A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 My 'maters...

Thanks!

Just posting an updated pic of them...We ate a couple of fried green tomatoes Sunday, but no ripe ones as of yet...
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Tonya,
They look great...

What time of day was it when you took that photo???

Weezie, It was at 1:47 today (gotta love digital cameras ) They get sun in the am and late afternoon.

Okayyyyyyyyyyy, cause that was my next question
to youuuuuu...
For me, I like sun on my mator's 6~8 hours *at least* full sun, as much sun as they can handle..
Makes them grow straighter, stronger and produce
fruit faster and more...


(***P/S I love digital camera's, just wish I was as fast as you are... whew... um, I guess I don't get how to down load, and am scared to LOSE them..so I wait for the ole hubby to get home and help...***)

Do you have room/area next year for full sun???
I think you'd get a riper tomato earlier with a wee~bit of more sun on them...

Yes, next year I am going to move my "garden" area to a spot that gets full sun all day and I anm going to grow several different things. This year I have just the tomatoes, canteloupe and potatoes(that have just sprouted! ) ) I got kind of a later start than I had intended to this year as well. I planted some dill and lettuce, but so far nothing has sprouted there...oh well. The seeds were from last year. Any pics of yours?

Start preparing the soil NOW!

We are. I am talking to a horse farm down the road and finding a place to get topsoil delivered...Anyone want to buy an 86 Nissan pick-up...it is RIGHT where my garden is going and MUST GO!! I am so excited. Next year will be my first real garden in about 15 years!

Tonya,
That is gooooooood to hear..

I agree whole~heartedly with John,
start getting that soil ready NOWWWWWWW!!!
If you can even a big piece of cardboard..
(or several) and throw it on top of the soil, NOW..***KEEP IT MOIST/WET and have close contact with the ground***
To kill the grass, and invite worms to do some underground tilling for you...

Then in the fall maybe... pull it up..
Add some aged manure, compost, orangic ammendments, and maybe even a green cover crop,
*Legumes' are one of the best kinds, they put nitrogen back into the soil, in their roots..
and can be alsoooo tilled in in the spring as a green manure crop*


Then come spring you are readddddddddddy to goooo!!!

Tonya looking good...I too love fried green mators
mmmmmmm also baked green mators with insides filled with cheese and herbs..yummy

Weezie, I am putting a few sheets of old plywood over there...I would do almost a "sod type thing and try to salvage the grass, but it is full of sandspurs and prickly pear... I'll keep you guys posted as to my progress this fall once I get the manure and all....

Maybe a recipe???

Angie- Somehow I missed this earlier...those baked sound GREAT!!! I have some dill sprouting. Mmmmmm green tomatoes stuffed with havarty and fresh dill...

Tonya, I was sitting outside this morning, staring at my garden while watering, and I realized that I am going to need more space next year. My garden is also my yard, so expanding is going to require lots and lots of weeding. But, I had an idea--I'm just going to buy some bales of hay and stack them out as far as I want my garden to be next year. I should only need 5 square bales or so. This way all that stinkin' grass and sandburrs will be nice and DEAD next year. Plus the straw will be breaking down, adding nutrients into the ground, and will make a great addition to the compost next spring or as a mulch for the garden. Just thought that I'd share since we're both fighting stinkin' grass and stickers.

Sarah, that is similar to a basic technique called sheet composting. If you really want to take care of the grass and weeds growing there put down cardboard or layers of newspaper and then stack the hay bales or spread the hay over the paper/cardboard. Come spring you can just till it all into the soil.

What is the purpose of the newspaper/cardboard? Does it suffocate the unwanted grass?

Not really "suffocates", but just ensures that zero light will reach the grass/weeds. Also adds more organic matter, which is always a good thing.

I see, thanks!! I'm all for additional organic matter!

I have PLENTY of unused cardboard boxes Now I know what to do with them!

Sarah, my garden is also MY yard as well...I sooooo wish I had more room!

Lay them on top of the soil where you want the future garden to go..
Make sure it's nice and wet/moist...
and has great contact with the soil..

It will block out any light to the weeds below,
and they will soon demise and will be food for the worms...

I haven't started on the ground for next year, yet...but- MY MATERS ARE RIPE!! Sorry, didn't mean to yell, but I am sooo excited!!
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We have 2 more red ones and about 50 or so green ones!

That is beautifullllllllllllllll!!
I love that color!!

I just re-counted and I have 60 green ones! I am so excited to start getting reds! and they are Delicious!

Lookin good!