2013 gardening attempts

Ooooo, you are so bad Becky! LOL

Is anyone growing cantaloupes? My sister's childhood cat LOVED cantaloupe!  

I LOVE cantalope! So did all of our family's dogs.

We got almost 6 inches of rain earlier in the week, and a few of the smaller melons died. They just rotted on the vine. But, the big one survived well. I hope I can pick it this weekend. I'm going to have to look up how to tell when this kind is ready.

I picked the first melon. I'll report on it later after I have room for dessert.

It's good. Not like any melon I've eaten before. It's more tart than a honeydew. It's crispier too. But, it's still sweet and yummy. Since the one I picked was really small, I ate the whole thing. I don't see any more that are almost ready.

I hope you do get some more melons. The ones I see in the store are so small, bruised, and expensive. I envy you the garden.

On a plus note: one of my coworkers at the PD gave me some cherry tomatoes and a couple cucumbers today. Should be good on a salad. Her garden is finally starting to take off......but no zucchini. She has no idea why she didn't plant any this year.

What variety of melon was it that you planted, Becky?

It's a silverline melon. The fruits are yellow with white lines that mark where you can make slices. The inside is almost white.

Sounds tasty.

Never heard of that kind of melon. All we get around here is cantalope and muskmelon in the stores.

Here's a description. Rare Seeds

If you search "silverline melon" in Google, it'll show you some good pictures.

I think it might be time to put in spinach and lettuce seeds for fall. I'm not sure where I'll put them since the tomatoes are still producing. Maybe I can put them in between the tomatoes. Not sure.

If they like partial shade those spots should be fine. Nothing like one-stop picking for a fresh salad!

Well... I still haven't put in the fall plants. I need to take out tomato stems first. The grass has invaded, and I'll need a clear plot so I can attack it properly. The tomatoes are starting to cut back. I still have a big pile of them in the kitchen, but the harvests are getting smaller quickly.

The sweet potatoes look nice. They are crawling around and have nice, green leaves. I think they have about another month or two before they're ready.

Do you believe that I have not had one ripe full-size tomato yet??? I've had a handful of cherry tomatoes, but no full-size ones. They're getting close now, but I won't be able to pick them until probably Monday or Tuesday - if they don't break open from the torrential rains we're having tonight. I have tons of green ones...

When it comes to the green ones start frying.

Sue Short wrote:

When it comes to the green ones start frying.

I've never had fried green tomatoes, and the thought of tasting them has never appealed to me. I may try it, but I'd rather stick them in a paper bag and let them ripen.

Fried green tomatoes are good, although, I agree. The thought is not very good. Do try it with one. It'll surprise you. (Pan fry, don't deep fry!)

As for the tomatoes breaking open, don't worry about it. They heal pretty well. Almost every big tomato I've picked this year has had a split in it. I just slice the thing and eat around the scar. They taste fine, but look a little worse for wear.

Yep, they'll be OK as long as we get to the split ones before the bugs do.

I think our tomatoes are finished. The plants are starting to turn brown. There are a few branches with green leaves and flowers. We'll see if they survive this week's cool snap. It was HOT today, but it's a little late for the plants.

Tomatoes still going strong here if the local food pantry giving them away is any clue. No zucchini though.

The sweet potato plants are taking off. Not ready for harvest yet, but the leaves are getting big and the vines are taking over the raised bed.

Joysanna, has been harvesting ours. I think I posted a photo to Fb.

Becky, that bodes well for a good harvest!