Marsha's garden 2019/20(optimistic here, lol.)

[Ginger2778]

And so it begins.....

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The first is Sunorange F1, been ripening for about a week
Next- African Queen (love this!)
Third - Bear Creek, loaded and ripening - yay!
Fourth - Barlow Jap, 3rd year in a row, so good, and so productive.
Carbon - I like it so much that I named my cat Carbon (she's grey)

[Ginger2778]

Names are under the photos

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Brad's Atomic Grape

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Mayo's Delight

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Black Beauty Eggplant

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Long Striped Greek Eggplant

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Violetta Lunga Greek Eggplant

[pondgardener]

Definitely better to look at than the snow that is on the ground here...

[bower]

Om nom nom, Marsha! Gorgeous to see, thank heavens for warm climes and 'winter' grows!

[wildcat62]

Yes, love seeing these pics when it's winter up here.

[Whwoz]

Fabulous photos Marsha

[MissS]

Thanks for posting it here Marsha. Your's is always one of my favorite winter reads. I look forward to it every year.

[Gardadore]

Very inspiring! Tomatoes look great. Love your eggplants too! Violetta Lunga is one of my favorites. Growing eggplants here can be a challenge. Do you prepare the mix in your eggplant containers differently from the EB’s in terms of amendments? Still trying to find the right combination to get better production.

[Ginger2778]

Thanks for posting it here Marsha. Your's is always one of my favorite winter reads. I look forward to it every year.

I'm so glad to have the opportunity again to be able to do this with you all. I'm so happy this forum got started. Thank you. Especially Rajun Gardner. ❤

[Ginger2778]

Very inspiring! Tomatoes look great. Love your eggplants too! Violetta Lunga is one of my favorites. Growing eggplants here can be a challenge. Do you prepare the mix in your eggplant containers differently from the EB’s in terms of amendments? Still trying to find the right combination to get better production.

For the eggplants, it's just Promix BX, 1/2 cup dolomite lime, and 1.5 cups Tomato tone. But I am also using 1/2 strength Jack's Classic Tomato FeED (Fe for iron)every time I water. Good mix of micros added. It's a 7 gallon pot.
Adding the same down the Earthbox tube every 4 days for the tomatoes. Seems to be pretty good, first year trying it.
It was recommended by the tech support team at Premiere Horticulture, the makers of PromixBX.

[guruofgardens]

Nice looking tomatoes. The people with snow on the ground are very envious of your homegrown tomatoes. Thanks for posting them.

[Ginger2778]

Nice looking tomatoes. The people with snow on the ground are very envious of your homegrown tomatoes. Thanks for posting them.

You're welcome. That envy is something I can relate to, in the heat of the Summer, when all we have are sweet potatoes, starfruit, and mangoes. Around mid July I am missing them so much, and the photos about kill me,

[peebee]

I've been waiting for your pics ever since--well, you know Marsha. I feel sorry for the members of the past site who are clueless about where you are now but hey we have you back. And of course you'll be posting your results as usual?
Glad to see your endorsement of Carbon, coincidentally I picked that out last night of your past seed offering, to try this year. I'll be sowing seeds this week so excited

[Ginger2778]

I've been waiting for your pics ever since--well, you know Marsha. I feel sorry for the members of the past site who are clueless about where you are now but hey we have you back. And of course you'll be posting your results as usual?
Glad to see your endorsement of Carbon, coincidentally I picked that out last night of your past seed offering, to try this year. I'll be sowing seeds this week so excited

Awwww - you all make me feel so welcome. This was lovely to read.

[Gardadore]

Thanks for the info on your eggplant mix. Have added it to my Garden notes under your info from TV on preparing the EB for tomatoes. Glad I added the EB material from last year to my notes! Looking forward to following your future postings on your garden!

[MsCowpea]

Looks fantastic.
That’s interesting about the Jacks. I know Jacks Orchid Fertilizer was very popular with orchid enthusiasts.
It does seems that a product with potassium (and the other micros) might be better than the calcium nitrate snack
just because it better matches what is recommended by hydroponic tomato experts who recommend increasing levels of potassium as the plant grows. How do you find it compares to the calcium nitrate or is it too early to tell. Potassium is also supposed to be important in flavor development (as long as you add moderate amount, not too little and not too much.). so maybe the tomatoes will even taste better I never got into the ‘snack’ but this year decided to try and add a bit of hydroponic fertilizer down the tube on a couple boxes just to see what it does to the yield. And then compare it to adding an organic’kick’ to a couple boxes.
Anyway, your plants look great. No diseases yet either which is super.
Elaine

[worth1]

Looks fantastic.

[Ginger2778]

Looks fantastic.
That’s interesting about the Jacks. I know Jacks Orchid Fertilizer was very popular with orchid enthusiasts.
It does seems that a product with potassium (and the other micros) might be better than the calcium nitrate snack
just because it better matches what is recommended by hydroponic tomato experts who recommend increasing levels of potassium as the plant grows. How do you find it compares to the calcium nitrate or is it too early to tell. Potassium is also supposed to be important in flavor development (as long as you add moderate amount, not too little and not too much.). so maybe the tomatoes will even taste better I never got into the ‘snack’ but this year decided to try and add a bit of hydroponic fertilizer down the tube on a couple boxes just to see what it does to the yield. And then compare it to adding an organic’kick’ to a couple boxes.
Anyway, your plants look great. No diseases yet either which is super.
Elaine

Thank you Elaine, coming from you it means a lot.☺ I always used the Ca(NO3)2 until this year, and production went through the roof with it, but about March I would start to see almost white stunted new leaves, not virus looking, but looking textbook for iron deficiency. I always used 1 teaspoon of the "snack" along with 1/3 of a teaspoon of MgSO4, pretty much what the hydroponics folks use, but it did give me deficiencies later. I am hoping the Jack's Classic Tomato FeED, which has the right amount of iron in it, will solve the problem. The reservoir in an EB is about 3 gallons, so I put 3/4 of a teaspoon down the tube every 4 days, which is basically every time I add water. What's your organic kick?
The Premiere tech support man brought up a fact which is true, to break down organics, you need microbes. Promix has mycorrhizae but it's not complete like soil, so my fertilizer strip is Espoma Tomato Tone, but then supplemented with the Jack's. I actually wonder if my plants are using the Tomato Tone at all. I tried the 4-18-38 one year, tons of blossoms, but overall the fruit wasn't of a good size, and not a good flavor either. Sort of a grass like flavor - yuck!

Disease - I am getting some, it just hasn't shown on these yet. It's such a job to spray, but I guess I better. Cooler drier weather will be here for Wed. and throughout the rest of the week.

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Do you use a "buzzer" or an electric toothbrush on the flower cluster stem? I had a Vegibee, but it crapped out, so I bought a $15 dollar battery operated one which seems to be doing a great job. I think Scott's makes it, it's the only thing of their's that I will use, haha. Photos show it, it came with the little "bee wings" which are supposed to help with pollination. I took that off, I don't want cross pollinated seeds.

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[SusieQ]

What incredible results, Marsha!
I'm curious as to your potting mix, though. If you don't mind me asking, what do you use?

[Ginger2778]

What incredible results, Marsha!
I'm curious as to your potting mix, though. If you don't mind me asking, what do you use?

PromixBX.