This is the second time I filled the basket this week.
The photo below is a close-up of the San Marzano. It is thriving in our heat and humidity. No problem with heat set on this one.
Just the tomatoes… at 12 o’clock, and at center, and at 4 o’clock are the Pomodoros. The first Mortgage Lifter is at 6-7 o’clock.
The Henry Fields Sweet Slicer II cucumber plant is below. I am impressed with its vigor and color. It is a very deep green. No cucumbers yet, but I am still hoping. I believe it is getting ready to do some climbing.
This is a good mix of hybrids and heirlooms, regular and cherries. The odd one near top right is an Italian paste tomato, San Marzano. The center one and the one at 4 or 5 o’clock are mystery tomatoes. They came off of a plant called a “Chocolate Cherry”, but I believe there was a mix-up somewhere. The large pink and greens at 7, 8 and 9 o’clock are Cherokee Purples.
I call a “share” the harvest for the week. A Community Supported Agriculture farm frequently offers its supporting members a share in exchange for a fee. I previously bought a share in the Ambrose family farm on Johns Island. I really enjoyed their vegetables and was inspired to try to grow my own.
This is the share from my garden for the first week of June. There is a new trend! We are getting many cherry tomatoes and harvested 4 full-size tomatoes.
I am astounded at the fruit setting capabilities of some of the tomato plants. The Big Beef can set faster than I harvest. It is amazing. I am also getting an incredible amount on the Black Prince, the San Marzano, and the Tomosa. In the photo below, a Cherokee Purple is on the right. It has the green “shoulders” and a pinkish blush on the bottom. This is characteristic for this variety. The best way to tell if they are ripe is by squeezing them. There will be slight give on the bottom when ready. A Black Prince is all the way to the right. It is an amazing mottled color. This tomato originated in Siberia. The red tomato is a Big Beef, and the and orange with a strange “appendage”, is also a Big Beef.
The June garden still looks good. I am taking advantage with the photos. A second Big Beef blushed and was taken.
Another blueberry sample.
Another cucumber takes off. I let it choose where to go. I had to gently guide it away from the tomato cage.
The garden is looking pretty good. The cucumber has wandered a bit more. There are little cucumbers on the vine, and this morning the bees were busy. Hopefully, there will be cucumbers to harvest soon.
The tomato below is the first ripe San Marzano. It was picked tonight and went home with a good friend to finish ripen and be enjoyed.
The Sweet 100 is loaded. I am very impressed with this plant.
This is a half-garden view. The tomato plant to the left is a Hawaiian Pineapple. It has not set a single fruit yet. The tomato plant to the right is a German Johnson. It has set about 8 or so. The first tomato plant against the fence to the left is the Black Prince, which has about 12 fruit set. The Pomodoro is next with about 14 fruit set. In the corner all the way back is the Big Beef, with 24 fruit set. At this point, there are about 80 full size fruit set, and about 130 cherries.
Going from the front to the back, in between the tomatoes are onions, a pepper plant to the left, the vining cucumber, and behind them some carrots, and behind those some strawberries.
The harvest was light this week. The first squash planting was destroyed. I am working on a second planting. The lettuce is getting too bitter to eat. On the bright side, the tomatoes are increasing, and the carrots are holding steady. There are little cucumbers on the vine, hopefully they will ripen soon.
The first Big Beef had enough blush to come inside and ripen on a counter.
This photo represents almost all of the harvest for this week. Some of the cherry tomatoes, strawberries and blueberries make excellent snacks while gardening.
The month is about over. Here are some photos from this last week.
The Big Beef with 23 tomatoes on it. One is finally showing a blush this morning. Maybe I’ll have a ripe one next week. I was hoping to have one before Memorial day, but it just won’t happen.
The plant below is the Pomodoro. I also refer to the plant as a Costoluto Genovese. The plant marker was not very specific, and it looks like one of these types. It is a very interesting looking tomato. A close-up follows. This plant is already 50 ” high. It also has about 12 tomatoes on it. The plant is also showing some leaf damage, which is unfortunately to be expected here in our humid climate. I am still hopeful to get some nice tomatoes on it.
The close-up:
A view of the garden. The Big Beef is on the right. The tomato plant to the left is a Sweet 100. On the ground interplanted between the two are the Japanese radishes. My son pulled one up the other day that was over a foot long. They are too spicy for me to enjoy. I noticed the bugs like to nibble on the radish leaves. This is fine with me, as long as they don’t nibble on the tomatoes, I’m OK with it.
