Monday, July 26, 2010

disappointing tomato season

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my tomato yield has been so puny this summer, considering I started the plants out in too much shade. Then we were in Portugal for a few weeks, and although we did have a great housesitter who likes gardening, it's just not quite the same as watching over them yourself. Then the stinkbugs began their siege. Then the squirrels chomped my one and only heirloom. Neither bugs nor squirrels seem to care much about the cherry tomatoes so I am particularly grateful for the Sun Golds and Juliets.

I think that the Stinkbugs are to blame for ruining these Valley Girls
Squirrels ruined my one heirloom, an Old German
Hidden shallots, Valley Girls, one onion, and a hot banana pepper: yippee!
More Valley Girls, Sun Golds (that are red instead of gold--maybe plant mislabeled?), and more hot banana peppers
 I'm going to prune all the tomato plants and hope they produce a few Fall fruits. My basil, thyme, oregano, French sorrel, sage, and rosemary are all doing well. Today's rainfall was brief yet medium heavy, so maybe I won't have to haul the hose around for a few days!

8 comments:

Kathleen Scott said...

We've been enjoying tomatoes from friends' gardens, which are almost petered out now. I hope they do what you're doing so we have fall tomatoes too. This gardening via friends is a good deal.

Iris said...

Hi Kathleen--I hope your friends have good luck with fall tomatoes. This will be my first attempt at fall tomatoes.

Lynell said...

I think we'll try some fall tomatoes, too. I'm thinking of trying the "Gypsy" red bell peppers, too, if I can find them!

Iris said...

Lynell--I've never heard of "Gypsy" red bell peppers--will keep an eye out for them. Have you tried fall tomatoes before?

Annie in Austin said...

Hi Iris - thought I commented on this... giving you all my sympathy & empathy. Even in a year when we were not in drought, that early heat was a pain for pollination.
Good luck with the fall crop!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Iris said...

Hi Annie--Surprisingly, since I posted this, I've managed to get a few Juliets, real sun golds, and a handful of baby Valley Girls. Maybe fall will work out okay after all.

TexasDeb said...

Not precisely off topic but - what do you do with your hot peppers? I tend to have better luck with pepper plants than tomatoes so I'm trying to figure out not only what does well around here but also what we'd enjoy eating and how. Your suggestions perhaps?

Iris said...

Hi Deb--
Nothing complicated so far. I mostly use the peppers in curries, quesadillas, and egg dishes. I don't yet know how to can or pickle (but on my to-do list), so I use them fresh.