Hi All, thanks. I did apply an organic "pesticide" and organic leaf spray fertilizer. Will it kill the tomatoes? I think I'll hold off on the fert. and pest. for now. I was more worried that it was a soil disease that would kill the plant. Sorry for the confusion on the corn issue. last year i didnt water regularly enough, and the corn went to "seed" really quick with half developed ears. i was just getting worried when I saw the flower at the top. But if that looks normal, I'm good.

Seedmama, I tried to answer your reply earlier and it looks like it didn't post so will try again to answer your questions. "Here" is the OK Panhandle and very extreme SW KS. Right on the state line. I have also gardened in the Texas Panhandle and NE NM. Most in sandy soil. And the climates have been very similar although I'm further north now than I've ever been and have gardened in this area for around 30 years. Here our average rainfall average is 16 inches but been a lot less the last two. We have hot dry winds from mainly the SW, low humidity and high temps. Myself and other growers in this area have found tomatoes that sprawl on deep mulch do better and also use considerably less water. One reason we feel is they are closer to the ground and the wind isn't as harsh on the blooms. On a sprawler the blooms can have more protection. I also use cages and cages work well next to sweet corn or any other suitable windbreak. Last year I used shade cloth for a greenhouse as a windbreak. A good tree row to the south and west helps. I haven't had that where I am at now. I broke out two new areas this year that will have some and also some afternoon shade. I learned the sweet corn on the south side from the Amish. I feel it also provides some shade when it gets bigger. You can tell the difference in the plants once the corn gets bigger. With our low rainfall we have little fruit loss on the sprawlers and usually will pick a few pounds more per plant from them. They take more room also. I've read in wetter climates that they have more fruit loss with sprawlers. So not for every area. Windbreaks here are very helpful and corn makes and edible one. Hope this answers some of your questions. I always suggest a person try a new method on a small area or a few plants first. Then if it works try it on more. I don't always follow my own advice and then pay for it. One thing to keep in mind is what works in one soil and climate won't necessarily be the best in another. And the same with plants. I grow a wide variety of plants but two of my favorites are peppers and tomatoes. And Brandywine is a good example. It does well in some areas but very poor here for me and the growers I know. But I'm hard headed and trying a new to me strain this year called Cowlick's Brandywine. Will see how it does here. Also I'm experimenting with direct winter sowing tomatoes like I've done other veggies. So far the results have been promising. This year will be on a larger scale. Jay

I'm preparing to plant my first SFG in a 4'x4' bed. I had it all planned out to maximize sunlight, which meant putting corn and tomatoes next to each other in the northern end of the bed. But now I'm reading about companion planting, and that corn and tomatoes shouldn't be together. What's more important: maximizing the amount of light that my plants get, or separating corn and tomatoes (or for that matter other plant combinations that aren't supposed to be ideal)? It seems to me that the issue of tall/large plants shading smaller ones could be significant in a SFG where everything is so close together. Thanks for any advice!

Hi Frances, Glad some of the tomatoes are working out for you. It has been a tasting adventure over here as I eagerly await those that have been ripe enough to sample. As for the food processor, mine also has a hand crank, I just pulled off the top green at the end of the stem and quartered the larger ones, so they would fit through the processor. Popped the cherries through whole. We did use the Villaware outdoors, which turned out to be beneficial to my kitchen walls and floors. Just pop those washed tomatoes in the hopper and push down gently with a small mallet type tool. The beautiful juice and pulp come out on one side and the skins, cores, seeds push out through another tube. Seems it would be a good idea to clean that part out about half way through processing if it seems to be stopping up. It is recommended that any fruits that are not perfectly ripe should be parboiled before running them through the food mill, which I failed to do, thus the waste was cramming up a bit. I love not having to remove the peels and squashing the tomatoes through a sieve for juice, soup or sauce. It cuts the work time down considerably. You would not believe the number of questions that I voiced on the Harvest Forum last year about processors before buying the least expensive one I could find. Same product was $79. and $69. Got mine from Amazon.com for $39. Adding hardware to process berries took some searching though. Hope your mater's and roses are surviving well. Jan_Hobbs, it took 18 to 24 hours in the crockpots to reduce to a thick enough sauce, so not certain it is the best method. I just didn't want to keep having to stir it frequently for hours. I have heard people say they reduce theirs in a low oven setting. I added fresh garlic and lots of lemon basil in a cheesecloth sack. I'm considering cheating and buying a can of store bought tomato paste to see if that won't improve the thickening next time. Big_Orange_Vol, will have to try the Golden Queen. This wasn't a great crop and though we got them prepared and froze quickly, I fear they were actually picked the day before...drats. Of the 10 dozen, three ended up being waste. Is this a bad year for corn?? We have too many racoons to try and grow it ourselves without erecting another huge fence. Actually, we used new garden space this year that wasn't worked up as well and improved as much as it should have been. Not getting the best production out of that acre. Lots needs to be done. Remodeling? Ouch! That's worse than building. Hi Regina, Yes, I would believe that the plants that came up as volunteers in your compost pile and pleased that they proved true to the original. Yum on those little bitty "coyote" yellow tomatoes, indeed a surprise. All of my plants are doing something different it seems. Some are dying, others simply yellowing leaves and some are turning gray. This is true of the heirlooms as well as the determinate hybrids. The Rideau, I think is pear shaped and the other cherry is round, the round ones coming on first over here. I am in tomato heaven. One of the Box Car Willies was ripe enough to take up to my Mom's last week. It is full bodied and tasty with a little tang to it. To be honest, we both decided that her Better Boy actually tasted better. Glad you and I are both receiving an education on heirloom vegetables. Was that purple cherokee that I got from you, do you recall? Thanks. Pat