***2026 Garden Thread***

[AFM22]

Some glimpses of the garden right now

New tomato trellis is working great:

Close up of black krim. so ready for this to ripen :

Sweet alyssum by the carrots

Some nasturtium showing off its color:

Summer squash and cucumber establishing and hopefully fruiting soon:

Planted some popcorn a couple weeks ago

A zinnia hiding in the lilies

Harvested some radish and dill today

 

[Hydro2.0]

Some glimpses of the garden right now

New tomato trellis is working great:

Close up of black krim. so ready for this to ripen :

Sweet alyssum by the carrots

Some nasturtium showing off its color:

Summer squash and cucumber establishing and hopefully fruiting soon:

Planted some popcorn a couple weeks ago

A zinnia hiding in the lilies

Harvested some radish and dill today

The last few years my tomatoes have either split on the vine or turned black on the bottom. Any suggestions?

 

[AFM22]

The last few years my tomatoes have either split on the vine or turned black on the bottom. Any suggestions?

Both of those are inconsistent watering.

the splitting is from starting to ripen and then getting a big rainfall once the skin hardens.

the second is blossom end rot, which is from a lack of calcium. Once calcium is added to the plant it goes to a destination and stays there, like how calcium sticks to our bones. It won’t pull calcium from one part of the plant to move to another, it always comes from the soil.

99% of the time there’s enough calcium in the soil, but it doesn’t have water to transport it from the roots to the fruit.

to fix the BER add some bone meal to the soil every 2-3 weeks and just make sure it’s getting enough water throughout the summer

 

[AFM22]

These are the ferts I use on my tomato.
I do a small handful of the 4-6-5 every 2 weeks, and a small handful of the bone meal every 3-4 weeks. You can get both at any box store.

 

[Hydro2.0]

These are the ferts I use on my tomato.
I do a small handful of the 4-6-5 every 2 weeks, and a small handful of the bone meal every 3-4 weeks. You can get both at any box store.

View attachment 1342997
View attachment 1342999

Just sprinkle in the garden or do I need to till into the soil ?

 

[AFM22]

Just sprinkle in the garden or do I need to till into the soil ?

Rub it into the top half inch of the soil around the base of the plant with your fingers

 

[lonestar50]

My garden is way behind but the garlic is probably a few weeks away. Some of the leaves are starting to turn brown

 

[yoshi121374]

Starting to get tons of cherry tomatoes, and a few of my big tomatoes are finally turning. I'm kinda proud of my eggplants, and I just made some baba ganoush with them.

 

[Lindemann]

The last few years my tomatoes have either split on the vine or turned black on the bottom. Any suggestions?

I add a three finger pinch of this around the roots when I transplant my tomatoes. It significantly reduces blossom end rot.

 

[m.knox]

I add a three finger pinch of this around the roots when I transplant my tomatoes. It significantly reduces blossom end rot.

So far so good on my end. We have clay soil so I am constantly conditioning with Calcium Sulfate (gypsum) to get the calcium available. This year, I tried organic kelp + fish mixture from GS Plant Foods. Seems to be working really well.

Phucking BER is a drag. One year I lost almost 50% of my canners.

 

[AFM22]

View attachment 1348004View attachment 1348005

Starting to get tons of cherry tomatoes, and a few of my big tomatoes are finally turning. I'm kinda proud of my eggplants, and I just made some baba ganoush with them.

You must not have any toddlers. My cherry tomatoes don’t make it from the plant to the house.

 

[yoshi121374]

You must not have any toddlers. My cherry tomatoes don’t make it from the plant to the house.

No kids, the wife does love to snack on them though. I planted a ton of dwarf cherry tomato plants because we live snacking on them.

 

[AFM22]

No kids, the wife does love to snack on them though. I planted a ton of dwarf cherry tomato plants because we live snacking on them.

If you get too many, you can take about 30 of them, get a pan real hot add a little olive oil and blister them. Stir them till they start to break down. Drop the heat a little. Add some starchy pasta water from the noodles, then salt, basil, onion powder, and garlic and you can make a fast sauce in about 12 minutes

 

[AFM22]

Getting some nice color around the garden







And a bonus look at my beets about a week behind

 

[IA2OH]

I started some native rain gardens out of necessity in Ohio about 6 years ago now. Standing and puddled water and massive mosquito problem so bad I had 8 tiki torches around our deck when we moved in just to go outside. Solved the problem and 2 years ago stayed veggie gardening in a raised bed I built but still figuring out how to do it. Only thing I’ve done fairly successful was tomato’s then cucumbers but the cucumbers died suddenly both years after a small crop. This was earlier in the spring. Have 3 kids oldest turning 6 on Friday so haven’t had time yet to really dive into veggie crops like I should. But love the perennial and shrub etc gardening with native plants. Insane amounts of pollinators and fireflies in our yard now.

 

[IA2OH]

Here’s some more pics just now with the veggie garden


Here are some updated flower photos but it’s a green time will flush out more in fall with Asters and Coneflowers and such. Here is native Rosa Carolina supports 100+ species of native caterpillar super important.


Native Wild phlox
Native bee balm monarda fistulosa top pollinator attractant in the USA these are 6-8’ tall. Next to button bush and native sedges and big bluestem etc. Lots of native mints in there.

 

[AFM22]

Cucurbit flowers are so underrated.

 

[AFM22]

Pulled a pound of green beans today just in time for the 4th

 

[AFM22]

First summer squash and cucumber today

 

[AFM22]

Blech. I have found my newer tomatos on my SM have been forming some BER. Cut off about 10 tiny tomato this weekend. Now I just need to figure out if I'm over watering or under watering.

 

[AFM22]

Outside of the BER on the San Marzano, had some solid luck in the garden this weekend.

Bees have been all over my cucumbers and squash every morning. I did find about 5 squash bugs and 2 pods of eggs on one of the summer squash though. The battle begins.

Got my first tomato for BLT, also harvested the rest of my 2nd round of radish, and my first round of beets, plus my green beans.

The carrots are starting to bolt, and not many have any roots emerging from the dirt yet, which is a little concerning. All the peppers are loaded with flowers and small unripe peppers. Going to get a massive harvest off those this summer.

The popcorn went in late but is already about knee high.

The broccoli was too slow this year and still hasn't made a head, and with the summer sitting in 85+ the next few months, Im sure it will just go straight to bolt.

I did plant some new lettuce and cauliflower this weekend, so once they sprout I will be covering with bug net and shade cloth.

First non cherry tomato:

Eggplant forming

Modest beet harvest:

Bonus pic of some Chamomile (used for tea) blossoming

 

[Palmerhawk]

2 yrs ago I had a few Cherokee purple heirloom tomatoes and they did fine a were like candy sweet.
So last year I tripled that variety and with a wet 1st half of summer, I found out they do not like excessive moisture and they all failed.

So this year I did some those and other heirlooms like mortgage lifter.
It has been dry this summer and hot.
Perfect,right?
Not so fast.
My heirlooms are sick again.
The non- heirloom varieties look great right next to the losers.

Pissing me off.
No more heirlooms,I guess.

 

[AFM22]

2 yrs ago I had a few Cherokee purple heirloom tomatoes and they did fine a were like candy sweet.
So last year I tripled that variety and with a wet 1st half of summer, I found out they do not like excessive moisture and they all failed.

So this year I did some those and other heirlooms like mortgage lifter.
It has been dry this summer and hot.
Perfect,right?
Not so fast.
My heirlooms are sick again.
The non- heirloom varieties look great right next to the losers.

Pissing me off.
No more heirlooms,I guess.

big heirlooms are tough. I tried cherokees once and they all got BER. Like allll of them. The last couple years I only did early girl with some cherries. They have all done fine.

This year I went with Black Krim and fingers crossed, they've been doing fine.

 

[AFM22]

2 yrs ago I had a few Cherokee purple heirloom tomatoes and they did fine a were like candy sweet.
So last year I tripled that variety and with a wet 1st half of summer, I found out they do not like excessive moisture and they all failed.

So this year I did some those and other heirlooms like mortgage lifter.
It has been dry this summer and hot.
Perfect,right?
Not so fast.
My heirlooms are sick again.
The non- heirloom varieties look great right next to the losers.

Pissing me off.
No more heirlooms,I guess.

This may feel like overkill, but next spring consider calling your county extension and ask if there are any specific tomato that thrive in your area?

 

[Torbee]

This is “Jurassic Hosta”

I feel like I should enter her into the Iowa State Fair or something.

Never had a bigger or healthier one.

 

[AFM22]

This is “Jurassic Hosta”

I feel like I should enter her into the Iowa State Fair or something.

Never had a bigger or healthier one.

View attachment 1353156

That’s one healthy hosta

 

[Torbee]

That’s one healthy hosta

And my "resurrection crabapple" tree that I revived from a literal FLAT STUMP has its first-ever fruit 5 years after it returned from the dead.

 

[WDDT]

And my "resurrection crabapple" tree that I revived from a literal FLAT STUMP has its first-ever fruit 5 years after it returned from the dead.

View attachment 1353174

Good to see your tree made it.

 

[Palmerhawk]

big heirlooms are tough. I tried cherokees once and they all got BER. Like allll of them. The last couple years I only did early girl with some cherries. They have all done fine.

This year I went with Black Krim and fingers crossed, they've been doing fine.

Guess I just got lucky the first year.maybe I give extension office a call....but right now I am giving up on those finicky bastard heirlooms!

We got almost 3 inches of rain last Thursday and the garden has exploded.
We've been dry.
Cukes,beans, peas, peppers, broccoli and greens all doing well...as we enter at least 2 weeks of heat dome.
Field corn has literally grown 3 foot+ the last ten days and is over 8 foot now.
Soybeans look good also but both crops are entering pollination stage ( corn now) beans in august, so timely rain and no hail will tell the tale.

 

[AFM22]

Guess I just got lucky the first year.maybe I give extension office a call....but right now I am giving up on those finicky bastard heirlooms!

We got almost 3 inches of rain last Thursday and the garden has exploded.
We've been dry.
Cukes,beans, peas, peppers, broccoli and greens all doing well...as we enter at least 2 weeks of heat dome.
Field corn has literally grown 3 foot+ the last ten days and is over 8 foot now.
Soybeans look good also but both crops are entering pollination stage ( corn now) beans in august, so timely rain and no hail will tell the tale.

I've had great luck with Early Girls. They're smaller than heirloom but they produce. Also maybe look into Cherokee Carbons. They're a bit smaller than purples, but they have some of the resistances that purple's dont.

 

[yoshi121374]

I've had great luck with Early Girls. They're smaller than heirloom but they produce. Also maybe look into Cherokee Carbons. They're a bit smaller than purples, but they have some of the resistances that purple's dont.

Black Krim is another option.

 

[Torbee]

Black Krim is another option.

Black Krim sounds like a superhero from Wakanda

 

[AFM22]

Black Krim is another option.

That's what I've been growing this year and no issues (fingers crossed).

I do have some BER on my san marzanos but that's pretty common so im not too worried just yet.

 

[IA2OH]

Not a great photo but the rain gardens starting to pop with a bit of color after this massive heatwave here in SW Ohio. Got about 20 cherry tomatoes too this wknd.

 

[yoshi121374]

Today's haul from the garden. I also made some sundried tomatoes from some of my excess Cherry tomatoes. I still have 3 quart bags full of cherry tomatoes outside of what is pictured here.

 

[AFM22]

Today's haul from the garden. I also made some sundried tomatoes from some of my excess Cherry tomatoes. I still have 3 quart bags full of cherry tomatoes outside of what is pictured here.View attachment 1353950View attachment 1353951View attachment 1353952

Solid harvest. Congrats!

 

[Rifler]

Guess I just got lucky the first year.maybe I give extension office a call....but right now I am giving up on those finicky bastard heirlooms!

Next time try them in a new location,.. Tomatoes in general don't like being planted in the same place year after year, and I've noticed that the heirlooms tend to be even touchier in that regard.

 

[AFM22]

Next time try them in a new location,.. Tomatoes in general don't like being planted in the same place year after year, and I've noticed that the heirlooms tend to be even touchier in that regard.

I have done mine in the same place for the last 5 years. However, each year I dress with a couple inches of compost and amend with a lot of bone meal and tomato fert.

 

[Rifler]

I have done mine in the same place for the last 5 years. However, each year I dress with a couple inches of compost and amend with a lot of bone meal and tomato fert.

I used to do that too, but even with the extra care I was still noticing decreasing results year after year,.. Now just I rotate my tomatoes annually, through four different locations and every year is like the first.

 

[Palmerhawk]

Today's haul from the garden. I also made some sundried tomatoes from some of my excess Cherry tomatoes. I still have 3 quart bags full of cherry tomatoes outside of what is pictured here.View attachment 1353950View attachment 1353951View attachment 1353952

That big tomato almost looks fake it is so perfect. Variety?

As for the rotation I have 3 areas I rotate tomatoes in each of 2 gardens

But I am not putting down bone meal like I should,apparently.