Selecting Tomatoe Cages

I purchased new tomato cages.  I increased the number of plants this season and needed new cages.  When I started my garden, I purchased my cages from Tractor Supply.  The price was reasonable and they were heavy.  Look at what I purchased for the same price three years later,  the light blue and lime green cages.   They were heavier than the regular tomato cages, but nowhere near the initial cages that I purchased.   

 Now that I have them in, I regret not waiting to see if Tractor Supply would get another shipment of the large green cages.   Most stores have sold their stock and don't plan to get additional shipments in, so I settled.  I was afraid that if I waited any longer, the only cages that would be left would be the small thin cages.  I didn't think they would hold the heirloom tomatoes once that started producing.  One thing that we must have as gardeners is patience!  I guess I wasn't carrying patience that day. 

I think they may work if I stake them the way I did last season (shown in the bottom pictures).  I tied the cages to t-posts last season and they held my bounty. Because the cages don't have the height of the larger cages, I'm going to put the t-post in the middle of the cages so the plant can continue to climb.  I think my heaviest tomatoes this season will be the Tiffen Mennonites.  I used one of the heavier cages for this plant.  I'm thinking they should all top out at 6-7 feet. 

I put in 14 tomato plants.  I didn't plant enough last season.  I was wishing I had more at the end of the season.  I don't want that to happen again.  I love eating home made salsa and chips during the winter months.  I also thought I'd plant enough to share.  I'm greedy when it comes to home grown tomatoes, I don't like to share.  Plus the local food banks have a shortage, I want to share a few with them.   

My tomato plants this season:

3 Cherokee Purple
2 Black Krim
2 Rutgers
1 Hillbilly
2 German Johnson
1 Red Beefsteak
1 Sweet 100
1 Black Cherry
1 Boxcar Willie


I was unsuccessful germinating Cherokee Purple seeds last year, but had success with Paul Robeson.  This season, I was unsuccessful with the Paul Robeson.  Oh, the life of a striving gardener.  What tomatoes did you plant?  I'm hoping to do a seed swap this fall.  If you see anything on my list that you would like to try, please leave me a comment.  I'll be saving seed from the heirloom tomatoes.  Hoping that you will do the same. 

                                                                       

My Tomatoes Are Delicious

Things are finally coming to fruition in the garden and I'm loving it.  My tomatoes are delicious, and they are much bigger than last years.  It must be that calcium boost that I've been giving them.  I've learned by lesson with the pickling cukes.  I must check the vines daily to avoid another mutiny.  The Roma vines are loaded.  I'll be making sauce as soon as I can harvest enough for a few batches.  In the mean time, I see a batch of salsa in my future. 

I don't know what's up with the cucumber up front.  They've grown all shapes, sizes and colors this year.  This is a slicer, so I'll be using it in a salad this week-end. 

My beefsteaks are monsters!  I've been enjoying them on BLTs, but the Paul Robeson is the bomb!  They will be on my all-time favorite list for sure and will have a place in the garden every year.  The tomato on the right up front, is a Hillbilly, which started in my native West Virginia.  Haven't tasted it yet, so I'll keep you posted on what I think about them.  Still waiting for my pink Brandywines to ripen and the Better Boy.  Until than, I'll continue to enjoy the Paul Robeson and Beefsteaks.  Yum, Yum!

I'm off to make a batch of dill pickles.  Stay tuned for that post! 

Cucumber Mutiny!

What a year I'm having in the garden!  First the most pathetic tomato that I've ever seen, and now I believe my pickling cucumbers are conspiring against me.  They're huge and turning orange.  I'm new at this gardening thing, but I do know that cukes are suppose to be green.  Why are mine orange?   I was planning to make a small batch of pickles this week-end, but I don't know what to do with this monster.  These are suppose to be Boston Pickling cukes, so I wasn't expecting this.  I did some research on this issue, and there are gardeners all over the blogosphere who have encountered this problem with this particular variety.  When I first saw it, I couldn't figure out what it was.  When I realized it was a cuke, I thought it could have been a problem as a result of where I planted them.  I have Roma tomatoes, dill and onions close by.  Not!  Most of the gardeners who encountered this same problem have said they have a sweet taste and should still be good for pickling.  I plan to make spicy pickles, so I may try it in a salad.  I'll keep you posted on the taste and quality of the cukes.  

I was able to harvest a beautiful orange Beefsteak, which makes up for the pathetic one below that I picked several days ago.  I planted a rainbow Beefsteak, so I'm looking forward to seeing the various colors on the vine. 

What a difference in these tomatoes!  I'm going to make myself a nice BLT this week-end and this baby is going to on the bed of lettuce topped with crispy bacon.  Let the week-end begin!  The zucchini will be used in zucchini bread and placed in the freezer.  The chilies will used in my pickles and a pot of chili.  It's a hundred degrees I know, but I'll taste it and place the batch in the freezer.   

Do you make pickles?  If so, please share your recipe.  I'm also curious to know what type of pickling cukes you plant.  I don't think I want to deal with Boston Pickling cukes again.