Tomatoes: What Varieties Are You Growing This Year?

[bvar22]

37. Hi, old Friend!

We are still using the Dirt Devil in the Veggie Garden too.

...especially on those nasty and persistent Squash Bugs.
We also use it indoors on isolated wasps and other undesirables that find their way into the house.
Did you know that it can be used to clean up small messes and Dust Bunnies too!!??
Our rechargeable battery is starting to lose some power & life.
I looking for a way to replace it, though it appears that this is NOT a customer serviceable component, and we may have to BUY a whole nother new one.

Unfortunately, our BIG problem with Zucchini was being caused by the much smaller and harder to see Squash Vine Borer that usually overlaps with the first appearance of Squash Bugs.
There are a bunch of other remedies posted on The Net,
but the most effective one we have found is to simply plant Zucchini after July 4th when the Vine Borer is past its larval stage. We did that last year, and it worked. We harvested beautiful late season Zucchini.

We haven't given up on early Zucchini.
This year, we planted it in a special bed next to the Chicken Yard.
After the Zucchini reaches a size (about now) where the Chickens can hurt it, we are going to open a door cut in the fencing and let the Chickens patrol the Zucchini and some Melons for Squash Bugs. If they will do the work for us....we're all fer it!

We have expanded a bunch, and I've started posting to the Rural/Farm group.
Though we are far from "a Farm", this group seems more applicable.

So far this Spring, things are going well due to our early planting and irrigation. Most of the Veggie garden is on long Soaker Hoses that we run almost constantly now.
The Tomatoes are still setting fruit, though the temps are climbing, and it has stopped raining.
Our area is now officially in Moderate Drought, and close to Severe Drought.
Burn Bans are in effect for most of Arkansas.

We have already given up on White Clover (for our Honey Bees), the wild Black Berries. and some Fruit Trees since it is impossible to irrigate these from our well, and are concentrating on the vegetable beds.
We DID get a good early Honey harvest, and will probably take off some more honey today,
but without rain, that will come to a stop.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1182412

We really pray that THIS is NOT The New Normal,
but fear that it is. We are adapting.
We are working on strategies to get fragile stuff in the ground early and protect it from Late April Frost (which didn't happen this year) and harvest before the Summer HEAT really sets in.

For the heat of Mid-Summer...Black Beans, Okra, Field Peas, heat resistant Bush (Green) Beans,
and a few others. We might try for Late Season Tomatoes by starting seeds around July 4th.


The Early stuff did great this year.
Asparagus and Strawberries were fantastic!.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1182319

We feasted on Asparagus every night for 6-weeks,
and planted more this year.

Good to see you.
We are hunkering down and hoping for rain.