Mini-garden progress for July 21

It's time to check in with our gardening experiment. While I've happily gardened elsewhere, I've found this semi-arid climate incompatible with my natural horticultural style. However, with my daughter's enabling enthusiasm, we are trying again.

Here are the three tomato plants, as of today:

They have managed to grow quite a bit since June 27, and for comparison there's the first set of photos from June 2. In particular, the Cherokee Purple (closest pot) has finally shot up to be nearly as tall as its neighbors (buddies?).

We've been nibbling from the Sun Sugar plant since not long after we took its protective cover off, although we haven't gotten more than a half-dozen ripe fruits in a single day. The plant itself seems to be reaching toward the sky.  That link says that although it can be happy in a container, it sometimes likes to grow to 6 or 7 feet (about 2 m), and based on its behavior on our deck that's easy to believe.

The Husky Red's working on producing clusters of fruits that we'll need to pluck out quickly as they ripen in order to make room for the adjacent orbs. That's our first near-harvest tomato on the plant:

And we've gotten past flower stage with the Cherokee Purple as well:

Over the weekend, we had a couple of 100-degree days back to back that left plants and people a bit less perky than usual (that's about 38 degrees C).

The basils didn't seem to mind much as much as the rest of us. The regular basils are whomping right along; the Thai basil (almost hiding on the right) is less enthusiastic in general.

I'm looking forward to that glowing Husky Red up there. I think we'll just slice it and eat it plain, like we've been doing for the little orange guys. Later in the season I expect we'll start putting tomatoes into salads and sandwiches. But not the first ones.

Comments

[Woolslinger]

What beautiful plants! I love plants, and always try to grow them, but I'm afraid I have a "black thumb." They always die! No matter what I do! It's very discouraging.

Thanks for stopping by the blog and your lovely birthday wishes. :)

[Jennifer]

Oh, those look like the Sun Gold cherry tomatoes we grow. SO SWEET!! My kids love to eat them right off the plant ... quite a few never make it into the salad.

Congrats on the lovely plants!

Jen

[Deborah Robson]

My daughter grew up on Sweet 100s, raised in Massachusetts, where we had dirt and rain. We're hoping for similar success with these orange beauties here (I tried Sweet 100s the first year we were here, and they were okay but not great; possibly me, possibly the climate).

I have learned not to have *house* plants. I do okay with animals. They remind me to feed them.

[Leslie]

Remarkable that one can actually pull produce out of the back yard. Miraculous.

[Rosemary in Colorado]

It's taken me a long time to figure out this semi arid gardening business too, considering that I come from Louisiana and all... heh heh heh.

One thing that's invaluable to those of us in an even more arid and hotter area of Colorado - I mulch heavily with fresh aspen cooler panels. Cheap, good looking, and the best mulch ever.

My daughter is experimenting with using various shade cloths, with good results so far. Sometimes, that afternoon sun is just sooooooooooo HOT, that a little shade is a good thing.

"Full sun" means something completely different here in Colorado, than it does in Massachusetts, the mythological setting of most gardening books.

Have you discovered "The Undaunted Garden" - a great garden book. It might be... "Gardener" - anyway, it's aimed for the Denver Gardener, and a really good book.

Cheers!
Rosemary

[Joanne]

Hey there, I'm jealous. Our big tomatoes haven't even ripened yet! We've had a pitiful start to the season--just a trickle of tomatoes in our garden. I've had to go to the farmer's market just to get ripe ones! I did discover a green tomato with teeth marks--somebody was playing fetch! It's inside, waiting for its turn at fried green tomato.:)