How is your garden growing?

[susan]

I just got my first green beans! Only a handful, but there's more tiny one's growing. I've also got several small green peppers started and lots of blossoms. I counted 13 tiny tomatoes this morning and there's lots of blossoms on them too. I also got 3 short rows of turnip greens planted. I hope all of this has time to grow before we get hit with a frost or I'll be out there covering things with old sheets.
I'm determined that I'm going to get something out of this garden even with the messed up weather we've had this year.

Susan

[BigM]

I just ordered my seeds the other day. Seems weird to be starting now instead of wrapping up. lol

Me

[Valerie]

You'll love it, BigM. We get to grow a much larger variety during the cool months than in the summer, because our Springs are so short (like almost non-existent). Last year I grew broccoli, carrots and lettuce all through the winter, even with frost. It didn't faze 'em a bit! This year I plan on doing cabbage, too. We're not big on greens, or I'd do them too.

[BigM]

I've got my greenhouse boxes going. Well, one of them anyway. lol

Me

[Valerie]

Big M, how's your stuff growing now?

I posted a few update pics if anyone is interested:
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2054543&id=1597436967&l=736aec471c

[Granny Smith]

Wow, Valerie, they're growing fast!

[Valerie]

I know! I am absolutely amazed at what can happen when the plants actually get enough water. Judging by how many times a week I refill that 5 gal bucket, my plants in the past were probably just barely getting enough to get by.

Gayle, that tomato with the huge blossom is a Mortgage Lifter. When you grow those, do yours get those huge blossoms? If so, do they make a huge tomato? It has normal size blossoms, too.

[Granny Smith]

All of my Mortgage Lifters have been huge - both plants and tomatoes. One slice will be enough to cover a slice of bread. I think the small blossoms might be the boys.

Valerie, I don't quite know how to tell you this, and I don't mean to alarm you, but you need to know - my Mortgage Lifter plants grow taller than I can reach to tie them to supports, bend over and grow all the way to the ground, then back up to the top again (or even higher). You're going to need some serious support for those babies.

[Valerie]

OK, good! The bucket that one's in is right next to the porch rail, so I can run it all the way down the walk if I have to! It's about 30 ft long and plenty strong.

[Granny Smith]

Yep, that will work! I'm always leery of telling someone how big they get - usually they either freak out or don't believe me.

My sister grew some for the first time this year. She called me to tell me how big the plants were. I reminded her that I'd told her that for more than 5 years. She said she thought I was exaggerating.

[Valerie]

I'm getting excited about them now. I hope they can get that kind of production in before frost! I knew that was gonna be a big one, shortly after I planted it. They were spindly at first (hence the wimpy tomato cages) but once they started getting water, the stems doubled in thickness. Except for the ML, which is almost an inch in diameter! That's a freakin' tomato tree!

[BigM]

Plants are doing well. Half are ready to be transplanted.

BigM

[Valerie]

Yay! When are you putting them in the ground?

I get so excited about growing stuff, in case y'all can't tell. Summer is my least favorite season because it's so hard to keep anything alive!

I ate three radishes yesterday! Those babies were hot, too!

[BigM]

Yum!!!

BigM

[Valerie]

Well, I have a feeling today is the last day on the tomatoes. It's supposed to be 30 in the morning. I'll cover them up and hope for the best. The leaves have gotten nipped a few times with frost so far, but I was hoping these guys would get a chance to ripen before it got too cold. Oh well, it was a good experiment.