Green Tomato Experiments

UPDATE 1

Okay - got out into the green house today before the thunderstorms hit (although according to one of our local tv stations weather app we had snow at one point - we didn't) and took some up dated photos.

We harvested Friday 7 Oct 2011 ... so these experiments are about 5 days old ...

Green Tomato Experiment #1

yes the tomatoes are ripening - well they are turning from green to orange

Green Tomato Experiment #2

I had several that needed pitching and one that was rotted so bad that I couldn't even use a trowel to lift it from the tray ... I washed off the tray and any tomatoes that had gotten the juice from the rotted tomato on them so hopefully they won't rot as well.

Green Tomato Experiment #3

while these do not seem to be ripening quite as quickly as those on the black tray, I think they may contain more of the orange-type tomatoes which will never ripen to red ...

Green Tomato Experiment #4

Look at all the beautiful coloring! not too many red ones in there, but then not to many bad ones either. 

most of the ripened ones I gathered today were the Roma type tomatoes, about a 1/2 pecks worth.

All in all about 1/2 a grocery bags worth of tomatoes had gone bad ... most because they had gone soft or cracked from the heat in the green house I think, but with these storms coming in will cool it down greatly.

Of course if I can't keep the dorrways open on the green house during the daytime it will still get up to almost 100*F just from the sunshine ... but if I can get that breeze coming thru the temp will stay around 55*F - 85*F depending on the outdoor temp and the amount of wind blowing thru.

well - I will have to check in on the tomatoes again tomorrow... but don't expect an update for a few more days.

After all, Rome wasn't built in a day ... and tomatoes don't even ripen that quickly

Green Tomato Experiments

Well we harvested the garden as I wrote before ... We harvested very bit of veg that was down there (save some of the plants which still lived)

We did leave the bigger corn field standing for the critters to munch on over the winter if it is as hard as last years was ... Kind of ironic when you think about how much we DON'T want the deer and crow to eat the corn when it's growing ... Different post for that one - honest

What did wind up with was a wide array of ripeness to my tomatoes ... From deep green to deep red to black (this got pitched - they weren't supposed to be black)

So the issue became what the heck to do with all those tomatoes? I have a lot of windows in the house but not THAT many windows.

So time for an experiment ... Or four

First is ine my mother-in-law recommended ...

From Gargoyle Gardens

Pull the entire plant and hang upside down. The theory is that the energy from the plant will flow to the tomatoes and they will continue to ripen ... Not sure if I was supposed to pull it roots and all and put it in some sort of lanter, but we will give this a try.

Next was an old standby ... Window sill ripening with a twist

From Gargoyle Gardens

I put them on the black tray used for starting plants ... The theory being that the darker color will warm the tomatoes up and help them ripen quicker ... Or cook them where they sit.

A variant on this theme is also being put to the test

From Gargoyle Gardens

Here the tomatoes were placed on the clear lids for the seed starter trays - theory being that it will allow for more light to reach the tomato and lend to a more even coloring all around.

Finally - and the last one hubby would allow (he killed two others ... More at the bottom)

From Gargoyle Gardens

We put several trays into the portable greenhouse inside of the permanent greenhouse ... I know it's redundant ... The theory here is that the excessive amount of heat will help to ripen the very green ones before they spoil as well as protect the fruit/veg frm the chipmunks which seem to have taken to popping in for the shelter at night.

Just so long as the deer don't make theirselves at home - I won't fret too mch ... Well unless they get into my late-autumn experiments of .. Well later on that too.

It has been a f4 days since I set things up and my youngest daughter has already brought in a load of ripened ones ... Bt she didn't pay attention to which trays or experiments she took them from. It is supposed to rain later today, so I will probably take a gander out there so I can have some more tomatoes for canning.

So more photos to come!

Stay tuned

Growing Wild

Well it's been a while since I've posted but I wanted to share some photos of my garden

From Ginger's Farm Photos

As you can see the crows have been having a blast eating the corn ... All those bare spots are where they snipped off the shoots to get to the kernel underneath.

The fields just started to sprout weeds this week after a good 3/4 inches of rain this weekend. ... And boy are they making up for lost time.

I did however come up with a pretty good way to keep the deer off my pumpkin & squash ....

From Ginger's Farm Photos

I used nylon netting - such as you would use on a wedding dress or a ballet tutu - and covered the top of the squash garden.

I have to keep going out to stretch it over the ropes, and it has gotten rips, but the thing that amazed me is that the pumpkin keeps trundling into it - it grips into it like peas to a trellis and they keep sending their runners underneath to try to climb the hill... but this would mean they will get mowed over which would be very bad for the plant, so I have to gently pull them up and send them back the other way into the garden ...

I had worried that having them under the mesh would prevent the bee from pollinating the flowers ... But today I found this:

From Ginger's Farm Photos

Look! Look! There is swelling starting behind the flower! Sweet!

Now to figure out a way to keep the raccoons, birds, and deer from eating it until it's ready for picking!

Meanwhile in the green house ...

From Ginger's Farm Photos

I finally have baby carrots ... They are all orange instead of the red, yellow or white I was expecting. I didn't think carrots "mated" but perhaps I'm wrong ... if so I would suspect that they would revert to the original type they were originally crossed with ... kind of like hybrid corn - some is so unstable that if they get pollen from another type of corn, they become field corn.

Speaking of corn .... what little crop we get will be coming in very late this year. I suspect somewhere around mid-September early October ... depending on the weather.

Bright side:
we will have sellable crop after the stores run out
The days will be cooler while I prepare it for freezing
It should tassel after the worse part of summer so it doesn't tassel too early

Dark side:
the kids will only be able to sell on the weekends or after school.
Those pesky animals will be trying to steal my corn for their winter stocks the same time I'm doing it.
We run the risk of the corn not tasseling at all because of the day light/warmth issues that come with the fall.

Personally I'm hoping to avoid schmutz ... it's a black fungus that occurs and can cause unusual growth of the cobs. The infected plant needs to be rep Ed completely and disposed of in such a way as not to infect the soul .... so no putting it in the compost bin or just tossing it to the side of the field ... I think of it a corn-cancer, but I've heard it's a delicacy in Japanese cooking.

Well have to go ... Didn't realize how late it was.

Planting the very old fashioned way

Well we ... We - like I did anything about it ... Hubby sprayed the fields last week with the lighter tractor while the fields were still a tad too wet for the big tractor to ge into ... E weeds had started to take over the plowed sections of the fields

But they make things so weak these days that it just didn't do much good ... It as supposed to start to whither after 24 hrs but even a week later ey were still thriving ... Stupid weeds.

So hubby decided that a couple of diskings would help things out ... And then he could plant the corn.

Too bad the tractor decided that it was done before it really began.

As soon as the risked got into the soil the water pump gave way ... And of course since the engine got wet, it stopped dead. And he ran to get something underneath to catch any of the moisture coming out - quick mover that he is, we were able to dig around the wet soil afterwards and get it (plus a bit more for safety) out of the field completely ... We only lost about a wheel barrels worth of dirt, not bad.

But that left us with a huge problem ... A whole lot of corn seed that needed planting and then there were the plants from the green house ... And the soil was too hard to do either easily.

Oh what to do ... We were really counting on those plantings to at least fill the freezers for winter ... If we can do that we'll be happy. Any extra and we'll be estatic but really we will be happy to just get enough for the table.

After an hour of self pity ... Hubby and I - okay mostly me because he was in a defeatist mood - began brainstorming ... And came upon an idea.

Granted not a brilliant idea, but one that would at least work for a little bit.

We have a hand tiller .... Oh the look on his face! I told him to do just a spot large enough for the greenhouse plants ... He was dreading it but I told him that if he just went back and forth instead of the length then he could make a plot about as big as we had at our old house in the city ... He felt that would be easier to handle and after all the idea was to get the green house plants in.

So I got the sons to go down to help him (I thought) so the girls and I could go grocery shopping and get some stuff for the younger one for a school project.

(you'll have to read mympost about the trip on my other blog)

I returned to find this:

From Ginger's Farm Photos

Hubby was tilling and the youngest was pulling out the ricks and putting them on the side of the field for use later.

From Ginger's Farm Photos

Hubby and son each took a rake to smooth out the dirt and then make a decent furrow ...

From Ginger's Farm Photos

But the hand planter was the best tool for the job, but it doesn't do so well in soft soil such as works best for the corn - so just a little extra help was needed ... No he wasn't pulling hard, it was more like guiding to keep the planter in the furrow.

Then when they were done, they used the rakes to cover the seed and tap it gently. Iv got special additive that holds water for hot days like today or for those days when we get too little rain (like July) ... But I forgot to let him know.

He did put down two packages of my plastic mulch though - surprise, surprise - and planted the pumpkin and winter squash!

But h he was so sore afterwards ... I felt so bad for him.

The young son and I went down to water the plants this afternoon - they looked so sad, that I wish I had watered them sooner. Hubby gave them a good drink before planting but the heat was so much today.

The GH got over 120•F today ... That is as high as the thermometer goes ... I wound up having to water those plants twice today to keep them from wilting.

Even my salad greens are starting to look stressed ... I will have to trim the whole lot tomorrow while the sun is low and treat them for going up to the cabin for the weekend where they will be consumed most ravenously.

Oldest daughter will be in town so she can make sure the rest f the plants get plenty of water and the tarps get put up for ventilation/ cross breeze.

Holy Crap Bat Man

I just caught the local weather and found that we are in danger of FROST for the next couple f days!

We aren't that far north .... Frost this late in May is unheard of ... its not unusual to have cooler than normal temperatures but not FROST ...

And with the rain that is expected this weekend as well -- we run the risk of actually having SNOW over the long weekend! It won't stick to the ground but it could happen ... It is more likely to be hail or sleet though.

Not good for the green house but even worse for the plants if they catch a chill .... I'm gonna be so bummed if anything happens to them ...

They are growing so well!

YEEE HAW!

We came back from the in-laws today (full story of the adventure here ... What a rainy weekend!

I don't know how much we got at their place, but when we came back we had 2inches in the rain gauge and we got another 1/4 inch in a single cloud-burst after we got home ... we've had at least one more storm go over head since the sun went down (thunder boomers and all, but it's been raining on &off too) so there may be more than that even.

Of course the local Weather Bug location says it only got 1/5th an inch ... I'm thinking they need to double check their equipment ... Hee hee.

But the moist weather has done some wonderful stuff in the green house ...

We've had to remove the lid from the plants and the salad table because the plants have grown so tall!

Salad table ready for harvesting Ginger's Farm Photos

Carrots - tray "A" Ginger's Farm Photos

hubby wants me to wait until after the carrots start to shoulder before picking them so we can have "baby carrots" ... But I'm afraid if I don't thin them out now, they will all die from over-crowding.

Carrot tray "B" Ginger's Farm Photos

Also ready for thinning out, and I'm thinking I would plant the Nantes carrots down the cener, but looking at them now, I think it might be too much for the pot to handle.

Swiss Chard & Collards Ginger's Farm Photos

Another one ready for picking ... I'm thinking it will help to thicken up the stalks as well. The leaves should be so tender that I will probable be able to put them right into a salad without the need for cooking. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Tomatoes &Peppers Ginger's Farm Photos

Now if only I could remember which is which ... Hubby can't remember if he turned this tray or not when we first did the others.

Squash Tray "A", right side out againGinger's Farm Photos

Had to turn these back around so that I could get a shot of the newest "arrivals" who popped thru this weekend.

Squash Tray "B" Ginger's Farm Photos

Turned these around so the bigger, surviving plants could get more light ... But their stems are thick and healthy ... Remember that these are the ones that I switched clear lids on and half of them died?

Squash Tray "C", first side forward Ginger's Farm Photos

Isn't that just the cutesy little plant you ever did see? I had really given up hope of it sprouting after all this time, but there it is.

Squash Tray "D" Pumpkins, front forward again Ginger's Farm Photos

A little disappointed - you see with the way the other trays had popped their last few seeds I thought for sure that the little budlings that sprouted a couple weeks ago would come up, but they just didn't go like the others ... I'm thinking that they are probably gone. No hope for them ... Poor little guys.

I'm so excited!

Hubby says I can plant the squash down on the long field after the next plowing, but he wants to plant a couple of rows of corn there too. I've even gotten "permission" to use my plastic mulch down there to help with the weed control ... Now my only 2issues will be watering and keeping the plastic in place.

M thinking of planting the pumpkin on the side if the hill where the burdock seems to grow so well .. But then the problem is ... The burdock blooms so well there. I'm afraid that trying to kill the burdock will also harm the pumpkin. If you know burdock - it is very stubborn.

Maybe I should plant them down in the long garden as well ... But then the upside of putting them on the hill is that the dog can help keep the chipmunks and deer scared away from them ... The deer know she can't get to then down there ... As evidence by the peas and beans which were eaten practically gone last year.

They walked down the rows and chewed off the tops just as they were setting their flowers like it was their own personal smorgasbord! And the last time I grew pumpkin over by the green house, they took big bites out of the fruit that grew before I could get to it ... But then the dog was on a tie-out otherwise he would have been all over them.

HOLY BUCKETS

Alright - this week the green house has really been getting warm ... okay, its been like spring in Arizona.

It has been getting up to at least 100*F on sunny days ... and the temps are warming up at night so it hasn't gotten down below 50F for about a week now as well. 

So what did this mean to the plants?

Well last week I didn't take photos because it didn't make a big difference - it was still getting close to freezing most nights (like 35F) ... but with this warmer weather I decided to take a look ... also because its been a pretty cloudy week I needed to see if anyone needed some water.

WOW what a difference in just one week ...



Pumpkins (LtoR:Howden, Dill Atlantic)



Squash flat C (LtoR:Sugar Hubbard, Butternut)

Squash flat B (Front to Back:Patty Pans, Black Beauty Zucchini, Yellow Marrow) Yello Marrow died after overnight cold temps

Squash Flat A (LtoR: 2rows emply, Queen Anne Acorn, Sitck-o-Butter summer squash)

Swiss Chard showing color, Collards widening leaves

zoom of Swiss Chard colors - wow they look cool!

Carrots B (LtoR: Parano, Purple Haze)

Carrots A (LtoR: Red Samuri, White Satin)

Salad Table (FtoBack: 2rows Garden Heirloom Blend, Pot & Patio Blend)

Okay - so what will these things look like when they "grow up"?


Pot & Patio salad blend: includes PomPom, Merlot, Little Gem, Victoria



Parano Carrots (I thought they were purple outside, orange inside ... huh)

White Satin

Purple Haze (this is the one I was thinking of before)

Collards (cut them up, cook them down - yummy!)

Dill Atlantic - supposed to get up to 800 lb for some pumpkins ... don't think mine will be THAT big

Howden - 10-15# per pumpkin on average ... but too watery for pies unless you slow cook it to prevent scortching

Black Beauty zucchini, love zuccs but they like to hide from me - last ones we grew were huge!

Cube of Butter squash - you are supposed to be able to batter and deep fry the flowers too

Sugar Hubbard - 15-20# a squash, and about 4-5squash per plant

Early Butternut - great for "pumpkin" pies

Patty Pan squash - the kids should love the UFO shape, about the size of a 45record ... um, bigger than a CD for those too young to remember 45s

Swiss Chard - OMG have you priced this in the store lately? I am soooooo hoping this does well for me



Queen Anne acorn - these will only get to about 1-2# each


I still have quite a bit of seed that I did not start yet, or may not get to it at all, because of two reasons
A) the weather has made the garden impossible to get into with the tiller, it just gets stuck
B)hubby wants to spray it with Round Up first to cut down on the weeds - really he shouldn't have to - I have all the plastic mulch we can fight over. I like it, he can't stand it.

But I have a feeling that MOST of what I have will not be grown until next year :(
Like my cabbages ... don't think they will have time to take off before their optimal time passes ... the onion seed, although I might be able to grow it during the winter in the green house ... my broccoli - can I cry now? I love broccoli, and was planning on freezing this to beat the rising food prices ... my peas & beans - staples to my dinner table, although they can be sown later and I should still get a decent crop from them.

and the corn ...

if the fields don't start to dry out, we will never get the corn in on-time! We have until the end of the month to get that seed in though ... especially if the kids are going to sell any of it before school starts in the fall.  Normally, when we get a crop, we have the first crops coming in just before the state fair ... but its been quite a while.

still time to get out the soil test kits for the kids to take some sample though so hubby can suppliment the soil.

Organic growing will take a while for him to embrace - it took me this long to get him around to "crop rotation" ... old ideas are hard to break.

Green Green White

Well before we went up to put in the docks (yeah like Mother Nature was going to let that one happen) we found that there was a bit of greenery happening in the green house ... But only in the salad table so we gave everything with a seed in it a deep drink and headed out ...

And came back to find this: (now this was only 2 1/2days mind you)
The biggest difference was in the salad table

From Ginger's Farm Photos

We have two different salad mixes but they looked just what we like to eat

My kids have come to love greens ... Well cooked greens, jus so long as I don't mention that there might be cooked spinach in there, they will eat it all gone! The oldest says it's a desecration of bacon to crumble it in greens - so used just steam & butter and they love 'em.

From Ginger's Farm Photos

Last year I bought some Swiss chard seed but never got around to planting it, but the seed packet said the seeds were good for 3 years and it looks like they are growing well even in this cold weather ... But the bigger plants are Collards ... Oh how my kids love collards! I was going to do up some beets too ... One variety for the tops & bottoms, and another just for the tops (they really like beet greens, but turnips are their favorites)
The collards will make huge plants and I'm not sure how big the swiss chard will be, but they will be multi-colored, neon colored ... I had some chard at a dinner party, I think the kids will like it.

And carrots ... If I get a decent crop (and it looks like I might) I can freeze what we don't eat ... I've been thinking of putting a line of nantes carrots down the center, between the Two different varieties I have planted in each carrot pot.

From Ginger's Farm Photos

These will be my reds and my whites ... Can't wait to see if they taste differently

These are my purples and I don't remember what color the other becomes, I think its a red with orange center

From Ginger's Farm Photos

It's been so cold that as you can see I've only gotten one sprout so far

Now here is the one that was amazing ... Not sure if I should leave the lids on to keep the plants warm or take them off so they can have some growing space... SQUASH

Here are my Stick-O-Butter summer squash and my Queen Anne acorn squash ... Oh they are growing like a charm!

From Ginger's Farm Photos

They are coming very nicely the stems are nice and thick too

How wonderful these have come in ... Hubby planted before I could instruct in how to do it to make my charting easier ... He's been on a farm most of his life and somehow manages to just plop in the seeds and he remembers ... It didn't really get into gardening until I married him so I need quite a bit of organization ... Ok a lot ... To remember which is which

From Ginger's Farm Photos

All summer squash .. It has some yellow summer straights, and quite a bit of zucchini (my SIL likes to make bread, I love it in noodle salads), and a Patty Pan - I've never had one but the UFO look of it made it quite interesting!

My winter squash isn't fairings so well though ... I hope I get a bunch, I love me some pureed squash with butter, salt &pepper.

From Ginger's Farm Photos

That one popping up is one of my Early Hybrid Butternuts ... Thought there'd be more of them by now though ... The next tray is even worse ...

I really expected more from the pumpkins, but it's just TOO cold for the seeds to sprout ...

From Ginger's Farm Photos

Here you see the single Howden that has popped thru ...
I had hoped to be able to plant them on the bared hill next to the green house to keep down the weeds and still be close enough to the house for the dog to scare away the deer who always eat it in the fields, but enough out of her range so she doesn't trample them.

This is how much rain fell while we were putting in the dock ... But that is just what fell into the gauge ... Winds were supposed to be around 15MPH during the storm with gusts over 25MPH

From Ginger's Farm Photos

Did I mention that for May Day we had Rain mixed with SNOW? We even had some snow this morning too ... I hope we don't get any for Mothers Day!