'Maters out the......

[jinman]

Many of the tomato plants have outgrown their cages. We supplement with tall stakes and twine, loosely bundling the plants.

Don, that's a beautiful tomato garden. Your plants look very healthy. I just don't know how you can get in between plants to pick them. They are huge!

 

[TBDonnelly]

I just don't know how you can get in between plants to pick them. They are huge!

They wern't nearly as close together when we planted them.

I planted the tomatoes about three weeks before the danger of frost had passed. The day after I planted it cooled off and we got 5 days of rain. The smaller cherry tomato varieties looked pretty stunted. I planted some back-up plants in between the stunted plants, just in case...guess what......they all grew! The 'sun-sugar' cherry tomato plant looked really sad, now it's over 6 feet tall (....and we keep trimming it back). The only time I fertilized is when we first put them in the ground.

Don

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I just don't know how you can get in between plants to pick them. They are huge!

They wern't nearly as close together when we planted them.

I planted the tomatoes about three weeks before the danger of frost had passed. The day after I planted it cooled off and we got 5 days of rain. The smaller cherry tomato varieties looked pretty stunted. I planted some back-up plants in between the stunted plants, just in case...guess what......they all grew! The 'sun-sugar' cherry tomato plant looked really sad, now it's over 6 feet tall (....and we keep trimming it back). The only time I fertilized is when we first put them in the ground.

Don

Tomatoes and the employees where I work.....

There's an unwritten policy here that reads, "Expand the work at hand to fit the time available". Literal interpretation? Go slow, take your time.

I've taken to planting tomatoes farther and farther apart every year. This year I'm up to 4' spacing between plants in rows and rows that are 5' apart. They still grew together. I fertilized at planting and 3 weeks later. None since. Next year it's one dose of miracle grow and no more. The old guy across the field from me doesn't fertilize at all and his plants look mighty good, but aren't 8' tall. (I call him "old guy". He's 3 days older than me. Hey! You gotta take you victories where ever you can)

 

[scott_vt]

Aint much that is better than taking a vine rip tomatoe, slicing it thick, and putting it on a nice wheat bread with a slathering of Mayo, and a dash of salt! Mater sandwiches; yum!

Boy Robert,
Those are the best Really splurge and put a couple pieces of bacon on there too

 

[TBDonnelly]

The wife had an un-expected visitor in the garden this morning. She calls me on her cell phone and say's: Get out here quick....there's a SNAKE out here! Now I have to grab the necessary equipment....a big rake and the camera.

Mind you, we have not seen a snake in several years so they are a bit unexpected.....especially at eye level. This snake had crawled up the green bean pole and was campin' out. Important stuff first...let's get some pictures.

I told her it was an 'anaconda'.

Here's three pictures. The last picture has her snake pokin' stick. The stick is 3/8" to 1/2" in size. So.... what kind of snake does this look like?

Don

 

[jinman]

I told her it was an 'anaconda'.

Yep! It's a baby anaconda. Mom is lookin' for it and she's mad.

Actually, I'm not sure, but it looks like a garter snake to me. It's the stripe along it's length that makes me say that.

 

[TBDonnelly]

Actually, I'm not sure, but it looks like a garter snake to me.

That would also be my guess. My wife will be glad to know it does not appear to be an 'anaconda'. Especially since the snake just about tickled her ear with it's red tongue. There's enough critters that feed on the snakes around here that a snake siteing is relatively rare(at least at eye level ).

Don

 

[TBDonnelly]

Well, the snake ventured out onto the lawn area. Where he was subdued.

Now, don't tell me this is a pit viper.

Don

 

[scott_vt]

Looks like a garter snake to me also. I came across two yesterday while moving my woodpile The can still startle you when not expecting it