Posted on 04/02/2024 11:33:12 AM PDT by Omnivore-Dan
Spring is here, but still too cool here in N.W. Jersey too start my garden, and way too muddy with all of the rain. Need to dry out before I can work with it. Got a source for manure to turn in and a good sunny spot. Last year I planted some "Yellow Teardrop Tomatoes" never had them before and they were awesome! So sweet and full of flavor. Going to do more this year, 3 or 4 times as much, my friends keep asking me if I'm going to have them again.
You must have a larger property, We have about 4 acres, of which I only mow about 2. I ride a Huskavarna with a 46 inch deck. I like the beer holder the best. I also have a 40 hp diesel cat 1 tractor with a bucket and 3 point hitch. Don’t mind mowing at all, it’s the weed-whacking I hate.
Yep....OO makes for great fence posts...and great turning wood.
I’m starting today by planting two Lemon Boy tomatoes and four Beefmaster tomato from Home Depot. Also will plant Mammoth Jalapeno, Hot Banana and Sweet Banana pepper plants. After that, the sky’s the limit (my endurance is the only issue). I’ll have five other Beefmaster tomato plants and a few Jalapeno plants potted and saved from last year to plant when I can. Have some squash seedlings to plant this week. Also have lots of veg seeds to plant around later this week. But that will get me started.
If you like yellow or orange tomatoes, try Orange Oxeheart. They are truly like a fruit vs. a veggie and they are awesome. I can’t find them or the seeds here now, but you can still buy seeds on the internet. Here’s a pic...
https://cdn.commercev3.net/cdn.totallytomato.com/images/popup/00527.jpg
I have 13 acres. Only about 3 are cleared.
I have the 37HP Massey Ferguson cab tractor which I pull the 72” finish mower. The John Deere rider with 42” deck.
It was only last year where the mowing became too much of a chore. Due to the constant rain. I do not water, unless I am trying to grow new grass. Which I have done a fair amount of over the last ten years.
I have a cup holder on both tractors. The MF cab has AC and a blue tooth radio.
I have gotten my moneys worth out of the John Deere rider. I bought it new in 1999 for $3300 from the local dealer. I almost bought a Ferris 48” commercial mower with a sulky back then. It was about the same price. Even back then the rider commercial landscape mowers were $7K. Now, they are $12K. The bagger alone for an EMark is $1500.
Has she made zucchini bread yet? That’s usually pretty good, too. I myself don’t have a problem with zucchini, but I know some who don’t like it and will eat zucchini bread. It’s sort of like banana bread or pumpkin bread.
I also hate weed wacking. So, I only do it about once a month.
I had a Echo 2 stroke trimmer I bought in 1990. When I bought my first house. It finally died last year. I literally picked up another Echo at the dump. Somebody was cleaning out their parents house.
I also have two Stihl straight shaft 2 stroke trimmers. One with a blade on it. The other I also got for free at the dump.
These are the kind with the bicycle grips on them. Made for cutting brush and small saplings. I mostly use those for keeping trails clear now. I have a couple skidder trails around the property left over from when I logged it ten years ago.
I also use a brush cutter with a blade, great for cutting brush and weeds like multi-flora rose and honey suckle that seems to grow everywhere.
My father had a very good friend from Arkansas that made bows out of Osage. They called it “lemon wood”. Beautiful bows he made, more than 50 lb pull. Also made arrows.
Thanks! Ill give a try. I love all kinds of tomatoes, but it seems the yellow and orange have less acid and are sweeter.
Yes, she has made that too. Doesn’t seem to have much flavor as far as zucchini goes, so I could deal with it. What I don’t like is zucchini in soups, salads. I prefer yellow squash or some other kind.
One of my favorite ways to cook zucchini is to sauté it with onions in butter or a little olive oil, add in some fresh tomatoes that are diced (can be any kind of tomato), add some ketchup, and Parmesan cheese. Cook until tender. Salt and pepper to taste, and occasionally I’ll throw in oregano or other Italian spices. We use it as a side to pork dinners. It’s very gratifying and an inexpensive side.
I like zucchini ok in salads, but I’m not super big on that either. It doesn’t bother me in soup. I don’t mind zucchini chopped tiny and sautéed to go into a veggie omelet, with other veggies, of course.
I’m not a terribly picky eater, thanks to mom and dad and their rule to try everything. I don’t like peas and carrots mixed together. Separate they are just fine. It was a Thanksgiving staple growing up, and one dish I was happy to never serve at my own Thanksgiving table.
“Thanks! Ill give a try. I love all kinds of tomatoes, but it seems the yellow and orange have less acid and are sweeter.”
Have you ever grown something so special, so good... that you spend the rest of your gardening life trying to recreate it? I grew an orange oxeheart tomato once the size of a grapefruit, I kid you not. And that thing was THE best tasting “tomato” ... more like some strange sweet fruit (supposed to be a veggie).. that I have ever tasted.
I have since given up on ever experiencing that again due to unavailability of those plants now... but somewhere... someone might get lucky.
I once grew cantalope that were he sweetest ever. It was a year that had just the right amount of sun and rain. A perfect year weather wise for growing just about anything. Doesn’t happen often enough.
I don’t like mixed veggies either, like peas and carrots. Prefer them alone. Except salads of course, all kinds of veggies thrown in
“I once grew cantalope that were he sweetest ever. It was a year that had just the right amount of sun and rain. A perfect year weather wise for growing just about anything. Doesn’t happen often enough.”
Last year, I had tomato plants growing higher than me... then the drought and heat wave hit. After that, nada. I fear our “perfect weather years” may be a thing of the past...
thanks to the wannabe gods weaponizing the weather.
Well I bow hunt some....but modern bows.
I do love Osage Orange wood though.....
“Tom Brown JR.” You got my interest perked. The name was familiar but I couldn’t place it, so I checked him out. As soon as I saw his picture, I remembered who he is. Interesting life, I bet meeting him certainly was a trip.
Good to know.
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