Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Roma Tomatoes and Fall Carrots

I love tomatoes, so it shouldn't be a shock to you that I'm also growing Roma tomatoes in the garden. I haven't mentioned these before because I've been having some bird trouble with these. It seems that as soon as they turn yellow, the birds come and poke big holes in them. I don't notice until I come and decide that it's time to harvest. Well no more! I've decided to start harvesting them early. As soon as they turn yellow, these babies are coming inside and ripening on the windowsill.

Below: My beautiful Romas

Another mistake of mine was not caging this plant. I should have, but due to laziness and life's business, I let this plant slip. I caged the other tomatoes because I planted them early in the season. I didn't plant the Roma until July, when life was getting very busy for me. Despite this, they are growing very well. The plant is on its side, which probably isn't good for it, but it produces tomatoes, and that's all I really care about.

I definitely think I should cage it soon. I'm getting there... The tomatoes are pretty delicious, and I love their oval shape. They are a nice size too. I've never bought Romas at the grocery store, so I wasn't sure how large they would get. But some are pretty big.

Onto carrots.

In the end of July, I planted more carrot seeds. I figured these would be my fall carrots. Now in middle Tennessee, it doesn't get very cold until mid-October, so I hope that these will survive and produce well.

Below: The carrots a few weeks ago

Below: The carrots now

I'm thinking I'll need to thin them out. But I have such a hard time doing it! I am a horrible gardener. I never want to thin out and throw away anything that I've planted. This will result in small carrots, I know. I will try to see if I can force myself to do it.

We'll see...

15 comments:

Daphne Gould said...

Yes do it. You can thin them out. Just picture in your mind the big carrots you want and compare them to the little carrots you would get otherwise.

Blondie Writes - Pamela said...

I like the carrots because they are so easy to grow. I would love to have a garden, but with my luck, I wouls attract more critters to my yard. I already have enough animals in my yard and it is fenced in.

Cindy said...

Your carrots look better than the ones I planted in early June !!!
Your roma's look good too. Those pesky birds. If you can't get a cage around them now, you can always try using large stakes. Sometimes they get so gangly they could use a couple of stakes.

Susie said...

DP-I grew Roma tomatoes. They produced like crazy! They kind of grew in clusters so they do need support. You should go ahead and thin out your carrots, you'll be glad you did.

Skeeter said...

Thin them out DP. You are so like me in not wanting to kill a plant. LOL.. We ate some of our romas tonight and they are great... They make wonderful spaghetti sauce...

Robj98168 said...

I hate thinning out- if there was a way to transplant the thinned out carrots or radishes I would. BUt I use the thinned out things Here is what I do-
Thin them out- then use the thinnings (as I call them) in a salad. I do this with carrots, radish, sprouts, and lettuce.

Rhonda said...

I don't like to thin either, try to find use for the tiny carrots you thin..I throw them in a salad..this makes a little easier to thin. I put in 4 romas this year and they are producing like mad..next year I will put more because they are great for making and freezing tomatoe sauce. Like you I didn't cage or stake them and they are laying everywhere, but still producing. Your garden is looking fantastic.

tina said...

Those carrots sure look good. I think it strange the birds are causing you such problems.

Anonymous said...

I've never grown Roma tomatoes before, but they are tasty. You should go ahead & thin those carrots so you can get some nice size ones. :)

Mother Nature said...

The Yellow Romas look good. Do they taste the same as the red? Does the color make a difference in taste?
They would look beautiful served together.

Mother Nature said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DP Nguyen said...

Hi Daphne, I'll see if I can actually do it. I'll try to think of the nice, big carrots...

Hi Pamela- Carrots are pretty easy to grow. Just keep them watered. It's the waiting that I hate. I wonder if you could plant a garden that the critters and animals would stay away from? :-)

Hi Cindy, Thanks for the advice. I may use stakes or something. That plant is just out of control!

Hi Susie- I am surprised at how fast Roma tomatoes grow. They do grow at a very nice and rapid rate, and they do tend to cluster together.

Hi Skeeter- I think the Roma tomatoes would be delicious in spaghetti sauce. Yum, homemade tomato sauce. You'll have to blog about how to make it some time!

Hi Rob- Putting them in a salad does sound like a great idea, and pretty delicious too!

Hi Rhonda, I only have one Roma plant, and I agree, it is producing like crazy. Next year, I will have to grow more plants. I'd love to can or make spaghetti sauce for the winter!

Hi Tina, The birds are not my friends this year and they are not friends to the tomatoes. I think its the birds. There are always holes in the ripest tomatoes. if it was another creature, I would think they'd eat more than just a little hole.

Hi PGL, Thinning is so hard for me because they are my little babies. But I'll put them in a salad or something.

Hi Donna, I think that ripe/red tomatoes do taste better, so I always let the yellow tomatoes ripen on the windowsill. I eat them after they turn red. Although having a combination of red and yellow tomatoes would make a salad look very pretty.

Eve said...

You have to bite the bullet and thin. You just have to do it. If you don't they won't develop good roots.

I had to take some of my tomatoes in early because the birds pecked on them. At first I thought it was some kind of bug but then I saw them. They also went to town on my strawberries. I am thinking about netting them next year.

Gail said...

dp,
I totally know nothing about veg gardening. But I do know the problems that arise from not thinning garden plantings, so as all your commenters have suggested...be ruthless and thin!

Gail

DP Nguyen said...

Hi Eve, the birds always peck at my tomatoes, so I always have to take them in early. I wish I could let them ripen on the vine, but that's just not an option for me. They didn't bother my strawberries (although I only had two fruits this year), but I think netting is a good option for next year.

Hi Gail, I think thinning might be a good idea! I'll try my hardest.