Archive for the 'Fruit' Category
I planted one big beef tomato plant and one early girl tomato plant in our raised bed garden in early July. As of a month ago, the big beef tomato plant hadn’t produced more than 3 or 4 ripe tomatoes, but the plant was full of green tomatoes. As shown in this picture, many of the big beef tomatoes ripened just in time to be picked before a change in the weather that occurred here about 2 weeks ago.
Before Halloween, I picked about 15 large red tomatoes and made a big batch of tomato sauce with them. The weekend after Halloween, a large rain storm came in, and the temperature got much cooler. The highs were only in the low 60s (F) here, although the lows were well above freezing in the 40s. After that weather event, most of the remaining tomatoes turned mildew, and the plant’s leaves turned brown. I pulled up the plant a few days ago.
Our last frost usually occurs in February. So next year, I plan to plant a big beef tomato in the ground by April 1st. It just takes too long for big beef tomatoes to ripen to plant one after about June 1st.
Our early girl tomato that we also planted in early July produced ripe tomatoes by September. If we have the space next July, I would consider putting in a late early girl planting again to ensure an autumn harvest of tomatoes.
November 15 2008 | Tomatoes | Comments Off on Big Beef Tomatoes Ripened Just in Time
Our big beef tomato plant is full of tomatoes, but most of them are still unripe. I planted it late (early July), which is probably the reason they haven’t ripened yet.
Our tomato plant grew very fast in the summer and produced an abundance of tomatoes. It grew out of the round cage I bought to support it and eventually fell over. I used a second round cage to prop it up, but that didn’t keep the branches from bending and growing on the ground. Next year, I plan to buy one of those large square cages. The small round cage was adequate for supporting our early girl tomato, but it wasn’t strong enough for a large, fast-growing tomato plant like big beef.
Our tomato is only getting a few hours of direct sunlight a day one month into autumn. The tomatoes are ripening very slowly, the leaves are full of mildew, and the plant has stopped growing. But I am still holding out hope that most of the tomatoes will turn red on the vine in the next few weeks.
October 19 2008 | Tomatoes | Comments Off on Big Beef Tomato
This photograph is a picture of a Nadia black eggplant growing in our vegetable garden. It is finally producing eggplants, and the first one is almost ready to pick. I like these long narrow eggplant fruits, because they are easier to slice than the fat ones.
I planted this eggplant back in early July as a small transplant from a local nursery. This season is the first time that I have grown eggplant. So far, I am pleased at how easy they have been to grow. Although our eggplants have grown slowly for an annual, they are maintaining growth even now in October as the days shorten and the nighttime low temperatures cool off. The leaves of my tomato and zucchini plants are full of mildew right now, but the leaves of the eggplants are mildew free. And our eggplants are continuing to bloom and generate more fruit.
Last month, I harvested a few eggplant fruits from our other eggplants. The fruits had a fresh smell and a nice firmness to them that I have rarely seen in eggplants. They were also free of bruises and dents. We used them with our home grown zucchinis and tomatoes to make a tasty vegetable gratin.
October 11 2008 | Eggplant | Comments Off on Nadia Eggplant
I purchased a cantaloupe transplant from a nursery last June and planted it in one of our new raised beds. This transplant is my first attempt to grow cantaloupe in a long time. So far, it has exceeded my expectations.
I decided that I needed to give this plant a head start, because I planted it late. So I fertilized it with water soluble fertilizer about once every week or two for the first few months. For the past few months, it’s vines have grown so quickly that they have been spreading out of the raised bed and onto the rocks below.
This picture shows the first cantaloupe fruit developing on the vines. It’s about 6 inches long. It’s smaller than a typical cantaloupe, but it’s heavy for its size. Even so, I am excited to get a fruit that large. The last time I grew cantaloupe, the fruit only grew to about 2 inches long.
Cantaloupes that are properly ripened can be very delicious. However, my experience has been that the flavor of cantaloupes varies a lot. Some are not very sweet.
Cantaloupes are well worth eating when they are in season and tasting their best. The main season for them is middle and late summer in the US. A few years ago, I learned that cantaloupe is full of vitamins A and C. Since then, I have been cultivating my taste for them.
October 10 2008 | Melons | Comments Off on First Cantaloupe
The fruit on the anaheim chili pepper plant in our vegetable garden is turning red this week. I have only seen green Anaheim peppers being sold commercially. This plant has taught me that Anaheim peppers are not fully ripe until they turn red.
Apparently, ripened red Anaheim peppers have more heat than the immature green ones. Although, Anaheim peppers are relatively mild flavored chilis. We use them as a flavor ingredient to spice up a variety of dishes, especially in Mexican and Indian recipes.
We are also growing bell peppers this year. I started growing bell peppers last year, because the red, orange, and yellow bell peppers that are sold commercially are so expensive. I was surprised to discover that green bell peppers are just immature bell peppers that would have turned red, orange, yellow, or some other color if they had been left to fully ripen. I had assumed that the colored peppers were different varieties.
I think that peppers have a much greater visual impact in a garden when they are allowed to turn red, orange, or yellow. Home grown bell peppers that are ripened to their full coloring also have a wonderful fragrance and a fuller flavor. Plus, the economy of growing fully ripened peppers is greater, and it only requires a little more patience.
September 24 2008 | Peppers | Comments Off on Fully Ripened Peppers
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