Happy New Year to you all - may you have a peaceful and productive 2012.
Chez Greenfumb this will be (fingers and everything else crossed) the Year of the Tomato. Back in late winter I had a think about what we use most and it's definitely tomatoes. I've reduced the number of chickens I have, pushed their fence back a metre or three and planted tomatoes in the amazing soil left behind by the chooks. So far the crop is absolutely phenomenal! The 3 garden centre seedlings I planted back in October are like the proverbial triffids, sprawling all over the place and laden with fruit. Often by this time of the year the wilt has already set in and it's obvious the crop will be disappointing.
As well as the early crop I have 5 Romas, 2 Amish pastes, a Tommy Toe, an Olomovic or two and several self seeded mystery plants. Today I planted some Siberian and Black Russian seeds so that we will have a succession crop for when the beans come out.
While other people are bemoaning the rubbish summer I am just rubbing my hands with glee and planning my tomato preserving days. I've trained myself to do without fresh ones when they're out of season but they're an absolute must for cooking. I thought I'd stored enough last year but didn't take into account that Teen 2's boyfriend would become addicted to my home made sauce and eat pasta and sauce every day as a snack. Not that I'm complaining, it's great to have people appreciate what you grow and cook
4 comments:
Chooked soil. Magic every time! I'm having a good tomato year this year too. I have brandyvine slices on sourdough for lunch today. Heaven.
Hi Linda, I had them for breakfast! Skinny cream cheese and tomato slices stops me eating all that butter I love so much.
Three cheers for tomatoes!
YAY!
YAY!
YAYY!
I had a great spring-summer crop, sooo many varieties, it was fantastic. But since the end of Dec we've had barely any rain, the soil is turning dry and hard (made it too hard to grow new seedlings) and the plants are at the end of their life!
I've GOT TO get things back to how they were! You've given me extra motivation, tomato motivation, hehe
Thanks :D
We didn't grow tomatoes deliberately this year, but they sprung up in various places around the property anyway. Several have emerged in our old Middle Ridge chicken coop, and boy they're prolific!
If you can master growing tomatoes then you will never be stuck for pasta sauce. It's great you have some teenagers who appreciate the homegrown stuff. :)
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