Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[elight]

Here are some photos from my garden currently. This has been a good spring, with cooperative weather (a hot February to get the plants off to a good start, and then a mild March and April). This season, I gave up on my raised beds planted everything in grow bags or EarthTainers. I did have some TSWV and pulled some plants, but other disease/pest pressures have been minimal (the usual leaf miners and some caterpillars). One of the EarthTainers is inside my screened pool enclosure, the rest in my small backyard. I think that the removal of some (diseased) fruit trees last fall has helped with bugs/animals, and the trimming (on my side of the fence) of a neighbor's gigantic crepe myrtle has helped with sunlight.

The plants I have left are SS100s, SunGold, Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye, Momotaro, Big Beef and Brandy Boy. (Green Giant and Lemon Boy were pulled.)

First cherries were eaten after ~63 days, about a week ago. First Momotaros picked yesterday and will be ready to eat later this week.

[ginger2778]

Looks great. Nice job.

[Zone9b]

Saturday was our first pick for snap beans this season. The beans are Pike variety with a concentrated set. We may get one more good pick and from there it will be quickly reduced. Sieve size was probably mostly 3 with some 2s. No lumpy big beans. After eating frozen beans eating them fresh is like a treat, they are so good. We grew them in a bed which approximately 5' x 14'. I weighed them and the result was 22 lbs.

[DocBrock]

That's an incredible haul. I'm jealous. I tried to grow some bush beans in a 24" plastic window box this year and was actually able to get some beans. I'll go bigger next year, but wanted to do a trial run. That's my first harvest. So you say pike is a good variety? Green beans are my favorite vegetable. My wife and I broil some with sea salt and oil several times a week

[ginger2778]

Larry, that is astounding! Great job.

[Barb_FL]

Larry - Woah!!!!! That is some haul.

Elight - Your tomato plants look really good and healthy.

DocBrook - Your bean plants looks good.

I didn't think of beans until <2 weeks ago so I sowed some seeds from last year (Provider variety) and inoculated them with the stuff that expired 12/2017 and they all germinated. So I'm behind you.

I pulled all my broccoli plants; they just weren't worth the water anymore. I still have one broccoli plant that was from a microgreen seed so I let that flower for the bees and have yet to see any bees around it.

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Does anyone here grow Sunflowers? If so, why? Can you eat the seeds? I'm thinking of growing one of my microgreen seeds out (for seeds); any downside to growing SF in Florida.

[DocBrock]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - Woah!!!!! That is some haul.

Elight - Your tomato plants look really good and healthy.

DocBrook - Your bean plants looks good.

I didn't think of beans until <2 weeks ago so I sowed some seeds from last year (Provider variety) and inoculated them with the stuff that expired 12/2017 and they all germinated. So I'm behind you.

I pulled all my broccoli plants; they just weren't worth the water anymore. I still have one broccoli plant that was from a microgreen seed so I let that flower for the bees and have yet to see any bees around it.

---
Does anyone here grow Sunflowers? If so, why? Can you eat the seeds? I'm thinking of growing one of my microgreen seeds out (for seeds); any downside to growing SF in Florida.

I've grown them for wildlife habitat improvement, i.e. Migratory doves and wild turkeys. You can eat the seeds if you wanted to and they're pretty to look at, but they get mega ugly when they die, the birds absolutely love them though. The FWC plants them around the state in various wildlife management areas for permitted dove hunts in the fall, so it can be done with minimal labor for the home gardener. I planted them in Ohio.

[efisakov]

Larry, great harvest.

Barb, love your experiments.

Nice pictures, Elight and DocBrook.

Marsha, how are your new trees doing?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Larry, great harvest.

Barb, love your experiments.

Nice pictures, Elight and DocBrook.

Marsha, how are your new trees doing?

Ella my mulberry has about 30 berry blossoms on it, the new mango just put out it's first new growth. So very well, thanks!

[efisakov]

Did cacao tree survived the cold spell? How is the pomegranate? Any blossom on it?

[Zone9b]

Does anyone know the history of the BCD (Brandywine Cherry Dark) tomato? I don't offer much pampered care for my tomatoes, but BCD seems to thrive in this environment. Ginny originally sent me seeds a few years ago. It took me some time before I relized its potential. It is growing volunteer in one bed where it is spreading around and with no fertilizer and little water it has a bunch of toamtoes on it. I'm also growing BCD in in 10 gallon pots. I believe I've grown it for about 8 seasons (4 years) and have continued it by saving seeds. By saving the seeds from one of the better tomatoes each season, I'm wondering if the variety could have genetically modified to a point where it performs better than when I first grew it? I see no listings for the variety online. The name is missleading, in that it certainly doesn't appear to be a cherry. Also it not only performs well, it also appears to be toatlly nematode resistant and tastes good. Amy thoughts?
Thanks

[Barb_FL]

Larry - I got the original seeds from Tradewinds Fruit probably back in 2014. There was also a BrandyWine Cherry Pink that was Potato Leaf and late, late, late.

I agree they were not real cherries and some of them were shaped like smaller beefstakes. Yours seems larger than my mid-beefstakes.

The summer of 2015 when I broke my wrist, it was still setting lots of fruit in the middle of June. I wanted to see how long it would continue but had wrist surgery on 6/19 and couldn't sweat on the stitches so relied on DH to water. Of course he didn't water nearly enough and when I was able to resume watering 9 days later, it was too late.

It will be good to see how long it can produce for you this summer.

I will check TWF to see if they even have it listed and will edit this post if I find anything.

ETA - Here was the listing - says last available 9/14 - 3/15. http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/cherr...andywine-seeds

Here was the pink one. Don't even bother trying the pink one since it behaved like a brandywine growing in FL.

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/cherr...e-tomato-seeds
That one says last available 4/14-3/15.

The BCD was super productive for all of us that grew it; the BCP not so much for me anyway and really late for a cherry.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - I got the original seeds from Tradewinds Fruit probably back in 2014. There was also a BrandyWine Cherry Pink that was Potato Leaf and late, late, late.

I agree they were not real cherries and some of them were shaped like smaller beefstakes. Yours seems larger than my mid-beefstakes.

The summer of 2015 when I broke my wrist, it was still setting lots of fruit in the middle of June. I wanted to see how long it would continue but had wrist surgery on 6/19 and couldn't sweat on the stitches so relied on DH to water. Of course he didn't water nearly enough and when I was able to resume watering 9 days later, it was too late.

It will be good to see how long it can produce for you this summer.

I will check TWF to see if they even have it listed and will edit this post if I find anything.

ETA - Here was the listing - says last available 9/14 - 3/15. http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/cherr...andywine-seeds

Here was the pink one. Don't even bother trying the pink one since it behaved like a brandywine growing in FL.

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/cherr...e-tomato-seeds
That one says last available 4/14-3/15.

The BCD was super productive for all of us that grew it; the BCP not so much for me anyway and really late for a cherry.

Barb,
What I'm growing doesn't look at all like these 2 varieities. Maybe somehow what ever cross that created these morphed into what I have. What I have looks very much like the pictures of Black Brandywine. Probably smaller but if you or Marsha were to grow it in your conditions it would most likely be larger than it is in my garden. It also, unlike Black Brandywine, is a regular leaf and appears to be totally nematode resistant, earlier than Brandywine Black as well as quite productive. I don't often hear productive, brandywine and Florida in the same sentence. So I'd like to hear more of your thoughts are and the thoughts of others. Marsha, do you have an idea how this tomato may have come about?
Thanks

[Barb_FL]

Larry - Mine didn't look much like that picture either. Lots of mine were boatshaped and ribbed, etc although none were as large as yours.

My BCDs were regular leaf also; so what has changed since I grew it is the size. Also another anomaly besides the nematode resistance is that is it a decent size dark tomato that doesn't split. Most of the darks I grew always split badly and yours looks perfect.

I grew it 2 seasons and gave away lots of seeds to the MMMM swap, etc. I have no idea how many people grew it out.

It is definitely not a Brandywine Black for sure. Also, I never heard that Brandywine Black tasted good. You may have the only true nematode resistance tomato around.

Think of the possibilities - a free way to get grafting seeds, graft other plants onto it.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - Mine didn't look much like that picture either. Lots of mine were boatshaped and ribbed, etc although none were as large as yours.

My BCDs were regular leaf also; so what has changed since I grew it is the size. Also another anomaly besides the nematode resistance is that is it a decent size dark tomato that doesn't split. Most of the darks I grew always split badly and yours looks perfect.

I grew it 2 seasons and gave away lots of seeds to the MMMM swap, etc. I have no idea how many people grew it out.

It is definitely not a Brandywine Black for sure. Also, I never heard that Brandywine Black tasted good. You may have the only true nematode resistance tomato around.

Think of the possibilities - a free way to get grafting seeds, graft other plants onto it.

Barb,
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (Rareseeds) has 7 pages of reviews on Black Brandywine and it is very highly rated. Taste, plant vigor, didn't read of anyone mentioning cracking but sunburn was mentioned more than once.
I've tried grafting a couple of times and I have to admit my skills are limited.