I know, I know, it's been nearly a month since I last posted. Well work, and whatnot have kept me busy, and throw in a week at the OBX and you have just that, a month away from the blog. Also, the garden was just perking along, and aside from a couple of very small tomatoes popping up around Mother's Day, there wasn't much to talk about. Plant growth, and more plant growth.
I now see my folly in my naive underestimation of the ability of tomato plants to grow. One day, there are two dozen nice healthy looking plants. I go on a week vacation, hire a couple of cousins to water while I am gone, and come back to Vietnam. I get home and the three or four mini tomatoes I left are now the size of my fist. That's not the surprising part. What is most shocking is the growth of the plants. The two store bought ones are over four feet tall, and the rest, that were hovering on the one foot mark are now nearly 3, even the little guys that were under a foot are now impressive. Some of them are so large, sprawling and ridiculous, I can hardly tell where one plant ends and the next begins. I swear I feel like I am now dealing with Audrey II when I go out to my garden. That or the Predator is going to make that funny noise and then leap out of the tomatoes and get me...
There were two more revelations that the garden provided. One, the banana pepper plant that had three or four 4-inch peppers was purchased as a jalapeño pepper plant. No worries though, I have one of those still and was wanting some banana peppers as well. To bad they are mild.
The second was the amount of tomatoes those three or four mini ones turned to have following them. On the German Queen and the Golden Jubilee there are over 50. That's TWO plants, over 50 tomatoes!!!! Seriously, think biblical plagues here.
On the heirlooms I counted another twenty or so, mostly in the form of Black Princes. They are small and round, about the size of the store bought varieties were when I left.
Tonight I have a few hours of watering and tying up ahead of me. I must be doing something right. Many thanks to the watering duo I trusted to keep the green monsters hydrated.
Keep in mind that I thought I might get 20 tomatoes over a season on each plant. And before June I had 50 on two.
I'd better invest in some canning material before too long.
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2 comments:
Hey, Patrick ... that just goes to show what a little TLC and water can do for ya! My big garden looks great ... all the weeding and mulching before we left for the beach has paid off. I'm a bit worried about what appears to be white flies on my tomatoes but the lady bugs are doing their best to rid me of the tiny pests. I bought soap insecticide but will wait and see how my "ladies" do. My tomatoes aren't quite as prolific as yours but look very healthy and it's a challenge to keep them in the confines of their cages. Can't really tell how many babies they have, too much vegetation. The sweet corn, first crop is atleast waist high, 2nd is about at my knees. 1st crop beans are blossoming, 2nd crop is up, will be planting a 3rd soon. My small garden is a challenge, weeds and watering seem endless. They are calling for rain Friday, that should help! Keep up the good work, Patrick! It's addictive, isn't it?
You bet Mrs. M. How about some photos for you viewers?
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