For having as many problems with blight and heat as I have this year, I really can't complain about the tomato harvest, can I? I can't explain it other than I did start with about 30 plants, double what I normally grow. I have been getting a big harvest every 3 days but now that temps are consistently in the high 90's, the fruit is not setting well, so I think this will be the last harvest this size for awhile. I'll start doing salsas instead of canning sauce once they start to trickle down. So far this year though, I have harvested 100 lbs of tomatoes, of which 70 lbs have been Brandywines - and from only 6 plants! Considering that blight took out the Amish Paste completely within 2 weeks, and we had to rip out the Hillbillies last night, I'm going out on a limb and saying that my Brandywines, although suffering blight, are the most resistant ones out there, and are still going well in spite of it. Specifically, the Brandywine seed from Baker Creek, so I will be doing that seed again next year.
Now that we have the "nice" photo out of the way, this is what was going on last night in the heat and humidity - we couldn't put it off any longer.
These are the Hillbilly tomatoes, badly suffering blight. 3 of the 4 plants were tossed, and the last is only there long enough for the large green ones to ripen a bit in the sun, then it goes out too.
This Hillbilly still had lots of green leaves, so "Blight Boy" trimmed out the bad stuff, and we'll see how long it will continue.
Below is the Brandywine bed - although affected considerably with Early Blight, it continues to pump out 1.5-2 lb fruit weather and heat permitting. I haven't sprayed them with fungicide for almost a month, so these were sprayed vigorously after trimming last night.
Oh, yes, Blight Boy! (or my Blight Bitch, as I affectionately call him) - some people have a pool boy, I have this...
he's just as hot as any pool boy I think, and he's cheaper!
This morning brings the first day of the return of "humidity-geddon". I know lots of you were dealing with this all weekend, luckily we had a little reprieve from those temps for about 4 days. It was just long enough for me to really start to improve my mood - but here it comes again, daily 100º temps. Can you believe at 6 p.m. last night it was 1 degree HOTTER at Mama Pea's house than it was here? How's that for a strange weather pattern? I think her average annual temp is about 38 º (no, I'm not kidding), but yet she was hotter the past couple of days than us. The 4 day party is sadly over for me, however, 100 degrees right through the week's forecast.
I took this last morning before it hits to get outside and finish up some more chores, trimming a few miles of unruly grapevines, tying up tomatoes & peppers, pulling a few weeds (I'm giving up on that battle), and pulling some SVB attacked/dead winter squash vines. 8 am to 9:30 was all I could manage before the sweat and bugs started to get to me!
Finally, just a wee bit more harvest ...
Quadrato diAsti bell peppers, Jimmy Nardello frying pepper, jalapeno, cukes, bush beans, the first Chinese Red Noodle beans, and some little onions. Those are actually "Scallions Gone Wild" as I refer to them - I can't grow onions well here at all, but I find if I leave my scallions out all year and pull them late I have enough little onions to be able to call my salsa truly my own, LOL
I think I have enough to keep me busy inside during the heat. I'm planning on canning either tomato sauce or salsa, have even started some knitting, and am dreaming of sewing something for my little niece. Not sure if I'll get the time, but it's nice to have dreams, isn't it? :)
I think sometimes all I have are my dreams cause I sure don't get much done. That is a fantastic harvest for being hit by blight!
ReplyDeleteWe are back up to 30C today and it's only 10:30am. We are supposed to be getting rain but our forecast is always wrong.
Good golly, Maters! whew!
ReplyDeleteI am very happy for you! But in much depression. Eight plants in all for me, all putting on well...this morning, not a tomato in sight. Racoons? It can't be the deer, the hostas haven't been touched. And the heat! Excessive heat warnings through Friday.
keep it cool, sistah!
Ugh, heat heat and more heat here too. And I have to can in my un-air conditioned house. If it is 94 degrees outside with high humidity, I wonder how hot I can get it in the house with the pressure canner going? 1000 degrees? Your tomatoes look wonderful and you are so lucky to have gotten such a good harvest with such adverse things happening. I am getting scared there will be no salsa for me this year :(
ReplyDeleteAwesome tomatoes! Very encouraging after the rough time you've had. I'm glad you didn't give up! I can't wait to get some here. It's really looking like it could happen this year. :) Especially with our current temps. I'm thankful but HOT!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tomato harvest you've gotten, Erin. But you've worked your little tuch off for every one of them. Persistence pays??
ReplyDeleteLove the "get in there and get 'em" picture of your Blight Boy but you really should have shown his face in case everyone doesn't know just how handsome he is. (Well, maybe you don't WANT everyone to know how handsome he is!) ;o}
If your comparison of our heat alongside yours doesn't fully illustrate just how wacky the weather is this year, I don't know what does. By 10:30 this morning both of us were sticky, sweaty, very hot and didn't smell any too fresh! When will this be over? We couldn't sleep well last night because, of course, we have no air conditioning. (Why would we need it up here near the Frozen Tundra?) Maybe tonight we'll be tired enough to zonk out!
Awesome! Thank you for the tip on Brandywines. I will have to add them to the "to do" list for next year and see how they go here as well. Even though you've had it rough there, you seem to be getting some nice harvests!
ReplyDeleteI vote something cute sewn up for your niece! :o)
You have tomato heaven in tomato plant hell. I have nothing but little green globes, or little bare spikes where the blossoms have dropped. The Rutgers in the east garden are touch and go, just when I think they're beginning to look healthy the blight (or verticillium wilt, I haven't yet decided what it is) begins again. Alas, I have no blight bitch at my beck and call, I must go out and snip them myself. I can't even sew anything...my daughter has my machine! I wonder if I have the patience to hand stitch the garden netting back together where Annie jumped through it.
ReplyDeleteErin, how do you cook your noodle beans? Can you just boil them like regular green beans or do you have to stir fry them? I've raised them before and never even picked them, so I don't know what I'm doing!!! And what size do you pick at? I have some about a foot long right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with Mama Pea---no air, cuz we don't need it in the frigid north. It's a strange summer indeed. At most we usually only have 3 days on average that are too warm. This just goes on and on and on. Forever, it seems!
ReplyDeleteStay cool! Your tomatoes look great despite the blight.
I need to get myself a blight bitch! lol
ReplyDeleteI'm totally envious of your tomato harvest! I can't believe you've already harvested 100 lbs. Maybe I need to order some of those seeds, and I might have to do it soon - after your tip they'll probably sell out real soon. :-)
ReplyDeleteHey,I'm catching up with you,I have 3 tomatoes and with the heat here in MN this week they are getting bigger,they are only quarter size now but this heat and sun keeps up I'll be able to harvest them by sat. lol. its either lol or lots of tears-enough to water my plants. I saw the pictures you posted of the boys at camp,looks like they had fun. my little scamps running around here are still trouble. The other day I tried to catch a nap holding the baby,I thought Devin [6 years old ] and katelynn [ 21/2 years old ] were in my room watching cartoons,its to hot to play outside with Devin's asthma. katelynn came out of the room and says "LOOK" Devin made me beautiful---oh boy, momma is gonna kill you-he had got a hold of my thinning shears [ I cut my own hair ] he cut enough hair that would fill a 2 cup measure cup.her poor locks-but they will grow back.
ReplyDeleteBlight bitch - LOL!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think your pool boy is plenty wonderful. :)
Blight Bitch - I love it! LOL! I wish Marc would be my blight bitch. Better him than me.
ReplyDeleteI know I've said it before but I'll say it again - I love the look of those Hillbillies.
I want a blight bitch. ;)
ReplyDeleteI guess you at least have found a tomato strain that performs in less than stellar circumstances. The jimmy N's sure look tasty.
I have never been able to post a comment here, tho I red you all the time. Someone finally told this old technotard to stop opening my blog in IE...it was the solution!!
ReplyDeleteI have the same tomato problems you have. I'm in IL...near Scott Airforce Base (well-40 miles or so--I just figured that would be a landmark you might know). I canned my first small batch...I grew Brandywines from Baker Last year and they were awesome. This year, like a dope, I tried all kinds of different 'maters, EXCEPT Brandywines. Oh well...live and learn. At least I still have a lot of salsa from last year left...I will still get some made anyway. I canned tomatoes and okra yesterday, with a little onion thrown in for good measure.
I ordered that preparedness book you downloaded too...thanks for such a great blog.
You are all AWESOME, and I am a TERRIBLE blogger for not replying - and I will reply today to all of you! Rest assured, I am still alive, but I'm neck deep in a project right now.... more on that later :)
ReplyDeleteSparkless, I really am very thankful this year for the harvest!
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Melissa, did you figure out what ate them? That's crazy!
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Jane, did you pressure can the heat up in the house? LOL, once it gets above 90 with humidity I just get crazy so I probably would have said 1000 degrees, sure let's do it! Heat does funny things to the brain :)
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Patty, with the heat you've been having I sure hope your plants put out well!
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Mama Pea, careful now, the Blight Bitch might get an inflated ego LOL! Your heat is starting to settle in here as well today, blech!
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APG, I'm sure it helped that I planted 30 plants this year, too!
Gran, if you get on a sewing whim, when you are done patching the hole Annie made, you can come over and sew up the whole yard in bird netting and shade cloth LOL!
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the Author, I usually stir fry them, but I'm sure you could chop them into normal bean size pieces and steam or cook them the way you normally would. I have to admit here that I do throw a large portion of them away, I just LOVE the look they give the arch over my garden, but I can't possibly find a home for 2 lbs a day LOL
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Sue, you guys need "pay-per-air" from the cable company LOL, just for the few days you need A/C!
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Dani, you get 'yer own bitch, this one's mine! LOL
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Anke, I didn't even think of that, haha, I better make sure I still have some for next year!
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Judy, that heat you are getting should give you a few tomatoes at least!
Mama Tea, I'll admit he's pretty useful, think I'll keep him around a bit :)!
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Thomas, those Hillbillies sure are all over the place color-wise, but I do love the taste, very fresh and "citrusy", which I have found I prefer over the smoky purple type tomatoes... to each their own I guess!
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Kelly, those Jimmy peppers sure are pretty, and I marinated some in the fridge in oil today, but they are a lot of work it seems to peel them LOL!
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Akannie, I'm glad you're here! I did the SAME thing last year, branched out and grew a bunch of different stuff with less than stellar results. This year I did the same, (it's a gardener's disease I think LOL) but I remembered to keep the Brandywine! When you find what works well in your garden, make sure you tell people to remind you to plant them every year, haha. I haven't had the time to sit down for a long time with that big ol' book yet but I am looking forward to it when summer ends!