North Florida Gardening

[MissS]

@PlainJane That's a beautiful problem to have!

[GoDawgs]

Now you've got me antsy for the first ripe tomatoes here! Just green marbles right now. Wish I was your neighbor! I'd love to help with that problem.

[PlainJane]

I wish you were too @GoDawgs, but then our stuff would all ripen at the same time and we’d have to open a road stand.

[PlainJane]

Not saying anything about this eggplant.

IMG_0437.jpeg

[GoDawgs]

Not saying anything about this eggplant.
IMG_0437.jpeg

So the Seaman has a hook. Must be a pirate. "Arrrrggghhh, Matey!"

[PlainJane]

One nearly ripe and 2 color break Solar Flare from Wild Boar Farms.

Not the most prolific and gets a bit of funk but I still think it’s one of the most beautiful tomatoes ever. The iridescent gold striping overlays the red background like it’s been dipped and swirled.

IMG_0445.jpeg

IMG_0446.jpeg

[PlainJane]

IMG_0443.jpeg

Besides inundating the neighborhood I’ve started taking tomatoes to my favorite local restaurant for the staff.
Glut of Daniel Burson, some Vorlon, Green Gables, Cowboy, Dark Shekel, Noir Charbonneuse, Lime Green Salad, Maglia Rosa, Green Bee, Awesome Emma, Hoosier Outlaw Black Cherry and I’m sure I’m forgetting some.

Vorlon, Cowboy and Awesome Emma are absolute keepers for next year. Jury still out for some of the other newbies.

IMG_0444.jpeg

[MissS]

@PlainJane Those are just gorgeous and I bet that they are well received. I'm glad to hear that you like Cowboy so well. It's one that I have been wanting to try.

[PlainJane]

@MissS Cowboy is outstanding. And plant is very healthy to boot.

[MissS]

@MissS Cowboy is outstanding. And plant is very healthy to boot.

Would you happen to be saving seeds? I know that Tormato would love to have more of Bill Jeffers tomatoes. Where did you find your seeds?

[Whwoz]

Cowboy is a Karen Oliver breed tomato @MissS

[MissS]

@Whwoz You are right. That's my bad. I had recently been following a discussion about it on Bill's site and got things turned around. Thanks for setting me on the straight path!

[PlainJane]

Well, I panicked after taking a look at the forecast and plucked the 2 Hoy that were just starting to color.
Probably just as well as one has a funky spot on the bottom but I’ll probably get some decent slices from it.
Going to stay hot, get much more humid and rain by midweek.

IMG_0447.jpeg

IMG_0448.jpeg

[karstopography]

There’s something block like or brick like about Hoy. Mine often are about as tall as they are wide. They are never going to be the juiciest of tomatoes, but that’s alright since a juicy tomato isn’t always called for. I like Hoy best cut into big chunks or cubes and tossed with some fresh cucumbers.

[PlainJane]

I tried Girl Girl’s Weird Thing a couple of times over the last 10 years, always with very disappointing results. Cracking splitting, low productivity, disease prone. So I dropped it.

For reasons I can’t remember now I ordered new seed and tried again this year.
Whether it was the new seed or the exceptionally dry season, or what, I have a lot of fruit set and color break on the first bunch. It was crazy …. no color, no color, no color … then pow!

IMG_0451.jpeg

I knocked one off by mistake. I’ll leave it to see what happens.

[ddsack]

I hope you like GGWT this year, seeds from a new source could make a difference. I am growing it as well after about a 5 year gap to try new tomatoes, time to put it back in rotation. Sure can surprise you with all the extra color when ripe.

[PlainJane]

Still trying to capture Solar Flare.

IMG_0453.jpeg

[PlainJane]

There’s something block like or brick like about Hoy. Mine often are about as tall as they are wide. They are never going to be the juiciest of tomatoes, but that’s alright since a juicy tomato isn’t always called for. I like Hoy best cut into big chunks or cubes and tossed with some fresh cucumbers.

I tried my first Hoy today in a salad and it was good. I could see it with watermelon, basil and feta too.
I’d call it pretty decent taste-wise but not outstanding. Sure is hefty though!

[karstopography]

There’s something block like or brick like about Hoy. Mine often are about as tall as they are wide. They are never going to be the juiciest of tomatoes, but that’s alright since a juicy tomato isn’t always called for. I like Hoy best cut into big chunks or cubes and tossed with some fresh cucumbers.

I tried my first Hoy today in a salad and it was good. I could see it with watermelon, basil and feta too.
I’d call it pretty decent taste-wise but not outstanding. Sure is hefty though!

I think the most attractive thing about Hoy is the brick-like quality. Big, solid, firm, meaty. Complimentary, but not a star of the show type.

[PlainJane]

Here is a grouping of Noire Charbonneuse, another new for me variety I’m very happy with.
Very good flavor, decent health and productivity, not much in the way of cracking or splitting.

IMG_0456.jpeg

IMG_0454.jpeg