‘Sungold’ tomato wins the Great First to Ripen Race of 2011. Growing alongside fellow hybrid ‘Super Bush’ as well as heirlooms ‘Black Krim’ and ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter,’ this little orange cherry tomato easily beat out the pack in terms of earliness. Such an unexpected treat; who knew there had been enough sun to ripen […]
tomatoes
Simple oven-dried tomatoes
If, for some reason, you’ve reached your saturation point for tomato-bocconcini-basil salad/bruschetta/tomato bisque/insert-name-of-favourite-tomato-recipe-here, you may be wondering what to do with all those ripe tomatoes sitting on your counter. Last week I reached that point, and, rather than let the fruit flies carry off my ‘maters, I decided to oven dry them. Following the basic […]
Tomato harvest 2010
I’d like to introduce you to some of the tomatoes I’ve been harvesting this year. I grow tomatoes every year, without fail. They are a must-have, even though they take up a significant portion of my growing space. For me, the major problem with growing tomatoes isn’t blight or blossom end rot. It’s choosing only […]
Time to: strip your tomatoes
My tomato plants, post end-of-summer pruning. It’s not quite time for the annual winter garden clean up (just typing that made me feel a little ill), but it’s a good idea to start to prepare for fall by planting your winter garden, and by pruning your tomato plants. Why prune? Two reasons: to focus the […]
Now Harvesting: late-August
The word harvest takes on new significance at this time of year, as the garden really steps it up. Right now I’m harvesting tomatoes, fresh herbs and beans daily, with cucumbers, peppers, and zucchinis making a semi-regular appearance. Pulled up my crop of ‘Ambition’ shallots today, too, and was impressed with how they’d multiplied. If […]
How to ripen green tomatoes
Ready or not! Here I come… The rain started today, signalling the end of what was a beautiful stretch of sunny days. Figuring that my tomatoes had probably seen the last of the warmth, I harvested the lot of them. Did you know that placing a ripe banana in a paper bag with your green […]
Tomato seed starting
As I wrote earlier, for me, tomato growing is a family affair. Thank goodness! Without my mom’s greenhouse, my grandma’s saved seeds and all of our hands, the job would be nearly impossible. We grow enough for ourselves, our friends and neighbours, and this year, we’ll even have a few for the plant sales. A […]
The Growing Challenge: expanding my vegetable-growing horizons
I’ve decided to join The Growing Challenge, started by Melinda of Elements in Time’s Creating Edible Landscapes blog. I’m not very good at these types of things, normally. Let’s blame it on my fear of commitment. Never could quite manage to do Green Thumb Sunday or Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day (although I have ordered the […]