North Florida Gardening

[PlainJane]

Thank you @TX-TomatoBug!

[PlainJane]

There’s one final batch of carrots after this, last of the beets and a kalibos cabbage I should have harvested weeks ago.
Doing a simple sheet pan roast in the oven with the veg, garlic, sausage and mushrooms.

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[MissS]

Do you grow any veggies down there during the summer or are you taking a rest?

[PlainJane]

Do you grow any veggies down there during the summer or are you taking a rest?

Tomatoes, beans, squash (I hope), eggplant and melons are the early summer menu.
Beans struggle in July and August even with shade cloth.
It’s a battle against pickle worm with the curcubits.

[MissS]

Hoping that you had a wonderful day. Happy birthday Marsha!

[PlainJane]

Noire Charbonneuse wins first tomato to color break this season.

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[PlainJane]

Starting to build up steam despite my very late start.

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Noire Charbonneuse, Lime Green Salad, Hoosier Outlaw Black Cherry and what’s supposed to be Copia z Dziobkiem but the shape doesn’t look right.

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[bower]

Are all the Copia z D that shape?
Sometimes I've seen hearts throw beefish fruit with lots of locules, which suppresses the 'pointy end'.
If they're all beefish, it must be a cross.

[PlainJane]

I will look more closely @bower next time I go out there.

[PlainJane]

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Finally did the first pick on the dragon’s tongue beans, and grabbed a few other things that were ready.

[PlainJane]

Getting more tomatoes hitting color break including the first 2 Cowboy. Those are the big beefsteaks that will ripen to a rich brown/black and bred by Karen Oliver.
I’m metering out the last of my cooler weather crops like carrots and kohlrabi but really hot weather is setting in so I can’t leave them much longer.

Matrosik eggplant going berserk.

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[GoDawgs]

Good looking stuff! So that's Matrosik. Were those all from one plant or do you have several? Now I'll know what to look for. Mine has its first flower!

[PlainJane]

@GoDawgs that’s all from 1 plant. It’s also very tender and tasty!

[GoDawgs]

Ohhhhhhh, I'm going to be covered in eggplant with FOUR plants, all different. And I know the Chinese String is an avalancher. ROFL!

I think I'm going to have to post an Italian style marinated eggplant recipe. You put it in a pint canning jar and cover it with olive oil. That seals it and keeps it fresh in the reefer for a long time. And believe it or not, it's a dynamite topping here and there on a homemade pizza!

[PlainJane]

Vorlon is new to me and I’m liking it so far.
One of the earliest large fruit and very flavorful. One tiny complaint is that the skin is a tad thick but that might be my growing conditions.

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[PlainJane]

First foray into watermelon is New Queen F1.

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I also have Mini Love planted and will have to start checking for fruit.

[MissS]

Vorlon is new to me and I’m liking it so far.
One of the earliest large fruit and very flavorful. One tiny complaint is that the skin is a tad thick but that might be my growing conditions.
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Has it been hot down there? I find my tomatoes have thick skin when the temperatures get hot.

[PlainJane]

Yes, @MissS, very hot.

[PlainJane]

While doing some cleanup in the raised bed area I had a visit from one of my favorite Florida butterflies, Heliconius charithonia aka the zebra longwing.

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[PlainJane]

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Tomato pileup in the dining room. Time to see which neighbors are home.