Love the last one, Rita...all are great, tho!

Has everyone checked out the new Miniature Gardening Badge? The cutest little GNOME ever!!! Love it!

Have a smattering of gnomes around the garden just watchin out for things.

I need a tomato gardening badge I really do have to go look to see if there is one for veggie gardening.

Well, I found a badge for veggie gardener so I just added it.

Love it, Rita! Perfect!

Perfect would be a badge that states it is for an overly obssessive tomato grower. I had almost 50 plants this year after the past years (not working very well) cut back plan. And what am I doing but already plotting (in my head) what tomato varieties I could try next year.

I sense a vegetable stand somewhere in your future!!

I'm looking forward to an extensive tomato report giving details on taste and anything else tomato related from those 50 varieties, Rita.....

Lots of yummy Spaghetti sauces, bruschetta, BLT's, tomato soup, oh, oh!!

Janice, can you see me with a table set up at the end of my driveway selling veggies?


Veronica, Oh no. Not 50 varieties but almost 50 plants. Some types I have one of and some types I have 6 of. But I was thinking about my tomatoes. I like to buy the six packs and also the one per pot. But when buying the six packs I quickly end up with too many so can't try something else. It just occurred to me today that next year I could get more types in 6 packs than ever before and save money too. The six packs at the nursery that has the big tomato selection cost $3.50. Plants in single pots start at 5-6 bucks. So what if I buy more six packs than usual but only plant 4 instead of 6? Or 3? Still a good deal pricewise and I could try more types. That was todays brainstorm.

Meanwhile I just had my first tomato taste testings. 2 fully ripe tomatoes from plant just marked "grape". The tomatoes were fully round so look like typical cherry tomatoes so I am wondering if the plant was mismarked. Tasted like typical supermarket cherry tomatoes that you buy in the winter. Bland. Will not be getting that again next year.

Meanwhile I also had three SUNGOLD (cherry type) that I purposfully left on the vine longer so as to be sure they are ripe. Never had golden tomatoes so wanted to be sure thay were ripe. OH MY!!!!! Taste just explodes in you mouth. WOW. Could have eaten lots more of those and I only have the one SUNGOLD plant.

Also ate the first two FOURTH OF JULY tomatoes. Small tomatoes the size of golf balls. Flavor very bland, nothing special. Other tomatoes from these plants better impress me more than this or FORTH OF JULY will not be back next year.

I have lots of green tomatoes set on my other plants. So far just by looking, the MORTGSAGE LIFTER that I tried again this year has hardly any fruit and I had better show me something. I doubt I will ever have that one in the garden again. My other heirloom type, CHEROKEE PURPLE is doing very well. Nice plant and good fruit set. This is the fiurst time for CHEROKEE PURPLE for me but I wish I had planted more than one. Will plant more next year!

Janice, I eat tomatoes just like one might eat an apple. I just love them. Also make tomato and cucumber salad and I eat lots and lots of tomato sandwiches. I love tomato sandwiches. I have a variety new to me that I am trying this year called VIVA ITALIA which is a ROMA type for sauces. But honestly I cook down any type of tomatoes I have. I guess I will have lots of salsa and have to learn to make bruschetta (which I do love to eat).

Newyorkrita said:

What are these Lavender ones called.


What are the two at the bottom?

Love your Day Lilies, we must have similar taste. I always

Susan, that is WILD ONE. A very old one but sure is a looker. Everone that sees it seems to love it!

So on with the tomato reports-

JULIET GRAPE tomatoes setting fruit but not heavily like SUNGOLD. I think this is problably because the four Juliet plants are not in the best location. Not a big deal as I figgure they should still be able to produce plenty.

Other tomatoes all with green fruits. One plant called SUPER FANTASTIC (new to me this year) is really looking good with lots of fruit set. I hope these taste great because I am very impressed by the plant and fruit set. (perfect looking fruit)

New to me PATIO tomato in a container this year. Plant about three feet tall loaded with fruit. Also in a container is BETTER BUSH a short plant about 20 inches tall. Again heavy fruit set. I hope both of these taste good as I like the plants and fruit set with the also perfect looking fruit.

The tomato report is making me crave tomatoes. I have had some from a plant I bought at Walmart. the taste is good I thought it was a red but it is a yellow and small like a cherry tomato. I may have the variety tag planted in the plant the fruit is getting smaller each day because of lack or rain. We have watered daily for about 2 weeks but nothing beats rain. We have also had some small red ones that are just starting and 1 Rutgers has b een picked to keep the critters from getting it first..last year we had Mountain Fresh which we really lliked and we have them againthis year..Also 3 plants I started from seed Mortgage Lifter, Black Krim,and another i can't remember the name but it looked like a pineapple type of tomato...Anyway I had a hard time getting those to mature to setting out size but they are growing now with daily watering. I only hope I have 1 of each and not 2 of 1 kind and 1of another...Will have to wait to see.

Managed to do just a bit of cleanup in the north bed today before the heat chased me back indoors...

I like the way this one is positioned...all of the blooms face the kitchen windows of my house.

Please excuse my typically crappy long-view photography. At least you can see the colors.


The alliums here are four and a half feet tall...eye level blooms.



Lilies in one of the south gardens. With the fence behind them, these blooms are persuaded to face southeast, so that I can see them from the house as well.

Can't smell them from here tho'...and they smell divine!!


This bee looks like it's waving to us!

It all looks great to me.

Wow! Chelle! You got it goin on, girl!!

Love the Lilies and fence and the bee on the phlox!! Wonderful!

Yes, too hot here to go outdoors and very buggy out there!

Thanks!

I had to pick up each stem of the rudbeckia blooming toward the back and cage it after the wind knocked it all over - it looks terrible up close, but the splash of color from a distance is still nice.


I think I finally have enough yellow ....well, I think I might.

The usual pictures this time of the backyard.










This morning first thing I did in the garden was water my tomatoes with an Epson Salt solution. Don't want blossom end rot. Don't have it but don't want it. The porch tomatoes are like trees. I have to look UP at the tops of them. I did the follier feeding by going up on the porch, leaning over the railing and dousing the tomato leaves with the sprinkle from the watering can. Even so they are up as far as the porch railing and you have to go up five steps from ground level to the porch.

Epsom Salt also greens up leaves. This is the first time I have tried it but I know it gets rave reviews from the veggie gardening forums.

Lovely Chelle!

That's a lot of tomatoes you are going to have, Rita. I just harvested a small handful of yellow cherry tomatoes, and 1 of the New Yorkers are almost ready.