walaa, those are Trionfo Violetto beans. Supposedly they turn green when they are blanched just right... I've been eating them all raw, so I don't know that for myself just yet! The small peppers are Sweet Pickle, and are actually sweet, not hot. They are a gorgeous ornamental--the plant isn't too big, it bears peppers upright, and it's covered with yellow, purple, orange, and red all at the same time. The pattypan is from a Burpee hybrid mix. cyrus, I've tried eggplants two years in a row, and no success yet! Maybe next year... I'm hoping my charentais melons will yield, I am excited to try those.

Under optimum conditions (all-year growth without defoliation) Cyathea cooperi can increase trunk height by up to two feet a year. They are as fast developing as any tree fern you're likely to encounter - in contrast to Dicksonia antarctica - although Cyathea medullaris can also be very quick growing. In the UK, where I grow many tree fern species, that kind of growth rate is only possible under glass. But even outdoors in marginal California you should be able to achieve about half that rate of trunk development - more if you feed very regularly during your summer watering regime. They like LOADS of water in the hot months, and - by tree fern standards - are fairly gross feeders. High nitrogen is what they require - so stay clear of tomato feed, which is rich in precisely the wrong nutrients. Any general purpose fertiliser, well diluted, will be suitable during the peak growing season. But then lay off completely during the winter close-down. You're fortunate to be able to keep sub-tropical Cyatheas alive through the kind of winter minimums you describe (none of my sub-tropical species would tolerate 'sub-zero' temperatures of that severity). Our wet and mild winters in the UK are statistically warmer than your Californian absolute minimums, yet most gardeners here would still be unable to have Cyathea cooperi outside if there was a risk of frost. But then our two climates (both notionally USDA Zone 9 or 10) have very different implications for what we can, and can't, grow. Cyathea cooperi are still very uncommon indeed on the British fern scene.

Hi all, Sorry for the delay. In our work, DH and I do training programs, were in Springfield Mass, got home Monday. So good to be home! We got a shipment of bees last night too - our first. It was too late to put them in their hives and DH left for Arkansas early this morning. We are new to beekeeping so a neighbor is giving me a hand until DH gets back. The experienced beekeepers advised us to leave them in their box for a couple of days, they haven't bonded into a community yet. ;- ) Diane, I am in awe of your Tomato Henge - and very impressed by the thought that went into the design and construction. I have never grown tomatoes or vegetables on this scale, but am intrigued by the notion of doing so. Tess is HUGE and more than a little intimidating! We live in 5.5 acres on the Chesapeake Bay. About 1/3 of the land has pretty good soil but most is light sand over blue marl clay so I'm working to amend the soil - a long term project. Wind is our biggest problem, especially when temps get hotter. In summer, we often have weeks when winds are 20-40+ mph out of the south, along with hot, humid conditions. I'm looking for ways to create more protection from the wind. Many years, she have flooding from tropical storms but this is usually short lived. With a TS, wind is a bigger problem than water. Last year, Irene paid a visit and took out my winter squash and melon crops. When I'm planting in the ground, I often use a modified lasagne bed method - lay down cardboard, add a foot or more of wood chips to raise the level of the bed (flood protection), then put soil on top.

Aaron - does look like a lot of fruit set, hope it tastes good. Can you post a pic of your BKs? sharonie - it's a lot of work, hard to do by myself. DH helps with hammering things into our rocky ground and mowing/weedwhacking, but I start all the seeds, do all the transplanting, weeding, mulching, watering, pruning, harvesting and marketing. DS helped me pack, set up, and tear down at a few markets last year but he's getting older and getting busy (mostly Scout stuff this summer), next summer he might have a job (counselor at Scout camp) so I'm really thinking I have to start a CSA. Oh, and I counted - besides 200 tomatoes and 96 peppers in the ground, I've got 13 tomatoes in pots (and 2-6 more I'd like to pot up for my cousin), and some suckers trying to root in water before potting up since I only have 1 Sungold and 1 Black Cherry another GWer gave me and I'd like more, 1 long sucker was broken this AM so I trimmed it back, think I can get 3 plants out of it. 8 peppers in 4" pots I want to sell at market, 6 overwintered peppers in pots that need to be potted up, 183 bean plants plus a dozen or so cukes (didn't count), a couple of yellow squash (that haven't even flowered yet), 3 cantaloupe and 3 watermelon plants (not growing much), I think 6 zukes. Cilantro is bolting, dill is ahead of cukes so seeded more, just seeded basil but it rained that night so probably all washed away (I did sneak out and mulch it the other day), and as soon as there is a break in sight I will seed kale, chard, and Asian greens. Oh, and more carrots (I only put in two 12ft rows b/c I thought last week was a little early but now I might be behind - at least the carrots are going in the tunnel so a little late doesn't matter). I posted a pic of what I think is same BK plant with 4 good sized fruit on it on the Golden Tomato Prize thread. Not a good pic here (was trying to get more of a shot of peppers, sweet non-bells are closest to camera) but this morning the soon-to-be tunnel looked like this: Had to tie up a few more at the far end, need to get some small 3-ring cages for some determinates on left side far end, but the indeterminates in the middle are getting pretty bushy. I did prune some last week but the past few days of rain have caused everything to just explode - and I think I've got some EB in there. Once it dries out (raining again now, too wet this AM though clear) I've got a lot more pruning and weeding and mulching and spraying to do. I have to get those lamb's quarters off the sides of the mounded bed and staple the fabric that's in the aisles down coming up the sides of the bed - the hay keeps sliding off. Next year the middle bed will be framed in wood like the side beds. This post was edited by ajsmama on Tue, Jul 15, 14 at 17:19