Chuggin' Along

 Ho-LEE-Cow. I have been watching a nice tomato for days now as it slowly ripens. Yesterday I thought, huh. Maybe I should pick it. I did not. This morning I looked and it looked like something had eaten like half of it. I'm not 100% sure who took the first bite, but caught this beastie dining tonight.

Slug :-(

The offender was capture and I executed summary judgement immediately. But one less tomato for me. Seeing a lot of my ripe ones getting eaten. Not sure what the culprit is, but maybe slugs, chipmunks, mice.

Lately my enthusiasm for ripe tomatoes has started to dip a bit. I've had some good ones already. My usual MO is to try to grow a zillion different varieties, which is fun for sure, but I think that's not the way to go, at least for next year. there are a couple big winners that will definitely return in 2023.

1. Black Cherry. So good! And ridiculously prolific. 
2. Sungold. Didn't grow them this year and I miss them.
3. Roma. I had all of one Roma plant and it did great. Didn't seem to suffer pests or disease so far.
4. Cherokee Purple. The best! Not super prolific, but I've had a bunch already.
5. A Grappoli D'Invierno. Super prolific. Not my favor tasting tomato, but easy for saucification.

Ones that will likely not come again next year.

1. Mortgage Lifter. Not prolific at all.
2. Gehznte. Gotten zero. Maybe something taking green ones.
3. Hungarian Heart. None ripe yet, lol.
4. Spoon. Fun, interesting, tasty, but something eats them before I do. Maybe if I can cage it completely somehow.

I got what I suspect will be my last zucchini today. Gotten 43 lbs so far, more would be a waste. Powdery mildew is rampant. Next year maybe I will succession plant so I'm ready to tear out and plant new ones. The Rampicantes are cool, but not as tasty.

Big Pick

 The older boy back from school in faraway lands, so have neglected the garden a bit. Have definitely kept up with watering, otherwise it'd be all shriveled and brown, but I'm much overdue for a pick. I think some tomatoes have gone bad and there are a ton that are at least ready to pick. So today I pick. The haul so far:

• 756g of Jalapeño Peppers
• 264g Anaheim Peppers
• 5g Cayenne (hah, just one nice and red)
• 215g Long Beans (like a foot long!)
• 1682g Roma
• 1240g A Grappoli D'Invierno
• 698g Black Cherry (minus the ones I've snacked on, kept up with these better)
• 248g Beit Cukes
• 483g Brandywine Tomato
• 921g Cherokee Purple Tomato
• 1065g Hungarian Tomato
• 972g Beefsteak Tomato

For a grand total of 1.025kg peppers (2.26lbs) and 7.061kg tomatoes (15.5 lbs). There were another couple pounds that were overripe and squishy. And there are plenty more still on the vines.

A big chunk of the harvest today

Some of the veggies I have not pictured before.

Anaheim Pepper

Hungarian Tomato

Beefsteak Tomato

Brandywine Tomato

Cayenne Pepper

Long Beans