Not a whole lot going on still....although I did finally get to eat my first tomato out of the garden. This past Tuesday I went out and checked the garden (I had not checked for a couple of days) and I was pleasantly surprised to see I had red tomatoes !!!! The 2 that were really red and ready to pick of course had the little bites/pecks out of them. I just cut that section off and sliced those suckers and boy oh boy were they good !! I had 'mater sandwiches for dinner Tuesday and Wed. nights....a little mayo, salt, pepper and toasted bread....nothing in this world any better ! When you take your first bite and get to experience that sweet wonderful flavor and texture of a real tomato, and not one that was grown in a hothouse in Florida or goodness knows where, it is pure joy....no comparison at all. Of course the juice was going everywhere but that's part of eating a fresh 'mater. As you can see from the pics, the asparagus is going to fern and will continue to all during the summer. I actually picked about 6-8 this week...I guess the stragglers haven't given in yet. I still don't have alot of blooms and still few actual tomatoes but I guess a few are better than nothing at all. I'm still hearing from almost everyone around here that their tomatoes aren't doing well.

golfers out this morning

Maybe it's the lack of honey bees that's effected your (I say) To MA Toes.

missjtiger Wrote:I had 'mater sandwiches for dinner Tuesday and Wed. nights....a little mayo, salt, pepper and toasted bread....nothing in this world any better !

Slap a little slab bacon and lettuce on there and you have my favorite sandwich.

You are right about the tomato sandwich!

uofmwalton Wrote:You are right about the tomato sandwich!

No she wasn't; I was right. And you of all people.

BLT's are possibly the best sandwiches ever if done right.

georgiatiger Wrote:

missjtiger Wrote:I had 'mater sandwiches for dinner Tuesday and Wed. nights....a little mayo, salt, pepper and toasted bread....nothing in this world any better !

Slap a little slab bacon and lettuce on there and you have my favorite sandwich.

Or layer the maters on some nice toasted bread with a sprinkle of parmesan and some fresh cut basil. Add a nice chianti or Italian beer and you have proof there is a God.

I love fresh tomatoes from the garden and that mater sandwich made my mouth water, literally!
Everything is better with fresh tomatoes on it, in it, around it and ............lol

missjtiger Wrote:I had 'mater sandwiches for dinner Tuesday and Wed. nights....a little mayo, salt, pepper and toasted bread....nothing in this world any better ! When you take your first bite and get to experience that sweet wonderful flavor and texture of a real tomato, and not one that was grown in a hothouse in Florida or goodness knows where, it is pure joy....no comparison at all. Of course the juice was going everywhere but that's part of eating a fresh 'mater.

No effects of salmonella yet???????

BTW Missj..Today is Friday. You gotta start over tomorrow.

tigerloyal Wrote:I love fresh tomatoes from the garden and that mater sandwich made my mouth water, literally!
Everything is better with fresh tomatoes on it, in it, around it and ............lol

Everything is even better with bacon. I love bacon.

kpigout Wrote:BTW Missj..Today is Friday. You gotta start over tomorrow.

too funny...it's been Sat. all day to me. I changed it.

mphsfan Wrote:Maybe it's the lack of honey bees that's effected your (I say) To MA Toes.

ive got more honey bees around this summer than i've seen in a while and my tomatoes arent doing anything but growing tall and blooming. i've got bumble bees as well and thats a first in a couple of years. lots of butterfiles earlier too.

I really don't understand what's going on but I will say this....all my plants are taller and more "stalkyer" than usual. Not full like they usually are. There's probably about 10-12 tomatoes out there on the vines right now and normally at this stage there would be 25-30. Over the years I have gone out to pick and brought in maybe 20 ripe at one time (and this is from the 10 plants) but now I'm doing good to pick 2-3 at one time. This is really really weird. I still say it has something to do with that rainy windy 2 weeks we had back in the Spring. I think that was a major pollination time and it just screwed everything up. The good news is that what few 'maters I have are absolutely wonderful tasting. Now, it's a game or maybe more like a war of wills to get out there and pick before the varmints/birds get to them. I'm good as long as I pick right as they are starting to turn....if I miss one or don't pick I guarantee there will be a bite/pecks out of it. You know, at least they don't eat it all or pick it off the vine....I guess they're willing to share....nice of them. I keep thinking when I do find one like that and cut off the bad spot that I'm hoping theres no disease or cootie thingies on it. So far...so good.

My Mom just dropped by some fresh out of her garden eggplant and bell peppers....yum ! She told me something interesting.....she, like everyone else, is disappointed with her tomatoes but she said she talked with her sister this morning in south Mississippi (almost to the coast)and was told her tomatoes aren't doing well either. Now this lady always grows wonderful HUGE tomatoes with no problems at all. This is the first time she can ever remember them doing this bad. What the heck is going on ?

missjtiger Wrote:My Mom just dropped by some fresh out of her garden eggplant and bell peppers....yum ! She told me something interesting.....she, like everyone else, is disappointed with her tomatoes but she said she talked with her sister this morning in south Mississippi (almost to the coast)and was told her tomatoes aren't doing well either. Now this lady always grows wonderful HUGE tomatoes with no problems at all. This is the first time she can ever remember them doing this bad. What the heck is going on ?

I think it has to do with the widgets.....

Chi-Town Wrote:

missjtiger Wrote:My Mom just dropped by some fresh out of her garden eggplant and bell peppers....yum ! She told me something interesting.....she, like everyone else, is disappointed with her tomatoes but she said she talked with her sister this morning in south Mississippi (almost to the coast)and was told her tomatoes aren't doing well either. Now this lady always grows wonderful HUGE tomatoes with no problems at all. This is the first time she can ever remember them doing this bad. What the heck is going on ?

I think it has to do with the widgets.....

:youmoron:

missjtiger Wrote:My Mom just dropped by some fresh out of her garden eggplant and bell peppers....yum ! She told me something interesting.....she, like everyone else, is disappointed with her tomatoes but she said she talked with her sister this morning in south Mississippi (almost to the coast)and was told her tomatoes aren't doing well either. Now this lady always grows wonderful HUGE tomatoes with no problems at all. This is the first time she can ever remember them doing this bad. What the heck is going on ?

Sundays paper had and article about this very topic. Insects was one item and water was another but the main one was the acidic soil and that lime would help stop the blooms stems from turning yellow and dying. I put lime on my plants early this year and they are doing great. I'm picking red D'mater daily.