Abbott & Costello

Welcome, October!

   The first snowfall of the season happened on October 2nd this year.  By mid-afternoon it had stopped and the snow had melted.  The nights are decidedly cooler and the leaves have begun to turn.  In this part of the country, autumn foliage displays various shades of yellow with an occasional bit of orange showing up.  It has it's own beauty, though I do often miss and long for the vibrant autumn colours of my youth in Nova Scotia.

   Deer continue to make daily visits to our yard, though there is almost nothing left of the garden for them to eat.  Last night, a mama deer with two little ones perused the garden plots, nibbling on the last bits of kale, sunflowers, and crabapples.  This past weekend, we were surprised to see two adult females and FOUR very young deer in the yard.  That is a record, for us!

   We have been slowly cleaning up the garden, pulling up plants and putting away tools, sheets, and containers.  There is still much to do.  We have been spoiled, in recent years, with warm, dry weather at the end of September and into October.  This year has been cooler and wetter, so the leisurely pace of clean-up we've become used to isn't particularly working in our favour.  

   The dahlias are still blooming in their pots, actually looking better than they did all summer; they seem to prefer the cooler temps.  All the potatoes (grown in containers, this year) have been harvested except for a few plants in the south garden.  A few calendula plants are still growing.  The deer have nibbled most of the blooms off, but I won't pull the plants until they've been zapped by a hard frost.  Parsley, mint, and celery still going strong. 

   In the next week or so, the plan is to till the garden plots and for me to plant the garlic patch.  Due to this season's garlic apocalypse, there will be far fewer cloves planted, with an emphasis on planting bulbils in older to rebuild my stock and next autumn's garlic patch.  Fortunately, I have some bulbils and rounds harvested from this summer's garlic, and a generous soul in Ontario was kind enough to send me more than enough bulbils to replenish the patch.  Seven of the varieties he sent were new-to-me, and one (Jesuit House garlic) is quite uncommon.

 

Our house feels more like a shed these days, with boxes of tomatoes and peppers ripening, beans (that didn't have time to dry out outdoors) and the largest sunflower heads hanging from the ceiling, potatoes in bags and buckets, bottles of fermenting tomato seeds, and little plates and bowls of saved seeds sitting on every available surface.  I have learned to ride out this time period (August-November or so...), albeit uncomfortably.  I do not feel or function well with clutter and disorder, but it is a necessary evil at the end of gardening season.

 

 

 

A few pictures...

Ajvarki peppers.  I'm so glad I took another chance on growing these.  I grew them several years ago, but they didn't stand out as especially productive.  What a difference this year!  

This was the first to ripen (early September): 

 

A typical example of the largest ones:

 

 

These are some that were harvested at the end of September:

 

Anaheim peppers.  I will grow these again, too.  I thought they would be hot, like jalapenos, but they aren't.  They do have an excellent flavour, though, almost smoky.  They are taking longer than the Ajvarski to ripen; I suspect they have a longer "DTM" (days to maturity). 

 

This Russian Mammoth is the tallest sunflower of the summer and one of the few still left in the garden.  The head of this one (it's almost square, at this point!) will be dried for seed saving, and anything left over will be given to the birds to enjoy.  The sparrows, chickadees, and an occasional blue jay have been gobbling the seeds from the smaller sunflower heads R has been putting up in the trees by the south garden.

The North Georgia Candy Roasters were the first of the winter squash harvested (around September 19th).  From the single plant, we got two fairly large ones and a small one that has, for some reason, begun to shrivel and decay on one end.  

 

Sweet Meat was next to be harvested (late September).  I obtained small amounts of seed from two different sources in trades, and you can tell!  Two have the shape and colour I associate with Sweet Meat squash, but they are small.  The other two are the size I associate with Sweet Meat, but the colour and shape seem a bit off.  I think the latter crossed with another squash or pumpkin variety somewhere along the way.  

 

The Burpee's Butterbush squash were the last to be harvested (late September/early October) and many were picked before they'd turned the tan colour that indicates they're well on the way to maturity.  We had cold overnight temps forecast, and we didn't want to take the chance of leaving them outside.  Two of the butterbush are the size of a regular butternut squash - very large! - while the rest are more typical of the size you'd expect from Burpee's Butterbush.  

 

 

R began referring to the two large ones as "Abbott and Costello".  You can see why...

 

Other odds and ends, pictures taken during September than missed being posted:

An early, cool morning in early September finds this big, fuzzy bee resting on a little sunflower:

 

Another early September visitor gracing the nasturtiums.

 

Seed balls on the asparagus ferns.

 

Dahlias

 

 

 

Volunteer poppies appeared in a potted pepper plant late in mid-September.  Better late than never!

A little volunteer aster at the edge of the north garden.  The blooms started out white but turned baby pink in colour, very pretty.  Unfortunately, a deer dined on the blooms last night.

'Pacific Beauty Mix' Calendula (one with a little fuzzy bee on it).

 

Tomato Round-Up 2024

   Welcome to the tomato round-up of 2024.  In general, it was a less-than-optimal summer for tomatoes, with hot weather, little rain, and periods of high winds.  We watered as systematically as we could, but many of the tomatoes were still plagued with blossom end rot (BER).  During a particularly hot spell in the middle of the summer, it seemed like the tomatoes simply stopped developing.  As a result, several varieties that are typically mid-season seem to be late to mature.

Descriptions and pictures below (click to enlarge).

 

DETERMINATES & DWARF VARIETIES

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

This variety was compact, sturdy, and LOADED with flowers in July.  It has been a very productive variety.  I saved seeds earlier this month from some tomatoes that had the most heart-like shape.  The hot, dry weather this summer stressed the plants and some of the resulting tomatoes were oddly shaped and crinkled.  The skins were thick - again, because of the weather - but the tomatoes had few seeds, were meaty, and had a really good flavour.  I would love to try these again.

 

 

 

Dwarf Firebird Sweet  (Dwarf, pink & orange striped oblate, some with speckles. Pretty, 4-8oz slicer, sweet/rich flavour.  Vigorous, high-yielding, ~75 DTM.)

These were sturdy plants with the crinkled, dark-green foliage typical of many dwarf varieties.  They were a bit slow to get going, but eventually produced loads of flowers.  It's an indeterminate dwarf, so I had to 'top' the plant in August.  Many of the tomatoes are on the small size and are wonky shapes, rather than the symmetrical, rounded oblate examples I've seen pictured.  Perhaps the hot, dry weather is to blame, as Dwarf Speckled Heart had similar issues.  Blossom end rot was a problem, though wasn't as as severe as it was with, say, Ropreco or Velmozha,  Dwarf Firebird Sweet is much later than 75 DTM, at least in my garden. Pros: very prolific and pretty, with a lovely flavour.  Cons: wonky shapes, on the small side, and LATE.

 

 

Dwarf Roza Vetrov  (Dwarf, pink, open-pollinated, small/medium, round pointed fruit, early, good in cooler climates/short seasons.  Russian origin, name translates as “Wind Rose”.)

This was one of this summer's winners.  Very productive, early, and wasn't touched by the blossom end rot that seemed to plague most of the other tomato varieties, to one degree or another.  The pictures don't do them justice; they are a lovely shade of pink when fully ripe.  Looking forward to growing Dwarf Roza Vetrov again!

 

 

Dwarf Audrey's Love  (Dwarf, 2-4 oz striped bicolour elongated plum, chocolate with green stripes, great flavour, 3' tall, heavy producer, mid-season: 80-85 DTM.)

I only had 3 seeds to start with and when all was said and done, 1 transplant made it through the hardening off phase to be planted in the garden.  Alas, I really don't think it liked the spot I chose for it.  One of my garden note entries described the plant as a "bit of a hurtin' unit".  It was spindly and at it's peak, only had about 9 small tomatoes on it.  I would like to try this variety again, in a better location.  It is late to mature (con) but the tomatoes are attractive and have a similar flavour to a purple/black tomato (pros).

 

 

Gold Dust  (Dwarf,  medium-sized, sunny orange globes, some slightly pointed.  Compact bush-type plants, firm fruit, mild/sweet flavour, early, grow well in large pots.  Does well in cooler weather. 65-70 DTM.)

These plants were, indeed, compact and were loaded by fruit by the end of the summer.  I'm thankful I staked them, despite their short stature.  As of September 1st, most of the tomatoes on the plant were still not ripe, though by mid-month, many had ripened.  Mild flavour, very firm tomatoes.  Pretty colour, uniform shape, unblemished.  If these tasted like Amana Orange, I would grow them every year!  It is  a sturdy, reliable variety, just not a knockout for taste (I’ll see if the later maturing tomatoes on these plants taste better).

 

 

Linda  (Dwarf, red cherry, ~1 inch, oval/egg-shape, excellent flavour, ornamental look, very early.  Compact, up to 3’ tall, good in large pots. Ukrainian origin.  These are sometimes called a microdwarf, as plants often stay ~12” tall, especially when grown in small pots.)

This variety was another winner this summer.  No blossom end rot, productive, hardy, early, and flavourful. The plants were between 1.5 and 2 feet tall.

 

 

Black Sea Man (Determinate, 'black'/mahogany, heirloom, beefsteak, 8-12 oz, rich flavour, slicer, can be grown in large containers. "Triangular" foliage. Russian origin.  Early mid-season, ~ 75 DTM)

Black Sea Man is one of my favourite varieties.  I think I have grown it more often than any other.  The plants are robust and productive, and the flavour of these tomatoes is out of this world.  Lots of blossom end rot this year, but the plants are so productive that I still came away with plenty of Black Sea Man tomatoes to enjoy.

 

Ropreco Paste  (Determinate.  A small-to-medium red paste tomato that has a small point on the blossom end.  ~2-3” long, 2-3 oz, productive, sets well in cooler weather.  A small plant but it is best to support it because it is heavy with fruit.  Good for sauces, drying, and canning.  Also tastes good fresh. ~3’ tall.  Italian origin.  Early, ~65-70 DTM,)

Ropreco was the biggest bomb of the season.  I planted 6 of these and was counting it to be the main variety for sauces and dehydrated tomatoes.  All but one of these plants was plagued with blossom end rot (and what the BER didn't get, the deer did!).  This is the second time I have grown it and both times, it had a lot of BER.  It's such a shame, as the plants are productive.  It just hasn't been dependable for me.

 

Velmozha  (Determinate.  Large, pink, blunt heart, averaging 200-300g.  Bushy plant, 80 cm to 1.40 m tall. Good resistance to diseases. Russian origin, grown commercially since the 1950s. Velmozha means ‘noble’ in Ukrainian.  Early: 70-75 DTM.)

These plants put out LOADS of flowers and were very, very productive.  Real workhorses. The plants were sprawled somewhat and were about 3.5 feet tall.  Quite a number of the tomatoes ended up with blossom end rot, but I suspect Velmozha would have done better in a cooler summer, as would have Rozovyi Myod.  The first ripe one was picked on August 26th, though most ripened in September.  Mild, sweet flavour, few seeds.

 

 

(Not pictured:  Manitoba and Scotia) 

INDETERMINATES

Rozovyi Myod  (“Pink Honey” or “Siberian Pink Honey”.  Indeterminate, large pink hearts, 6-12 oz, sweet flavour.  For best flavour, do not over-water.  Does well in cool/mild summer weather.  Russian origin.  Early mid-season. 75-80 DTM.) 

The first 3 tomatoes to ripen in the garden this summer were all Rozovyi Myod, and they were large.  By July 20th, the plants were loaded with flowers and they were the first to set fruit.  Two of the plants already had large fruit on them.  I harvested the first ripe tomato in late July.

By early-August, I'd noted that quite a number of fruit had set and that the plants just kept putting out masses of flowers.  

This variety, like Velmozha, is very productive, but it had a lot of problems this summer with blossom end rot.  Such a shame, as the number of tomatoes I would have harvested from these plants alone would have been staggering, had they not been lost to BER.  The flavour is mild and sweet and the tomatoes have few seeds (which made seed-saving a challenge).  It would be nice to see how well these tomatoes would do in a cooler, wetter summer.

 

 

Cosmonaut Volkov   (Indeterminate, deep-red globes, 2-3” fruit, productive, complex tangy flavor, meaty.  Plants about 4 feet tall.  Ukrainian – some say Russian -  origin.  Named for the pioneering Soviet cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov.  ~75 DTM.)

The foliage of Cosmonaut Volkov was wispier than I expected.  By mid-August, I was underwhelmed with how these plants were doing.  I had read Cosmonaut Volkov was a very productive and early variety.  There were few tomatoes on our 2 plants and they were nowhere near ripe. 

In early September, most tomatoes on the plants were still unripe.  I tasted the first two ripe ones the first week of September and completely changed my mind about growing this variety again.  I had written it off due to low productivity and the fact that it’s “just another medium-sized red tomato”.  The flavour, however, was excellent!

 

 

 

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

Japanese Black Trifele was a winner!   It didn't do well last summer, but this year: wow!  I had 2 of these plants and wish now I'd planted more.  You just never know how any variety is going to perform during any given summer.  "Triangular" leaves, like Black Sea Man.  The plants were loaded with flowers early in the summer and ended up growing to ~ 3.5 feet tall.  The flavour is fantastic.  This is another one I would love to grow again.

 

 

 

Guido  (Indeterminate, large, deep-red beefsteak, 10-18 oz, delicious old-time tomato flavour.   Italian heirloom. 80-85DTM.)

Another late variety wanted to take a chance on.  While it hasn't done as well as I'd hoped, it has done better than Mrs. Bot's Italian Giant.  Most of the tomatoes are still green on the plants.  The plants are nice and sturdy, more compact than I expected, which I like.  There was a moderate amount of flowers on the plants early in the summer.  That surprised me, as I had read that Guido is a productive variety.  Many of the tomatoes are small to medium in size, though there are several large tomatoes on the plants, just starting to blush (as of September 22nd).  Blossom end rot was an issue, but it was with most varieties I grew this year.

 

Mrs. Bot's Italian Giant  (Indeterminate, large red beefsteak, ruffled at top, meaty, few seeds, sweeter flavour than a typical red, excellent for sauce or fresh eating, 10-20oz.  ~80-85 DTM.  Originated in Castel Franco in the province of Treviso in the Veneto region in Italy.)

The beautiful pictures of Mrs. Bot's Italian Giant online made me want to grow it despite it being a late variety.  The reality of what my plants produced was, well...meh.  The tomatoes that are a decent size (not 'giant', by any stretch) have blossom end rot and the rest are quite small and are still very green on the plants.  The plants themselves are nice and sturdy, which I love.  I just wish they had produced larger tomatoes, in more abundance, and without BER!  It was worth a try; you win some, you lose some.  The one pictured below is the only example I have, as of September 22nd, of a ripe MBIG that is close to the 'typical' size.  It had a tiny bit of BER, but I saved seeds from it, anyway.

Striped German  (Indeterminate. Bicolour – yellow marbled with blush red, very pretty, large beefsteak, fruity flavour, ~ 80-85 DTM.  Can grow up to 7’ tall. Heirloom from West Virginia, USA.)

I grew these once before, and the tomatoes were flawless.  They looked like the were glowing from the inside and the flesh was marbled pink/red and yellow.  It is moderately productive.  I only grew one plant this year, but wished I'd had the space for one more.  The tomatoes this year aren't as flawless, but they're still pretty.  The plants are sturdy and compact for an indeterminate.

 

(Not pictured: Reinhard's Chocolate Heart. It is an indeterminate brown oxheart, rare, with rich flavour,  Typically 300-400g.  It is a cross between Cherokee Green x a pink oxheart, 80-85DTM, of German origin.  I also grew it in 2023 and 2022.  This year's plants produced more tomatoes than in the last two years, but the tomatoes are smaller, later, and not as uniformly shaped.  There were also issues with BER this year.  I would like to grow it again, though, as it is a beautiful, delicious variety!)