Daily Harvest

[CarolinaJim]

[Godiva]

Wow, you've got quite the garden going.

What's the big green thing in the front that looks like a pumpkin. Is it a type of squash?

I think I might try corn next year. I've seen it in a few backyards in San Diego and some are able to grow it.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Reported as spam.



The delicious, naturally organic, self-replenishing kind.
That's one beautiful spread. I'm seriously really jealous. Set an extra plate at the supper table; I'm heading right over.

[tripp]

Hey Jim,

About how many sqft is your garden? I can pick a salads worth of arugula just about everyday but that's it from my garden so far. I have 4 tomato plants that are well over a metre high, but I've yet to pick anything. There are some descent sized tomatoes on each one, but they've not started to ripen yet. Got any tips for getting the plants to put more energy into the fruit and less into the plant itself?

[CarolinaJim]

Tripp,

I have 96 sq ft in 6 4X4 raised beds plus an estimated 125 square feet in a circle garden. Then I have some odds and ends around the place. This is my first garden year on this site so I am experimenting with different garden styles and plant varieties.

As for tomatoes I can only tell you what I do. I water every day. I used a soil mixture similar to Mel Bartholomew's formula for square foot gardening. I encourage beneficial insects (predators and pollinators) and use no chemicals, insecticides (includes BT) or pesticides.

Based on what I have read and based on my experience living in a wide range of climates I think raising tomatoes or any other vegetable is site (soil, climate and fauna) specific.

I suggest working with neighbors or with the local garden club to see what they recommend for your area to maximize production. I also recommend visiting the Garden Web to find folks in your area and determine how they deal with issues specific to your area. Growing Tomatoes Forum - GardenWeb

[CarolinaJim]

Originally Posted by Godiva

Wow, you've got quite the garden going.

What's the big green thing in the front that looks like a pumpkin. Is it a type of squash?

I think I might try corn next year. I've seen it in a few backyards in San Diego and some are able to grow it.

The squash is a winter squash called buttercup. It is supposed to be ripe when the rind begins to turn orange where it touches the ground. I lifted it to look and it snapped off....

This is the first year I have grown this variety. I picked the variety because of it's similarity in appearance to the calabasa (sp?) that my wife grew up eating in her native Puerto Rico.

Corn is great! Just plant in a minimum of 4' X 4' blocks for pollination. I put 16 plants in each 4' square. The variety pictured is silver queen.

[Huntceet]

Originally Posted by tripp

....... Got any tips for getting the plants to put more energy into the fruit and less into the plant itself?

You need to pinch the suckers off the plants. It's kind of had to describe what a sucker is on a tomato plant. Go to GardenWeb.com and look for the tomato forum. It should be in their FAQ section.

Rod

[Godiva]

I didn't know tomatoes had suckers.

My tomatoes are ripening already. My Dad's are really late so I'll be giving them tomatoes and they're giving me cucumbers.

I also got some peaches, plums and nectarines yesterday. Will last me a week.

[tripp]

Mine are finally starting to ripen. I'll check out the suckers though.

In other news... I need pollinators. My squash and cucumber plants have all of these little fruits that keep dying after they've started to grow. Checking out google seems to indicate that this happens when the l'il buggers don't get pollinated. Anybody got advice on pollinators that I can buy and set free in the garden? I know that I can do the pollination meself, but there's a lot of squash and it'll be tricky to get in amongst them to do the deed.

[tripp]

Originally Posted by Huntceet

You need to pinch the suckers off the plants. It's kind of had to describe what a sucker is on a tomato plant. Go to GardenWeb.com and look for the tomato forum. It should be in their FAQ section.

Rod

Thanks for the link, Rod. It turns out I have determinant tomatos (Celebrity) and non-determinant ones (Early Girl). One shouldn't sucker or prune determinant ones (and I've been doing it out of ignorance ) but it's advisable for non-determinant types. So now I know. Now I just gotta get the squash and cucumbers squared away and I'm all set!