Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Cherrokee Purple Tomatoes - Update and summary

At this point in time I have harvested about 5 lbs of tomatoes or roughly 20 tomatoes.

Their flavor is everything that has been reported; amazing! You don't need to add anything to them to make them taste better, in fact it is my opinion that it ruins perfection.

I have just trimmed back the two plants that have produced all of the tomatoes I have harvested to this date. I did this because they didn't have any set fruit on the putter branches and so the plants stay a manageble size.

Next year I am planning to raise them using a string mesh that the plant can be "woven into" and with much more room for each plant, these guys like to grow big! So big that only two plants should really be where I planted three, so using double the normal spacing would be ideal, I hope. Either that or have some REALLY tall plant stakes.

Part of the big plant problem is more than likely the usual culprit of too much nitrogen, but it is easier to plan for huge plants.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Wishing all of my readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I am thankful for your continued reading and hope your holiday season is all you want it to be.

I am also thankful for my family, friends, jobs, dog, using finally paid off my motorcycle loan, my good health and everything else I am fortunate to be blessed with.

My heart and prayers go out to our service personnel who cannot be home with family, all those in need and any who are hurting. May you all find comfort.

May everyone find that the best of 2013 is the worst of 2014.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Cherrokee Purple Tomato

The first pickings from my three plants are in!

The western most plant is "leggy" or more vine than anything and has finally set fruit.

The middle plant, which is where the 8 tomatoes weighting in at 37.8oz total came from has been struck with something. But I have noticed this variety of tomato has a better sense of self preservation in that the branches affected pretty much come off on their own and I would be willing to bet that if it wasn't caged they would have come off before much of the plant was affected.

the eastern most plant seems bent on growing the biggest tomatoes out of the three. It set fruit shortly after the middle plant but has yet to let them ripen, instead its fruit is just getting bigger and bigger. To the point that the fruit are about the size of commercial grown beef steaks.

Lima One

Got to pick my first and last batch of lima beans off the front planting.

After shucking I have 2.5 cups of beans.

I will be drying them for eating later.