1 pea blossom so far. I don't know if pole beans will survive, the kids picked some while I picked peppers, and DD trampled the bush beans (I did tell her to pick those first so that she didn't have to worry about stepping on them when she stood on top of the bed to pick the pole beans behind them). Covered the serranos and some of the exotic peppers, I didn't have that many bell plants, and it wasn't worth covering 5 hot cherry plants. I still have to pick the hybrid tomatoes since the Reemay wasn't long enough to cover the row or wide enough to get a double layer front and back. Plus the old fence used as a trellis was just going to rip it where we tried to fold it over the top. So I'll pick after dropping DS off at XC practice, and DH will help me lower all plants to the ground and cover them with Reemay. The few heirlooms (BW and CP) I put in late at the end of the bean row and forgot about were very lush with foliage, we picked the biggest & most exposed fruit but then just tried to cover the rest with the foliage and a partial bale of hay. The hybrids near the house and all of the heirlooms I put in last week of June are the healthiest plants with the biggest fruit. Too bad they ddin't have time to ripen - but hopefully we can get some ripening in the basement - now I just need shallow boxes and newspaper (DH took out the recyclables last night)!

Thank you for all the kind responses and good ideas and guidelines. I've been thinking how I want to advertise my produce here in my small locale. So, I think Mark's idea might be best. Because, I do try my best not to use any chemical herbicides or pesticides on my tomatoes and other plants, (just for customers but for my own sake and health as well). I don't think using a little Miracle Gro is going to harm anyone. It does tend to get plants off to a fast start, and then it seems the natural healthy soil environment takes over. I must say the tomatoes and vines look amazing, healthy and no signs of disease or pests. Either I lucked out...or did something right. Cheers, Barb

Yes, I started harvesting most of mine once the color breaks to ripen inside after reading about it here. In a dry spell, like we're having now, the birds get a little crazy and peck everything red, and beyond that it does seem like the ripe ones are extra attractive to bugs. I still wonder if there might be a slight flavor difference between counter ripened and vine ripened (can't help myself) but now I get to enjoy tomatoes that aren't previously sampled.

<I was researching compost tea a lot last month and it's been praised by many and others say it's a waste of time. The more I read into it, the more I was excited to try and brew my own batch. I read that pumping enough oxygen into it was very important though. What are your thoughts on compost tea?> Aerating compost tea is good if you can do it however it is a relatively new aspect of using compost tea, not the be all and end all as some would claim. Plain old compost, allowed to steep in a bucket of water in the sun for a couple of days is still quite beneficial and has been used for centuries in that form. Of course the better the quality of the compost (diverse ingredients), the better the tea. It can then be used, diluted to the color of weak iced tea, as a root drench for plants. And if diluted even more many use it as a misted foliar feeding. That is the simplest approach to it. Above and beyond the basics you'll find all sorts of recommendations for additives and making it with different methods but it all still boils down to compost tea. There is also "manure tea" that some make in the same manner. It is richer in nutrients but is also higher in pathogenic bacteria so it should be used as a root drench only and only when it won't come into direct contact with the edible portions of the plant (like lettuce). Dave