What are you harvesting? Spring-Summer, 2015

[GardeningCook]

I know they don't have as many fans as they used to (heirlooms being all the rage now), but I still find that they have a lot going for them & always grow one or two. They don't need humongous containers, don't need staking/support, are very compact & bushy, & have a nice balanced tomato flavor. And, around here anyway, they're nearly always the first ones to ripen.

(Oh - & I've also found that Patio is quite resistant to the various pests & problems that so easily infiltrate the rest of the tomato gang. )

[lexusnexus]

On the patio we have tons of herbs (sage, several types of basil, tarragon, and flat parsley).

And in the garden so far:

1. Radishes (French breakfast and cherry belle)
2. Swiss chard (bright lights)
3. Beets (Detroit dark red, Burpee golden, and gourmet blend)
4. Scallions (Evergreen bunching)
5. Onions (candy cane)
6. A few grape tomatoes (not growing next year, like sugar cubes with no tomato taste)
7. Zucchini (Burpee hybrid)
8. Yellow squash (early prolific straight neck)

[applestar]

Sounds like a nice mix -- my yellow squash are just getting set -- about 2-3"

6. A few grape tomatoes (not growing next year, like sugar cubes with no tomato taste)

What's the name of this variety? I'm growing a whole bunch of sweet cherry varieties this year to try.

[pepperhead212]

My brassicas and other greens are pretty much gone, but I still have quite a few kohlrabis to harvest. But it's time for the summer things now! Tomatoes are starting to ripen - not just the cherries - and countless full sized but green chiles, and even a few of those ripening, along with some chinense peppers I started VERY early, and are beginning to ripen more than 2 months before usual! And eggplant, okra, and cucumbers are starting to come in big time! No green beans yet - had a delay with those, due to a problem with rabbits.

[Mauldintiger]

My brassicas are all gone as well, except a couple cabbages. Pulled onions first of June and still enjoying them, potatoes came out from under straw in mid June. Pulled one row of green beans and replanted five more rows where the brassicas were. Ordered and will start fall brassicas when these beans are done. Pulled and gave away all my beets, we really don't like them! Getting about 5-6 Marketmore 76 cukes a day and still going strong, fewer plants next year. Now Getting ronde de nice summer squash and the rest are starting to come in. I had to replant all cucurbits because of no germination during a cool wet spring, so they are late. Started getting early girls second week of June, rest of Tomatoes coming in now, mostly heirlooms. Here is my harvest from Sunday, pulled the butternuts in case the pickle worms show up while I'm at Fripp Island with the family.

[lexusnexus]

[quote/]6. What's the name of this variety? I'm growing a whole bunch of sweet cherry varieties this year to try.[/quote]

Hi Applestar,

The variety is simply called "Grape Tomato" from Tomato Growers Supply. They are prolific and very sweet but I was hoping to have more tomato flavor. I don't have a lot of experience with cherry tomatoes so I don't know if that is normal. Most all I've grown in the past have been main crop because of space restrictions. Next year I am planning Sun Gold and Bumblebee Pink for cherries. Maria (my partner) is thinking she might want to grow them (Grape) in a container.

[veggiegardeners]

Have not harvested yet, but I am trying to grow my own durian tree from this guide: https://vegetableparadise.com/2015/06/16 ... rian-tree/

[GardeningCook]

Where are located that you can grow Durian?

[applestar]

6. What's the name of this variety? I'm growing a whole bunch of sweet cherry varieties this year to try.

Hi Applestar,

The variety is simply called "Grape Tomato" from Tomato Growers Supply. They are prolific and very sweet but I was hoping to have more tomato flavor.

Thanks! I'm going to unearth an older Cherry tomato comparison thread as soon as I get the chance. I think I will post to it with this year's cherry variety impressions.

[applestar]

I harvested a small but firm cabbage, a couple of broccoli side shoots, A big bunch of Greek oregano, and a Donkey Ears sweet roasting pepper. -- First red ripe (well almost) one so I'm pretty excited!

Even while I was trying to decide between this one and another head of cabbage, yellow jacket and paper wasps were barreling in to land on the leaves and begin their patrol, so I had to time it perfectly to pry this one away. THEN it's so funny because they NOTICED that one was missing -- a little extra buzz and whirring flight over where the cabbage USED to be....

[skiingjeff]

We're still harvesting side shoots from our Spring broccoli and some kohlrabi and snow peas. I just picked 3 yellow squash today as well.

Love that my broccoli is still producing even with all this heat!

[pepperhead212]

I still have a few kohlrabi out there, but that's about it for brassicas. I am starting to get inundated with cucumbers (over 20 from 3 in 3 days) and eggplants. A lot of cherry tomatoes, too, but only a few varieties of larger ones starting to ripen. And I harvested the earliest and largest tomatillos I have ever grown!

[applestar]

Blueberries are still trickling in from my small patch -- DDs have been enjoying the near-daily snack of fresh ripe berries since end of May -- strawberries, mulberries, cherries, red raspberries, yellow raspberries, blueberries... And now the blackberries are starting -- two yesterday, three today. ...and do you see the FIGS?

...and don't worry that I washed the Adirondak Red potatoes -- we're eating those puppies right away

[lexusnexus]

Those taters look yummy. I just don't have room in my garden for them although I really love them. One thing that really surprised me about NJ was just how much agriculture there is! Maria (my partner) and I have been going to Sea Isle City in late July and I was shocked to see all the produce fields. We normally stop at a vegetable stand on Rt 40 just north of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and pick up produce for the beach and on the way home as well. They have cantaloupe the size of a soccer ball that are so sweet and juicy.

[sweetiepie]

I harvested my first zucchini, basil, cilantro, chives, mustard greens, lettuce, arugula.

[jal_ut]

I had a good cutting of spinach and leaf lettuce. Now getting a few turnips. The peas are on. I need to go pick them.

[imafan26]

Corn and peppers, lots of peppers hot and sweet.

[digitS']

Some of the broccoli recovered from the record heat; it's amazing what a little fertilizer and water can do.

Suddenly, there are lots of zucchini, yellow and green.

A few cucumbers have shown up. A few ripe tomatoes, they amount to a trickle.

And, green beans ..! Little French filet beans that are so tender and surprisingly flavorful.

Steve

[GardeningCook]

The French Filet (aka "Haricot Verts") green beans are my favorite too! So elegant-looking, thin, & tender, but with a full beany flavor.

[applestar]

Triple Crown thornless Blackberries, Walla Walla onions, and Fun Jen asian green seeds ...oh and first couple of Purple Podded Pole beans

[lexusnexus]

Lately I've been harvesting green beans and wax beans (both bush and pole beans), zucchini, yellow squash, grape tomatoes and Cherokee Purples.

[applestar]

[Taiji]

I continue to be amazed that I get these every time I dig up a potato hill. Wasn't expecting anything at all since my leaves were all pin holed, shredded, eaten, curling and shriveling up til the plants all died. I would certainly recommend red norlands as an early prolific potato.

If I could just get the smaller ones to start sprouting I could probably plant them and get a second harvest. Anyone know how to speed up potato sprouting from the eyes?

[Taiji]

I was just searching the internet, and found this in answer to my own question:

"Potatoes have a natural dormancy from the time they are harvested to when they begin to sprout, starting their next growth cycle. This can only be modified slightly by storage conditions. Though this dormancy varies from variety to variety, six-months is about average."

I guess if this is true, the thought of replanting recently harvested potatoes for a second crop in the same year is out. I guess that makes sense. Otherwise, why wouldn't all potatoes in the ground from recently died plants immediately start growing again? Instead, they wait til next spring if left in the ground.

[lexusnexus]

One negative about potatoes (to me anyway), you can't ever get rid of all the tubers. Some are going to escape harvesting and will rear their head next year, and the year after, and the year after... Of course, if you going to keep them in the same place year after year you will be fine.

[Taiji]

It's easy to miss them when digging, that's for sure. I was working up some soil yesterday for some midsummer planting and found a great big baker. Don't how I missed it the first time! I guess that's an argument in favor of planting taters in a great big container.

[Peter1142]

My Kennebec potatoes just won't die back. 120 days next week and still mostly green.

I have harvested in the last week all the tomato varieties (finally ripe full size fruit this week), eggplant, zucchini I am mass freezing at this point, onions, an early acorn squash that had a bug eating it, leeks, bush beans (pole not far behind). It is hard to keep up with right now

[GardeningCook]

Not from my own garden, but this past Saturday nearly every single vendor at our local farmers market had absolutely HUGE (as in 3"-long thumb-size) blackberries for sale. Irresistible, & sugar-sweet; couldn't resist buying a couple of pints. I've never seen blackberries so large.

[Rairdog]

I have been getting lots of pepperocini. Got a 1/2 gallon fermenting.

Here are some Cherokee Purples, a Limbaugh Legacy(new to me..sort of a wine taste at the end...yum) Martino Roma and cukes.



Green bells, Corno de Toro(my new fav sweet green) and onions daily for fajitas, SD pizza and such.

[JayPoc]

part of yesterday's harvest:



became last night's dinner:



It's especially fun for me when an entire meal or dish is 100% from my garden....

[GardeningCook]

Lovely!

[Rairdog]

It's especially fun for me when an entire meal or dish is 100% from my garden....

Ditto...or close to it. Yesterday's fermented hot pickles and pepperocini's. From the garden: cukes, serrano, onion, coriander, mustard seed, dill and grape leaves. From the store: peppercorn and garlic....mine drowned

[applestar]

Ooh! Looks good! Could you post the recipes in the recipe forum? (Are those grape leaves?)

[Rairdog]

Ooh! Looks good! Could you post the recipes in the recipe forum? (Are those grape leaves?)

Yes....for tannin/crispness

[MichaelC]

Right now I'm getting a few pounds of cucumbers, 3/4 lb. pole beans, a few Padron peppers (my peppers are not doing very well this year), and a half pint or so of cherry tomatoes every week.

[applestar]

We had a nice first harvest of wax beans

...and blackberries (bagging the fruit trusses as soon as they turn red is REALLY paying off)

(Volunteer Coyote cherry tomato has started to ripen ahead of the seed-started ones... )

...and our first cucumber atop a big basket of Lemon Verbena -- I wish this was smell-o-vision

[JayPoc]

A little over 3 lbs of pickle bush and burpee pickler hybrid cukes. I've got 5 plants going, and this is the second picking of this many. Many more on the way, too (hopefully, fingers crossed).

[applestar]

I decided today was The Day to harvest the mature Tromboncino. I was ready to cut it out of the fence if necessary, but looking at it closer, realized it was like one of those dis entanglement puzzles

... TAH DAH!

[digitS']

YAY for AppleStar!

And, yay for me!

The gardens are now producing all the green beans, sweet corn, big ripe tomatoes, and cool cucumbers that I can eat.

All the early sweet tidbits and the health sustaining veggies were leading up to this fresh every year moment.

It's only been in the last dozen years that melons have been added to my peak of the season list. And, I've got ripe melons earlier than ever, in this very warm summer. Gardening has never tasted so good ...

Steve

[MichaelC]

Currently - About 1.5 - 2 lbs of beans a week, a few pints of cherry tomatoes. Cucumbers are slowing down, say a half dozen fruits a week, but I'm expecting more flushes coming. Large tomatoes are just finishing up ripening, I've been very lucky that the heat has held down below 90 F. San Marzanos are finally starting to ripen. And still just a tiny handful of Padron peppers from this year's sad pepper patch.