Hey fellow Floridians...

[nancyruhl]

Oops, you are right Ginger. I had trouble keeping that sraight all year. Both are wonderful and one is pretty much the dwarf version of the other. I saved seed and have a few extra is you want to try it.

Thanks for adopting me.

I love that I have the opportunity to get a head start on my season by starting seeds while in Florida. My geraniums are pretty good size by the time I get them back to Michigan. The other folks at the condos think I am a little daff, though. I think my husband is one of them.

[Barb_FL]

Another +1 for Nancy; the more the merrier.

So are you in FL from Jan-April? Lowes has really nice looking seedlings right now; SunGold, Black Krim, and others I have thought about trying too; They are $3.48

I gave my next door neighbor an earthbox last Christmas (they were new for me too at they time); she always buys her plants (the bigger ones $5 something) and I told her about Lowes had the plants and she didn't want to do it this fall; so she is letting me use it until springtime. What luck!!!!

I already planted a Kellogg and and KBX seedling - all my KBX seedlings died. This Kellogg was my healthiest one I have 4 EB dedicated to Kelloggs.

So my 4 EB with the old plants get a stay of execution for now. I'm noticing my seedlings that I started in early Sept (when we got back from Vacation) are doing so much better than the ones I started in July and throughout August. In the summer, I would start a tray (6) a week. But the ones I started in the early summer when I was experimenting with HeatWave 2, have done great as big plants (SunGold and BlackCherry, Matts Wild Cherry, and Tex which came back from the almost dead).

It is beautiful today - one of the 10 best days !!! Why we live in Florida.

[kayrobbins]

This has been a perfect day. It was so sunny and cool here. I got my broccoli, chard, collards and kale planted. I wanted to plant all the different lettuces but I am going to hold off a little longer. If I could have a week of this weather I could just about get caught up with everything in the garden.

[ginger2778]

I got lots done too, but not as much as I wanted.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Jenny - Shi Shi tos - I must live under a rock; never heard of them either- but just checked them out at Baker's Creek (rareseed) - they sound amazing and the reviews are 5*.


Never heard of those dwarfs either, but I am definitely going to grow the bloody butchers...those toms are amazing for this time of year, I think AlaskaMark grew them too.


I grew Red Royal Poinciana and Jacaranda trees for shade; and kept all the plants (mostly pepper and some tomato) out throughout the hot summer. The trees gave them enough shade and sunlight. (This was just one of my theory's). I have plenty of seeds if you want to grow these beautiful trees. I call them the new Palms.

Hi Barb,

I had never heard of them either but in March I was in Los Angeles and went to a Japanese Restaurant that wsa Yakatori Style (most items served on skeweres and grilled). I didn't know what to order so the waiter recommend a few things. He said I had to try the shi★★★★o peppers and that I would love them. He was right. So as soon as I got home I ordered some Shi★★★★o plants from Hirts Gardens and some Shi★★★★o Seeds from Kitazawa. I only ordered the plants because I figured since it was March already it would take too long for the seeds to germinate and grow, etc. We ate Shi★★★★os all summer up until just a couple of weeks ago. We love them. I believe they made be similar or maybe even distantly related to Padrons but not sure.

The Bloody Butchers did ok, but not great. They were fighting disease the whole time and only set fruit a few times when the weather got below 90. We are generally 4-5 degrees cooler here than Orlando. We also had some Juliettes and they pump out the tomatoes in the heat way better than the Bloody Butchers but we found the taste of them to be only a hair better than grocery store tomatoes. But to be fair, we didn't have Juliettes in the right containers because we were fixing up all the real containers for the new seedlings. SO the Juliettes were just in small black pots, not SWC's. Might have tasted better if they got the more consistent watering of and SWC and larger root space. But nothing could keep the Juliettes from making lots of tomatoes. We tossed those plants though as soon as the others started producing. We just didn't have the space anymore.

I love those palms. I would love a few for my mother. She loves palms and ginger plants and things like that. I'll trade you some Shi★★★★o and Bloody Butcher seeds for a few palm seeds... :-)

Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I have been lurking I am really busy right now, with 1000 seedlings that I am growing for the swap, and for our garden club plant sale 1 week later, and with working ( horrors!!)
My colleague and friend was up on a ladder 2 weeks ago, trying to trim some berries off a palm tree, so his kids wouldn't slip on them. Yep, fell onto concrete, and broke his radius, complete displacement!( must be a testosterone thing) He knew that even though I am retired, I kept my license up, mostly due to his nagging me to!( karma is a b..ch!). He asked me if I could pinch hit for him, and he has 11 employees, and 5 kids and wife to support, so I said yes. And I am not even getting paid, because if I took a salary, then he gets nothing for his family, and thank goodness, I don't need to be paid, I am OK in that dept.
I told him that I am going to his house and taking his ladder away!
Oh, and I was asked to present at this months Master Gardener meeting, so I have had to put a power point slide show together, also quite fun.
So carry on, I am enjoying reading the escapades of you northerners!

There you are Marsha. Wow 1000 seedlings. Makes my head spin. I had less than 50 and they wore me out. So nice of you to help you friend out like that. You are amazing... :-)

Glad you posted and good luck with everything.

Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by nancyruhl

I am enjoying reading it, too. We stay in New Smyrna Beach for a couple of months in the winter. Does that make me an honorary Fellow Floridian? As I rip out the gardens up here, my thoughts go to my next growing opportunity during our much awaited trip back to Florida.
Doesn't appear that anyone in NSB grows many vegies at all, so it is good to hear of your successes.
We can't even get a nice tomato plant to buy to put on the nice south facing patio when we arrive in January. I put a couple of self watering pots there every year and they save them for me. Last year, we didn't bother with anything but herbs and flowers. I have a volunteer Matina potted up and I will try to nurse it along until we come down. She is blooming already. I started the parent plant on the patio last February and nursed it along. She had toms on when she was planted out in late May and produced so many tomatoes it was unbelievable.

Fiishergurl, you will really like Cherokee Tiger Large. I grew it this summer (thanks for the seeds ginger2778) and it was beautiful and productive of great tasting gorgeous tomatoes. My husband brought the last one in yesterday and the plant will be pulled as soon as I can get to it. I love the dwarfs as they bring tomato growing opportunities to places where they never existed before. Will be on the watch for Sweet Scarlet release, kayrobbins. I was trialing Dwarf Sweet Scarlet Heart this year and think that has much to offer and I hope it will be out there soon.

You have mentioned how hot it has been. I have that little widget up on my screen so I see the temperatures in NSB every day, and I thought they had been milder this year. Maybe because of being coastal. It is cold and gray here, and memories of the intensely bad winter last year make me shudder. Of course, last weekend was mid seventies and beautiful and we ate out on the patio. Go figure.

Wish I could join you at the swap next weekend. That's quite the story, ginger2778. Hang in there. Nancy

You are definitely a Fellow Floridian... :-)

As far as the heat... it was normally around 90 or under for the high here on the water, which is better than the center of the state, but I just meant too hot as far as the tomatoes were concerned especially when there was at least a 2-3 week period that were consistently above 90. Also it was unusually wet for parts of August, most of September and the first few days of October which didn't help the plants.

Are you going to be here only January and February? Where do you stay? We are in Riverwood RV Park in Oak Hill (just south of New Smyrna).

Ginny

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

There you are Marsha. Wow 1000 seedlings. Makes my head spin. I had less than 50 and they wore me out. So nice of you to help you friend out like that. You are amazing... :-)

Glad you posted and good luck with everything.

Ginny

I totally agree!!! Sorry for being so nosy but I have to ask:

What are the logistics of growing 1000 seedlings?

Do you put the seeds in the little inserts?

What do you do for lighting?

Transplanting must be an even bigger task;

How many do you keep for yourself? - Only EBs? How many? Do you use Promix for the EBs?

I really want to learn; but I end up with plants that are HUGE producers while the rest were minimal or even none. This is with everything not just tomatos-exception being peppers and eggplants are all generally pretty good.

[Fiishergurl]

Barb,

Do you do the electric toothbrush trick? I have been able to get so many more blossoms to set that way. I think it helps when the humidity is really high. It doesnt seem to help when it rains every day. But mine are out where if it rains they get wet.

[Barb_FL]

No I never tried it; When do you do it - b4 flowering or after flowering? I'd be afraid I would knock off the flower. I bought Texas Tomato Food and the Veggie one during the summer and thought I had a lot of blossoms from using it, but they didn't make fruit probably b/c it was over 75 at night. I also thought it I had a lot more aphids too.

I thought your BB tomato plants looked good; I thought it had a lot of fruit for this time of year.

BTW - I sent you a PM

[Fiishergurl]

Yes but unfortunately they only set that fruit during about a two week period when it didnt rain every day and the temps had gone down below 90. There were about a couple hundred blossims that never set. But worth a try. My problem might have been they were too wet and you can move them in and out. I did do the electric toothbrush trick on them and on all tomato plants now. I had some beautiful plants last spring that were huge and had hundreds of blossoms and never set any fruit. Then another Floridian told me to try the electric toothbrush and below is what I ended up with on just one plant. You can buy a battery operated electric toothbrush at dollar store for somewhere between $2-$5. Ialso supplemtn with TVeggieFood then later TTF but less often than some people. I use about a tablespoon per gallon once a week. If I see any signs of BER I stop the TTF and do the calcium nitrate once a week until no more BER. I only had one swc with BER last year and that was a tub that had not gotten the lime originally. The lime had been added to the top soil at a later date but didnt do as well fighting BER.

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I will post a link that shows the effect in slow motion. I always start with the healthiest plants and leave any diseased plants for last. Then I scrub the toothbrush real good with soap and water so it is ready for the next day.

Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFzyIi6yn8Q

Slow motion pollination help with electric toothbrush.

[Fiishergurl]

Todays pictures. Attachment 45778

Sungold

Attachment 45779

Blurry picture of baby Blush tomatoes


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Juane Flamme


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Stupice

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Bloody Butcher

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Ugly Ripe (my neighbor insisted)

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Pink Berkeley Tie Dye

[Fiishergurl]

A few more...

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Black Cherry

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Lettuce

No tomatoes yet on Indian Stripe, Cherokee Purple, Daniel Burson, Girl Girl's Weird Thing, Kellogg's Breakfast, Black and Brown Boar, Daniel Burson, or any of the others.

[Barb_FL]

That video was so cool; I will definitely try it.

Your tomatoes are something; You are going to have a great fall crop. I don't have any on my Black Cherry, and 5 on the SunGold. You must be a couple of degrees cooler at night.

I live on the intercoastal as well; not as hot during the day but not as cool at night as Melbourne. About 5 degrees cooler than Orlando.