Still going strong in my garden.

Some varieties in my garden didn't ripe yet. They grow and grow bigger but no ripe yet.

Hopefully the weather will be nice.

It's September.

Fall is just around the corner ...

Come on 2015 ...

Still going strong here too - harvesting and canning. Have another 4 weeks of good tomato growing and then the best 8-10 plants of the second planting get covered and will keep going for another month after that.

Surely the thrill isn't gone yet for the southern half of the country!

Dave

I have been online subscribing to all the tomato catalogs. Hopefully they will help keep me alive until next spring planting outdoors.

I do admit this might be a terrible fall winter as Tom Brady of NE Patriots, lost the first game of the season to Miami Dolphins today. Miami claims it is the just the start of the new era.

Miami looked to be the better team today.

Honestly I have more success growing tomatoes than being a football fan. hahaha.

Actually I have been making rooted cuttings and will try to keep them alive over the winter. This will help me survive the winter. unfortunately I must keep them alive for some 8 months. that is a long time. it is not easy to do.

But my Thrill is not gone. Next year is going to be much better than this year. I have big plans for next year in the tomato area.

Good to know that you are trying to keep the hope alive. Part of my opening comment was just some kind of humor.

Myself, should not complaint. So far we have been having very nice tomato season. There are lots of maters on my plant. I'd be very happy if all of those get a chance to reach maturity.

Being a realist (I think I am), I have started pinching off any new growth , any buds that I can find and reach. Let the plants spend their extra energy somewhere else. Fruit development is very energy intensive. After all that is the plant's mission to produce seeds. Foliage growth just revolves around it. Cooler weather itself also discourages new growth and bud formation. But right now the plants have no idea what will be like 3 weeks down the road. They think that this beautiful weather will last for ever. So they are setting the stage for the long haul.

Aw'wite. Ye' all have a fantastic "rest of the season" !

Actually, Seyson, you just about described us! Yeah, the plants will keep going for a while longer, but between work and trying to get the stuff we've already harvested put up before it spoils, not a lot of energy to get out there and spend an hour or so doing everything necessary to keep the garden "pristine". Not to mention that it has gotten nasty hot and the mosquitoes and flies are in a feeding frenzy. Yuck!!

Edie

Oh for goodness sake - I just realized it posted 3 times!! Sorry about that.

Edie

This post was edited by ediej1209 on Mon, Sep 8, 14 at 13:43

Oops... double post. Sorry

This post was edited by ediej1209 on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 20:15

I'm still doing good on tomatoes. Cukes are done though and PM did a number on my zukes and they aren't producing well. Peppers and eggplants are still producing. Bean season is in full swing and I'm drowning in snap beans at the moment.

I'm ripping all but a couple plants out tomorrow. I'm tired of dealing with the plants and tired of processing the tomatoes (I don't eat them raw).

Rodney

Rodney, Have mercy ! How can you do that ?

Me, I am not actually tired. I have not canned anything yet. Of course I share my crop with a few relatives.

Here is my latest hauls (just part of it). I want to create a color contrast/combination. I am missing some real orange/yellow and brown/blacks.

I am stuck in the middle. In some ways, I am thrilled and energetic to keep it going as long as possible. But, if I see a plant trying to blossom with no possibility of succeeding in time, and I can't bring it in and let it ripen, I am ready to pull it. I keep checking the weather, keeping my eyes open for that first frost. It is still fun though for me :).

I'm at the end of the line, pretty much. Tomatoes got blight pretty bad. Most of the ones left are rotting..........no leaves left. Hardly any cucumbers growing now. Beans are still doing okay, but the stink bugs are sucking them to death.
What's doing really well right now is the zucchini and Waltham butternut squash. But really..........I'm pooped.

New here and just had to comment.

My tomatoes produced well and I am so tired of seeing them. In fact, yesterday I pulled the plants, put the vines in my compost pile and today the rest of my fall/winter garden is going in.

For me, my favorite all-year-long garden product is just getting started. I like my peppers to be ripe, red, and ready. I pick only a few of the sweet and hot peppers while still green - I want them to ripen before picking. Otherwise, why bother growing them yourself. You haven't enjoyed the true flavor and wonder of a jalapeno until it is fully ripened. It disappoints me to see how they are sold in stores and used everywhere while still green. Anyway, I eat a lot, use some to make pickles and relishes, but I cut up and freeze as many as I can. I end up using those, a small handful at a time, almost daily. So it is now that peppers are ready, and I'll keep picking them fully ripe until a real freeze is eminent, when I will pick all the green peppers finally. While some of my tomatoes are completely diseased and gone, other varieties show no signs of slowing down - I may take note of the best varieties this year and avoid planting the ones that failed quickly. Another round of eggplants seem to be nearing readiness, and okra needs picking daily. I've been harvesting big bowls of roselle calyxes to dry for tea. Most disappointed that all the squash and cucumbers have succumbed to damage before the largest of the tomato harvest is available.

In my garden, here in Long Island (NY), the foliage is better / greener than ever, new branches / leaves / flowers coming up. The frame is 10 ft. high, now the tomatoes are⦠almost 12 ft. high⦠and growing. Pictures were taken today Monday, September 8, 2014.

Many tomatoes are still green but pretty big, and they are growing bigger and bigger. Many will be over 20 oz. some maybe 25 oz. so it's all good. Here it is a German Johnson.

Still busy.
Going to one last tomato taste party this weekend.
Canning- done.
Enjoying my bonuses, whatever tomatoes garden produces. No headaches, bonus is a bonus...still there is plenty though... AGG in full gear, Brandywine, Olena Ukrainian, Stump, even Kosovo just got couple of big ones...
Sent soil for testing to figure out next year strategy.
Still dehydrating, thanks to Dave pointing me to brokenbar recipe- best thing ever.
Will not start checking my seeds for swaps and sharing till Oct. On lookout but still too early, Tania did not post new growouts 2014 yet, nor Heritage or doublehelix.
Second crop of cucumbers and zukes doing great. Highly recommend Piccollo de Parigi- sweet, small and crunchy, highly productive.
Started and ongoing work for cover crops.
Compost- eagerly awaiting for leaf fall season, prepped all supplies, fish meal, rock dust, molasses etc.
Wormies in the bin doing great, had to move bin inside as it getting cooler nights.

I'll be picking most of my tomatoes over the next couple of days since frost is expected on Tuesday night. Most are large, but green, so hopefully they ripen and taste good. It's too bad, my plants are in perfect shape with healthy lush leaves. There's usually a couple weeks of warm weather following those one or two nights of frost.

seysonn- I've got no issues ripping out a tomato plant or ten. I've been getting ripe tomatoes since mid-July and a month and a half long harvest is plenty for me (and yeah, I've been giving a bunch away).

Rodney

I know some of you are getting burned out from tomato overload. I am not yet to that point, because if you think ahead a couple of months when the new fresh tomatoes are not coming in anymore the cravings will start to come back.
So enjoy them as long as you can, the party is ending soon.

I'm weary of summer heat and our drought and would rather be happily planting peas and radishes in crisp cool weather.

I was just Kidding . hehe

It is not over until the fat lady sings ( Frost). :-)
Altho we have had a pretty good season so far , I can still use more maters. I have not jarred enough spaghetti sauce yet.

Not only are the existing tomato plants looking the best they have all summer.... but it's time to plant our winter tomatoes! :)

oooooooook... you lucky SoCal people !

This post was edited by Daniel_NY on Tue, Sep 9, 14 at 10:19

seysonn wrote:

> Thrill Is Gone, Baby !

Are you sure, seysonn ?

Daniel,

The title is "Dramatic", taken fro BB King's song title with the same name.
Surprisingly, the thrill is gone to some of us but not for me. I am still exited and taking care of my plants and picking more maters than before.
Here is just a sample just to show some diversity in color.

The Thrill Is Gone is a beautiful song by âÂÂThe King of the Bluesâ - B. B. King.

Here the thrill is alive and kicking. Better than ever !

A few tomatoes I picked up today, Saturday, September 13, 2014:

Those looking good! Which varieties are large ones?
Couple more weeks for me and fresh tomatoes will be history here...

We are still getting summer weather here in Western Oregon. There is some rain coming and the night time temps are rather cool and have been for weeks.
I think my tomatoes have about two more weeks and they will be shutting down.
They are looking pretty haggard right now.
I am growing a plant called Mountain Gold it is a OP Det. It looks unblemished, no nothing the leaves are pristine green and yet it has produced 22-6 to 8 ounce tomatoes over the last 100 days.
You have to pick it and let it set for several days and it is a pretty decent tomato.

Gregory, from your description Mountain Gold sounds like a nice pick, especially so that I am a little not in West Washington. I have bee seriously looking into some DET yellow variety to complement my color collection. So MG (Det, 75- 80 DTM) sounds like what I would want to grow next year.

Please tell us, if it continues to produce ? I am asking this because some DETs produce just one flush and they are done

lindalana wrote:

> Those looking good! Which varieties are large ones?

Lindalana, I donâÂÂt know if you ask me or seysonn. If you ask me, both the big ones in the corners are Brandy Boy. EXCELLENT taste !!! Nice size too.

Those two Brandy Boys were 18 oz. and 13 oz.

You can read about Brandy Boy in Hudson...WY threads: Brandy Boy - awesome variety and Better Boy vs Brandy Boy.

Ok. now I really think that I can sing that BB King's song:

THRILL IS GONE, BABY !

cold rain, more rain, clouds... no sunshine ...

what do you think ?

It's not over till it's over !

Probably a few more days, less than a week I would say.

Today Sunday the highest will be 62' F (imo, it might be a little higher.)

Currently 10 am, 53' F, and BLUE sky.

There were 69' F today.

GOOD !

We're done in Montreal. I have to admit ii did reach a point of not wanting to eat another tomato, but after canning all of mine, I actually went to the market to buy more for sauce! I got bitten by the canning bug. I've ordered seeds for next year and will continue to scour the catalogs. Picked the last of the cucumbers last week.. Now it's time to dream about next years crop!
It's true, soon we will be wishing for our fresh tomatoes instead of the supermarket bland ones! Wish I had a greenhouse.

Definitely tired of it now. Have bags of tomatoes in the freezer and since my wife doesn't eat them I am struggling to deal with them all. The plants growing through the fence finally got hit by animals, the garden otherwise is overrun with weeds, I'm just looking forward to frost and next year.

Still a thrill here-my radishes are up, five lemons on my Meyer lemon, and peas on the way. So happy to be finished with the recent awful heat waves.
Come on, fall and California winter !

I'm in zone 6/5 and still going. but I'm more interested in my winter crops. Always grow something all year.
I can keep my lettuce going till December.
I have been enjoying the sauce I made earlier in the year. Came out great.
Raspberries are producing like mad too. Still getting about 30 a day.It peaks at 80 a day, so it is down.
Check this out for growing all year

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruitnut's greenhouse

I admit that right now I don't miss my ragged, yellowed tomato plants. Everything looks good, feels good and boy have I ever learned not to plant different tomatoes in one giant deep tub-they crossed or whatever and some reliable favorites came out bitter and inedible. Others came out sweet and that's a huge no-no in my world !