Cindy - I'm still picking the first of each tomato variety. I picked two Pink Brandy Wine tomatoes that were my first of the year just today. One had slight nibbles the other had a thin healed crack 3/4 of the way around the tomato diagonally. But I'll still get a taste and some seeds. The tomato I set out on July 17 (Dester) still hasn't flowered, the one from July 10 (Marianna's Peace) has a lot of big green tomatoes. Usually Mortgage Lifter and Dester are my first tomatoes, this year I still haven't had a ripe one. I had a purchased Mortgage Lifter that wasn't a ML. I pulled that one today as it's a waste of sun light and air flow.

I also pulled a pepper to encourage another variety to set its first fruit.

I assumed you delivered to the chef!

John, actually the chef comes here. We trade, seafood for veggies. I know that he gets more produce than I get seafood but we love seafood and we are happy with the arrangement.

Cindy,

Hope you load up on lobster and seafood from the chef. Know he will love the tomatoes. I have 2 Chocolate Stripes seedlings now (that I am going to baby to make sure they grow)!!

That was a great article Lea, thanks. Those are some monster squash John. How were the Pink Brandywine tomatoes? I had some really good ones last year, hope yours are too. Are cucumbers that big good to eat?

Richard - I didn't try the Pink Brandywines yet. We had a Red Brandywine yesterday which isn't notable. This one had a few seed cavities with black seed, which is the 2nd time that's happen this, my only, year. I ate the tomato with the overripe seeds cutout. The big cuke and zucchini are only for seeds for next year. I might try the cuke, just to see, probably bitter. Will let you know if I do try it.

I raise Pink Brandywine, Suddeth strain.

John and Richard - This may sound strange but I've grown tired of lobster. Today I got scallops and cod. His cod is so good! Going to cook both tomorrow for football Sunday.

Wayne - I also grow the Sudduth strain of Pink Brandywine.

Cindy Free cod and scallops are good.. Does he give you any credit with his customers. And; do you want any?

Cindy I never get tired of lobster-that said, I only have it once or twice a month. It is actually cheaper than the good cuts of steak around here. Shrimp is probably the best deal, since I can get 3 or 4 meals out of a pound. I do like cod too (like most white fish).

John - They used to have a restaurant not too far from us and, if I was coming in for dinner, he would have "Cindy's Heirloom Tomato Salad" on the menu. Now he's in DC and I haven't been to this restaurant yet because it's so far.

Richard - I just get tired of lobster and my DH doesn't like it at all. Don't think I could eat it once or more times a month.

Since I still have quite a few peppers in the gardens I decided to make Jalapeno Poppers for a snack yesterday. They turned out quite well. Used Billy Biker jalapenos. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo.

Was just looking up the official name of this pepper and some sites call it Biker Billy and other sites call it Billy Biker. IDK?

Hey John. Seeds arrived and thank you very much!! Appreciate it.

Still dry as a bone here, buuuuut, maybe a shower this afternoon? Fingers crossed. Having to water a couple of young fruit trees as the deep soil is drying out fast. I did pick the first 2 tomatoes from the late plants which have a good load of greenies. The fall crops have needed a little watering each day in this relentless heat but they are surviving. Battling pests like grasshoppers and cabbage worms. Cooler temps expected after today with 71F for the high tomorrow, brrrr, nyuk.

Transferred the first load of cured sweet potatoes to the inside pantry. I raked out the chicken coop/run (pine shavings mixed with manure) and tilled it into some rows where the late spinach seed will be planted in late Nov. Still cleaning up the summer plant plots where defunct melon vines and early tomatoes were growing, it's time to put those plots to bed.

Vgkg it rained here really hard for about an hour yesterday and we got a little less than 1/2 inch. It is 98 degrees today and humid-had 90s all week. Dreaming of cooler weather

Well well, I'll still have to use the well. Rain missed us, strike 7?...... :-(

We had less than 5/100"of rain today.

Garden Salsa Hybrid, Ausilio, Biker Billy hybrid, Cubanelle, Bella Rosa, Ancho.

Cindy - That's a great list of peppers with short days to maturity. But is Bella Rosa really Bella Rouge? Bella Rouge has 4" inch blocky fruits, thick walls, fabulous sweet flavor and 66 days to maturity. Green?

Hey John - I received the Bella Rosa seeds free with another seed order and I cannot remember which company. And I could be completely incorrect about it. It has been a good pepper though not very prolific. Yes, I have harvested it green.

Looks like our next best chance for any rain here would be Ian or it's remnants which could be here by next Friday according to present projections. Hopefully it'll be just remnants!! One heck of a way to get some rain. Good luck to you folks in Fla.

Inspired by Len I spent a few days building another garden but for flowers and plants. I extended off an existing perennial garden of ferns, hostas and coral bells under a spruce tree out into the yard for sun loving plants.

Dug up some Korean feather grass and planted it in the back, have a bunch of tulip bulbs for the front to plant now, and dahlia roots to dig up and add in the spring. I'll need to go back to Len's pictures for more inspiration on what to plant so it looks good.

I canned 103 jars of tomato product consisting of sauce, juice, diced, and salsa's, and out of tomatoes. It's time to focus on peppers with candied jalapenos first on the list.

Freeze dried some herbs to put in jars. Bought some gizmos to suck out the air from my jars with the food saver and they worked really well. When I open one to get something I can just vacuum seal the lid back on if I don't bend the lid. Basil, Parsley, cilantro along with a jar of freeze dried sweet corn, and like a candy snack still dry. With the success of the gizmos I plan to expand my herb selection. Imagine paying $2.49 for 1/2 oz. of fresh parsley at target, not any more! The walla walla onions in the back and needs to be diced and frozen or freeze dried because they won't keep like regular storage onions will.

Our good weather is done. The onset of perpetual clouds and damp wet ground will exist

until the freeze comes with very few sunny days until February. So the cycle will start again with the body weight I'll gain and lose again next summer, starting the seedlings in the basement, and waiting for the snow and cold to go away.

Kevin - Where did you get those black trays that are holding your canned goods? Thanks.

Oh oh. They are nice aren't they, well those crates were offered up on Craigslist for free from a restaurant in Minneapolis. They had maybe a hundred crates and stated the distributor didn't want them back. I took eight not knowing really what I would use them for. They sat for a year with no ideas until a bell went off and I tried a pint jar in one, they fit perfect with 15 to a crate.

They were made for 15 one liter soda bottles with dividers but I still haven't seen these types used anywhere by any distributor for the years I've had them. I did source them to the manufacturer who still makes them and they are called 1L 15 pack castle crates because I'd like to have a few more but I don't believe they sell retail.

The diameter of a pint canning jar is the same diameter of a 1 liter soda bottles so any crate for 1 liter bottles will work perfect for pints. if interested in some you could try asking a local beverage distributor if they have any old "1 liter 15 or 12 pack castle crates" laying around they don't want.(They will know what you're talking about.) No harm in asking and you may hit the jack pot. good luck.

P.S. They also fit the 24 oz tall ball jars.

I am overloaded with hummingbirds today. I had about 25- 4 days ago and all but about 4 or 5 disappeared ahead of the hurricane, but today there are at least 25-still probably moving ahead of the storm.

Thanks for the information, kevin.

RD - Are you expected to get a huge hit from the hurricane?

My hummer was still here this morning.

Cindy, it depends which way it turns-looks like Louisiana or Texas with winds over 130 mph. I know I have 6 hummingbird feeders out and all of them have had 4-6 hummingbirds on them since daybreak and they usually move before the heavy winds hit-so 2 or 3 days ahead of the storm, but there could be another batch of them tomorrow. I think landfall for Ian is supposed to be Wednesday or Thursday around here. If it turns back northeast we might only get a little rain. As long as it doesn't rip my roof off like Harvey (it was a category 4), I'll be happy. Might have to move my new plants.

Holy Moly we got a whopping 1/4" of rain last evening, but I'll take it. Looks like Saturday will give us 3-5" if the leftovers of Ian head this way. Still cleaning up the summer garden, the fall garden likes the cooler temps.

Here is a news Flash. It is almost the end of September! I've been reading through everyone's posts and Looks like you're all having fun. Richard I'm really happy to see you here.

I have been harvesting beans and tomatoes making salsa And 3 or 4 kinds of jam. Meanwhile my Winter garden has not been planted! I'll try to get these seeds sown in a tub tomorrow morning before I go to play bridge.

Our spring was so cold lots of my dahlias are behind. This lovely just came out today.

Blueberry and strawberry jam; some of the blueberry did not set up which is fine as it makes super great pancake syrup. We put in 7 more blueberry plants and 3 tiny huckleberry plants.. I hope to live long enough to get a huckleberry pie off of them:)

Chimayo peppers are really tasty with just a little spice. I have been chomping on them while out in the garden so probably won't have enough to pickle.

Thanks Len

Seeds and Such has a 30% off all seeds in a fall closeout sale. It is 63 degrees here this morning-waiting to see how many hummingbirds are still here-had about 15-20 last night

Len, are the huckleberry plants hard twig pereannials?

We used to raise garden huckleberry which were like annuals with purple berries that were upturned clusters...not those very small hanging type. You had to crush the berries [tart] and add sugar when making a pie and it left you with a purple mouth.

vgkg, Here is a link to projected rainfall from Ian. I may not get any .

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/161142.shtml?rainqpf#contents

Thanks Wayne, yeah you're too far west for Ian unless it does some weird maneuvers, still can't rule it out. The confused spaghetti models seem to stop it over the SE after it's nails Fla and after 4-5 days out it's anyone's guess. Richmond may yet get a good test of its flood wall built after Anges in back 72". This is the first time since Spring when I felt positive about getting some rain. I just hope we're in the sweet spot somewhere between it missing us and flooding us.

We could really use some rain here, not hurricane amounts but more than the drizzle that we have had. So far in Sept. we have had .03", our last significant rainfall was June 6. We have also had 29 days this summer of 90F or above, and very low humidity. Forecast is for rain tomorrow into Thursday-I am hopeful but it won't begin to soak the ground.

Wayne, the huckleberries I am hoping will grow are Vaccinium ovatum 'Cascade Sunburst', which is a relatively new hybrid selection of wild huckleberry. It is a woody shrub...the wild ones grow all through the mountains and in some of the lowlands here in the northwest and I think in northeast as well. The berries are dark purple and juice will stain cloth and teeth. The flavor is unique. This cultivar is supposed to have lots of spring and fall foliage color and of course great tasting fruit

When we were children my parents took us into the woods to pick them....many hands make light work...and we had pies and huckleberry pancakes.

The plants that I bought were in 1 Qt pots, about 2 years from being rooted cuttings, so probably 2-3 years from significant fruiting if they thrive here. Optimistically I will add another variety (much easier to find) so that there is ample pollination available.

Hi again everybody, but especially Richard. Good to see you here again and actively planting. :-)

I am trying to get back in the groove after a 2-week cruise. Lovely time. Alaska is amazing. Vancouver Cruise Port is awful and contributed to us missing our flight out on Sunday. We did manage to get safely home on Monday. Unfortunately, my hubby brought home the unexpected souvenir of Covid. Has been mild, and I am still testing negative. Whew!

Rain, rain...I feel for the folks in the path of Ian right now, but I sure wish I could have some of that moisture. During our absence about .5" fell in my gauge. We've had a bit more that Lea this summer, but not by much. I did miss out on a few 100 degree days while on my trip. Not sorry about that.

There wasn't too much to harvest in my absence other than peppers and melons. I had a friend watching over things. I think she got her fill of melon as did all her friends and neighbors. I returned to some cherry tomatoes ripened with more to come. When I left it had been several weeks without any. That's never happened to me with a cherry-type. The other 'big' tomatoes had basically shut down too, due to the heat this summer. The Yaqui (roma-type) had a dry spell too, but there were several set on and getting big when I left. I see now that there are some starting to ripen. Maybe there will be enough to do something with. The one Wessel's Purple plant had only produced 2 tomatoes earlier. Now I see that there are several. That variety has sure been hit or miss for me. Last year I had loads.

I'm still trying to get back in the swing of things, and getting caught up at work. I've not read through this thread yet, but wanted to chime in. More later...

I have started to strip my veggie gardens. Completely dismantled one of them yesterday and started on the other one today. This one is much larger so it will take longer.

Still harvesting lots of peppers and doubt that we will use all of them. Might pickle the jalapeno this weekend when it's supposed to be raining from Ian. We really need the rain.

I'm still getting zucchini and tomatoes. We had a Fordhook zucchini over the week end and I took a knife with me today to harvest a Costata Romanesco, But I decided to let it grow another day. The Fordhook plants were planted late and look deep green and lush. But the 3 of them produce male flowers for the most part. The two remaining CR plants also have a developing fruit that I saw for the first time today. Beans should still be producing, but I waited too long between picking and they quit flowering. The lima beans are under a peach tree that reached out farther than I expected shading the plants. The flowers only produced sprigs that looked like stripped grape clusters a little thicker. There's a few pods maybe enough for next years seeds. Peppers are just starting to produce large peppers. The Lipstick has a pepper almost fully red and a couple more getting close.Jimmy Nardello peppers are getting much larger the week or two.

We've been harvesting a little bit of lettuce for a week or so, The 2nd hand scallions are producing greens again. At the end of the spring season I pulled the bulbs and dried them. Didn't know if that would work; but it did. Now the question is will these bulbs, if dried, grow again in spring. I let the Landis Winter lettuce go to seed and I can report that that idea works. Some of the seed fell to the ground before I harvested them and there's a cluster of lettuce growing there. The seeds are tested and passed!

Thank you Margi for your encouragement and kind words. I have about 3/4 of the tomato plants transplanted and will get a couple pictures today or tomorrow depending on the sun.

It's starting to sprinkle here now from Ian's first outer band hitting town. Still predicted to get 2-4" or more over the next 4 days in the Richmond area. This should plump up the 2nd generation of sweet potatoes. Glad I finished cutting all the grass yesterday, it's very thirsty as well as the fruit trees. Spread extra compost around the brocs, cabbages, carrots, and turnips. Battened down all the hatches for potential high winds and driving rain, the heaviest effects are expected over night.

I was just going to ask you if you were getting rain yet, vgkg.

Looks like it will be here much later, but I will be very glad to get the rain. The weekend looks to be all indoors. Glad I made a pot of 15 bean soup yesterday.

Here are the transplants-all tomato plants. I have a few squash plants and some saffron crocus too. Still have about 15 hummingbirds here and no rain. I got 5 or 6 videos-will have to remember how to post them to YouTube, then I will post a link.

Cindy as I type we got about ~1/4" so far but expecting up to 2" or more depending on where this tricky Ian goes once he hits the Mtns. The spaghetti models still show it backing up around the Va/NC border before heading out to sea so we shall see. I just want 2" over 4 days but beggers can't be choosers ;-) It is getting rather breezy out there, more to come.....RD, very nice crop of tomato plants you have there! I envy you, wish we could grow them here during the winter, we're down to 6 maters on the pantry shelf with 3-4 struggling fall plants with a few good greenies hanging on, they're swinging today, nyuk.

It just started raining here about 30 minutes ago. So far, it's very light.

I, too, would like a couple inches or more.

Richard - The plants look great!

Thanks Vgkg and Cindy

Happy Oct everyone, just topping off Sept here with 1.6" of rain. A good overnite soaker with another inch expected thru tomorrow. Looking out the window this morning at a very happy fall garden. Onward into Oct!

Richard you are starting tomatoes out while I watch mine decline and wait for Jack Frost to end the season for good. So many ways to garden!

Len, yeah I am actually a little late starting everything this year because I kept waiting for the clearance from my oncologist and finally I just gave myself clearance-can’t really start a garden in October, even around here. I usually shoot for the beginning of August as a start day for the fall garden-this year it was more like the 20th-that is why I stuck with mostly tomatoes-hopefully winter will hold off until December this year.

October thread:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6310590/veggie-tales-october-2022#n=2