I spent most of last week visiting Carrie & her husband in North Texas. Some of her brugs are beginning to bloom & many others are not far behind. She gets such quick growth & blooming in her climate - I came home & cast a skeptical eye on my nearly-bare sticks in the backyard...I probably have 6 to 8 weeks before I can get very excited about what mine are doing. Guess I should just be glad that most of them came thru the winter storage in better condition than they did the previous winter.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Yea, I hear you Patrick. I just brought mine out from the basement, only lost one this year! The rest are in various stages of green sticks, little nubs where a leaf will come in a few days, or 2-3 leaves out! And of course, this morning, I went out in my rain slicker and removed the pots from the saucers so their feet could dry out (if it ever stops raining!) At least I don't have to water the vegetable garden!

Selma, I haven't even planted any veggies yet! I bought a few tomato starts yesterday and planted a few squash seeds in peat pots under lights this morning. I'll try a few cucumbers, some antique Korean runner beans & a few herbs...that'll be about it.

Talk about frugal...I only wanted 1 or 2 'Sun Gold' tomatoes, but they came in 4-paks. I found one that contained only 2 seedlings and got the cashier to cut the price by 50%...lol. I also bought a 'Super Fantastic' tomato in a 4" pot, which was on sale. At this point, I think the 3 plants are all the tomatoes I'm growing this year. 'Sun Gold' and 'Sun Sugar' are currently my 2 favorites to grow.


Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Well, Patrick, you must be some gardener if you expect that many tomatos! I have difficulty even growing zuccini! I realize it was early to plant, but the ones I bought were outgrowing their pots, so into the ground they went. Out here, if we don't by seed potatos in March, we don't get any! I haven't started any seeds yet, because I want to put them in the ground, and we haven't got the garden all the way tilled for them yet.

My sticks are starting to get leaves & a few look like actual plants. I had them all outside for about a week & a half & then had freeze warnings for last night & the night before. It took 3 of us 2 1/2 hours to get them all in. It got down to 33 this am & 34 Mon. I started carrying everything back out again this afternoon. The tomatoes & peppers that were planted in the garden just got nipped but they will be OK. I'm anxious to see what Brugs make it after the freezes they went through. A few are coming back that looked completely dead so I have some hope.

Linda
western MD
Zone 5b

I currently have only four that are blooming, but all of the container ones have buds. The inground ones are still growing, but should be blooming next month. Harlot bloomed all winter in the plant room, and is now beginning her first flush. They are exciting plants, and so worth the effort.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

I'm glad you are home safe Patrick, and that you got to see some blooming brugs so early in the season...at least it would be early for our northern season. My brugs have been out for a month or more, have come close to frostbite, but are doing okay. Just nothing to write home about. My garden veggies aren't looking all that great either. I still have some planters to fill with annuals that I've bought, but the wind won't die down long enough to get them finished up. At least I have birds to watch and they are comical in the winds. I did have to put a bell on the cat, tho. He is also a bird lover. We had eighty degree weather today and tomorrow it's supposed to be warmer. God is good.

ChSam (Shirley Morr)
Chariton, Iowa
Zone 5

Hi All!
Carrie, did you plant any of the big tomatos? Patrick, I meant to ask you last year how did you like them.
Hi Shirley!! I sent you an email a little while back and it keeps coming back. Don't know why. Hope that all is well with all of you.

Melanie
Kittrell, NC
Zone 7b

Hi, Melanie!! Yes, I have the Italian tree tomatoes growing in my garden. We had a late freeze (only three all season and of course, one had to be after everything had budded out), but I had not put them ingroud then. They are slow growers for me, don't really get to going until the heat hits them.
Forgot to tell all of you that Patrick stayed an extra day to get more fried okra ......looooooooong story !!!!

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Melanie, am I having a serious senior moment? I don't remember anything about large tomatoes last year. I wouldn't normally attempt growing a large tomato here - cherry types are about all I can hope to get ripe in this cool climate, so I'm mystified about this...help me out!

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Selma, I think I may put my tomatoes in large nursery pots this year...I've had so few ripen the last couple of years, I couldn't see devoting much time & space to having very many plants this year. Do you read the GW Northwest Gardening Forum? They had a lot of interesting growing techniques discussed in this thread: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/nwest/msg041729432565.html?15

People in warmer parts of the country will laugh at the steps we take, trying to get tomatoes to ripen!



Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Patrick, last year Carrie planted some of my husband's BIG tomatos. She told me that you ate some while on a visit. Just wanted to know how you enjoyed them.

This picture was several years back. He's not allowed on a ladder anymore....another story. LOL!!
Carrie do you need more seeds? I have plenty.






Melanie
Kittrell, NC
Zone 7b

I think that I need a refresher course on posting pictures.

Hi Melaine,

http://tinyurl.com/cs94v9

Or okra, for that matter, Patrick.....ROTFL .....

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

I grew some interstate 24's I got them at feed store.Those grew wonderful here.Early girl does good till it gets hot then no more fruit till after Sept.Celbirty does ok in the heat as log as plenty of water and mulch,but interstate 24 was like on steriods& used a ladder to pick um.They really needed trellised.
I got okra planted!I'm lucky only me & my neighbor like it!

My ladder incident was with the wisteria,plus I'm scared of hights anyway so 4 steps is really too high for me.
Tomatoes from garden sound good.I put mine out in feb& used covers.I got some patio ones almost ready& the cherry ones are filling in.my plants are all over 2 ft now.I been picking peppers mostly sweet banana& giant bell green bells,jalpenos aren't ready yet-few seeds inside and tasted like was not quiet ready.

My bloomers have been the ones in pots and set back in ground.I noticed a 'Y' on Dr Suess its not even 2 ft tall.It grows shaded just gets AM sun maybe a lil late evening sun when nights sunset is about 9 pm.frosty pink is my fasted returner from ground,but MIL unknown pink is 4 ft already.My unknown pink is 3 ft.

Njoy


SE TX Z8b
Coastal~Tyler Co TX

Melanie,

Those tomatoes are amazing! What do y'all fertilize with?

Maryjane
W Ga
Zone 8a

water, water, and more water with a little MG.


Melanie
Kittrell, NC
Zone 7b