Tomato Update

The tomatoes are really doing well. Today we found a few blossoms have set, the vines are growing rapidly, and there are many open blossoms. We put wire cages around each plant to keep them better contained and possibly to help be able to cover them when the weather gets cooler and extend the harvest. Notice that we cage them by using bits of wire fencing cut and bent into circles. This is far cheaper than purchasing tomato cages, and they last many years. We also use these same cages for pepper plants to keep them from falling over as they can get so heavy with peppers that branches break off or the plant bends to one side and touches the ground. Growing Anaheim peppers is on our list for next summer.

You can also see the bird netting we made to keep the zucchini plants safe in the background.

Zucchini are Up!

Finally, after several tries and those accursed birds, we have zucchini sprouting. It is likely too late to expect much from them, but we might get to pick a few before frost takes them out. Truthfully, I had given up until today I was out weeding and noticed five sets of leaves pushing their way through the soil. Hallelujah!

Tomato Update

Each of the three tomato plans we set out in September have at least doubled in size and are beginning to bloom. This is very encouraging for a gardener who has never grown fall tomatoes in Arizona. We usually plant enough that we can bottle what we need for the rest of the year, but this season we decided it would be nice to have fresh tomatoes for barbecued  hamburgers, salads, and braised with slices of zucchini in olive oil. There is a long way to go yet, especially with the zucchini which I just put additional seeds out that we sprouted indoors (see prior stories about birds). Tomatoes still need to set, grow, and ripen. For those in cooler climates, we can pretty much guarantee another 10 weeks before frost is a concern. In fact, I recall a year when our kids used the wading pool on Thanksgiving. It can be that warm that late in the year.