The Garden Thread - September, 2025

September 1, 2025 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Paul R.]

Mortgage Lifter needs a long growing season. 80 days ‘on average’ from fruit set to ripe fruit.

Yikes! Did you mean 80 days from transplanting to mature plant (fruits ready to begin ripening)? If it takes 80 days for the fruit to ripen, even if I pick early in ripening, I'll be in to "good chance of a hard freeze" nights.

In any event, "Oh, golly." How to get a sheet over a tomato plant that's now slightly over 8 feet tall (it's outgrowing the almost 8' supports), and not damage it...

(The Mortgage Lifter's vines are rather brittle, more so than some other tomato varieties, it seems.)

Step 1 - carry my 8' step ladder out there. Do NOT leave near the one good (as in revived and still exploding with growth) Opo plant!

That Opo plant is now flowering again. I've only spotted one female flower bud, so, I'll wait a couple days and possibly give the plant one more modest shot of Super Phosphate. It sure doesn't seem to need the nitrogen in Bloom Booster: The Opo plant also followed the top of a fence that runs past a ~22' Mimosa tree: the Opo somehow senses such things and has reached over a couple feet and latched onto the tree. I just let it go and now it's already several feet up that tree. That's actually good - if that section flowers, it will make for a "high" source of pollen. If a large fruit or two develops up there, it may break down a branch or 2 on the tree, but, I don't really care - that tree is just sort of a weed in that spot anyway.

FWIW, I transplanted this (my biggest) Mortgage Lifter into it's 5 gallon pot roughly 120 days ago, but the others that went into the ground, which are seriously less vigorous plants, started setting a few fruits only a few days earlier. The two that suffered moderate hornworm damage haven't even flowered, and seem to still be in a "slow recovery" mode.

Yes, all have been fed "tomato plant food" and starting about a month ago, Miracle Grow Bloom Booster. Interestingly, the potted plant got (and gets) more shade. The others got more like 80% - 90% full sun until recently, with shade until ~10:00 a.m. now that shadows are getting considerably longer. If I might ask, what was your opinion on taste of the Mortgage Lifter fruits? (The hornworms liked the leaves on the 2 they got in to just fine!)

[FamiliarFace]

Once we moved to the Midwest, I started getting sick every year late in May. Guess what was blooming in my backyard? 3 giant cottonwood trees! It took me one really severe allergy season to decide to see the top notch allergist in town. He scheduled 4 or so months out for new patients. He was worth the wait, though.

I went for 2 years of weekly shots to get all of my allergies under control. He started with the most severe ones. I still don’t tempt fate by having a real Christmas tree inside the house. I’m allergic the molds that grow on them. Thank God for that doctor, though.

By the way, I’m mostly over my headcold with annoying cough. Every day is a bit better. I stopped being a slug on Monday. I haven’t gone totally back to my usual routine, but I’m close.

[Paul R.]

WELL!!!

NWS had our chances of rain dropping to almost nothing, I went out and started trying to get stuff done, and, sure enough, a thundershower popped up: It’s not enough rain to help with our drought, but, it is enough to get everything wet & preclude working outside for a while.

Ah, well. I think I’ll just cook up about 3 days supply of scrambled eggs. :-)

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

On my search for Parsnip varieties to grow in Southeast Michigan I came across this odd ball Electroculture Gardening

Just wondering if anyone around here has ever heard of it or tried it.

P.S. I think I've settled on all-american-parsnip

[Augie]

If my experience with raising hounds is ANY indicator, Howard is going to have a STEEP ‘Learning Curve’ in front of him.

I think you're referring to learning which fences are which and Howard figuring out if it's ok to cross or not?

In that regard I've got help - Booger the Aussie. She'll be five in December and is really good about not going to the places that we've taught her are off limits. Howard sees her following her instincts to stay close when we go on our romps and is quickly picking up on the fact that his collar doesn't vibrate when he does the same.

But if we turn our backs on him for five minutes... all bets are off. He's still very much a puppy and there's no escaping his hound genetics but we're making steady progress. When he gets out of sight and we call him back he'll come on voice command most of the time. If he doesn't come within a couple minutes I give him one beep on the training collar and he comes straight back every time. He's very food-motivated so I always carry a little tupperware container of treats in my pocket when we're out and about. Good behavior earns a reward.

I'm glad you got your Plott Hound back. It was good fortune that the right person picked her up. She could have just as easy wound up in a fighting pen. Might be time to put jail bars on her travel box. lol

[Augie]

I inadvertently ended the drought in part of my garden this morning.

I took the morning off from the salt mine to attend the weekly Geezer Breakfast one town over with a bunch of retired gearhead buddies. Before I left I turned the water on to the soaker hose that serves half of my tomato patch.

I was away for about three hours. And of course, the soaker hose had a blowout while I was gone. The runoff flooded about 50’ out into the horse pasture outside the garden fence. That ought to make the crabgrass happy for a few days. lol

I’ve heard about Mortgage Lifter tomatoes for years but I’ve never planted any. How’s the flavor on those? I like to try a new variety every few years. I don’t expect that I’ll need to can any tomatoes next summer so it would be a good time to try something new.

[Pollard]

Well I got the dutch oven washed at least. What a long day yesterday, as smoking always is. Never did make anything other than meats.

Did pretty good for timing of four pieces of meat with different cook times. They were all done within 45 minutes of each other.

I forgot just how good the meat is on a whole smoked chicken. Awesome for sandwiches because the breast meat is melt in your mouth. Probably been close to 30 years since I did them. Not sure why I never did them in this smoker before but they're on sale right now for $1.88.lb so I'll be getting more. After the night in the fridge, I just broke the cold whole chicken up into parts by hand easily. Get five more beer can chicken stands and make a six pack of chickens.

Tri Tip came out pink all the way through and has very yummy bark. They can keep their $20/lb beef cuts.

Ribs and salmon good as ever.

Wanted to make some crusty bread dough yesterday but didn't get the chance. Trying to schedule around work is looking difficult. I get home at 4pm and go to bed at 8-9pm and I'm not making dough at 3-4 am before work. I could do a 21 hour rise time, 7pm make dough to 4pm bake it.

---

Need to upzise my firebox badly and then do something about fire control other than leave the firebox door open 1". Yes, it's time to automate the smoker. Saw a video of a guy with a smoker and it had a basket that he could load up wood in and a variable speed inlet fan with a temperature sensor on it. I knew temp control was available and pretty standard for pellet smokers but didn't know there was something for wood chunk smokers. Pellet smokers will also feed more pellets in but that's impossible with wood chunks. If it gives me an hour or two at a time of set it and forget it, that would be a major upgrade. Guy in one video said he uses half as much wood to to the more efficient burn. For $300, I might have to rig my own version though.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“If I might ask, what was your opinion on taste of the Mortgage Lifter fruits?”

It tastes like most other beefsteak tomatoes, IMHO. The reason it was/is so popular is due to the size.

Looks like you will have your hands full well into the fall, LOL! Do you know anyone with a helicopter that can cover your ML from above? ;)

This winter we’ll have some long discussions on what tomato varieties might work better for your growing zone. I am re-vamping my choices after this year, for sure. Going back to some of my tried and true varieties. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

If frost is going to be an issue for you soon, you can harvest those Mortgage Lifters once they have some blush to them and ripen them indoors. My Cherokee Purple are just starting to color up, today. :)

It was 42 degrees this morning; has barely made it to 62 degrees now, and it’s windy as heck out there! I’d better go check what’s ‘blowing in.’

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’ll bet you caught it being around unfamiliar people at the Baby Shower. Or maybe flying? I don’t remember if you flew or drove.

Glad you’re feeling better. My back is better, but Beau put a HEAVY box in the car for me to drop at Fed Ex for him as he was on his way out the door to go to back to Bear Camp. Tire rims he was returning. I had to have the young, strong Fed Ex gal get it out of the car for me. She ws sweet about it - and just got ENGAGED over the weekend, so she was pretty chatty, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

All American Turnip is a classic. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I forgot about smoking whole chicken! When Beau fires his new smoker up this Fall, I’m going to ask him to do one or two for us!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Might be time to put jail bars on her travel box. lol”

I think that’s the next step! He was afraid to tie her in as well because if she jumped out, she’d easily hang herself. She’ll be riding in the smaller dog box, methinks.

They got the first black bear for one of their club members, yesterday. 436 pounds - quite the monster. Four of ‘my’ dogs were in on it; Taylor, Mandan, Osage and Sioux.

He’s really nuts about this Shawnee dog for some reason. She was from an ‘Oops’ pregnancy last Fall/Winter - but our ‘Pie’ was smart enough to get herself knocked up by a champion dog, at least! ;)

Good progress on Howard. :)

[FamiliarFace]

I caught it from the Uber driver on our last night there. Even though we had the windows open, and I washed up when we got back to the hotel, it wasn’t enough. I was taking extra zinc, too, which I always do when I travel.

Hubby had this in the middle of July when he returned from a business trip to Dallas. I didn’t get sick then.

I am hoping getting sick now will prevent any reoccurrence before the granddaughter arrives.

Tonight I’m making corned beef and cabbage. I found that in the freezer, which we cooked the other half at St. Patrick’s Day. Should be ready to eat in the next 30-45 minutes. Always a nice meal with plenty of leftovers. This should be good for 3 meals for the two of us.

How fun that the FedEx gal was so excited about her engagement. Always nice to run into people who are enthusiastic and loving life! The world needs more of that!

[FamiliarFace]

I love your report on how the smoking went. Very jealous! I LOVE smoked anything, especially if smoked with pecan wood, but really all of it is just soooo good. Melts in your mouth.

We have one tri tip left in the freezer. I expect that’ll be smoked sometime this month.

[MomwithHope]

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[Pollard]

New smoker? What kind?(upright, offset, box type, pellet etc)

I've never been all that big on chicken skin unless it's the thin part and cooked a crispy so smoking them works for me. Not sure the beer can trick did anything. Trying to crisp the skin on the air fryer didn't work well enough for me to do again.

Good thing about chicken and even beef is that they don't suck up the smoke like pork so my son will eat them. He doesn't like smoky foods and is not real big on pork. That leaves the ribs for me LOL. By the time the ribs had all the hickory smoke they could absorb, I swapped to oak.

This is the kind of wheels n tires I need on my smoker to move it around here.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

He bought one of the pellet smokers from Cabela's. He has a credit card tied into Cabela's so he earns points on anything he buys, no matter where or what. (Both of our CCs are paid in full each month. Mine is for household needs/groceries/pet supplies.) You can cash in points as you want to (at Cabela's) but he saved his points for a full year.

The smoker was about $800.00...we walked out of there owing $17.00 bucks for the thing!

I have never been more proud of him!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I Made the Most Beautiful Potting Shed from Trash!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4KbpeP1Lmo

This is the ‘Suburban Homestead’ guy. Love him. His gardens are GORGEOUS! He doesn’t waste an INCH of space in his garden beds and recycles everything he can. Been following him for years.