.

I would think 90 degrees would have had the opposite effect.

Actually, tomatoes will "shut down" and stop setting fruit/ripening when the temps climb consistently into the 90+ range.

Tomatoes at last! And it's only August!!! This is a still life of persimmon, sweet 1 millions, green grape (which I think is a miniature green zebra), snow white (anohter miniature), and a red one whose tag I lost and can't remember. I'm really disappointed in the persimmon. Good texture and juiciness, but it lacks that sweet, tomatoey flavor -- tastes more like what you get from the supermarket. I'm stunned at the flavor whollop of the snow whites and green grapes. I will save some seeds and propegate for next year, just in case I don't find them again. The sweet 1 millions are predictable and like candy.

August Still Life.jpg

Edible Bouquet.jpg

Persimmon.jpg

Green Grape.jpg

[Jenise]

I'm salivating over those green grapes! Well, over the whole dish actually, but the green grape's the "money shot".

But aren't you surprised, considering the slow start of what's been a relatively cool summer, that we're doing this well already? I am.

Even though members from other parts of the country are laughing at us by now about our enthusiasm -- Yes, I'm shocked as hell!! Those plants were shivering this time last month. Then, we had two weeks of sunshing and wamth and everthing just shot up and ripened over night it seems. But, I'm a happy camper. Though, I must admit my guilt and embarrassment. I've eaten every tomato from the garden for breakfast alone. I'll start sharing next week.

Jo Ann, I love your fourth picture of the tomatoes with the salt chunks. Are you using a macro lens?

Jo Ann, I love your fourth picture of the tomatoes with the salt chunks. Are you using a macro lens?

Not on this shot. Instead, I used the digital zoom setting (2x) on my Panasonic Lumix G2. You can use the digital zoom up to 4x before I have to change to the macro lens if I want to pick up something like a single hair of peach fuzz.

[Jenise]

Even though members from other parts of the country are laughing at us by now about our enthusiasm -- Yes, I'm shocked as hell!! Those plants were shivering this time last month. Then, we had two weeks of sunshing and wamth and everthing just shot up and ripened over night it seems. But, I'm a happy camper. Though, I must admit my guilt and embarrassment. I've eaten every tomato from the garden for breakfast alone. I'll start sharing next week.

You make me laugh! Yes, that's me too. Well, I did make one salad last week, and yesterday I used the few I had as a garnish on our lunch salad. But otherwise, have to admit, not only have I bogarted the others, they never made it into the house.

I've eaten so many tomatoes this week I'm wondering if it possible to overdose on lycopene?

First of the bell peppers were harvested this morning. Looks like a bumper crop.

In addition to the squash, we now have cucumber, beets, kale, salad greens, green beans almost. Loads of green tomatoes, but no red ones yet. Farmers' Market has wonderful selection of tomatoes including mixed cheeries and pears at reasonable prices.

I have abundant peppers, and Chinese Long Beans this year. Sweet banana, Cubanelle, Carmen, Jalapeño, and orange bell peppers called Oriole. Yesterday, I pickled 3 pints of the sweet banana peppers. Today, I blanched Chinese Green Beans, put them into Food Saver bags for winter use. I also am cooking up a batch of the beans with Cubanelle peppers and some of my Cattawissa Onions. Tomorrow, I need to continue with the pickling.
I found a recipe on-line for pickling my banana peppers that does not require a water bath. Hot brine is poured into the sterilized hot jars filled with sliced peppers, and sealed. The reviews were great. In two or three weeks when I open a jar, if they are fabulous, I will share the recipe, if anyone wants it.
How does your garden grow? Anyone else into the old-fashioned art of "putting up"?

My harvest this morning. The Chinese Long Beans are growing all over, attaching themselves to shade cloth frame. Peppers going crazy and tomatoes finally doing something although not much.

[Jenise]

I'm doing a lot of putting up this year, too, Karen. Having Bob home for lunch every day now means we're eating a lot more of this kind of food, and I'm enjoying the process. I just bust with pride every time I walk into the pantry and see the quarts of tomatoes there.

Btw, re tomatoes: I've been able to pick about a pint a day from the my fabulous Sungold tomato plant, though starting today it's going to be like two pints. The plant is huge, it's sprawled out to a shape like 6' x 6', and it remains vibrant green and enthusiastic in spite of the fact that the cooler nights we're now having have caused the Moskovich, Stupak and Stripey Roma to turn yellow and quit. There are little orange balls of incredibly sweet fruit everywhere. I shall never EVER not have a Sungold in my garden again. For contrast, what a loser the Moskovich was--supposedly an under 60 day tomato but I haven't had but a few ripe tomatoes from it. I'm picking the rest green and pickling them. The roma didn't set much fruit and has given us just one grainy, boring tomato. The Early Girl has been the other star in my garden, the tomatoes are good and plentiful, though it took long enough to get any. The Stupak was another upside surprise, they're small and not as sweet and acidic as I prefer but the abundance of fruit leaves me with no complaint. It was the first with ripe fruit beating even the Sungold, and it's fed us well all along. I finally stripped the yellowing vine bare three days ago and got about four pounds.

And my grape vine! I must take pictures. This is it's third year and where last year we got two or three tiny clusters of grapes and the year before none (it was a two year plant when I put it in), this year I have maybe 50 perfect 6-7" long V shaped clusters. But wait, it's actually one of two grapes I planted. The other? Nada.

Mu summer garden is never without Sungold Cherry tomatoes either Jenise. I first read about them in Sunset Magazine years ago when Sunset did a taste test. Sungold won, hands down for the perfect balance of sweet to acidic. I eat them like candy....grandkids in Sacramento made such a fuss over my Sungolds that our son now has to plant them every year, as well. In self-defense I might add, because the little darlings thought all cherry tomatoes were ripe when they turned that beautiful orange color. My tomatoes did rotten, even the Sungolds. Our soil in those beds is lacking what they need. Next year I will do better. We like the yellow pear cherry type too. Not as tasty, but still good and they look beautiful in a salad, their golden yellow to the brilliant clear orange of the Sungolds is truly candy for the eye.
Re: your grapes. How fun, are they wine grapes? Our neighbors across the street, grow them on a fence. I know they get grapes, but seem to disappear before I can sneak a few off to taste.

My basil is turning yellow; have never have had that happen before. I gave it some fertilizer today. Anybody have any other ideas.

My basil is turning yellow; have never have had that happen before. I gave it some fertilizer today. Anybody have any other ideas.

Carl-
Just a shot in the dark, but this disease seems to be spreading pretty quickly:

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell. ... Downy.html

My basil is turning yellow; have never have had that happen before. I gave it some fertilizer today. Anybody have any other ideas.

Carl-
Just a shot in the dark, but this disease seems to be spreading pretty quickly:

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell. ... Downy.html

Merci....just another thing to watch out for in the garden. This is awful!

We pulled out our tomato plants this weekend. I planted Lacinato Rainbow Kale: " From a cross of Lacinato Redbor hybrid kale we’ve selected this diverse population that includes the leaf qualities that Lacinato is loved for, overlain with hues of red, purple, and blue-green. More vigorous and cold hardy than Lacinato. Some plants will perennialize in the Pacific Northwest."

Also, planted a huge pot of different types of lettuce, cilantro, maché, and arugula. Mixed all the seeds up and spread them on top of the soil. Covered lightly with more soil. We'll see what happens. A few years ago I did this with leftover seeds, and had great success. It was fun picking the different leaves all winter. Tomorrow I am planting a six pack of Rainbow Swiss Chard in a raised bed. My parsley is starting to go to seed. The rest of the herbs are still doing great as are all my sweet peppers and the jalapeño. Weather is much cooler, and rain is forecast, but warm weather is returning in a week.
I'm planting a cover crop of legumes soon to put nitrogen back into the soil. It seemed to work well lst year, as that was the raised bed my peppers were in and they did great. Hoping for a much better tomato crop next summer.

Everything hanging in there except pumpkin and summer squash leaves.