Naturegirl, my tomatoes are alive, but barely. The rest of them look like they are being eaten by any number of things. I got maybe 5 good ones, the rest of the ones that *would* have been good I think were eaten by the squirrels. The ones that are next to ripen have holes. :( Bummer. I only planted the yellow, low acid ones, and my husband was sort of responsible for the veggie garden this year - and since he doesn't eat tomatoes and doesn't think I should either (he's into the blood type diet and we're "type A" - meaning avoid tomatoes), they were a bit neglected and never properly staked, so a lot ended up drooping to the ground. I was lazy and didn't take care of it myself, I'm not really a true gardener, obviously, but next year I think I will try the little yellow cherry tomatoes, the pear shaped ones. Maybe they will ripen quicker and I can get them before the bugs and squirrels do. I really had no idea the Brussels sprouts were such a late fall crop, so hopefully we'll get something from those. None of the other cruciferous things did particularly well, though we did finally get some decent kale. The plants never got very big, but the bugs didn't bother those. The broccoli on the other hand got huge, but very full of holes and produced such tiny florets. Not worth the amount of space they took up.

Here's what I had read about rhubarb: During the first year of planting, the stalks should not be picked, since food from the leaves is needed to nourish the roots for the next year's growth. One light picking may be taken during the year following planting if the plants are vigorous, and beginning the second year following planting, the entire plant may be harvested. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-growing.html

Thanks everyone! And I completely forgot, thanks to LindaLou for the green tomatillo salsa recipe she shared on my earlier post. It is DELICIOUS with my green tomatoes! Much more exciting than the red tomato salsa. I think using Brandywines in canned salsa was a mistake-- there's just so much water. Not much chunkiness to it. But the green tomato version.... PERFECT! I've googled to try and figure out where I got that first recipe link and now I can't find it again. No mind, I'll use the NCHFP one, and will note to not rely on web versions from here on out. One more question: does adding dill affect a recipe? I would like to add dill to that NCHFP recipe but I don't want to mess it up. Does pickling salt add dill flavor or just "pickle" it? I'm guessing the latter. I can just taste them in my bloody mary now.... tracydr, that is just ONE of the ways I enjoy them! Eating them straight up is pretty fantastic too. :-) I agree, they are really pricey in the store. I can't wait to make some of my own!

Aphids are also attracted to the succulent newest growth, which is more nitrogen rich than the older counterparts....naturally. Even in times of nitrogen deprivation, tissue testing will reveal that nitrogen is mobile within the plant, ensuring continued new growth. Pest insects have an extremely strong drive to feed on plants.....some of them are genetically marked to seek out specific kinds of plants. We all know that if we plant a vegetable garden, there will be a wide assortment of phytophagous insects having a party on our plants. What kimmsr SHOULD be emphasizing is that plants grown under ideal horticultural standards are likely to suffer fewer consequences and to recover more quickly than those in poor condition in the first place. YES, there is ample and easily accessed research data to show that some pests AND diseases infest and infect plants in poor health. I learned about that in my university studies over 30 years ago as well during 30 years of hands on and eyes on professional experience. One shouldn't ignore genetics OR culture in our desire to help others with their garden woes. Kimmsr, one cannot control aphids 'simply ' by starting with the soil. It's much more complex than that.