Peppers, Tomatoes, and Leeks, Ahoy!

   And we're off!  Tomatoes and peppers for 2025 have been sown.  Peppers (Ajvarski and Anaheim) on March 4th, tomatoes on March 25th.  Leeks (Giant Musselburgh) are on the go as well, sown March 6th.

   The tomatoes must have been eager to get going this year.  Most varieties had begun germinating in earnest by March 29!

 

Tomatoes and a few tiny asters have germinated.

 

Leeks, peppers, and oregano clippings from last summer.

  

   Here are the tomato varieties for this summer.  Clearly, I did not succeed in narrowing down the selections to 10-12.  

An asterisk indicates the first time growing a variety.  

 

Determinate and Dwarf

Dwarf Speckled Heart  (DWARF, red & gold striped hearts, 5-12 oz fruit, productive, ~ 75 DTM).

Dwarf Purple Heart  (DWARF, purple-black, heart-shape, 6-16 oz, Deep crimson flesh, meaty, well-balanced flavour.  Plant sprawls a bit, ~4' tall.  Good producer.  70-75 DTM.)

Dwarf Audrey’s Love (DWARF, 2-4 oz striped bicolour elongated plum, chocolate with green stripes, great flavour, 3' tall, heavy producer, mid-season: 80 DTM)

*Dwarf Arctic Rose (DWARF, pink, round/oblate, early, often 5-6 oz, 3.5' tall, stout central stem, can grow in 5 gallon containers/pots but will thrive in containers 10+ gallons, balanced/sweet flavour. 65-70 DTM.)

Early Annie  (DET, red globes, 3 to 4-inch round, ~4oz, canning/slicing, reliable.  60-70DTM)

Principe Borghese  (DET, red, heirloom, determinate, small, dry, few seeds, good for sundried tomatoes.  Reliable, productive.  ~ 75 DTM)

Fisher’s Earliest Paste  (DET, red, egg-shaped, early, hardy, good flavour.  90+ years of selection by the Fisher family of Montana. RARE.)

*Siccagno (DET, red, small fruit, no staking needed, drought tolerant/low irrigation, paste, Italian heirloom.)

Taxi (or “Yellow Taxi)  (DET, uniform bright yellow globes, 3-5 oz, sweet/low-acid, compact/busy plant, productive, disease-resistant.  ~2’ tall.  Great for salads/salsas/fresh-eating. ~75 DTM.) 

Semi-Determinate

*Katja (SEMI-DET, pink beefsteak, larger fruit than most early varieties: 3-5” and 8-16 oz.  Good flavour, good slicer variety.  Plant sprawls a bit, does well in cool summers.  60-65 DTM.  Origin: Siberia.)

*Orange-1  (SEMI-DET, orange globes, 2-8 oz, ~75 DTM, good flavour, productive, meaty, few seeds.  Also called, “Belarus Orange”.  Does well in cool summers.  Origin: Belarus.  Uncommon.).

Moskvich  (SEMI-DET, deep red globes, 4-6 oz, productive, cold tolerant, crack resistant, early, slicer. ~ 60-70 DTM. Russian heirloom.) 

 

Indeterminate

Japanese Black Trifele  (IND, black/mahogany, pear-shaped, medium-sized fruit, rich flavour, ~80dtm.  Despite the name, it’s origin is either Estonian or Russian, depending on the source you read.)

Hungarian Heart   (IND, pink, large oxheart (often 1lb or more), paste/canner/fresh, crack-resistant, few seeds, origin: Hungary, ~ 80 DTM. Heirloom.)

Franchi Red Pear  (IND, red, large, pear-shape with vertical ribbing, 8-18oz, early for a large tomato, 75DTM, origin: Northern Italy.)

Eva Purple Ball  (IND, smooth, round, pink-purple fruit, 4-6 oz, multi-purpose tomato.  Excellent, complex flavour. Easy to peel. Excellent disease resistance. Grows well in hot, humid areas.  Late 1800s heirloom from the Black Forest region of Germany brought to the USA by Joe Bratka’s family.  ~75 DTM.)

*Marina’s Praise (IND, elongated orange and pink bicolour plum with pointy tip, excellent fruity flavor, variegated foliage that is more prominent early in the season.  ~80 DTM.  This variety is a cross between 'Orange Russian 117' Oxheart x 'Variegated PL’.)

Indigo Pear Drop (IND, large cherry, elongated pear-shape, heavy yields, golden yellow with purple/antho shoulders, sweet/fruity, great for snacking, 65-70DTM)

Malachite Box  (“Malakhitovaya Shkatulka”, IND, GWR/green-when-ripe, beefsteak, medium-to-large sized fruit, ~70 DTM, very good flavour.  Russian heirloom)

 

 

Snowfall, Deer, and Happy Hour For The Blue Jays

   Mid-October!  Time flies when you're wrapping up the gardening season.  There is so much to do.

   An end to the tomatoes is in sight (thank Heaven), with only one small box of them left ripening in the kitchen.  After a bit of a drought, this was a big sauce year.  I canned about 36 L of sauce; that should do us at least a year.  The Ajvarksi peppers did well, so there are several bags of those, too, chopped and in the freezer. 

   A few days ago, I processed one of the North Georgia Candy Roasters and cleaned the seeds to save.  I'd forgotten just how much food is in one Candy Roaster squash!  There was enough to have in two batches of red lentil daal with plenty left over to make a soup, which I did yesterday.

   Yesterday morning was a nippy -10 C, though by mid-afternoon the sun was shining and the temperature had risen to 7 degrees C.  We had a healthy (and unexpected) snowfall on October 19th that not only stuck around for a few days, but was added to by subsequent rounds of flurries.  It felt strange that it looked so Christmas-y outside when Hallowe'en hadn't even come and gone yet.

 (We got another 3 inches or so on top of this.)

 

   The deer visits have slowed down now that there is almost nothing left in the garden to eat.  The last few visits have been from the same little family; mama and her two youngsters.  These pictures are from earlier this month (October 4th). They were taken at dusk on a misty day, through windows, with my basic little digital camera.  Forgive the disorderly (grungy? chaotic? lowbrow?) look of the place; we had just begun to dry out the frost-guard sheets, put away tools and pots, save the dahlia tubers, till the plots, etc.  A task that can take up much of the month of October.

(Click pictures to enlarge.)

 

 

 

  

 

 

   I had periodically heard, but rarely seen, blue jays in our area.  Usually, a sighting would involve spotting one flying overhead, calling loudly, heading to someone else's yard.  The spectrum of birds we see here seems limited to sparrows, magpies, crows, ravens, and occasionally Bohemian Waxwings, so I longed for a blue jay to linger.  

   Yesterday, I heard one calling.  It sounded nearby.  To our surprise, one had discovered the dried sunflower head R. had placed in one of our trees and was having his fill.  We discussed what they like to eat (in a nutshell - no pun intended -  they love peanuts).  R. made a small platform, installed it in the tree near the sunflower head, and then left to shop for peanuts.  He placed a handful on the platform when he got home, and we were curious to see if a blue jay would discover it in the coming days.

   Less than an hour later, we looked out to see the blue jay sitting on the platform with a peanut in his beak.  He took off with it, presumably to stash it somewhere, and made his way back.  He (and/or some of his buddies, though I think it was the same bird) repeated the process until the peanuts were gone.   The feeding platform was a hit!

 

 

 

The Garlic Patch, Planted

   The garlic patch is planted to put to bed for the season.  Whew!  This year, it is in the East garden and despite telling myself I would "simply", the patch is the larger than ever and has more varieties than before.  What can one do, when a generous soul gives you 7 new varieties of bulbils and rounds to try?   

   The patch was planted over two days; started October 10th and finished - including mulch - on the 11th.   The buried pots and window boxes on the left-hand side of the patch contain bulbils and small rounds, and the lines of rocks are dividing markers for the different varieties.  I also drew a diagram of the patch and made written notes in case anything happens to/moves the rocks before harvest time (hello, deer...I'm talking to you).

 

   We turned around after mulching the patch to spot one of our kitties nestled in the fluffy mulch, Sphinx-style, eyes closed in cozy bliss.  She looked so sweet and content; I wish I'd caught a photo of that.  Once she became aware we were adoring her, she sat up to take it all in.

 
 

 

 

 

This year's varieties are:

Russian Giant  – Hardneck – Marbled Purple Stripe – Very hot when eaten raw.  Best grown in cool/northern climates.  Large bulbs, often 3 inches across.  4-6 cloves per bulbs.  Long storing (~8 months).  Skin is brownish-purple.

Red Russian – Hardneck - Marbled Purple Stripe (a kind I plant annually).  Excellent storage. Very dependable.  Excellent storage.  Large bulbs, averaging 5-7 cloves per bulb.  Can tolerate wet and very cold winters. Hot flavour with a bit of sweetness.

Siberian – Hardneck - Marbled Purple Stripe -  A mild-to-medium-intensity garlic that has a high concentration of allicin. Does well in both warm and cool climates, though thrives in the latter.  Large bulbs usually contain 5-8 cloves. The cloves have light pink skins that become darker/redder when the garlic is grown in iron-rich soil.  Mid-to-late season. Stores well; 6-7 months.

Central Siberian -  Hardneck - Marbled Purple Stripe - Similar to, if not the same as, "Siberian".

Persian Star – Hardneck – Purple Stripe – Cold-hardy variety and a Canadian heritage variety.  Light coloured bulb wrappers with purple-streaked clove skins. Late harvest.  The bulbs can get quite large.  8-10 cloves per bulbs, can have 6-8 months storage.  Rich and spicy but not too hot.

Pyong Yang Korean – Asiatic Hardneck – Glazed Purple Stripe.  Rare, hot, early to harvest.  Easy to peel, moderate storage (~6 months). This variety should be harvested when 1-2 leaves have turned brown (unlike most varieties).

Brown Tempest – Hardneck - Glazed Purple Stripe - Bulb wrapper have purple patches, cloves are brown/bronze with a bit of rose blush and no stripes.  Bulbs average 6-7 cloves.  Raw garlic is hot.  Originating from the Republic of Moldova. Peels quite easily.  Does not store well (recommended to eat these ones first).

Mother of Pearl – SOFTNECK – Silverskin – long storage, dense heads, no scape develops, rare variety.  Of the Silverskins, this is the earliest variety to mature.

Northern Quebec – Hardneck – Porcelain. White wrappers. Good storage.  Averages 4 cloves per bulb. Does well in most climates and tolerates very cold winters.  Mid-season harvest.  Hot (and some say slightly smoky) flavour.

Baba Franchuk’s – Hardneck - Rocambole - Originated in Manitoba. Bulb wrappers have strong purple striping, cloves wrappers are reddish brown.  Great flavour.  The bulbs can grow very large.  Averages 8-10 cloves per bulb.  Stores about 6 months.  An easy peeler.

Kiev – Hardneck - Rocambole -  Brown, gold, and amber wrappers.  Brown, gold, and amber wrappers. Strong flavour, large bulbs with up to 10 cloves (seems to average around 7).  An easy peeler.

 

New (bulbils & rounds)

Red Rocambole – Hardneck  - Rocambole – This variety was given to me.  I don’t know which variety of red rocambole it is (e.g., Killarney Red, Spanish Roja, etc.)…or if the name of the variety is “Red Rocambole”.  Being a rocambole, it's an easy peeler.

Newfoundland (Heritage Newfoundland?) – Hardneck - Rocambole - A rare cultivar from eastern Canada, which has been cultivated for nearly 400 years in Newfoundland. The cultivar was collected by Peter Sobol.  Does well in cold climates.  Outer wrapper white marbled with mauve. Cloves coloured cinnamon to dark rose and are easy to peel.  Rich flavour without burning.  Stores ~ 4 months.   [I am not sure if this is a rocambole or porcelain.  It looks like a rocambole to me ("Newfoundland Heritage"), but the person who gifted the rounds to me thinks it’s a porcelain variety ("Newfoundland").]

Burnstown Wild – Hardneck - Rocambole?  Purple Stripe? - These rounds were gifted to me, and I can't find any information about this variety.  The rounds are large and a purple/rose colour.

Jesuit House (rare) – undetermined, but seems to be a hardneck, a probable Porcelain.  Here is a short write-up of what's known about this garlic.  There is a bit more information on the Terre Promise seed website.  I have seen this nutshell description online:  "Jesuit House garlic - a rare perennial clumping garlic from Sillery, Quebec - multiplies via seeds and nubbins on the bulb." 

Fish Lake (Fish Lake 3?) – Hardneck - Porcelain - The premier and best known variety from the legendary garlic breeder Ted Maczka. This variety is stronger and larger than most porcelains. Robust grower.  The white bulbs have 5 to 6 cloves and the clove wrappers are purplish pink. Good storage.

Music – Hardneck - Porcelain –  One of the most common varieties grown in Canada.  Produces a medium pungency garlic that stores well.  Music has an average of 4-6 cloves per bulb.  Adapts well to a wide range of environments and growing conditions.  Originally imported from Italy.  Performs well in cold climates.  Outer wrappers tend to be white.  Cloves are hot when eaten raw, sweet when baked.  One of the milder porcelains.

Majestic – Hardneck - Porcelain -  Smooth, pronounced garlic flavour followed by distinctive heat, then mellowing to a pleasant aftertaste.  One of the mildest of the porcelains. Large bulbs can reach 3”  wide.  Much loved for its resistance to disease, to cold weather, and to drought.  Hardy with good yields.  Originally selected in Eastern Canada.  Grows well in cold climates.  Plants are tall (thus the name, “Majestic”.)  Large bulbs with fat cloves (averages 4-7 cloves).  Outer wrappers range from white to slightly purple.  Cloves are tan to pink.  Hot (spicy, intense) when eaten raw, sweet when baked, mild when cooked.  Mid-season harvest.  Good storage (7-8 months).