As usual, your tomatoes look gorgeous, and the corn is really, really neat. I'd be really tempted to grow some next year as an experiment if I had the room, but if I keep going the way I am with tomatoes, that'll never happen!

I'm curious though, if you're concerned about adding the calcium nitrate and getting too much leafy growth without contributing to fruiting. I had to look it up because I didn't know what it was used for, but it sounds like it's primarily a source of nitrogen, and at this stage, it looks like you're not hurting for foliage. ;) Is there some other benefit to using it?

Wow! Where in No Ca are you????
I'm in Santa Rosa and everything seems to be a month late! (first year starting from seed though, so the plants were smaller to start.)
I like the idea of growing just a small amount of corn as you have it. There are only 2 of us and the last time I grew corn, it seemed like it was way too much for us and all got ripe at the same time! Nancy

spaghetina,

I should have explained re: the "snack". Others have posted good results controlling BER by adding a Tablespoon of Calcium Nitrate once a week to SWCs. I am adding it every other week, as an experiment. My Goose Creek plants were really affected by BER last Season, so I'm giving it a go. Yes, at 15-0-0 (Ca 19%) it does bump up the N, but I am still getting lots of blossoms and fruitset, plus the plants have never looked this green, so I am a happy camper as of today.

Do you recognize those white critters in the photo above? They are new "cousins" of my hot pink aphids.

maryjane,

I am in the Los Gatos area. I stagger the CornTainers every 2 weeks in planting (7 of them) so this should give me sweetcorn over much of the Summer / Fall. Can't stand the no-taste stuff at Safeway...

Raybo

Hi Ray, I'm in the east bay area. My EARLY corn must be at least one month behind yours. Plus they're eating up space in my raised bed like crazy. Your CornTainers are working out great!

Ray, ah ha! I knew there was something I was missing re: your snack. I can't get over how lush and beautiful the plants are, and I know I'm really going to be envious once everything is starting to blush. I am excited to report, though, that despite my late start, I have one plant that's catching up to yours! I picked up a Black Krim from Safeway, of all places, and in the couple weeks of warm weather we had (obviously not this week *groan*), it shot up like crazy. It's now topping out its first cage, so I followed your lead and strapped a cheapy cage to the top of it.

My fruits need to hurry up. I blew $7 on tomatoes at the farmer's market yesterday, and that included 2-freaking-dollars for a watery tasting Cherokee Purple! TWO DOLLARS! I was appalled, lol.

I've never seen those white guys, but they look like they might be nymphs of something. Are they still hanging out with the pinkies? Seven might be a little broad for just the aphids, but maybe it's necessary for the white ones.

spaghetina,

Good to hear that your plants are finally taking off. Last year, I was picking ripe Stupice on May 28. This year, (no Stupice) but my first (small) Bloody Butcher tomato is blushing. With this weather during the Spring, I estimate I am 3 weeks behind last Season.

Rather than the Sevin, I have Permethrin at the ready - - but I wanted to try to take care of the Aphids with an Organic first.

Raybo

I'm only now getting small tomatoes on everything. Last year, I planted mostly hybrids because I wasn't sure I'd like the taste of heirlooms, since all the ones I'd tasted prior had been watery and not very good. I'm slapping my forehead about that now, of course. This year, I thought I'd try one of most everything that I heard good things about last year or paid a premium for at the market and enjoyed eating. One of those was Stupice, which I picked up only for its earliness and high production, since as I understand it, it's not all that tasty. I only have a few small tomatoes on it so far, but the amount of blossoms is staggering. One of my determinate hybrids (Shady Lady - also not supposed to be very good, but my uncle bought me 3 hybrids, and I couldn't turn down his very kind gesture) has a good sized tomato on it, and I keep thinking it's going to blush any day now.

I have a feeling I'll probably never be as early as I want to be, but at least I can live vicariously through you while I'm waiting for my maters to hurry the heck up.