Posted on 04/23/2022 6:00:06 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
I have a few questionable cherry tomato varieties as well. Out of four varieties seeded, the ones I’m unsure of are a matter of either this or that. One of two possibilities. I’ll know when they turn a certain color or in the case of Yellow Pear, grow a certain shape. I think one is closer to a grape size too so that will be an indicator while still green.
I only started two slicer types and Brandywine is a potato leafed variety while Tappy’s is not so that’s no problem.
The Tappy’s are huge and the leaves are nice and green. Brandywine not so much so I’ll be doing Tappy’s again next year. Will decide on Brandywine later.
Some of the cherries are doing a little better than others and Chadwick(I think) is doing the best. And here I thought a tomato is a tomato.
Shisito peppers and Brandywine maters have yellowish leaves. Tried adding nitrogen to one of each with no change to the Shisito and made the Brandywine worse. Spending the day outside in the sun helped a little but not much. Everything gets watered about the same.
I had to bring the plants in today because the wind is gusting over 40mph. They were out there for 48 hours prior and got rain one night. Kind of a hard hardening off but everything did well. 62-82 degrees so I figured why not.
I've gotten two different peach trees from walmart and both bloom a month before our last frost date. I've had one several years and gotten 3 peaches from it. The blossoms dropped after a cold night every other year and most that one year. They also have unknown varieties. Try to look them up on the web and all you find is that walmart sells them. Never again.
I’ve noticed the same thing with my hummingbird feeders. They’ll be very territorial and argumentative all day, but when the sun goes down it’s not unusual to see four or five sharing a single feeder peacefully.
Stuff is doing great in the green house. Waiting for the weather to warm up. Put some corn in and a melon, squash and cuc plants by the sunny side of the house as an experiment. Broccoli is trying to grow past the ants feeding on them. Peas are in and i stopped buying burpee seeds. Had trouble germinating pickle cucs, beans, corn over the winter, and their peas are barely hanging on outside, so went to gurneys and johnnies. zone 7.
I’ve gotten to the point where my seedlings have become a bit unmanageable. The tomatoes are all mixed up, I only know the variety for sure of 9 of them.>>> I still get some mixed up but i bought these plastic tags from gurneys i think. They are for computer printer. i don’t have a laser printer so i just use a marker. I put them on the bottom of the peat pots and when i plant them the tags go around the plant. I thot i planted a bunch of jet star tomatoes but i can only find 2 or three. The burpee seeds had troubles germinating this year so i kept putting other seeds in the pots until they got going. The tags are a little busy as a result.
Minor correction: Heirlooms that are not allowed to cross-pollinate with other varieties will produce seed that’s true to type. Heirlooms are quite capable of crossing, and the result of that crossing is a hybrid.
Some species cross more easily than others. Most modern tomatoes have blossoms that are mostly enclosed, making it less likely that they’ll cross, but there are exceptions. Squash will readily cross with anything of the same species. Corn is notorious for crossing so easily, it’s actually hard to keep it isolated. Beans and peas have flowers so complex that it actually requires minor surgery to get them to cross, although some areas have insects determined enough to do the job anyway.
(I’m a professional plant-breeder. There are a lot of myths out there about plant genetics. Two of the most common myths are “heirlooms will always be true, no matter what” and “hybrids always produce sterile seed”.)
Hi quantum, thanks for the tomato suggestions.
As for the Fertilizer….. I am going all organic. So only prepared some good top soil with composted manure for the raised beds and planted marigolds all around the tomatoes. My squash and zucchini and egg plant did great with that mixture.
Lower driveway; the wild plums gully; the entrance to the garden area.
Main barn & woodshed annex; corner of porch roof; leaves of my potted sweet potato on the windowsill.
Oh, no! That’s the ‘April’ we had last year. Robins hopping around up to their buts in snow, looking for worms!
Planted three 'Patriot' Blueberries:
A 'Therese Bugnet' Rose:
Dwarf 'North Star' Cherry Tree:
And, five 'Bloomstruck' Hydrangea on the east side of the back deck. They will get morning sun and shade from Noon on. They'll look FANTASTIC against my freshly painted house, which is 'Sheraton Sage' with accents of 'Birdseye Maple' and 'Renwich Heather.' (Sherwin-Williams' paint colors.)
Everyone got a good, soaking drink, the tree got wrap protection against chewing puppies, I put tomato cages over the blueberries because they're small and I don't want to mow them down when 'Crazy Lady' is on the mower, and the same for the Hydrangea.
freepmail for you
Beautiful bird!
I enjoy your garden photos so much. And today, we have fauna as well as flora! Lovely kitty. I wouldn’t want to mess with her, tho.
Oy, we dread the grosbeaks. They have a nice song, but are pigs and bullies at the feeder. The last couple of years we quit putting out seed when they show up. Otherwise we have 3 or 4 families and they all hog the feeder. No orioles yet of hummers should be soon, got my feeder out earlier this week.
Mine seem well behaved, LOL! Must be a different strain. ;)
We think it’s more inherited bad behavior going back 5 or 6 years at least. They used to be more shy.
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