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Finally - Fruits of My Labor

W

wordwiz

After eight months of labor, I hope to become a grandpa tomorrow. My first tomato, from a seed that I sowed and then a plant I transplanted should be ripe. Everything is late this year - the only red toms I've picked came from volunteers. But I'm hoping that a week from Saturday, I'll have close to a half-bushel each of different tomatoes to sell at a Farmer's Market.

I know I'll be branded a heretic, a traitor, maybe a persona non grata, but I really care more about the toms than peppers. :onfire: I have a good reason, though. Each year, during the first week of December, I have a special event where I invite everyone to stop in the office and have some chili. Usually serve 12-14 gallons in a couple of hours.

This year, I want to have a much larger variety of choices: white chili (made with turkey breast instead of beef and using white tomatoes), yellow chili, red chili and green chili. :rolleyes: Maybe another pot made with every type of tom I'm growing - red, green, white, yellow, pink, black.

To perhaps save myself from excommunication from this hallowed site, I will proffer that I will have shakers of hot pepper powder - hopefully, Fatalli, Pequin, Bhut and 7-Pot for visitors to kick the chili up a notch. No milk or bread, though!

Mike
 
I'm just lucky its close to lunch for me Wordwiz cause all those dishes have my stomach grumbling..

Sounds great.

I love my tomatoes as well but i have never had the space to grow a lot of different varieties, but this year is different, I have 4000Sqm but i still only have 4 types to grow.

Hope it all goes well for you.
 
I also love Tomatoes, but I can't see myself giving up garden space for them though. I am lucky that I don't have to. :) Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
 
Good to hear your efforts are starting to pay off!

I'll gladly reserve some space in my garden for tomatoes - I love them and I am looking forward to growing a good number of nice varieties.
 
Wordwiz, we have tomatoes, herbs and peppers growing all peacefully together and it's perfect as they make delicious food together. This is our first year for the white ones and they are doing great, can't wait to taste them. Tomatoes make peppers happy in many sauces, salsas, you name it so I think no one will object if you like your maters! The chili sounds good too.

Jackie
 
I demand pictures Mike....where are they.... :lol:

sounds like you are going to have one heck of a harvest...and you know what...it all comes from your garden....that's the best part...
 
AJ,

As I said, I gave them a real good soaking last night - we have not had any rain in about 10 days, then we got a few sprinkles this morning. Plus, my son went out and pulled up the weeds between the rows I was growing for my compost pile, which meant the dirt absorbed more water than normal. I should be able to walk around the area tomorrow and have pictures. Plus, I'm hoping the giant volunteer that fell over grows back up.

If nothing happens, I should easily be able to put up 200 liters of juice (I use 2 liter Mt. Dew bottles) and still have plenty of toms to sell. The potatoes are close to dead - I'm hoping to dig several pounds of all three types (red, white and blue) so he can make blue mashed potatoes and a patriotic potato salad for a community picnic on the 24th.

My meager pepper harvest for the day consisted of about 25 peppers that are being smoked as I type. All of them except one Red Savina are mild, but Shaun loves to use the dried powder in his rib rubs.

I'm getting close to nine cubic yards of compost that will shrink to about six once it's done but I'll have a lot more to add. My goal is double that by early Spring, which I may be able to do. I'm adding soil from the dead part of the garden on top of every two feet of green plants. This year, I will thrash the tomato plants instead of sticking the whole stalks in at once. I think that's whay they were slow to decompose.

This fall, I will sow wheat in the entire garden area and let it grow as tall as it can until April, then weed-whack it, add the greenery to next year's pile, then rotary till the roots under. This is the cheapest natural fertizer one can buy. If my back yard was large enough to get a tractor with a plow in it, I would plow everything under, wait a month, then disc it.

By 2010, I'll have my full 40x40' garden space back! But next year, I will be able to put about 30 peppers in the ground instead of in pots. Maybe then I can post harvest pics like yours!

Mike
 
Nice to hear about your Toms Wordwiz..I hope all your toms arnt dead and you can save a few,Been difficult growing conditions all over this year so you have done your best :)
 
Talas,

The toms are doing great, it's the potatoes that are dying, but it's the time of the year for them to do that.

Mike
 
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