OH NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Tis a sad day in the garden. My tomato plants are starting to show the signs of TSWV.  This is a terrible virus that ruins tomato production. It can kill the plant, but usually stunts growth and seriously slows production. There is also a chance the fruit it does produce will have ugly yellow patterns on the skin although it will still be edible.

It started with curly leaves. I had hoped it was any number of other conditions that weren't as serious, but now one of the plants has little brown spots on the leaves. I've seen this before so I am pretty sure what it is now. Nothing can be done to cure or treat this disease. Since there isn't time to start over I am just going to keep the plants. I know this could cause the disease to spread to my few asymptomatic plants, but they probably have it already or will soon get it since I grow tons of ornamental plants that also carry the virus.

I did learn one thing researching this affliction. It is worse in the Spring crop. I grew a TSWV resistant tomato, Bella Rosa, in the Fall, but it turns out I didn't need it. I had no disease at all in the Fall. The thrips that spread the disease from plant to plant are most active in April-June. My new plan is to grow heirloom varieties in the Fall and grow resistant hybrids in the Spring. Here is the link to the article for the curious. TSWV fact sheet

I just hope get a few good fruit for all my considerable efforts.

How does your garden grow?

It's an interesting time in the garden right now. I am enjoying all the flowers from the seeds I planted in the Fall. The tall purple flower in the photo is larkspur. I was surprised I was able to grow it here in Florida. It is all about the timing in Florida. You have to fit things in between the hot summers and the unusually cold winters we've been having lately. 

The edibles are starting to produce. I've have so many cucumbers from the Earthbox, I gave a few away. I had a few ripe cherry tomatoes, but the big ones are continuing to grow. The bugs and diseases are starting to arrive so I have to start being careful to spray regularly.

In case anyone in curious, I am spraying Bt to kill the the various caterpillars that attack tomatoes, cucumber, melons, and watermelons. When the cucumber worms arrive I may also spray a Spinosad product occasionally. I have guilt pangs whenever I use Spinosad because, although it is organic and OMRI listed, it is very bad for my friends the honey bees. I also use  the organic products Actinovate and Serenade to help with the diseases. Occasionally I also use milk (regular old diluted milk) and baking soda. In the cooler times of the year I use cooper and sulfur sprays, but it may be too hot for that now.

Yard Farm Update

Winter is over and Summer is here. Where did Spring go? It's been in the lower 80s for the last week. My warm weather garden is starting to take off and my winter garden is biting the dust. I have pulled most of the lettuce and kale, but I still have a giant cauliflower that's getting attacked by bugs. I almost pulled the cauliflower, but I did see a tiny flower head in the middle. I will let it have a chance.

The new Earthboxes are finally taking off too. Here is my most advanced box with Brandywine OTV and Goosecreek tomatoes. I am happy with the number of blooms I am seeing and the leaf coverage is way better than I usually get in my normal containers. It amazing to realize how much water these things use though.

The Yard Farm 2011

This year I have tried to learn from my failures and successes of the past. I am going to make more of an effort to trellis my vines and secure my tomato supports. I am not finished yet but you get the idea. I copied my trellis idea from the Square Foot Garden Book. I hammered rebar into the ground and slipped electrical conduit over the base. You can see I have a mixture of  two wooden raised beds, a concrete block raised bed, a few large pots, a few medium size cheapo self watering pots, and some earthboxes. Out front I also have a topsy turvy and some trees and bushes planted in the ground. We shall see how it all turns out.

Borage in Bloom

This is a photo from my garden of a borage bloom. In all honesty the flower is much smaller than it appears in this photo. The vivid blue color is true to life though. Borage is an herb. I planted the seeds for mine in the Fall and they've survived all winter and are large plants now. The bees love them.

Apparently both the leaves and flowers are edible and taste like cucumbers. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to eat the leaves though because they are so hairy. The blooms make nice garnishes. Others have suggested candying them in sugar for decorations on desserts or freezing them in ice cubes for a touch of fanciness. I plan on trying a few of these suggestions soon.

Hello Again

I'm back in the saddle again. It's been another unusually cold winter here in my central Florida garden. Today it is a very pleasant 65 degrees with sunshine and puffy clouds. It's so nice I went outside and took some pictures of what's growing now. I haven't been resting on my laurels during this cold though. I've been sowing seeds and planning for the Spring. It looks like it is almost here. Those up north have my sympathy. Here's a look a the winter garden.

Tomato Harvest 2010

Well all my watering and waiting has paid off and it is now time to harvest the tomatoes and evaluate the results. This has been a great season for growing tomatoes. I have had to deal with very little disease problems and no whitefly infestations. I grew all of my tomatoes in containers on my driveway. The fruit worms have claimed a few tomatoes and I lost about 12 in a windy storm when the containers fell over. But all that is water under the bridge now that it time to harvest. I will post my evaluations of each variety in future posts as more ripen.