Tomato Time

The tomato harvest has begun in my garden. I planted a small slicing variety called Northern Delight Ultra Early, and they've lived up to their name...I started harvesting my first tomatoes about two weeks ago, which is early for tomatoes around here. I wasn't sure what to expect from this variety; I thought they might be bland, but they've turned out to be sweet, tasty little tomatoes.



They're good little producers too, each plant is putting forth dozens of tomatoes. And they bloomed out in intervals, so the tomatoes are coming on in succession, which is convenient. They're a nice size for canning too. I fertilized them with kelp extract when I transplanted them and again when they started to set fruit. I also sprayed them with a kelp extract tea, which they seem to have liked. Despite being overcrowded, they've come out robust and disease-free. Here's my messy little "tomato orchard," you can see that they are all in containers and are more crowded than is ideal for tomatoes:



We've been having a warm and sunny summer, which also helped bring on the tomatoes in a timely fashion. The squash and cucumbers are loving the heat too. I'm a little worried about my peppers though; I planted a miniature red bell variety. There are lots of little peppers, but they don't seem to be getting any bigger. Like the tomatoes, the pepper plants are bit overcrowded as well, and I suspect that's the culprit. I'm waiting to see what happens...I have a feeling that we're going to be eating lots of little green peppers.





The summer is going by quickly; I can't believe July is nearly out. :)