The Year of the Tomato

Each Summer has its own distinct personality. Some come early and stay late, others are cool and "never" come. This year the Willamette Valley has had a very warm Summer and the trend is continuing through the early days of Fall. For the gardener, it has meant a poor year for the cool-weather crops like salad greens, but it has been a banner year for the heat lovers. In particular, my squash and tomatoes have produced abundantly. On Sunday, I only had time to pick the tomatoes on 4 plants in the vegetable bed by the house. My total harvest - 14 pounds 4.3 oz. ! The largest two producers were "Master Caruso"  with 4 Ibs. 4 oz. and my mystery red/black plum with 4 lbs. 2.9 oz.

They all looked so pretty, lined up in the ceramic bowls. Each variety displayed different shapes, colors and textures. That's part of the fun of growing so many different types.

1st Tomato Harvest

Today I had my first tomato picking session. I have had some cherry types ripe for awhile, but I just haven't found the time to get to them. Today's haul came from both the 8 plants in the vegetable bed and the plants down in the big garden. My total harvest : 5 lbs 6.9 oz. My biggest frustration is two of the plants that are doing the best were both purchased with a tag that read "Delicious". Both plants are different than each other and neither plant matches the catalog description of "Delicious".
-Kelloggs Breakfast (1)
-Orange Blossom (1)
-San Marzano (2)
-Roma (2)
-Bonito Oja (2)
-Master Caruso (3)
-Fireworks (2)
-Valencia (1)
-Chocolate Cherry (1)
-Yellow Pear (5)
-Yellow Grape (12)
-Sweet Million (39)
-Mystery "Delicious" Orange (2)
-Mystery"Delicious"Dark Red (15)