Tomatoes - finally starting to bear fruit
I grew green peppers somewhat successfully but I've never been satisfied with the size, quantify or taste of the green peppers that I grow. Anyone have any tips?
My harvest today
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Garden Pictures 2
My tomatoes are growing slower and smaller than in years past. I think the cold spring, minimal water in June and July are the main reasons. I'm starting to get some off them the plants now but I'll probably have to buy tomatoes to make all of the spaghetti sauce that I plan on making.
I grew green peppers somewhat successfully but I've never been satisfied with the size, quantify or taste of the green peppers that I grow. Anyone have any tips?
I grew green peppers somewhat successfully but I've never been satisfied with the size, quantify or taste of the green peppers that I grow. Anyone have any tips?
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Re: improving Bell peppers - first, I'd add egg shells & epsom salts to the soil and add epsom salts as a spray for both peppers and tomatoes - provides magnesium and so on, helps w/fruit set. Second, if you don't have bees nearby you may want to read up on using a paintbrush to move pollen from one pepper or tomato 'flower' to another. Bees are better, but a damp camel's hair watercolor brush can save the day w/more fruit set/larger fruit.
Finally there's a huge variety of seeds available. If the 'regular' bells you're growing aren't satisfying your needs, try growing some of the heirlooms - seeds remain viable for a while, so one packet of seed will let you try a few this year and still grow plenty next year. Let me recommend the 'corno del toro' or 'bulls horn' pepper. It's an Italian heirloom 'frying pepper' and I think it's tops for taste. Not a 'bell' pepper, but for your sauce I bet it'll be great - and for salads they rock.
I first tried these when I was visiting Larry Hopkins out in Portland OR 30 years ago or so. Got hooked, couldn't find them for sale back here and had to grow my own. Try making a few 'stuffed peppers' with these as well, my Mom and Grandma went wild making stuffed peppers when I got 'em these seeds. Good stuff.
Here's where I get the seeds:
http://www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/seeds-hm/vegO.htm#pep
renee's garden also has my favorite tomato seed - I'll mention them since you might be looking to order a seed packet or 2 (sign up for her email, she runs sales all the time). I like 'Crimson Carmello' for my use around here (tons of medium, delicious fruit - try growing 2 of these just for salads and sandwich needs, share a few started plants w/friends if you can. I've gotten a lot of people hooked on these.) But if you're only growing to make sauce you may prefer some 'Italian pompeii' plum - looks like a San Marzano variation to me. These should be great for sauce. I gave up on Roma's after I tried these.
http://www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/seeds-hm/vegT.htm#toma
And one final bit of garden advice re: peppers/tomatoes/potatoes. These 'nightshade' plants pass disease to each other so I never grow any of these where I grew another nightshade plant last year (2 years if I have room).
For more useful tips, and for good answers to Q&A a tomato growing forum I find useful -plenty of similar forums under the 'gardenweb' heading. Nice folks:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/tomato/
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