That iris bed pictured there is my newest one. Only put in last summer. It really did look stunning when those TB iris bloomed this spring and it was only the first year. Really should look extra good next year.

Green with envy... you dont want to see my first year beds compared to yours... 45 days above 100 daily might be the reason they dont grow all summer but still green with envy!

We don't get that kind of weather here, thank goodness.

Be very thankful - we did not used to... this year has been really bad like the last few.

I too have noticed some rot this year. Guess it is good that I just completed an "iris only" bed and am moving everything. It is giving me the opportunity to clean things up, and start "fresh" Only noticed one with an Iris borer, and it was in a bed by itself, so hopeully there are no more surprises like that, Urg.

By the way, with just me living in the house anymore, I don't plant much of a veggie garden anymore. Which means that the single tomato plant tends to get popped into my front daylily bed....

Of course, my asparagus bed is full of daylilies for some reason

Jan

One tomato plant can produce quite a few if it is happy.

I eat so many tomatoes in the summertime one tomato plant would never be enough here. I have 6 plants out front by by porch and 6 more over in the side yard. Love my home grown tomatoes.

Amen...I could eat a tomato sandwich on whole wheat bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

OMG you guys are killin me

I do eat my tomato sandwiches almost every day.

Had 2 slices of tomato on my luncheon sandwich. Did not grow them, am I out of the club?

You can stay in the tomato club. But the home grown ones are just sooooo much better that anything you can get in the stores.

One of my favorite folksy songs. It gets played on a local Saturday morning gardening radio show. I listen just to hear it:

http://www.sing365.com/music/l...

They play "Home Grown Tomatoes" on the KSL gardening show here on Saturday. I buy roma tomatoes for a little color in green salads the rest of the year but only really enjoy them from my garden or a local farmers stand in the summer/fall. I'm crazy for local sweet corn also. This is a wonderful time of the year for for fresh produce. .

Winter is really a rotten time for us tomato lovers. I go with the romas too but sometimes it's just pointless when it comes to flavor and then I skip them altogether. For the home garden we prefer the Viva Italia romas as they are much more flavorful than the regular romas. This fall I will be making up loads of tomato sauce from them.

For home grown corn, it's 277A for sure. The seed can be hard to find but currently Jung's carries it and that is where I order from. Cucumbers = Tasty Green burpless.

We spent years of testing to come to these favorites. We tried a new one each year., booting the losers and growing the winner the next year.

While I am way off the iris topic I will add that the favorite cherry tomato is Sweet Baby Girl .

Black Cherry all the way here - we cannot grow what we can eat of those... never have some to share!

I always grow some cucumbers and the Burpless are my favorites also. I just don't buy tomatoes in the winter as they just don't have flavor to me. Not even the store bought romas. Corn on the cob I just buy at the store in season.

I guess this discussion is sort of on topic as that iris garden I started this post about is were my tomato garden used to be before I took it over for iris and daylilies

I like tomatoes, don't love them, and a tomato sandwich - no can do. I enjoy growing them, and using fresh tomatoes when cooking and/ or making salsa. I bought a new cherry tomato this year to try, called "Sun Sugar" from Pine Tree Seeds. It's supposed to be the sweetest one available. I gave all the seedlings away, am waiting for responses on how everyone liked them.

Cukes I buy from the farmers market. Zucchini I can generally get free from friends. Sweet corn from the roadside seller - YUMMM! And watermelon - as much as I enjoy not having seeds to spit, the seedless just don't have the flavor of a good old fashioned seeded watermelon.

Talk about getting "off topic"!!!! ~Jan

Tomato, fresh basil, mozzarella, a little salt, drizzled with oo on a crunchy baguette. I am in heaven.

Cherry tomato 'Sun Sugar' is a top favorite here, so good it is the only small one I grow. I've also grown 'Juliet' and liked it but planted fewer tomatoes this year to have more room for iris.