Getting Interested 2019

[AlittleSalt]

I've been trying to write some positive things about gardening - after all, that's why I joined this Tomatoville site.

Depending on where and how you are growing things - getting revved up for the next growing season starts months ahead. I'll be growing things in both 5 gallon buckets of pro mix and a few things in raised beds that have RKN and FW3 in the soil. Not everything is affected so much by those two soil problems

In the raised beds will be onions and peppers. I have seen onions grow well in the infected soil here. Purslane would take over like the weed it is if I watered it. I've also seen pepper plants grow in the soil here - some were stunted, but that could be due to user error. I'm interested in trying them again. Peppers and onions are very cheap here, so if the crops fail, so be it. If they do well, I will proudly let you know all about it.

As for the container growing - I have a lot to learn, and learning can be a good thing.

For those who have read my recent posts - you know what this thread is for. I could sit around and worry and mope or I can start doing things to change it. I choose to change it.

[eyegrotom]

Hi Salt here's to hoping you learn as you grow, and have a very good successful season.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Of course it's past time to start planning 2019's garden!

When planning the 2018 garden, I asked myself what would be FUN to grow, not just grow because I've always grown it. Some things got axed and others added.

Then there's the list of tomatoes. DH's requests, plus what I think would be fun (cute stuffing hors d'oeuvres, little ones for my niece to eat like candy, etc.), plus what I know I like, what I'm curious to try, etc.

I've found there's nothing like making your own cross and doing a massive F2+ growout to get you super psyched about tomatoes.

I don't know about you, but my depression has a seasonal sunshine component to it. As the days get shorter, spending time making packets for the MMMM gets my mind on something cheerful. Buy a lot of little seed bags/envelopes and flood Tormato with goodies. Then once that's over, intensive garden planning again, researching tomato varieties, laying out the garden on paper, buying or trading to get the ones you want, etc.

Something I've found valuable for gardening as I get older is a small collapsible canvas stool. Being able to sit and garden makes a ton of difference. Now I don't wince at the thought of working in the garden.

Get psyched!

Nan

[ChiliPeppa]

I've already begun thinking of my 2019 garden. I had to cut short my garden this year because of some construction we are doing in our house. Planning is one of the funnest parts of gardening.

[AlittleSalt]

Yes, planning is fun, and doing research on the varieties. I've got 2 metal folding chairs that I use while gardening. That makes me think of when we got them. It was before we had children, so pre 1988. Someone had tossed them out at the lake abandoning them. There's no telling how old those chairs are.

[SQWIBB]

Yeah, I started my 2019 planning as well, some things got axed.
Switching gears for 2019, will be planting mostly hybrid tomatoes and also will be growing with canning in mind, 2019 is going to be a tomato year. I plan on changing this up every other season to keep the pantry stocked with some things that I can preserve.



I'm cutting back on my hot peps as I got more hot sauce that I can deal with, I'll stil grow my Poblanos and Jalapenos. Also found a few mild peppers I'm gonna stick with a few red sweets and maybe a few bell greens.
Cutting back on the eggplant as well, I can't eat it quick enough and we eat a lot of eggplant.
Also trying a few new items for 2019.
I'm at the point now where I'm thinking about prepping the beds for a winter with a cover crop.

[SueCT]

Well, I am still full into this season, so i haven't started planning in any significant way yet, but I am already noticing things that need to be changed. Because of my poor start to the season, I ended up with all red, pink and "purple" tomatoes. I really miss the the pretty color contrast the oranges and yellows provided in previous years. The mixed colors of red grapes, black cherry, and orange or yellow varities mixed in a bowl. The KB and Azoychka that look so pretty alternating with the Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine and Cherokee Purple on a plate or pizza or tart.

Next year provides hope for better weather and more time to garden. We had a July with high temps and near drought conditions, with very little rain. This has been following by an August where we have already had 8.87 inches of rain. Disease is rampant in my garden, I already pulled one plant. I will probably pull a couple more soon. But there are still a half dozen or so that only have disease on lower leaves and full green tops 75% of the way up. I plan to keep up with keeping the disaese in check better next year. For the last month it has either rained, looked like it was about to rain, or rain was forcast for the next couple of days. When do spray at times like that?

Next year I wont be painting and redecorating the livingroom, sanding and prepping the woodwork (I hope, if I did a good job this year), so I will have more time to be outside on my days off.

Next year brings endless possibilities.

But this year, right now, I am piling up tomatoes on the counters that I hope will at least taste good in sauce after all that rain. Right now, I need to continue to find ways to enjoy still being IN tomato season

So I will come back here at a later date. In the meantime, I will enjoy reading about everyone else's plans.

[imp]

SueCT, if you are finding the tomatoes a bit watery for sauce, try halving or even quartering them and doing a little oven roasting before making them into sauce. That has worked for me in the past or for when I want a more intense taste.

[Spike2]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Of course it's past time to start planning 2019's garden!

Get psyched!

Nan

Thank goodness!! My garden this year was horrid and I been ordering seeds and planning out next years garden. Glad I am not alone

[SueCT]

Yikes, almost 9 inches of rain so far this month, and Thunderstroms predicted for Thurday. Will end the month with yet more rain. I wonder if we will hit 10 inches for the month. My poor tomatoes, lol.

[PaulF]

Even with production and size of both plants and fruit smaller than normal the taste of every tomato has been way above normal. That is the best positive for a year of strange weather. My theme is hearts and blacks and makes me want to continue with those varieties.

2019 planning will begin with Jan. 2019 after a bit of rest and relaxation. By then we will either have purchased an adjacent property and an orchard will be in the planning or not and it will be tomato varieties choosing time.

As a negative (I seem to have bouts of that), our friend Tania may not be selling some of the relatively hard to find varieties that really spice up my garden. But then my other favorite sellers are still there and doing well.

[Greatgardens]

Yes, my tentative list is ready (subject to changes!). Next year is planned to be "the year of less disease." At the top of my grow list are "Stellar" and "Iron Lady." Also, Celebrity -- for me one of the most disease resistant tomatoes I've grown. AFAIK, I have only Septoria and and a little Early Blight to be concerned about. I'll still spray, but hopefully less, and with better effect. Moving from Copper to Daconil. I'll still plant some favorite and test susceptible varieties, but quite a ways and downwind from Stellar and Iron Lady. For once, I'd like for the frost to kill my plants with quite a few leaves still on them.
-GG

[hazeldazel]

I just started my fall garden of beets, radishes, and carrots. Also gonna try doing some lettuce indoors in a kratky setup in a window. I’m in California so we have several weeks of hot weather left and first frost won’t be until mid to late December.
However, I’m already making lists of what tomatoes I want to try next year and what veggies I’ll grow. Maybe some container potatoes?

[Greatgardens]

Originally Posted by hazeldazel

I just started my fall garden of beets, radishes, and carrots. Also gonna try doing some lettuce indoors in a kratky setup in a window. I’m in California so we have several weeks of hot weather left and first frost won’t be until mid to late December.
However, I’m already making lists of what tomatoes I want to try next year and what veggies I’ll grow. Maybe some container potatoes?

What kind of containers would you use for potatoes -- any thoughts yet?

[hazeldazel]

I was thinking some 10 gallon grow bags. Most of the varieties I’d want to grow are determinate so I don’t think I’d need something very deep. I had good luck with coir, perlite, and compost, so I’ll orobably do that and mix in some organic ferts. Then just get some drippers on each bag.