Uh-Oh Tomato Problems

I was poking around on the internet this morning and found an article about tomato problems in the northeast. Apparently tomato plants bought at big box stores are experiencing late blight. I know for sure that I didn't get any plants from bix box stores. Whew! This year I either grew from seed or let volunteers grow where they popped up. Hopefully my tomatoes will be fine....fingers are crossed.



http://umassvegetable.org/LateBlightAlertforTomatoandPotato.html

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20090703/US.Farm.Scene.Late.Blight/

Memorial Day - Veggie Kick Start

"OFFICIAL" PLANTING OF THE VEGGIES
The past two days have been spent prepping and planting the veggie beds - finally! One last addition of black gold (compost) and we are ready to rock 'n roll.

I planted several varieties of tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers, celery, pumpkins, cukes, eggplant, brussel sprouts, watermelon, and zucchini for now. Look how silly the little peppers look next to the garlic! Not for long!

Last year I pickled the banana peppers and they were a hit with my daughters so I'll definitely do that again this year. The jalapeno peppers won't go to waste either. One of my daughters works at a Mexican restaurant and last year's yield was used to make some excellent Ceviche. Once a week she has some of the cooks/chefs over and a big ole batch is whipped up. Now that is something to look forward to!

POTATO BAGS
I have mentioned before how delighted I was with my neighbor's garden fresh potatoes last summer and so had to grow my own this year. I have kind of been in a quandary as to what I should do because we might be moving this summer so I wanted them to be movable. In keeping with the spirit of this blog, I decided to experiment with Smart Pots that I bought at Gardener's Supply.

In addition to my "potatoes to go", I've split tomatoes, cukes, peppers, celery, etc. between the raised beds and containers , just in case.

Unexpected Findings.....Pleasant and Otherwise
Sometimes when you're down on your hand and knees you come across some funky stuff. Such was the case today when I found this in my raised bed....

Welcome Home! Oy-vey!

Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Why did I go away at this time of year? The house, the piled up mail, the garden.....but most of all my seedlings! They are in very sad condition and very unlikely to survive. After all the love and care.....hauling out, hauling in, hauling out....... but I will take the high road on this one. Gardening is my hobby not my family's and at the end of the day the seedlings are replaceable.

VOLUNTEERS
On the other hand, I have an abundance of "volunteers" this year. Everywhere! There are tons of tomatoes, celery, potatoes, curcurbits (not sure which kind) and even what looks like a watermelon with a tiny melon on it (which, incidentally, is bigger than any I grew last year - go figure)! I have a general distaste for killing things - period - much less healthy plants. Same thing with bugs - I just don't have it in me to squish one. I did however muster the courage to do a little downsizing today.

So I pulled this beautiful volunteer potato plant from the coldframe today:

......and guess what I found....baby taters in the making!

I think the other potato volunteers will be left alone until further notice. There aren't that many and until mine are established I will let the volunteers do their thing. Another experiment.

On the pleasantly surprised side, I came across a bulbous little growth that might just be a watermelon. It is growing in the same area where I attempted to grow watermelon last year.