by angela@diggingbliss | May 28, 2007 | heatwave, tomatoes, vegetables, veggies
In a quest to find more tomato varieties suited to the hot-summer Central Valley, I’m starting to grow varieties bred for heat tolerance. Up first is ‘Heatwave’, a healthy specimen of which I picked up on impulse at Home Depot.
Our summer days often exceed 90 degrees, which is around the temperature at which tomato fruit set fails for certain tomato varieties.
From UC VRIC: “When daytime temperatures consistently exceed 90OF, fruit set failure may also be expected in many tomato varieties. Some varieties are more tolerant of high temperatures and will continue to set fruit when others fall. Under these conditions, it will be helpful to keep the plants in a healthy growing condition so that flowers which develop will have a better chance to survive. This includes the maintenance of a constant moisture supply, the elimination of damaging insects, and the control of diseases. Fruitsetting hormones are not effective in hot weather.”
My ‘Heatwave’ baby was grown by Bonnie Plants. Here’s their description:
Heatwave VFFA
Fruit size: 8 oz
Matures: 70 days
An abundant producer of bright red fruit even when the temperature is in the mid 90s, Heatwave hybrid produces early in the season on determinate vines. Resistant to verticillium wilt (V), fusarium wilt races 1 and 2 (F), and alternaria stem canker (A).
But how does it taste? Stay tuned.
by angela@diggingbliss | Dec 10, 2006 | basil, peppers, seeds, squash, summer, tomatoes, vegetables
about which summer veggies I’m going to grow in Summer of ’07.
Tomatoes
Early Girl gave a steady supply of roughly 3-inch fruit with good, though not spectacular flavor. Costoluto Genovese (Thanks, Don) was my second-best producer, and was not only delicious, but beautifully ruffled. Black from Tula (Thanks Amy) had the most complex blend of flavors and a beautiful dark tint , but production slowed dramatically when summer heat kicked in. If I grow it again in ’07, I will plant it in a more sheltered spot. Maybe I should rig up some shade cloth. And Sun Gold… what can I say except, “You had me at hello and you will always have a place in my garden.”
As always, my desire to stick with what works is in direct conflict with my desire to try something new. Luckily, there’s plenty of time to duke it out in my head. I do plan to try one of the heat-tolerant varieties, a paste tomato, and a few good slicers. And Sun Gold.
Squash
‘Gold Rush’ was hugely successful and delicious. Flavor, to me, was just like a yellow crookneck, but the straight neck shape made for easy slicing. I will definitely plant ‘Gold Rush’ again, but would like to broaden my squash horizons by trying something new. I think what I like about ‘Gold Rush’ is that it doesn’t taste “squashy”. Pumpkin pie makes me gag, and I’ve been too afraid to try many squash varieties. Never tried spaghetti squash because I know the odds of it tasting like spaghetti are very slim.
Peppers
Bell peppers were ok, but a bit bitter. I don’t know that I want to grow bells in the coming summer. ‘Fresno’ chili pepper was just right for homemade salsa and it didn’t seem to mind our sizzling summer temps. I wonder if there’s a consensus out there on the best medium hot pepper for salsa. I’m willing to be swayed.
Basil
Genovese basil seems to be preferred for fresh use and pesto. Mmmmm…. pesto. Renee’s Garden Seeds has a super fun basil selection, including a new container-friendly variety called ‘Italian Cameo’.
In-ground versus Containerized
While containerized veggies and herbs did best early in the growing season, they started looking stressed just when the in-ground plants kicked into gear. If you can do both, do both, but in-ground is probably a better long term investment and requires much less watering vigilance. You want to be able to get outta town every now and then, don’t you?
Ok, now back to the reality of December: rain, leaves, mucky soil, frosts, freezes, Christmas shopping and cleaning for company. Fa la la la laaaaa… la la la laaaaa.
