Pics of my 2013 Gardening Season in NJ.

[Alfredo]

IMG_2274.jpg Petunia.

IMG_2275.jpg Double Knock Out Rose.

IMG_2276.jpg Red and Orange Habaneros.

IMG_2277.jpg Chinese Forget-Me-Not.

IMG_2279.jpg Dwarf Curry Plant.

IMG_2280.jpg Morning Glory seed pods.

IMG_2281.jpg Morning Glory seed pods.

IMG_2282.jpg Stevia flowering.

IMG_2283.jpg

IMG_2284.jpg Ornamental Grass flowering.

IMG_2285.jpg

IMG_2287.jpg Castor Bean seed pods drying.

IMG_2288.jpg Tomatoes ripening indoors.

[nnjjohn]

i READ THROUGH THIS THREAD TONIGHT FIRST TIME! ALFREDO, i AM IMPRESSED especially the garden personal pizza going to try that someday! I plan on trying more flowering companions along with those spice/salad plants too.. Like the part about attracting the pollinators and agree it is what A garden is all about.. going to check in here over the winter for ideas happy thanks giving everybody!

[gnol]

Great thread Alfredo. Have really liked seeing all the pictures.
I must say the amount of Prudens Purple you grow intrigued me and I am happy to say I managed to get some seeds and have 2 seedlings. Both have struggled a bit but they are still going so fingers crossed I get to try this tomato.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by nnjjohn

i READ THROUGH THIS THREAD TONIGHT FIRST TIME! ALFREDO, i AM IMPRESSED especially the garden personal pizza going to try that someday! I plan on trying more flowering companions along with those spice/salad plants too.. Like the part about attracting the pollinators and agree it is what A garden is all about.. going to check in here over the winter for ideas happy thanks giving everybody!

Thanks nnjjohn.

Glad you enjoyed reading through the whole thread, I know it was a lot of pics to go through.
I'll be posting more pics before 2013 is over, as I'm going to grow the compact tumbling determinate "Anmore Dewdrop" (12 inches tall) and the compact mini-dwarf (less than 12 inches tall) "Mohamed" tomato variety indoors over winter.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by gnol

Great thread Alfredo. Have really liked seeing all the pictures.
I must say the amount of Prudens Purple you grow intrigued me and I am happy to say I managed to get some seeds and have 2 seedlings. Both have struggled a bit but they are still going so fingers crossed I get to try this tomato.

Thanks gnol

Pruden's Purple has never failed me over the years growing it here in NJ. I hope it does as well for you as it has for me. Once you harden and transplant those Pruden's Purple seedlings into your garden, I'm sure they'll start growing quite vigorously. I'll make sure to follow your garden season on Tomatoville to see how they grow for you. Best of luck!

[LDx4]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

I'll be posting more pics before 2013 is over, as I'm going to grow the compact tumbling determinate "Anmore Dewdrop" (12 inches tall) and the compact mini-dwarf (less than 12 inches tall) "Mohamed" tomato variety indoors over winter.

I'll be interested in seeing your pictures of these varieties. I just purchased seeds for both from Tatiana, and I'm planning to grow them next spring.
I'd love to see your yard after it snows too!
Lyn

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by LDx4

I'll be interested in seeing your pictures of these varieties. I just purchased seeds for both from Tatiana, and I'm planning to grow them next spring.
I'd love to see your yard after it snows too!
Lyn

Hey Lyn, Tatiana's site was where I got my seeds for both a few months ago, she has such an extensive selection. I'll probably start the Anmore Dewdrop and Mohamed seeds right after Thanksgiving, so thereby hopefully having some small tomatoes by February. I have 2 grow lights, a large window and a heat mat, so I hope it's enough for them to grow with through winter indoors.

And I'll definitely post pics if and when it snows.

[Penny]

Well done, everything looks amazing!!

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by Penny

Well done, everything looks amazing!!

Thanks Penny

[nnjjohn]

Alfredo, could you please recommend what heirlooms and how many variety for my backyard? I definitely want to use those burpee hybrid super beefsteaks I posted on the other jersey thread.. They were simply the best slicers I had )especially the pinkish ones) the one plant seemed to grow them from the same pack of seeds but,, they were all great slicers..they were1.19 at hd .. this time i will start the seedlings with a heat pad and better lighting heat lamps tather than what i did last season ... but i want more variety.. is pinklady still around? she sent me sungold seeds that i couldn't germinate.. i know it was may fault and not her seeds... i think I understand more now how to grow plants from seed.. I have to show pics of my beds ready for earthworms! so glad i used horse manure and topped it off with mulch leaves through the winter

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by nnjjohn

Alfredo, could you please recommend what heirlooms and how many variety for my backyard? I definitely want to use those burpee hybrid super beefsteaks I posted on the other jersey thread.. They were simply the best slicers I had )especially the pinkish ones) the one plant seemed to grow them from the same pack of seeds but,, they were all great slicers..they were1.19 at hd .. this time i will start the seedlings with a heat pad and better lighting heat lamps tather than what i did last season ... but i want more variety.. is pinklady still around? she sent me sungold seeds that i couldn't germinate.. i know it was may fault and not her seeds... i think I understand more now how to grow plants from seed.. I have to show pics of my beds ready for earthworms! so glad i used horse manure and topped it off with mulch leaves through the winter

Hey nnjjohn,
The following heirlooms are varieties that have done well for me here in NJ and that I would recommend:

Aunt Gertie's Gold (note that this variety takes a long time to get ripe tomatoes, but it's well worth the wait in my opinion, the taste is almost fruit like. If you're serious about trying this one out, I would suggest starting the seed for it a few weeks earlier than your other tomato seeds in order to get some tomatoes before the season is over.)
Black Krim
New Big Dwarf (pretty big tomatoes on a compact plant)
Pruden's Purple (my favorite)
Red Brandwine (excellent taste)
San Marzano Redorta (these tomatoes are great for roasting, bigger than the regular San Marzano tomato variety)

I don't know how many varieties you would want or could grow in your garden, I usually grow 15-20 different varieties each season, and at least 2 plants for each variety. That seems to be more than enough for me. But maybe 10 total varieties are good enough for you, every gardener is different. I know there are other tomatovillians who grow 30 or more varieties a season.

I think some of the members of tomatoville don't post as often once the season comes to a close, or at least it seems like there's less posts once the fall/winter arrives. Horse manure is excellent for the garden, nice choice.

[nnjjohn]

Yes, i would like trying a few more variety and some that produce early , thank you for sharing,, I still have seeds of the burpee super beef steak hybrid.. I like them enough to grow again.. I want to try them sungolds too this time.. I hope lakelady can take a joke (pink lady) hah! oh well, I hope she reads this come seeding season.. I am getting a 72 cell seed tray with a 6 inch dome and heat pad so this time I might have better odds for germinating seeds. Plus, I rather go with the 6/7 inch dome rather the two inch.. going shopping either amazon or ebay!

[Alfredo]

A couple pics of one of the Guatemalan Blue Banana Squash that I've been using for roasting now in December. Taste is good, not what I would call a sweet or nutty tasting squash which I tend to prefer, it has a more mild flavor, but the texture is soft after roasting. Seems to be keeping well. Only issue I had was the plants I grew this season weren't as productive as I thought they would be. Will still regrow again next season along with other types of winter squash. Maybe it'll do better the next time around.

IMG_2291.jpg Guatemalan Blue Banana Squash.

IMG_2292.jpg Guatemalan Blue Banana Squash.

The squash is nice, but I really like the way you placed your lighting for the photograph. It makes the squash, cutting board, and knife stand out against the dark back ground. Inanimate objects with drama. Very good. Art and gardening work well together.

Ted

[NarnianGarden]

Very artsy.