Today we harvested another beautiful tomato fresh from the vine. It’s called a Black Master and what an amazing flavor and color! It looks like we will soon be harvesting tomatoes daily.

This amazing plant has produced a number of fine looking tomatoes, which means there will soon be tomato seeds available for it. Well that is after they are ripe, fermented and dried. The flavor of this Black Master is absolutely outstanding with it’s sweet and rich earthy flavor. The scent is so amazing, I’ve so waited to actually smell a tomato that really smells like a tomato! LOL Those things in the grocery store may as well be used for baseballs, cause they sure don’t resemble tomatoes at all.

After weighing the wonderful specimen you see below, it was a 6 oz beauty! It’s quite a nice producer of 4-8 oz purple brown beefsteaks. This is one tomato I will definitely grow again next season.

Black Master Tomato

Happy Harvesting

Let me ask you this: How many strangers, have you given a plant to? Have you ever frequented a store and offered to share seed or a plant from something out of your garden? Have you ever stumbled into someone in the nursery section of a store and ended up offering plants to them?

Quite honestly, I can say, “I have”, to all of the above. Not only have I started conversation in the local WalMart, which ended up with me returning to meet the wonderful lady I met in the garden section, to share my plants, but I’ve also returned to stores where I’ve offered plants as well as seeds and shared them with the employees behind the counter. I have to say, yes, I’m a bit eccentric, but I really enjoy sharing with people. It was pretty funny to see people with their questioning looks as I walked in a store with a bag full of tomato plants to “GIVE” to a stranger behind the counter. All I can say to that is that the Good Lord has provided, from all over the world, LOADS of seed for me to grow, the ability to grow them well and an avenue to share, so I need to share with others.

That isn’t even remotely close to how many plants I’ve given to friends and family. I have plants all over the country that have been either shipped out, hand delivered or even picked up at my home. I always plant too many, but I always know that someone will enjoy them as much as I do.

So when will you share your works of art? Oh yes, those beautiful plants and saved seeds are absolutely works of art!

Imagine being the reason a family is able to put fresh produce on the table. Imagine a family in need, being able to supply fresh food to their family or even that family who has never grown anything from seed, enjoying the amazing flavors of home grown, fresh out of the garden produce. What a wonderful feeling!

So SHARE A PLANT / SEEDS from your garden! If everyone that knew how to grow plants, would share just a couple, it would make the world a better place.

Container vegetable gardening has been a real learning and rewarding experience not to mention a wonderful as well as frustrating method to use. Of course, being the first year to ever plant a vegetable garden in containers, I have learned a number of things along the way. Things I’ll NEVER do again, as well as things I really must do again or instead of.

So far, the container squash, both summer types and winter types, are growing beautifully. My only complaint is that after filling the containers with soil and planting the plants, the soil has settled. This is a very negative thing on the summer squash or bush type squashes especially. What it means is that there is a very deep trough for the plants to reach up beyond, in order to grow their fruit with some size and quantity. Though they are loaded with squash, they are reaching for the starts, in order to have some space to mature. It has caused a few fruits to turn yellow and fall off, but there are plenty more on the way.

At this point, we have had several zucchini meals out of the garden with many more on the way. However they would have produced better if I had let the containers settle a couple of days and filled them again prior to planting. This would enable the squash to be closer to the top of the bucket and enable them to sprawl and have space to grow.

As for some updates on the zucchini plants, below are some pictures….

And here is a delicious recipe that you can try with your zucchini….

Roasted Veggie Lovers Mix…

1-2 small to medium zucchini cut into sticks or wedges
2 carrots cut into sticks or wedges
1 onion cut into large chunks
1 cup fresh snow peas (or sugar snap that have a sweet pod)
Any other vegetables you would like to add (or subtract from above) – Celery, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms etc…these all work well.
2 Tbsp olive oil
Your favorite seasoning salt, rub or salt free seasoning
Smoked Paprika – (OH THIS STUFF IS TO DIE FOR!!! I use it in Shepherds Pie too YUM!) The only place I have found this is at Costco.
Parmesan Cheese (I use the grated fresh not the powder, however either will work and you can use what ever amount works for you)

***There is no exact science to this recipe, use your own taste to make it your own way.

Place cut vegetables into large bowl, drizzle olive oil over the top. Toss so all vegetables have a thin layer of oil. Sprinkle seasoning over the top, sprinkle with Paprika and sprinkle with parmesan. Toss so all vegetables are evenly coated with seasonings etc.

Place in a roasting basket and grill on barbeque until semi soft, but still crunchy on the inside. No need for dip, but you can sure try them with your favorites. We just love to munch them down as they are.

Just remember this is a finger food....like fries but so much better for you. So keep the size of the cut veggies to finger picking up size.

You’ll get your kids to LOVE vegetables with this recipe!

Things are finally coming together with our move and I wanted to share some really helpful information on how to keep your garden virtually weed free.

Until this season, I have always used techniques offered in “Lasagna Gardening” by Patricia Lanza. However, the possibility of moving and having to adapt to gardening with containers, has made it a bit difficult to apply many of the suggestions of this method. So I began the process of figuring out just exactly how I can keep the garden weed free.

What I’m about to share will work with both in ground (which we usually do anyway) and container gardening.

As I’m sure you’ve seen in my pictures, all of my plants are in large white buckets. So preparing the garden was actually a bit more simplified this season. The first step is to cut all of the grass down very low. This can be done with a weed eater or lawn mower. With the weed eater, you can actually cut it down to dirt and it will work beautifully. Though this step is not 100% necessary, it does make the next step more aesthetically pleasing. Then use “BLACK” landscaping fabric or weedblock and roll it out in the areas you want to place your plants. I also found this fabric at Home Depot for about $35 per 4 foot by 220 foot roll. Make sure to leave adequate space between rows of the fabric and also make sure it is the “Black” variety and not the “Gray”! I tried the gray last season and it doesn’t block the light, so it promotes the growth of grass and weeds, under the landscaping fabric.

At this point, you can either mark where you want to place plants in the ground or simply place your containers on top of the fabric. If placing in the ground, slice large X’s in the spot for each plant. Dig your hole, place your organic materials, fertilizer, bone meal etc in the hole and place the plant to where the stem is centered at the center point of the X. If placing containers, simply set the container where you want it.

Black Landscaping Fabric For Rows

Now between rows, stomp the grass down or cut it with the weed eater or mower and spread news paper between the rows of black fabric. Overlap the news paper over the top of the edge of the fabric. Water the news paper to make it moist and then apply saw dust, wood shavings or other form of mulch like bark, cut straw or hay, over the top of the news paper. Be sure to cover it completely.

Mulch and Newspaper Between Rows

Now you have a weed free gardening area for your plants to thrive.

Happy Gardening

I’m sure you’ve all watched the commercials about the Topsy Turvy and, if you haven’t already found out for yourself, wondered if they really work. When they first came out, I had already tried growing tomatoes upside down, in a 5 gallon bucket. The tests I did were nothing more than a complete joke and a waste of time and tomato plants. The measly little plants that came from growing upside down, finally produced two tiny little tomatoes on deformed looking tiny stems, where the plants that I had planted in the ground were beautiful, lush and full of tomatoes.

The only question in my mind was whether there was something different with the design of the actual Topsy Turvy. So this year, I managed to gain results with another test, but with actual Topsy Turvys and not my 5 gallon buckets.

During my tomato planting season, I had a huge amount of extra tomatoes, so I shared them with family and friends, so the results I am about to share are from plants that were planted at the same time mine were planted and have been grown only a few hundred feet away from mine.

As you can see, the container tomatoes, in the upright buckets are a bit stressed from our move, but they are doing beautifully. There are little tomatoes on nearly every single plant and some are so loaded with tomatoes, I’m wondering if there is a tomato food bank somewhere local I can donate some.

Container Tomatoes July 28, 2010

Now for the picture of the Topsy Turvy grown tomatoes. Amazingly, the upside down tomatoes look very similar to my previous test in the upside down 5 gallon buckets. The plants do not grow well upside down and as you can see, there are very few branches and so far, no tomatoes. The amount of energy it takes the plants to turn their branches upward, toward the sun, takes away from their overall production and growing season. Personally, I would never spend the money on a Topsy Turvy.

Topsy Turvy July 28, 2010

In searching the internet, I have read some reviews on the Topsy Turvy. The results were similar to mine, so why on Earth, would someone recommend these things when they deteriorate within the first year and they don’t hold enough water to keep them moist for even one day? You can bet you won’t find them hanging around my home in the near future!

Happy Gardening

Tuesday was fantastic. A couple of helpers moved almost ¾ of the garden…What an undertaking. If you don’t have to, DON’T MOVE YOUR GARDEN MID SEASON! LOL.

Now as for some updates, the plants are looking beautiful in their new space. While the move stressed them a tiny bit, they are coming along beautifully well. The tomatoes are everywhere and the zucchini are just about ready to pick the first ones of the season. Winning tomato was Cherokee Chocolate with TWO already harvested tomatoes. They were DELICIOUS to say the least!!! Interesting though, the smaller of the two had a whopping 4 seeds while the larger one didn’t have a seed in it. So I have to await the next ripening tomatoes to save seed.

Cherokee Chocolate July 26, 2010

Cherokee Chocolate Sliced YUM!

The Blue Podded Garden peas are in abundance and so pretty to look at, but the flavor…OH MY!! We’ve been eating them like snow peas. Mammoth Melting Sugar peas are doing very well and just as sweet as ever. I think they have to be my favorite out of all the snap and snow peas, but that isn’t to say the others aren’t absolutely tasty too. Without a doubt, home grown peas are the BEST!

Blue Podded Garden Peas July 27, 2010

As you can see, the plants have a lot more space and I’ll post more pictures when we are completely moved.

Garden July 27, 2010

Happy Gardening

For the past week and a half, we have been harvesting white snow peas. Oh they are so sweet and with not using any type of pesticides or chemicals, you can sit and munch on them right out of the garden! Not many have made it in the house for using in meals, but they sure have been great snacking food.

Heirloom White Snow Peas

While snacking on a few peas last night, though I didn’t take the time to enter the pest away fence and take a picture, I could see a glimmering…almost red TOMATO!!!! Believe it or not, it wasn’t my Cherokee Chocolate, instead, it’s on my Super Sioux, but in defense, the CC is a late tomato while the Super Sioux is a midseason. CC is coming soon, and Buckbees New 50 Day is loaded with medium sized green tomatoes, so any day now, we should have tomatoes from that one as well.

I’ll post a picture of it just as soon as it’s red! WOOHOO the first tomato of the season!!!

Happy Gardening

Well, the move is still a work in progress. Today is the first day that I’ve been able to sit down and write much. The move is going slow with the warmth and heavy furniture, but it is progressing.

We’ve yet to move the garden due to the fact that a fence needs to be in place to keep the hungry deer out, not to mention a recently spotted 400 plus lb bear. Unfortunately, we have deer that eat EVERYTHING, including all those plants that the nurseries swear are deer resistant.

After the past couple of weekends, the garden has just grown immensely. Last evening, I decided to take a picture to show just how few of the buckets are showing in my sea of white. It’s now a sea of green, enveloping the sea of white.

Sea of White Gone Green

Off for now, have to get working on the fence, so Happy Gardening and take care.

We’re finally in the midst of our move. Sorry I’ve been away for a short time, but may not have many updates for a week or so. I’ll keep you posted as to how things are going.

Being away from the house in the evenings, we ended up with a red tail hawk in the greenhouse. It didn’t harm anything, simply knocked over my WAY overgrown tomato plants….took me about 2 hours to pick them all up so they could be watered. WOW I had no idea they would get so tall in their small cups. Another lesson in how they do when not transplanted. As soon as I get a chance, I’ll post a picture of what I mean. We’re talking 2-3 foot tall plants in 3 inch pots.

So wish us luck on the move and I’ll post pictures as I can. Oh yeah, SUMMER IS HERE! Of course it hits as the move starts. So it’s moving in the early morning and evening and sitting in the AC in the heat of the day. No working our way from 60 degrees to 95 degrees, so the blood is still thick.

Happy Gardening!!!

While the Pacific NorthWest is a beautiful place to live, it has its drawbacks. One in particular is the extreme unknown on our growing season. While it can be mild in temperature and even quite warm, in the spring, it can also be wet and to an extreme. This particular season has been one of those extremely wet springs that we have grown to semi-tolerate. So what does this mean for the garden? It means that anything that is planted into the ground is in jeopardy of developing disease of multiple types.

In talking to a number of our local gardeners, many have had to replant several times as their gardens have just perishing in the extreme wet weather. While we expect April showers, we also expect a warm Memorial Day. Unfortunately, nature has a way of doing things without concern of our gardens.

After talking to several people in our local area, I found that I am one of the few, who actually has a flourishing garden. So I asked myself, what is the difference between my garden and theirs? In addition, I believe I mentioned previously, we live in a valley, where three hills surround us to the South, East and West, so when it rains, all of the water drains down into our yard. We are only dry for about 3 months out of the year. The only answer I can come up with is that my plants are above the ground and the water doesn’t stand in the containers. The plants get watered, but not drowned and aren’t developing diseases caused by being too wet.

From this year on, I may keep gardening in containers, at least those plants that need a longer season and need to be placed out in early to mid Spring.

Jungle Container Garden

While we’ve been away for a couple of days, our garden has flourished (including the weeds) and we’re finally getting the yard ready in our new home. As you can see above, it’s time to get some space between those lush green tomatoes. I’ll post pictures after our move and give you some great ideas on how to keep the weeds down.