Hello: It is now March 20th, the snow is still flying around here in Hornell, NY. I want to start planning my vegetable garden for this year. Last year my Fiance and I planted four different types of tomatoes. We tried the Lighting tomatoes, Hybrid Beefsteak and Hybrid Betterboy. I had started these from seeds. I had great sucess with these types, we ended up plating at least 90-120 plant just in tomatoes. I had plants that were 6ft. tall. It was amazing. You can believe that I was busy canning. This year I want to try a few different types of tomatoes for canning, diced and tomato sauces, does anyone have any suggestions? Tomato Plants Tomato Plants I did have some problems with my pepper plants. For some reason or other my plants did not produce. The plants were healthy and blossomed, but I had no peppers. Does anyone have any tips on how I can go about solving this, so I don't have the same problem again this year? Thanks, Sarah[/img]
Nice gardens. Have you ever thought about heirloom tomatoes? I really like the Black ones like Black Krim, Cherokee Chocolate. Also Giant Belguim an the Brandywines. Don't really know why your peppers aren't producing, but a couple years ago I had a lady tell me that the reason mine wasn't putting out was because I needed to shade them (not hard, but kinda) once a day. I think it was so the pollen could move about. Anyway I did that an it seemed to work an had plenty of peppers. I know Okra you have to be rough with them for them to produce well. The old timers here say you have to be a mean person to grow okra an to switch them occasionally.
I grow only two types...a cordopn type, the "Ferline" and a bush habitus, the "Legend". They are both billed as being blight resistant. I like the flavour of these very much, and the toms themselves are different in size and taste. The Ferline is just simply a very tasty tom, the Legend is tasty too, but more of a "beefsteak"-type and excellent for canning. I had so many one year that I actually ran out of jars! I believe that I have posted piccies of them on this foum last year. As for your peppers, well, That would be hard to say, not knowing your soil type or feeding habits. Do you know the pH of your soil? Have you ever had it checked for mineral analysis? The fact that they bloomed makes me suspect a pest or possibly the roots got too dry...or in some cases too wet. If you had a pest the most likely candidates would perhaps be the red spider mite or an aphid sort. The aphids would probably have been easily visible--or at least their sticky droppings; however, the spider mites would have required closer inspection. To be perfectly honest it is almost impossible to ascertain the cause this far after the fact. Is there any more info that you can give? BTW, you have some great-looking crops there, Sarah.
Hi Sjoerd: I hadn't thought about getting the soil tested until reading on about it here on GardenStew. I will have to have it tested this spring, after the ground thaws. LOL... I do know that the roots weren't too dry, I tried to water my garden a couple times a week when there was no rain, I did use some fertilizer every couple of weeks. Thanks for the help. I will be sure to try out the tomatoes.
Yes, definitely heirlooms & open pollinated varieties. For canning there is Roma, San Marzano, Speckled Roman, Opalka etc..
You know, Newyorkgardner...one of the absolute best tasting--if not THE best tasting 'little' toms is the "Gardners Delight". I cannot grow this one because of the prevelance of blight on our allotment complex nowdays, but I did once several years ago and the flavour was supurb.
Hello Newyorkgardener. Just thought I'd pass along an idea for your tomatoes, from what you had said= "I had plants that were 6ft. tall. It was amazing". You can string up tomatoes so that they will climb up any rope or string. I'm sure there are many ways-I have seen a few on the stew here. I'll pass along a picture of our tomatoes strung up to give you an idea: I also did my 1st year of canning because we had so many tomatoes doing this. We did: big boy tom., beefstake, and lg red cherry tom. We will be trying an early girl tom. this year. At the end of the season these tomatoes were to the top of the string and still going over. Its a great way to keep them off the ground. Hope this may help.
Wow! What a couple of piccies you have shown, petunia. Those toms look great...no they look FANTASTIC. My grandpa used to grow them the same way as you and sometimes he would make extentions so that the plants got to be 12 feet or so and he'd have to take-out a ladder to sucker and harvest them! I am so sorry that I can't grow them outside on my plot. These look supurb. Petje af, as they say here... ( I take my hat off to you).
