Update on Marigold Tomatoes

 Well I thought it was time to give everyone a quick update on my Marigold Tomatoes.  You remember the tomatoes I thought were Marigolds and planted as a border in my raised beds.  Well, I had to thin them to just four plants instead of ten.  I probably should have thin them to three but they look to be doing well.  I staked twine down into the soil then spiraled the twine up the tomato plant attaching it to the top of the Squash Arch to act as support.  Then as it grows I just twirl it around the twine.  Because they are on the inside of the Squash Arch they really don't get much wind which is good because this isn't what I'd call a real sturdy support system for the tomatoes.  However, it is working pretty good!



I was pleasantly surprised that the Marigolds Tomatoes are Roma's of some sort.  One can only have so many cherry tomato plants.  I've been pretty impressed with how well these Marigold Tomatoes are turning out.  

Livin' on the edge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqcL0mjMjw - Livin' On the Edge


I am pretty fortunate, I live on the edge.  The edge of the city that is.  Less than a ½ mile from my house is  Bauer Berry Farm, only Bauers do more than just berries.  They do corn too!  So what that means is that I don’t do strawberries in my backyard, I go pick them down the road.  I don’t do Blueberries; I go pick them down the road.  I don’t grow corn in my backyard, I go down the road.  They start picking corn at 6 am and start selling it at 9:30 am, and us locals all know it and they are often sold out by 11 am. 


Now a couple of days ago made my pot of coffee and instead of going out to weed, I went down the road. 

I was in line by 7 am and the first car in line.  By the time the gates opened at 8 am there was a line of 40-50 cars.  In a half hour I picked 23 pound for $48.  Traveled the half mile back home and started cleaning a prepping to make Strawberry Jam, Jalapeño Strawberry Jam and Balsamic Strawberry Jam.  Next week I will be back at Bauer's Berry Farm to pick blueberries.  By the end of July, I’ll be all over their sweet corn. 

Here is the recipe for Balsamic Strawberry Jam (my favorite)
5 c crushed strawberries
3 ½ cups of sugar

6 tbls of Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbls of butter

1 packet unsweetened fruit pectin

 Instruction

• Stem an crush strawberries
• Heat strawberries, sugar and pectin in a large pot to boiling.  Boil 30 seconds, stirring constantly
• Remove from heat and skim off foam.
• Stir in butter and balsamic vinegar 
• Ladle quickly in to prepared jars.  Wipe off lids and seal tightly.   
• Put in boiling water bath for 5 minutes  
• Remove jars and cool.  

Ps here Bauer Berry Farm web site - http://bauerberry.pointsoftouch.com/

Eat local!  

Zucchini in the front yard!

Zucchini is one of those plants that just keeps giving and giving.  In recent years I've had problems with cucumber beetles and spent hours on beetle hunts without much success.  This year I decided to use a different tactic.  While reading this winter about edible landscaping a benefit that really caught my attention was Biodiversity.  Huh?  I know kind of a fancy word for saying confusing garden pest, in this case the cucumber beetle, by inter planting with the things they love with the things they won't touch.  In other words no more rows, which when you think about it is providing the cucumber beetle a fast food freeway.

I have my cucumber plants in two different beds.  One hill is surrounded by Broccoli, Nasturiums, Calendula and French Marigolds.  The other hill is surrounded by Dill, Calendula and French Marigolds.  The one surrounded by the Broccoli is doing better but it could be a sunlight issues as well as that bed gets about hour more of sun.

My Zucchini I put in the front yard.  In mixed in with a Red Weigela, Snowball Viburnum up closer to the house and between Stella de Oro Daylillies.  Now I do have Rainbow Swiss Chard,  and Asiatic Lillies in that same bed.  Everything growing like rock stars.  My mother (the lady who taught me how to garden) was over the other day and as she came in the house wanted to know what my new bush was with all the yellow flowers on it.  When I told her it was a Zucchini plant, she had to go back outside to take another look.

One of the best things about having the Zucchini right next to the front door and garage is you walk by it all the time.  So you are constantly checking for more squash.  It is coming in now in abundance!  The nice thing is I haven't let any of them get to the size of a tree branch, so it just keeps on producing and producing!