Going Heirloom

This year, Cam and I are trying to grow more heirloom varieties of plants, so that we can save the seeds for next season. Almost all of our tomato varieties are heirlooms.

Last year, we planted the majority of our tomatoes in box # 1, but this year, they are growing in box # 3. I think they can succumb to certain diseases if in the same spot year after year. We'll see how this box does.

We are growing about ten Tula tomatoes and five cherry/grape tomatoes in one box. They're planted on opposite side of the box with herbs and mints in between.

So far, they seem to be weathering OK, considering the chilly weather and many, many rainy days we've had.

You can see the old owl in the background. He did little to ward off the birds last year... but I think he's a cute decoration so he'll get to stay in the garden. I'm probably overusing bird netting this year, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.

As you can see, the tomatoes are still very little. We planted the seeds in one of those seed-starter kits you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot. When the seedlings were ready, we planted them in the box. We lost several to cutworms, and the straw method seems to work... We haven't seen any cutworms since.


For those interested, Black from Tula Tomatoes are a dark reddish black tomato with a rich flavor from Russia. Apparently, they are very delicious. Heirloom and organic. Cam is very excited about them. I'm more excited about the cherry/grape tomatoes, since those tend to produce faster and I don't have to wait as long to harvest them. (I am very impatient person!)

I bought our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange: http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=251

Something new: Topsy Turvy

I'm trying something new this year: The Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. It's one of those "As Seen on TV" things, but Cam and I thought it was very cool, so we decided to give it a try.

For Easter, we set one up for my 94 year old American Grandmother. She used to love to garden, but now because of her age, it's not something she can safely do. We put the topsy turvy on her porch, planted two cherry tomato plants in it, and hung it low enough so that she can water it without any discomfort. So far, her tomato plants seems to be growing fine in it.

At Cam's house, we "planted" two Mr. Stripey tomatoes in the Topsy Turvy. We hung it on one of the satellite dishes in the backyard.


It was very easy to set up. All you do is slip your plants through the hole at the bottom and fill it with potting soil (with time-release vegetable fertilizer). It did become very heavy, though, once the soil was added. It's a two-person job!

I am very interested in seeing how this works. If it works.

According to the company's Website (http://www.topsygardening.com), you can use the topsy turvy to grow fresh herbs, zucchini, eggplant, and even peppers. It apparently also minimizes pests and diseases because your plant is above ground. Hmmm.... We''ll see.

We paid about $10 for this at Wal-Mart, so it won't be a total loss if this fails.

At least I won't have any problems with cutworms with the topsy turvy! I'm excited about the Mr. Stripey tomatoes too! But more about that once it begins to fruit! I can't wait!

The Last of the Tomatoes and Luka

When the frost killed all the tomatoes, I took Blogger Tina's advice and put all the green ones in a paper bag. It will be going in the garage, and I guess we'll see if I will get to taste any ripe garden tomatoes soon...

Below: Beautiful green tomatoes


As I look back on this summer, I will miss these ripe tomatoes the most. They were so tasty and so delicious in my salads. Store-bought tomatoes just don't taste the same; they are too watered down. Now that I've tasted the real thing, I don't think I can ever go back. I have to wait until next summer and try to grow some more.

I may be planting a few seeds in pots and place them in the sun room, and hopefully it'll be like a green house for these seeds and maybe I can have some veggies in the winter. We'll see if this experiment works out.

In the meanwhile, it's time for a Luka update. Skeeter mentioned that I should've posted pictures of Luka for Halloween... but I forgot, so here's my belated Luka pictures. As you can see in the photos, she's been a busy kitten... (and it's very hard to take photos of her cute little face)




Now that we're starting to bring a lot of our potted plants inside, I'm trying to keep Luka away from them. She really does like to eat those leaves, and I noticed that she ate some rose petals (from a vase on the living room table) when we were away... And then she threw up... and it was not pleasant to clean up. So I bought her some pet grass at the pet store, and hopefully this will keep her thirst for greenery away from other plants.

I'm keeping my eye on her!

Luka and a Tomato Update

The tomato plants have slowed down their production, but there are new flowers and tiny fruit that are growing. It's just slower than it was. I suppose that has to do with the fall weather. I'm enjoying what I can before they die on me.

Below: My latest tomato harvest

I also harvested some oregano from the garden. I didn't use the tomatoes for spaghetti, but I did use fresh oregano instead of dried. I may need to dry some herbs for summer.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to dry herbs? (Natural (or old-fashioned) ways without buying any extra machines).

Now onto Luka...


I believe that I have the strangest cat ever. I love my little Luka, and she is a tad feisty. I believe she’s between 5-6 months old and growing strong… into a beautiful black cat. I wanted to dress her up in a pet outfit for Halloween, but Cam said, “she’s already in her costume.” SADNESS! LoL.

As she’s gotten older, she’s sleeping a bit more… but not as much as an adult cat. She still wrecks havoc in the house. Let me list her “bad” deeds this week (so far):

(1) Knocked over two potted plants—dirt splattered everywhere
(2) Killed one of those plants
(3) Knocked over my favorite rose vase and broke it. The vase smashed into millions of pieces on the ground
(4) Sunk her teeth into me… A LOT! Biting seems to be an every day thing.

Here’s how I’ve tried to punish her… unsuccessfully, I might add.

(1) Time out in the bathroom for 30 minutes
(2) A loud “NO” with a clap of my hand
(3) Moved her to the hallway and closed the door for 1 hour (withholding attention)

Yup, she doesn’t care what I do. Oh well. I still love her. She does have many lovable qualities:

(1) She has never scratched the furniture or couch with her claws. She is loyal to her scratching post
(2) She cuddles with me at night
(3) She wakes me up at the right time every morning, purring. She gets lots of rubs and kisses, and she likes to lick my face and give me a "bath" in the morning.
(4) She loves every single toy that I've ever given her.. Has never disliked one single toy.
(5) Loves every type of cat food that we've tried.

And tada... Her strangest habit... When she's on the bed, she likes to sleep on her back with her paws in the air... Isn't that funny? I've never seen any other cat do this...

Below: This picture was taken right when she woke up. She was already moving her upper body a bit...

She does have a cute little white belly. But anyway, I thought I'd share. I love my little kitten, despite how bad she can be.

My parents say that she's only fiesty and hyper when I am home. When I am away for the day, she is very quiet and is very docile.

Hmm, I guess she just misses her mommy.

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...

Little Tomatoes and Weather Problems

I can't concentrate today for some reason. I just can't. Grrr... I am a little frustrated. I've decided to blame it on the weather.

It is cloudy, and that's it. The rain isn't falling, and I hear no thunder in the distance. I would like to have some rain. We had some a few weeks ago (maybe longer?), but I would love some rain.

The worst thing is that this cloudiness and lack of rain is making me sleepy. I want to crawl into bed with a good book. Except, that's bad. Because I have to work. LoL.

Sorry for my rant. But I want the rain to come and soon.


On a happy note, my cherry and grape tomatoes are finally reddening. This time, it's not just one or two ripening at the same time... lots of them ripening together. More than enough for a salad or two or three. And they are so good. The best news is that the birds only poked a hole in ONE--- that's right, ONE tomato. I am so happy.

Below: The tomato harvest (side view)

Below: Tomato view (from the top)
There are a few that aren't as ripe, but I decided to snatch it anyway. It'll ripen from the windowsill. I don't want any chances of the birds getting them. They are so good and very juicy. The problem that I had with blossom end rot only affected a few. The rest are perfectly healthy and beautiful. I am so excited!

And now for my Luka update (Sorry I can't help but post pictures of Luka!). She finally calmed down (kinda) for one photo.

And this photo, I think is just so cute. What's she looking at? I have no idea. LoL.

Tomatoes Are My Friends

With all the talk about cucumbers, corn, and melons, I've neglected to update you on the status of the tomatoes. None have died. In fact, they are all producing like crazy. Actually, the grape tomato plant has grown so tall that the newest flowers reach the bottom of our tall deck.

Below: The grape tomato and the new flowers... Up high in the sky.

The grape tomato has exploded in size, and the number of baby tomatoes growing on the plant is phenomenal. There are just so many ones growing, and I'm so excited about it. The only problem that I have with this plant is that the tomatoes all ripen at different cycles, so I only get a small harvest every few days. I would love to get a huge harvest (a store-sized carton), but alas, my plant does not want to cooperate. Nevertheless, I am still psyched about all the new tomatoes that are growing.

Below: Lots and lots of grape tomatoes.
Below: Keep in mind, this following photo is not sideways. The grape tomato plant has grown so large that this is one branch that has grown over half of the square foot garden box. It has extended so far that it is almost at the edge of the box!

It's strange because the cherry tomatoes have not been as successful as the grape. The cherry tomato plant does have baby tomatoes growing, but it is not growing at the same rate as the grape. I thought the cherry tomato would be just as bountiful, but alas, it is not. Oh well. I'm enjoying the ones that are growing on the plant.

Below: Cherry tomato plant

The cherry tomatoes that we have are a little bit larger than the grape tomatoes. They both taste just delicious when we eat them, so I'm satisfied either way. I love having delicious tomatoes in the summer. It won't be the same this winter when all my plants die and I'm stuck with going to the grocery store to buy bland-tasting tomatoes that could possibly be tainted by e.coli. LoL.

Below: The newest harvest of cherry and grape tomatoes
By the way, I did listen to everyone's advice and I stopped pruning the tomato plants. I've just cut off any of the diseased, yellow, or dead leaves. But other than that, I've just let the plant grow and flourish. They have all done beautifully since I've stopped my overzealous pruning efforts. LoL. Just letting you know! :-)

The larger tomato varieties are growing nicely, but we haven't had a harvest in several weeks. Still, they are growing and we have several tomato candidates that I'm looking forward to. Thankfully, birds have stayed away from the tomatoes lately. I think its because the foliage of the zucchini has prevented them from spotting any of my tomatoes. Hopefully, this will continue to be the case. If not, I will be pretty steamed.

Below: Big Boy Tomatoes...

Below: Rutledge Tomatoes


Below: I think this is the Whopper tomato. It is the largest of the big varieties. I'm most excited about this one!

And finally, I end with a wild kitten on the hunt.

Oh, by the way, I let her outside yesterday while I was tending the garden, and she climbed, not ONE, but TWO trees. I had to yell at her to get down before she climbed down. She is getting too wild... Only three months old, and I may need to invest in a pet GPS.

This Week's Harvest

This has been a rather good week for us in the garden. The tomatoes continue to ripen, and I was able to harvest two regular-sized tomatoes (no bird holes, thank you!) and lots and lots of cucumbers and green beans.

The apples still continue to grow on the tree, and I haven't harvested any additional ones because I don't have the time to devote to make delicious apple desserts. I did have a request to post the recipe for the apple pie, so when I find the time, I will reveal my culinary secrets to you. :-)

Below: Tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans


Below: Two views of more cucumber harvests.



The cucumbers are growing at an amazing pace. We harvest at least one every day. I think that I'll seriously must learn how to pickle soon. When work slows down and I have extra time, I will have to make some dill pickles with these delicious and crunchy cucumbers of mine! There are just way too many to eat all at once!

Hmm, I wonder how much longer the cucumber plant will produce. I'm hoping it won't stop until fall. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

The green beans are growing wonderfully too! The leaves on the plants have a few holes, but thankfully, the bugs haven't gotten to the beans yet. They are still green and perfect, no mark of nasty bugs!

Happy Gardening!

Tomato Harvests and Not So Fun Surprises

It is harvest time in the garden. Several of the large tomato varieties have started to grow at a tremendous speed, and they are ripening on time. BLT sandwiches with tomatoes from my garden are just what I crave!

Below: Tomatoes from the Garden


I try to pick the tomatoes when they are a light to darker orange color, and they ripen to a perfect red in the window sill. Sometimes, however, I get busy with life and forget to harvest the tomatoes... and the birds decide it's fun to poke holes in the delicious fruit.

Below: The damage from the birds. Grr....

The tomato is still good to eat. I just cut off the part that was damaged by the birds. Sadly, the owl that I had bought to keep the birds away hasn't helped. It was supposed to ward off predators, but they figured out it was a fake.

And now the harvest from the garden. Cherry, grape, and Whopper tomatoes. (And other large varieties that I don't have the name of...)

Below: From the windowsill: The Ripe

The newly harvested. Will ripen in several days.


I'm off to Ocean City, New Jersey! I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but you may see more pictures sooner than later.

Tomato Problem, Blooms, and Redness

Let me start with some bad news. One of my large tomato varieties has fruited, and one of the tomatoes is completely fine. It's growing perfectly, and its skin is smooth as a baby's bottom. But it's sibling tomato (which grows on a higher vine) has a few spots on it.

Below: The trouble tomato. Can anyone identify what the problem is?

Is it a bug problem? Or a disease? I recently sprayed all of my plants with organic insecticidal soap (made from natural ingredients), so far, I have not seen any aphids or bugs on my plants. Perhaps, I should spray again to ensure that the bug problem is controlled. The damage is minimal, so I'm sure the tomato will be perfectly edible when it's ripe.

Below: The Oregano

In the front vegetable bed, the oregano grew and I never got a chance to pick any of it for spaghetti or other Italian dishes. I would love to dry the leaves, but I've been so busy, I haven't had the time. But alas, it has flowered and a few sprigs have started to die.

In better news, the red bell pepper plant in the front has started to turn red! At first, the color was rust-like, and I thought the plant had been infected with something. But as the plant has matured, the red color has darkened. Isn't she a beaut?

Good eats-Tomatoes

Today has been one of the busiest days I've had this summer. And this is going to be one of those really long and tiring weeks, full of business meetings and catching up on work. *sighs*

I apologize for the very short post, but you'll finally hear good news from the garden. I took the advice of Frances of Faire Garden and I've been harvesting a few yellow and orange cherry and grape tomatoes. Instead of letting them ripen on the vine (I guess the birds love to poke holes in the colorful and delicious ripe fruit), I've picked them early and let them ripen in my kitchen.

Below: The newly ripen cherry and grape tomatoes


These little tomatoes were so delicious! Mmm!!!! I don't have to worry about the tomato scare. They were very sweet and left me craving more! Only a few more days until more ripe tomatoes...

Cam thinks the cherry and grape tomato taste the same, but regardless, they were quite a yummy treat!

In other news, I added Black Kow composted cow manure to our SFG beds. My dad uses this brand, and it's worked great for him. You were all right--my soil needed the manure. It's only a few days later, but so far my vegetables are reacting quite well.

Below: One of my large tomato varieties have started to turn color. It's more of a green-yellow color now, but I'll be harvesting it when it turns orange. I don't want to risk the chance of a bird poking a hole in this!

Tomato Update and More Plums

It's been a while since I blogged about the tomatoes in the SFG. Out of all my vegetables, they are doing the best. Although a majority of them are still green, they're getting larger and staying very healthy.

Surprisingly, the larger varieties are getting huge. After the mini-drought of the last few weeks haven't stopped them! The fruit is getting larger and new fruit continues to form. I sprayed organic insecticidal soap on all my plants recently, so hopefully that will keep the aphids and nasty bugs away. Cam also bought a large plastic owl from Wal-Mart. He says it'll keep the birds away from the garden.

Below: The large tomato varieties. Big Boy, Bonnie Original, Whopper




I wonder how much longer I will need to wait until these green tomatoes turn red? I'm not doing anything to these plants except watering. I wonder if I need to do anything extra to the soil to help the fruits ripen quicker.

The cherry and grape tomatoes continue to ripen. Sadly, the first red cherry tomato was not edible. The bugs had eaten part of the flesh, so my much anticipated taste test has been delayed. I hope the bugs don't get any more of my plants.

Below: The cherry tomatoes begin to yellow and turn orange. Red coming up!

The windy days of early June blew many of my grape tomatoes off the plant. I only have a few left, but new ones have started to grow. The ones that survived the wind are also beginning to have color.

Below: The grape tomatoes.

I know you must be so sick of hearing about the plum tree... but man, I'm harvesting more and more plums every day. Sadly, my family cannot harvest them all in time. First, we're all short people and our ladder isn't tall enough to reach the top of the tree. The plums are ripening and constantly fall to the ground.

Below: The ground near the plum tree is scattered with deep red, extremely ripe plums.
It's a sad sight. To think I could have picked all of those plums before they fell to the ground. But alas, they all ripen at different times. As I was harvesting today, several plums fell from the tree and I couldn't catch them in time. They ended up being food for the animals. Maybe a rabbit or two will eat these instead of the other vegetables in the garden.

Not to worry, there is still plenty of plums left on the tree. There are branches that are still full of semi-green and pink fruit. Tomorrow is another day and more plums will need harvesting.

Below: More plums to look forward to...


Below: Here is my harvest for today. Two large colanders worth of plums.

If I had to guess, I think both weighed more than 10 pounds each. I don't know what I am going to do with all the plums. They are definitely way too much to eat. They will spoil. Anyone know any good recipes?

I may learn how to make plum jam. Has anyone ever made homemade jam? I'd love tips.