alpine flowers at Grey Rock

Friday, April 30, 2010

Pest of the Month


Yes, deer! They travel through this time of year on their way to summer grounds (we hope). About the time I think I am raising more venison than peas, they are gone. Well, most of them are gone. We usually have one or two does who stick around and have their babies somewhere close. Can handle that, just not the whole herd.

2 comments:

  1. Hi, I'm enjoying your blog posts! I have a tomato question. I have 17 tomato plants that have been in the ground for about three weeks and they're looking awesome... lush and stocky! I have been plucking the little blossoms so the plants will grow strong before fruiting. Do you think this is a good idea, and if so, when should I leave the blossoms alone? Thanks! Give that little Caleb a kiss for me!

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  2. I am not very good at blossom picking or sucker trimming, but I know it is a good thing as long as it is an indeterminate tomato. You have to be careful not to overthin determinate, bush type, plants because the amount of tomatoes they are going to produce per flush is determined(limited to terminal branches flowering). They will not keep blooming out their vines like an indeterminate does such as cherries for example. A vine like that can be pruned to fit the space you have if necessary and it won't affect production. So, I would say when you feel your plants are stocky enough to hold a tomato or two, let them go. Determinate will produce a whole other set of blooms and do it again if your season is long enough, so even if you were to prune hard to get a good strong bush and missed out on some first tomatoes, you would be rewarded with a strong set of branches for the next flush. Hope the calcium situation worked out. We are probably a month behind you guys season wise. Let me know when you eat your first tomato, so I can drool.

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