Garden surprise-and question

11 years ago

We got back Wednesday or so (jet lag is real) after having been gone on my Fund for Teachers fellowship to cool rainy France for 24 days - I had the garden on soaker hoses with a timer set for 90 minutes every three days, just hoping to keep the main stuff alive. I was really happy and surprised to find the peppers had produced like crazy, and all those Tess's and other small tough tomatoes I thought would survive did and were TOTALLY covered. The plants look really really bad, but it took me several picking sessions (pick, cool off, pick, cool off) the next day to get it done, & I'm still processing. Eggplants too. Thankfully a couple of friends had kept an eye on things but they had bumper crops of their own so I know they picked eggplants but I think that's it! And the Juan Flamme from the plant swap did well too - after having the lead stem bit off the day after I planted it.

I had larger-fruited early tomatoes earlier in the summer, like Jet Star and Early Girl that I had put in pots in March, so we didn't totally miss out on those.

So now, after reading the "are tomatoes done" thread - I think I will pull up a few but would like to replant a few. Are there places with fresh new plants for sale? LAst year I just remember seeing leggy half-dead leftovers at this point. Since I was gone I didn't start any myself like I did last year.

(I did lose three yellow knockout roses that were at the end of the soaker hoses - no big loss, and maybe my very old nikko blue hydrangeas in the north bed - those we cut back and will try to baby back to life.)

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Comments (4)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7
11 years ago
Betty, It sounds like you had a wonderful French adventure this summer! I'd glad most of your plants made it.

I cannot remember where you are in Oklahoma, but if you're in northeastern OK, The Tomatoman's Daughter is open now with fall transplants. I'll link her website below.

Many local nurseries have fall tomato plants, some big box stores do or will in the next couple of weeks and some growers sell them at Farmer's Markets. I usually grow my own fall transplants, but even though I got the seed out at the right time and have it right here on the table beside me, I haven't started any. I'm still on tomato overload from summer and don't even know if I want to grow fall tomatoes. I do have quite a few plants that are really healthy, have fought off persistent pests, and will survive and produce for fall if I don't yank them out, so that may be the route I take.

Tomatoes that look almost dead are pretty good about coming back given the chance, but there's no guarantee of that. Fresh fall plantings often have a lot more vigor because they haven't been fighting the pests and diseases for months. The advantage of keeping spring-planted plants going is that they have a huge root system already.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: The Tomatoman's Daughter
OklaMoni
11 years ago
I have never had my soaker hose on a timer. I just set it on fast drip... and let it run. It's still going, from when I was gone. Everything looked so good.

So, if you use a timer, do you turn the water on fairly open?

Moni
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bettycbowen
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Dawn, I started really looking them over this morning, and think I will keep a few, cut a few back, and pull the rest. I'll start looking for plants. I think I need to devise a shade system of some kind for next year. My garden is small enough, I might be able to do that.

Moni, when I use the timer I keep the faucet handle all the way open (the frost proof kind out in the garden, not from the house wall). It doesn't leak at all.
OklaMoni
11 years ago
I was at Home Depot earlier today. the one at 59th and May in OKC has tomato plants. Not all look good. Like always, they need water.

To the employees defense... I know how busy you get with EVERYTHING and you don't get to water all that needs it quite often.

Moni