Posted on 09/19/2020 6:51:29 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Why are my San Marzano tomatoes still green? They’ve been full sized for about a month.
Reno, Zone 7a...
With lots of smoke from that state to the left of us.
Good Morning! :-)
Hey! You can’t just barge in here with questions! Oh, just kidding! I love your posts! ;)
Usually it’s extreme heat that stops, slows or prevents tomatoes from ripening. Where are you gardening? (Zone) Have you been in a heat wave?
“The optimum temperature range for ripening mature green tomatoes is 6877 deg. At the same time, tomatoes do not produce lycopene and carotene, the pigments responsible for ripe tomato color, when temperatures are above 85 deg. F. So, extended periods of extreme heat cause tomatoes to stop ripening.”
Yesterday was canning day! I had accumulated 4 batches of jalapenos in the fridge. With Sally remnants hanging around a bit & 2 inches of rain making the ground soggy, it was a great day to stay inside and do some canning. The 4 batches resulted in 24 jars of beautiful (& tasty!) Jalapeno Pepper Jelly.
This past week, I cleaned out all the sunflower stalks & took down the fencing around two of my raised beds. The only thing in those beds are marigolds so I don't have to worry about the crows raiding. Currently, the crows are more interested in what is falling off the apple tree & what is ripe on the fig bush.
The fall zinnias are really beginning to bloom. Most are solid color, but I have one that I'm really liking ... I think it's called "Candy Cane". I suspect it's a seed that got in the package by mistake; however, I have a whole package of zinnias like these to plant in the spring.
The smoke shouldn’t be a factor; it’s all about the heat.
Has this happened before? If so, you may need to adjust your growing ‘window’ for tomatoes so they’re not coming into maturity when they’ll likely to hit a heat wave.
I have a friend in AZ who calls me in FEBRUARY every year to tell me he’s eating fresh tomatoes; maybe planting later or earlier would help?
Is it just your San Mars that are going you a problem?
‘giving’ More COFFEE!
We’ve had weeks and weeks of high 90s, with occasional triple digits.
My first hops harvest. The strong dry smokey East winds blew for three days on my short hops plant. I had watered them heavily prior to the winds, knowing I did not want to be outside in the smoke for a couple days.
When the wind stopped there was a two day window before the rains came so I felt I better harvest them. Took the vines in the garage and dried them for a day with my dehumidifier, the air had gotten muggy prior to the rain but the smoke had pretty much cleared from the air.
I snipped each hops bud off with a scissors and put them in a shallow cardboard box. There was a pleasant hops smell to them. I put the box in our convection oven and dried them overnight, checking the temperature not to exceed 135f.
The hops were beautiful and light green with fine aroma. I turned off the oven and closed the door as the air was still humid.
While my Grandson and I were checking out some sporting equipment upstairs, Grandma pre-heated the oven to bake a cake.
Burnt hops smell is awful and stays in the house for days.
Lived in Va for a year. A born and raised southern lady said that all she knew about NY was to lock your car or they’ll fill it with Zucchini.
So we would like to try growing them ourselves. But, holy moly, browsing through Park's catalog makes it seem so complicated.
Yes, we're rank beginners. Actually we're what beginners were before they became beginners.
So... What is the best short and easy guide to growing tomatoes? Thx!
I might try to pick some green ones and see what happens. They go to market green.
Gardens are done -
a few tomatoes left on only two plants - time to pull them up.
will pick the last of the Jalapeno and hot banana peppers today - then pull them up.
The last two squash are not getting any bigger, pick 'em and pull those up, too.
Everything else is gone already.
Will be planting our garlic in a few weeks, right after the first frost - looking forward to next June!
“Weve had weeks and weeks of high 90s, with occasional triple digits.”
And there’s your answer. How much longer before it cools down again? Are the plants healthy, otherwise? I’d just keep them watered and wait. :)
One of the most exquisite flowers out there. I forget their beauty and you bring it back to my life. Thank you.
Oh, what a shame! Hope there are more hops to gather!
Hops were once a HUGE crop in Wisconsin due to all of us Germans moving here because Wisconsin looks so much like Germany, it’s uncanny! And, of course, we brought our beer making skills with us. ;)
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