First Tomato in the garden

crtreedude · March 13, 2007, 01:18:24 PM

Okay - no one hurt me - but last night I had the first ripe tomato from the garden. As some of you know, we moved out to one of the fincas last June. Well, we have been really busy but after a bit, we managed to catch up enough to start gardens which I am proud to say are doing very well.

Just like up there, the tomatoes that you buy just aren't as good as what you raise. Sure is nice to have a vine ripe tomato! Many more are on the way. I am hoping soon to have so many I can have a few fried green tomatoes too!

We have lettuce, green beans, lima beans, black eyed peas, sweet potatoes, and other stuff coming off the garden. Some of the nicest celery I have every seen coming soon and carrots and beets.

We are starting broccoli and cabbage as well. It is pretty weird gardening in the tropics. You have to rotate crops because there is never a time when the cold kills the bugs. I will say there is something very wonderful to me to have a garden year round.

Burlkraft · March 13, 2007, 03:19:46 PM

Geeze.....I was just thinkin' yesterday in about 3 weeks I gotta start my plants.... :

:

crtreedude · March 13, 2007, 04:10:51 PM

I was starting to wonder if I was getting the silence treatment for mentioning fresh garden produce this time of year!

SwampDonkey · March 13, 2007, 04:33:10 PM

Neighbors are erecting their green house for spring plantings. ;D ;) Father will have spuds in the ground in mid April. Me? I'll be too busy weeding out trees to grow a garden. :D

crtreedude · March 13, 2007, 04:39:30 PM

My father has told me he doesn't want to hear about tomatoes in March! :D

treebucker · March 13, 2007, 04:52:40 PM

So what are you trying to say here?

smiley_nananana

smiley_annoyed01

crtreedude · March 13, 2007, 05:28:45 PM

Well, you see my Dad and I have had this contest on who could have the first tomato - you understand it was never exactly phrased, but it was there and you knew it because there would always be that dreaded phone call..

I know it is a little extreme to move to the tropics just to get ahead... ;D

Burlkraft · March 13, 2007, 05:38:13 PM

Quote from: crtreedude on March 13, 2007, 05:28:45 PM
I know it is a little extreme to move to the tropics just to get ahead... ;D

Whatever it takes..Eh... ??? ??? ??? ;D

Norm · March 13, 2007, 05:39:33 PM

Quote from: crtreedude on March 13, 2007, 04:10:51 PM
I was starting to wonder if I was getting the silence treatment for mentioning fresh garden produce this time of year!

Mostly because I don't believe you if you don't have pictures to prove it. ;D

beenthere · March 13, 2007, 05:45:03 PM

I 'spect those 'downunder' will talk fresh produce wit yas........still watchin snow melt here......

Burlkraft · March 13, 2007, 05:52:51 PM

It is melting tho..... 8) 8) 8)

Remember where the Peterson was set up... ??? ??? ??? I almost got the Kubota stuck in there today...

SwampDonkey · March 13, 2007, 06:18:18 PM

Melting here to, but I here a cold front is passing by your door step and down through MI, gets here by Friday. I thought we was through with that Michigan weather for this year. ;D :D

treebucker · March 13, 2007, 07:58:18 PM

Well your timing was such that I just did the 1st tilling of the garden (by hand) last week and planted radishes, peas and onions. I will be planting the other cold crops this week. I don't want to hear about someone getting thier 1st ripe tomato. (Is tomato supposed to have an 'e' on the end of it? :D ) At least our cold crops will be succulent and nice and crisp instead of bitter and leathery. :D

Quote from: crtreedude on March 13, 2007, 05:28:45 PM
Well, you see my Dad and I have had this contest on who could have the first tomato - you understand it was never exactly phrased, but it was there and you knew it because there would always be that dreaded phone call..

I know it is a little extreme to move to the tropics just to get ahead... ;D

Kinda reminds me of that episode of 'A Prairie Home Companion' where Garrison was telling about that guy who was trying to beat his neighbor at having the 1st tomato that season. He had a clandestine meeting with a man who had a secret sauce to make tomatoes grow early and large. The man was scared the EPA would find out he was selling this (?) and he advised him that when he applied it to run to the house and close the door as fast as he could, have a loaded shotgun handy and be quick about using it if he had to.

smiley_eek_dropjaw

ohsoloco · March 13, 2007, 08:03:23 PM

It's certainly a far cry from tomatoes (pun intended), but I just looked in the garden today and the horseradish is starting to peek through. I'll be digging a bunch of that up soon, so we'll have lots of it to go on our ham sammiches after Easter 8)

SwampDonkey · March 13, 2007, 08:17:46 PM

Be at least 3 months before I see horse radish here. :D :D

crtreedude · March 15, 2007, 09:24:56 AM

Well, I can't raise snow down here for anything - you all seem to have a bumper crop... ;D

We have baby carrots now and beet greens. Life is good. Of course we have lots and lots of tropical fruit.

What I have found so interesting is that very few of the local people who have farms and work in them know anything about growing vegetables. They pretty much just throw away cow manure and go and buy fertilizer - I get the cow manure (really good aged stuff for free) - they are happy that we are helping clean out the barn. ;)

So, people on low income usually aren't growing their own vegetables, so that don't end up eating much. They figure it doesn't pay with all the fertilizer you have to buy. People are pretty interested in our garden - and I have a huge nursery (for trees) now which we manage to start seedlings in so that we don't waste garden space.

Coon · March 15, 2007, 10:24:27 PM

We think you're full of it. PICS for proof. C'mon now ...... ;D ;D ;D

:D :D :D :D

Pete J · March 16, 2007, 07:42:19 PM

Number one. I am soooooo jealous.

Number 2. When I grow tomatos in manure, I get a bumper crop. With fertilizer, I have to buy tomatos at the store all summer.

Number 3. My buddy JJ is spending his birthday in CR for 10 days. April 30th to May 9th. I'm trying to get down there to visit him and eat your tomatos. Fingers crossed!

Patty · March 18, 2007, 09:29:00 AM

Good for you Fred! I must say I am SO jealous! My front yard is still frozen solid, but I was able to rake up a new flower bed on the west side of the house yesterday. For now, I have to keep myself occupied just looking at all the pretty seed catalogs. We try to get potatoes in by Good Friday. I noticed a few tulips peeking out yesterday...so there is hope spring will arrive someday.

Your obsevation of folks not gardening in the beautiful tropics is similar to what we see up here. We have the richest soil in the world and plants just want to grow in it...not to mention all the supplies of fertilizer from the local farmers; yet very few folks grow their own vegetables or have any garden at all. For some insane reason they have hundrerds of acres of land and they go to town to buy their food at the grocery store that has it shipped in from Florida or California. :

Go figure. :

SwampDonkey · March 18, 2007, 10:39:59 AM

A lot has to do with cost for the small gardener. Gone ridiculous. Some has to do with time constraints. The kids have to run to different events and some mom and dads have clubs to run to as well. Some work late, travel long distances to that dream job in the big centres. And a little laziness thrown in for good measure.

Patty · March 18, 2007, 01:51:39 PM

Yea, I guess some just plain don't like to be outside. :

Too bad they all can't be perfect like I am. ;D

sawguy21 · March 18, 2007, 03:50:39 PM

We sell tillers and gardening tools but that does not seem to be a big market anymore. Maybe as SD suggests, it is time constraints with kids and jobs. My parents and grandparents had wonderful gardens but I just can't get interested in all the work involved and I don't want to be tied down. There are two really good market garden stores nearby and that is much easier. Okay, so I am lazy. :D

crtreedude · March 19, 2007, 11:10:59 AM

Hey Logrite - you visit Costa Rica, I expect to see you - if I remember right, you decide to sneak into Jaco last time and didn't even come up this way. ;)

You have to come up and visit your "toothpicks" - right?

Pete J · March 19, 2007, 06:58:14 PM

Visiting you has been high on my things to do list for two years now. My last trip to CR was controlled by logistics out of my control. Free trip to CR, free place to stay and a free ride around the country. This potential trip might be more of the same. I do some side work for my buddy JJ and in return I get to eat up his airline miles and stay at his place. He is fully aware of my need of transport into the misty mountains. I might tell him we have to pick up some of Janet's coffee. That might just do the trick.