[Magdalen] First fruits

[P. Dan Brittain]

On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 10:20 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:

> No tomatoes here (damn walnut trees!) although s/o has read of a method
> which sounds promising.....filling a 5-gallon bucket (holes drilled in the
> bottom for drainage) with good soil from elsewhere), covering the soil with
> plastic, and inserting the tomato plants through slits in the plastic, then
> keeping them in a place free of the incursions of walnut--infested soil or
> marauding squirrels with walnuts to bury.


We have the walnut trees too, but I get a few tomatoes each year in spite
of them. I usually plant 6-7 in the ground and they do ok but not stellar.
What I did was similar to what you have read about - only I use those
rope-handled tubs about 10 gal size, though a few are larger. Those do
fairly well.
Last year, besides all the fresh ones we ate, I canned 20 quarts.

We did have tomatoes last week, though in honesty, they were from 3 plants
that volunteered last fall - I dug them up and managed to winter them over
indoors. I know one is a paste tomato and 1 is a porter (similar to a
cherry), The other one hasn't had any yet.

I have several plants of a Polish variety - Betalux. Grew them last year
for the first time and they were wonderful. Also have beefsteak, Rutgers,
Brandywine, and a yellow beefsteak called Azoyska.

I have a good stand of oregano (time to pick a bunch for drying), and
rosemary. 3 varieties of cabbage (drumhead, charleston wakefield,and red) -
(I started making my own kraut 3 years ago and am enjoying it), kholrabi,
and broccoli. Just now starting to set out squash. Onions are doing well -
I started some Copra from seed this year - haven't done onions from seed
since 1969; they didn't loiok like they were going to do well, so I found
some Copra plants - the seeded variety is now doing better than the plants.
The ones I started are in a raised box. Garden peas (not field peas) are
about 12" now.

> On May 8, 2016 9:43 PM, "Susan Hagen" <susanvhagen at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I had a salad with tiny lettuce thinnings and baby radishes from the
> > garden.

My lettuce is getting close now.

 The cucumber was from the grocery store but it all tasted
> > wonderful.

Haven't put out the cukes yet - I have a polish variety called Monika which
is great.

>>I weeded the asparagus patch which, sadly, seems to be
> > fading out, probably from neglect.  Still, I get a few cuttings from
> > it each year.  I do enjoy eating from my back yard.
> >

I have a small asparagus patch too, doesn't bear a lot, probably due to the
lack of enough sun. That may improve this year as we had the tree man cut
the black walnut branches that were hanging over our yard from the neighbor.

1 stand of Blackberries are blooming (Arapaho variety); a second stand with
triple crown are now showing buds.

-- 
P. Dan Brittain
Harrison, Arkansas

http//:pdanbrittain.com
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