July 4th, finally getting caught up and here come the toms.

15 years ago

Ok with this I'm caught up with July 4th.

I'm beginning to think that all the rain we have been getting with these thunderstorms that are coming day after day also has steroids mixed in with it.

I can't believe the growth of the toms in just one week and every one except the xmas grape are full of both open and closed beautiful yellow flowers.

Fran

June 25th

back row: left to right

sweet 100, warren's yellow cherry, black cherry, white wonder, large cherry red

Front row, left to right

xmas grape, beefsteak, cherokee purple, celebrity

the 2 small pots in the front are tiny tim

couldn't see the xmas grape well in that pic, this was from 6/25 also

xmas grape

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And this is July 4th. they had their own personal fireworks display this week.

2 additional steaks where added to each pot today and they had to get tied up again. Hubby did a good job on both pics and staking too.

sweet 100

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Warren's yellow cherry

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black cherry

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White wonder

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large cherry red

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xmas grape

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beefsteak

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purple cherokee

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celebrity

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balloon flower opened today

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edelweiss

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self sown milkweed. comes up there every year and I leave this patch just for the monarchs. before yesterday's severe thunderstorm there where about 6-9 monarch catapillers still on it, but today they where gone.

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Have to show these 2 pics. they are from a friends garden. The oriental poppy is about 15 years old. will have tons of seeds from this one in the fall and hope my seedlings end up looking like this. The flower is 6-8 inches across.

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Comments (6)

tiffy_z5_6_can
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well Fran, I will admit, I'm not really into tomatos but am into that Milkweed! I started the Asclepias Syriaca this year and it winter sowed nicely. I enjoy seeing your plant as I know what to look forward to. :O)

I sowed some Orientale Poppies a few years ago. You will not be disappointed.
kqcrna
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Very nice, Fran. I sure am hungry for good home grown tomatoes. I never get any ripe ones until the end of July or early August. Because of the cooler weather this year I fear they will be very late.

Karen
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booberry85
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm not really into milkweed, but I love the tomato plants! I really like the idea of growing a marigold right in the pot with the tomato. Do you think it helps with bug problems?

They look like healthy tomato plants.
littleonefb
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Tiffy, those milkweed just seeded in that one spot about 15 years ago and i never got around to pulling them out or moving them. Then my son and daughter who where 15 and 10 at the time, spotted the caterpillars on them. 10 year old daughter knew what they where and that was the end of moving them. I have just left that clump to seed and do as it pleases every year. and the monarchs sure love them.
If my poppy seedlings, from seeds from the one in the pics, turn out half as beautiful, i will have nothing to complain about.

Karen, I can't wait till end of July or early August either. I want home grown toms so badly right now. We've just gone into some heat and humidity again so it's hard to tell if they really will be later than past years yet. On the other hand, I have no complaints about continuing to pick ripe tomatoes when those that bought their plants are pitching them after labor day. I'm still in heaven picking mine. Last year the fall was so warm I picked my last ripe toms on halloween and then took off all the green ones and brought them into ripen indoors.

booberry, I've been companion planting marigolds with my tomato plants both in pots and in the ground for 28 years and my grandfather did it with his 100 tomato plants on the veggie farm and he never had a bug problem in his career and I have never either, except for last year.
One little tiny tim didn't get a marigold because of the tiny pot i put it in. that poor plant got the dreaded tomato horn worm on it. non of the others did.
Didn't make that mistake this year. tiny tim is in a bigger pot and has it's own little marigold in there with it.

I also companion plant 4 o'clocks around my plants that are favorites of the japanese beetle and I've never had a destructive season with them, the 4 o'clock leaves get nibbled and the japanese beetles die. the leaves are poisonous to them. i find tons of dead ones around the leaves they nibbled and i guess the message goes out to the others to leave my yard alone, it's a death sentence.
Everyone I know that uses marigolds with their toms and 4 oclocks with their JP loving plants have no problems with bugs with them.

Fran
booberry85
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I never knew that about the 4 o'clocks. I'm going to try that next year. I do plant some marigolds with my tomatoes, but maybe I need to plant a few more with my toms.

I love your poppies too! I tried them this year, without luck. They all germinated, but they would get about an inch tall and keel over. :(

I'll try again for next year.
littleonefb
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You can still sow some 4 o'clock seeds, it's really not too late for them to germinate and grow. in the heat now they will grow very quickly.

I have never had problems with poppies since I've WS them till this year. They where doing beautifully and planted in the beds, then the really hot temps and humidity arrived out of no where for a week. in the 90's in May and that was the end of my poppies. They don't like that kind of heat.

I have one seedling left that just might possibly make it still to bloom, but I have my doubts. It is being protected by the leaves of another plant. The plant I put there to help hide the ugly look of the annual poppies as they go to seed and die off. So maybe, just maybe I will have one bloom this year. We shall see.

Fran

July 4th, finally getting caught up and here come the toms.

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July 4th, finally getting caught up and here come the toms.

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tiffy_z5_6_can

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