Oh my goodness that pie looks delicious! Tomato setup looks awesome. Looking forward to the community garden pics - Chrissy

Nice tomato setup!

Chrissy - Thank you and I have to tell you those pears are delicious and after picking them I paid 5 for a dollar, I will probably make them into a preserves the ones that are left. Also picked muscadines, chestnuts and persimmons at the u-pick farm.
At the winery I bought some wine and muscadine juice, it has a very good flavor.
Last season tomato set up, I had tomatoes on both sides and it got very difficult to water the other side.

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Cammunizm - Thank you, this season I have the same amount of tomatoes in the garden but they are scatter wherever there is space and I also left some room to water and spray for bugs and disease.

Other side of the garden

Silvia

The festival looks like fun!

Silvia...I know you have multiples of your tomatoes but when did you start the ones in the photo? Last year I was WAY too late and we ended up buying mostly starter plants. This year my timing was a little better and they'll be fine to set out in a few weeks but my guys are no where near as big as yours.

Julie - I like to have transplants that are 2 months old. The first plants were started about the end of June and I kept starting more plants every week because I grow for me and other people. Most are flowering and some cherries have small fruit set.
The plants that I donated were smaller than the picture like 6 weeks old but they had strong roots already and have been hardened to stand the weather outside.
If we are going to get hit with the hurricane, I will try to move the plants and the ones in the community garden are going to be staked down tomorrow.

Silvia

Silvia, Thank you so much!

I sat down earlier today with my calendar and updated my notes for next year. I revised my Fall tomato seed starting date to be June 15th which is right about where you are. Good to know I'm on the right track! :)

Julie

Silvia, after lurking for a while I decided to post something to ask you a question. Where did you buy your wire mesh for your trellis? I can buy 6x6 wire mesh used for concrete but it's not galvanized. Would love to find some that's galvanized.

Wayne

fbgardener,

Try the Tractor Supply Company. I believe it is called feedlot fencing. The bad part is that it comes in 16 foot long panels (very hard to transport)

Lou

Here is a link that might be useful: Feedlot Fencing Panels

Hi Wayne - I don't know where are you located but for me the best place to shop and cheap for delivery is my local feed store in Winter Garden. They are cattle panel trellis and I think they last a lifetime, I have it for a few years and take the weather well and are easy to clean. If you go to your local feed store maybe they can order for you, compare prices with the Tractor supply, last time that I check they were very expensive for delivery.
And welcome to the forum, you should post more often and let us know about yourself, this is a very friendly place.

Silvia

The garden is looking good Silvia!

I'm glad you had fun but disappointed you didn't work the grapes, I'll bet Willy and Cheryl did, oh, maybe not Cheryl, she was probably too busy testing the grapes ;-)

Wayne, welcome aboard! They used to call it Cattle Panel, looks like it's been renamed Feedlot panel but this is the one you want...and you'll need 8' T-post instead of 6 footers to stabilize it. Regarding getting it home, where there's a will there's always a way....

Tom

Silvia, BTW, that pie is TOO DIE FOR!!!! :-) :-(

Tom

Aye, here's to ways! And close feed stores. I've been wondering - why don't you all use the 5' horse panel?

~dianne

Lou, Silvia and Tom thanks for the info.

Silvia, I'm just south of the Georgia border in Fernandina Beach on the east coast. We have a 1.5 acres on the marsh and what a lovely place with all the wild life. Grew up in Orlando, so your area brings back lots of memories.

Tom, LOL, looks like something I would do.

You all have so much info and its so much appreciated, thank you.

Ok Dianne, you have Tom beat on how to transport the fence panel. LOL

Wayne

Hi Tom

The festival was a lot of fun but Cheryl did not go because she went there last year and won the t-shirt,lol. And we had nice company so we were talking.

And I just came back from the community gardens, they are all so nice and were gardening even in the rain, they staked all the tomatoes preparing for the bad weather. Here are some pictures of the tomato beds.

And I am also preparing my tomatoes for the rain, they are so tall that it was getting hard to put them in the porch, but it is all done, golden grape from you has fruits already.
I picked the last avocados and tons of eggplant, luckily for me a lot of people likes eggplants at the garden. I will be harvesting more sweet potatoes when the rain stops.

Silvia

Hi Wayne, sounds like you have a nice place and since you grew up in Orlando, maybe you can advice us sometimes.:)

Silvia

Hi Silvia, Please will You post the Recipe for that Tart. Looks So YUMMY!!!
Thanks

The community gardens look great. I'm very jealous of the people in the yellow house across the street.

Julie - I forgot to tell you that the best way for me to remember when to plant is by associating with holidays or birthdays, that way it is easier.

NC - the pear pie is really good and easy to make, you just have to change the quantities to the English measurements. I added more pears that asked for and I think turn out better.

Chrissy - The view is going to change soon because they are going to put some edges around the garden because the people who lives across the street don't want to see. Can you believe it?
On a happy note, I walked around the plots yesterday and saw that they had done a lot of work, some are so nicely decorated with happy trinkets and stuff, some children are coming to learn, it is turning out to be a good place for neighbors to gather and talk about gardening. Will keep updating on their progress.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: pear torte

What a pretty country-fied area in the first few pictures. Where in Florida is this? How yummy that pie looks!!

Silvia, You mentioned harvesting some sweet potatoes. Can I ask what variety you are growing this year? I won't be digging up mine until 9-15. I'm growing Beauregard and Porto Rico Bush this year. Last year, just Porto Rico Bush. We had an amazing crop last year, hoping for the same this year. Mary

Silvia, my pear tree had just enough pears for that torte,I didn't know what I was goin to do with 6 pears (1st time bearing fruit)
Now I know LOL

Hi Bluesky - Thanks, the winery is on Clermont and they have a lot of festivals going on during the year, the sampling of the wines is fun too.

Hi Mary - I am having very good luck harvesting the sweet potatoes. I have my best amish bush porto rico, beuregard, violette, valderman and other bush that I have to look up the name. This year I also added colorette from Echo. Here is the picture in case you did not see it.

Colorette from Echo

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Amish bush porto rico

I will take more pictures of the other varieties, some are whitish color, others a little purple. I did some harvesting yesterday and I still have some patch left.

Hi Carmen - We usually make desserts when company is coming because for daily meals they are too rich. Remember I told you about the u-pick farm? I always go to pick there and what I don't eat fresh, I freeze for later.
I also have a young pear tree, 4 different pears in one, hope to get some fruit in coming years. If you make the torte, you can also cut on the amount of cream cheese. I always change the recipes a little bit.:)

Silvia

I'm shocked about the people across the street! They have no idea just what they are missing out on. I'd feel incredibly blessed if I had a project like that going on and could view it every day from my yard, not trying to block it out. Such a shame they feel that way.
Chrissy

Silvia, I had a hugh Porto Rico like yours in last years harvest. I see Sand Hill Preservation carries all the varieties you are growing except the Colorette. I have a few more questions: (1) Do you harvest at the end of 90 days or wait longer? (I was advise to go about 120 days) (2) How much space did you allocate for growing this many varieties? (3) Will you post your opinion on taste, growth habit, and preference once you cook with them? I'm very much interested in your opinion before I venture into other varieties. I am currently growing in two 4'x8' raised beds as I did last year and I reaped enough sweet potatoes to feed two for a year. I'm down to my last frozen 2-cup package and I promised Hubby a Sweet Potato pie in Sept. Thanks for all your time in posting, your advice has helped me greatly.

Chrissy - The project is going so well despite the problems with some people. At the end they will have to adjust to the new view, it was the town who approved and collaborated for the gardens and a lot of people are going to benefit from this, I will keep updating on new activities in the gardens.

Mary - Sand Hill is the best place to find the bush varieties, they take a long time to ship but the wait is well worth it. I have not bought a sweet potato since I got the slips from them. The one that I got from Echo is not bush and was bought March 19, so after that it was planted and is all harvested now.
I have them planted all around the fence, I have some other things there like bananas. Because I always have a lot of slips I plant them about 6 inches apart each way and they all at different stage of growth, some were planted sooner than others.
My garden is small but to my luck it produces more than our family can consume so a lot of it is given away.
As far as my favorite is the amish bush porto rico because I like the growth habit, the taste and the production. All the others perform about less but they are still tasty.
Colorette is purple root, yellow flesh, those are the ones that I got big and I am waiting to have people over to cook them into something, I will post pictures when I do.
The other one that I forgot is the Gold Nugget. All the varieties that I have are good for eating.
I will be making a lot of slips hopefully coming next spring to share with others. I will probably make slips of the amish bush porto rico and the other one colorette that is not bush.

Silvia

I just finish making and eating this eggplant dish and it is really good! in case anyone wants to try, here is the recipe and the picture.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: eggplant in chermoula

Hi Silvia-- That is one gorgeous sweet-'tater ! Please, can you tell us where you get the 'Amish Porto Rico', I do see Porto Rico but don't know the 'Amish' and wonder is it a different kind from the regular 'Porto Rico' ?? I did get some bush 'Vardamon' from the grower in Tenn., out of season, and am starting the slips in cups and will place them around the garden later.... but would like to later try some different bush kinds.... Thanks for your help, sally

Hi Sally

Thank you. I am including the link for sandhill sweet potatoes, if you scroll down it is there.
Luther told me that he got porto rico bush variety from the steele company and when he saw the leaf of the amish porto rico he said they are different. You can always call the owners of the farm and talk to them because I don't know when they will be shipping.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: sandhill sweet potatoes

Silvia & Sally, I just reviewed my Sand Hill catalog and they have two listings for Porto Rico sweet potatoes, one is listed as Amish Porto Rico; the other, just Porto Rico. I'm probably growing the Porto Rico from the description. My slips came thru a local source. I probably wouldn't be interested in growing any varieties that have white or light colored flesh because they lack Vitamin "A".
Mary

Mary - I knew there were 2 varieties of the porto rico I just did not know how different they are. I guess we are going to wait for Luther to harvest and tell us about it.:)
I will be making slips around spring time from the amish that I have if you and Sally are interested let me know...

Time went quick and is almost time to pick summer squash

And today I will be picking some butterbeans and more eggplant. Cherry tomatoes have fruit on them.

Silvia

Hi Silvia, is that squash the Caveli again? If so you've done much better in you climate than I did....

Tom

Hi Tom - I was just talking to one of my brothers that lives in Long Island by the beach and they are preparing there for the hurricane, I just hope that everything is going to be fine just like for us. He said that all the veggies in the garden are so good! like the avocados, I told him about the sweet potatoes, lol.
And yes that is the same squash that I am growing, it sure grew up fast since I last posted the picture.

And here are 2 vines of winter squash that I am growing for the first time Sunshine, it is also doing well

And the cherries have some fruit set.

Silvia

Silvia, Thank you for your generosity, it would be interesting to grow both and compare flavor. Your Butterbean plants and pods look beautiful as all your plants alway do. Upon your recommendation, I was able to obtain Winter Squash seeds for Burgess Buttercup, Striped Sweet Dumpling,Musquee De Provence and also Table Queen Acorn last week at a local seed exchange. I'm anxious to try growing each one but I will have to wait until Spring due to a planned Fall vacation.
Mary

Thank you Mary, coming spring I will let you know about the slips and it will also be the right time to plant them for our area.
It is always a good idea to try new varieties of veggies, this way we and our family don't get tired of the same. You will like the new varieties of squash that you are going to try, the only thing is that the acorn varieties don't keep for too long, but you can always cook them and freeze them for future use. Have a great vacation!

Silvia

Looking good Silvia. In two seasons my Caveli's have been duds, but for the most part no summer squash does well here. I think it's too humid (or salty) with my garden being 8' off the brackish lake...I've just about given up on it here.

I've got 8 mature Solar Fire mater plants but no bloom set, nights here still 86F so I don't have much hope that they are going to do anything :-( I do have some Sara's Galapagos that have set but you know that's just a tease! I set all my fall tomato plants yesterday, two weeks early for me so we'll see how it goes.

Yikes! Looks like your brother's place is going to take close to a direct hit. Just like my friends in Eleuthera. Have you heard from them in the last day? Did they move to higher ground or a shelter?

Tom

Hi Silvia,

Looks like you have been busy as a bee. I don't know of anyone with the energy that you have.

I dug my sweet potatoes and I was disappointed in the amount they produced. I only got a couple five gallon buckets. I did a taste test and they tasted very similar. Yours might have tasted slightly better. Here is a picture of some of the potatoes.

My Sweet Potatoes

My fall vegetables are doing well. Had my tomatoes tied up well for Irene. But thank goodness we didn't get any wind and only an inch of rain.

Luther

Hi, here are a couple more pictures of my fall garden. My tomatoes, I use vine plastic clips and a line from above to support my tomatoes. Everyone has their own method for their tomato supports.

My Fall Tomatoes

I have several types of fall butter beans, limas and what we call down south, snapbeans.

My Fall Assorted Beans

Happy gardening to all,

Luther

Hi Tom - I talked to my brothers yesterday and they told me they were prepared, I will call back tonight to see how they are doing and if they have power in their houses. I can only pray for them, it is really not fair after the bad winter that they had.

And talking about the garden, I am keeping very busy most of the time using and giving away crops, yesterday was the day for the collards, the eggplant and the avocados. I am really surprised that people who were born and raised in Florida are new to the best crops that we home gardeners can produce, like everyone is saying praises about the Brogdon avocados, and the question that I get when I give the green glaze collards, "are these collards? but they are so pretty! no sign of bugs or ugly like in the stores, the neighbor that I gave even smelled them,lol
And the friend that I gave the eggplants said, I cook the whole bunch and they were not bitter or anything, they were great!

In the fall I don't grow as many squash or cucumber plants because of the nematodes being active and number of bugs when is hot. I grow only the compact summer squash and a couple of winter squash, they are doing well in the containers.
Tomatoes are getting big and struggling with the heat, you are probably hotter than me, I can see the tomatoes not liking the high temperatures, some do better than others for me when is so hot.

Started seedlings for collards, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, some herbs

And some views from the garden, eggplants and butterbeans

Bush green beans

The mini orchard

Hi Luther

Nice pictures like always! Sorry that you did not get a lot of sweet potatoes, maybe the soil was too rich. I have mine all around the garden where I only amended with used container soil.
And Luther I have to tell you that yesterday I was working in the garden and Willy said the same thing "I don't know how you doing, but you never sit down" lol
Your set up for the tomatoes is really high class like in the growers systems.:) I just learned a new thing from the community gardens, they bought some cheap wood sticks 2x1 for under a dollar and cut in half, they are 10 foot long but they are sturdier, so I got some this morning for the tomatoes that I have all over the garden now, like this one.

Silvia

How nice and organized your garden looks Silvia, as always. Your hard work really pays off. I avoid going outside as much as possible in this heat. Plus the mosquitoes are everywhere in my yard. I am looking forward to October.

I am growing sweet potatoes, popcorn, cucumbers, tomatoes, a giant pumpkin, eggplant, purple bell peppers, and more. I just give them the absolute minimal attention until it gets cooler.

Oh and everyone feel free to try alpine strawberries. The plants I grew from last year are still alive and perfectly healthy looking. There's no fruit now, but I hope to have some in the winter. Unfortunately most of my plants were dug up and killed by squirrels and I only have two or three left. I plan to start some more seeds as soon as I get motivated.

Very nice Silvia, funny that Luther says you're the Energizer Bunny, from his pictures I'd say he comes in a close second then ;-)

Remember the lime seeds you sent me? I started three seeds and so far two have germinated...I still have about twenty more seeds to play with :-) They're in the three Jello cups in the front row.

Hi Amber - Thank you. Is good to know that you are growing veggies despite the heat, soon it will get cooler, it always does.:)
A giant pumpkin will be worth it when mature, you can cook it and make many meals out of it.
The popcorn should be interesting, let us know how it does, I just bought from the farm a popcorn that comes in many colors, good as a snack.
Are the purple peppers sweet or hot? I thought about getting the black pearl but they are only ornamental I think.
This should be your best season for tomatoes, right? Wish you the best and looking forward for your pictures.

Tom - I just got in touch with my brother in Long Island, he is fine but got no electricity.
And your set up looks so good like the best experimental lab, I am glad the lime seeds germinated for you. I also have 3 seedlings going. Soon I will probably have to use the whole porch for seed starting, a lot more people around here are getting into the new hobby, good tasting veggies!

Silvia

The purple pepper is a sweet bell pepper. It is purple when unripe and orange when ripe.

I hope this is my best tomato season :) After all the bugs and disease in the spring, I went back to my previously more successful concrete driveway method. It is not as visually attractive or handy, but results are important.

I think the giant pumpkin is an Atlantic Giant, but I'm not sure. My dad sent me the seeds. He got it from a guy that got it from a pumpkin at the Circleville pumpkin show. It's growing in the earthbox along with a Jarrahdale pumpkin. I am sometimes imprudent. I don't really have big plans for a 1,000 pound pumpkin. I'd be happy with a 30 pound pumpkin. Just by attempting to grow a pumpkin, I am already the blue ribbon winner in my neighborhood because no one else grows them.