2024 garden season

[CalG]

Anyone else growing the Cherokee Purple tomato?

We have four plants, selected variety as they are somewhat resistant to late season blight,

The fruits are full of flavor! They don't look like much until you cut a slice for a BLT. Then watch out, You can't get enough. Great flavor, juicy, just the right amount of "vein". Not a heavy producer, but good for the North East, I'm not sure about other places.
Comment?

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Finished the garden season here today, 30 or so pumpkins, a few watermelons and cantelopes, and a 5 gallon bucket of pea pods. supposed to freeze tonight so the season is possibly over for us. Late season apples still on the trees, waiting to see if we actually get to freezing temps. some years we win some we don't.
Only other fruit we have is pears and quinces. Pear trees did not produce much this year as high winds and rain knocked most of the blooms off the trees earlier in the year.
Quinces we use for pectin in jam, they are a bumper crop this year.

 

[CalG]

Finished the garden season here today, 30 or so pumpkins, a few watermelons and cantelopes, and a 5 gallon bucket of pea pods. supposed to freeze tonight so the season is possibly over for us. Late season apples still on the trees, waiting to see if we actually get to freezing temps. some years we win some we don't.
Only other fruit we have is pears and quinces. Pear trees did not produce much this year as high winds and rain knocked most of the blooms off the trees earlier in the year.
Quinces we use for pectin in jam, they are a bumper crop this year.

It's hard to get enough pectin! ;-)

The gifts of our world are strange......

 

[DJ54]

Anyone else growing the Cherokee Purple tomato?

We have four plants, selected variety as they are somewhat resistant to late season blight,

The fruits are full of flavor! They don't look like much until you cut a slice for a BLT. Then watch out, You can't get enough. Great flavor, juicy, just the right amount of "vein". Not a heavy producer, but good for the North East, I'm not sure about other places.
Comment?

I tried a wedge from one a buddy grows for farm market. Too sweet for me, I prefer a more balanced flavor. While he raved about them, they just didn't turn my crank, but he loves sweet stuff, me not so much, other than a dessert item.

 

[Alan W.]

Anyone else growing the Cherokee Purple tomato?

We have four plants, selected variety as they are somewhat resistant to late season blight,

The fruits are full of flavor! They don't look like much until you cut a slice for a BLT. Then watch out, You can't get enough. Great flavor, juicy, just the right amount of "vein". Not a heavy producer, but good for the North East, I'm not sure about other places.
Comment?

My wife loves them but with the hot humid weather we have in this bottom the blight gets them fast. I usually grow the most disease resistant hybrid varieties I can get.

 

[Oaktree]

We joked today that even at a peach a day each, we have over a months worth of fresh peaches in the fridge. We are counting on seeing our eldest son this week end and pushing off a good box to take home for his two kids. Real peach eaters those little ones. A real pleasure to see them enjoyed.

Of course, I can't grow an apple tree if my life depended on it... I've tried! ;-)

Are you in the Champlain valley? Seems like that'd be about the only place in Vt. mild enough for peaches. Nothing I'd even attempt here.
My luck with apples is mixed. Got a couple macs, and a couple cortlands we planted almost 20 years ago, this is the first year I've had much in the way of cortlands. Macs still kind of pathetic. Meanwhile all the unknown variety (probably wild) trees that were on the property when we moved here produce like crazy. Fruit's kind of hard & sour...ok for pies, applesauce, etc, not so great for eating.

 

[CalG]

Are you in the Champlain valley? Seems like that'd be about the only place in Vt. mild enough for peaches. Nothing I'd even attempt here.
My luck with apples is mixed. Got a couple macs, and a couple cortlands we planted almost 20 years ago, this is the first year I've had much in the way of cortlands. Macs still kind of pathetic. Meanwhile all the unknown variety (probably wild) trees that were on the property when we moved here produce like crazy. Fruit's kind of hard & sour...ok for pies, applesauce, etc, not so great for eating.

Actually, the South East corner. Just over the ridge is the real banana belt of Vernon VT and Greenfield Ma.
The Connecticut River Valley has it's own climate down this way.

 

[masseyrider]

Bought 40lb box of butternut squash today. $12 Kanuckistan money.
No fuss, sweat, or input cost.
50LB of potatoes last week for $15.
10LB bags of carrot and onions for $1.77.
Local really aromatic garlic $3.99LB.
Celery this week 2/$3.50.
I think I give up gardening.
Biggest job was getting them in and out of the boot of my vehicle.

 

[DJ54]

Rains from Hurricane Helene got the cabbage kicked back in gear, can't believe how much they grew in a couple weeks, especially without splitting.

Chance of a killing frost tonight so got in gear this morning and got things ready to make Sauerkraut. Making 8 gallons this year, the 5 gallons I made last year only lasted until Feb. so made a little more this year.

Love these water seal crocks, once the domed lid goes on it doesn't come off until 'kraut is fermented. Just need to keep the gutter in the crock filled with water so it can burp the gas, yet not let contamination in.

Should be ready in 6 weeks, then will water bath some and a few put in jars and just keep in the fridge.

 

[masseyrider]

Rains from Hurricane Helene got the cabbage kicked back in gear, can't believe how much they grew in a couple weeks, especially without splitting.

Chance of a killing frost tonight so got in gear this morning and got things ready to make Sauerkraut. Making 8 gallons this year, the 5 gallons I made last year only lasted until Feb. so made a little more this year.

Love these water seal crocks, once the domed lid goes on it doesn't come off until 'kraut is fermented. Just need to keep the gutter in the crock filled with water so it can burp the gas, yet not let contamination in.

Should be ready in 6 weeks, then will water bath some and a few put in jars and just keep in the fridge.

Six weeks? That seems awfully long. When we used to make it at home it was about 14-18 days and it was sour.