Well now, things I have learned this season:
*Costco Beefsteak Tomatoes*
I bought my tomato plants from Costco. They were about 10 inches tall and cheap. I had visions of YUGE red tomatoes.
When they started fruiting, I got tangerine-sized orange tomatoes. I left a couple on the vine to see if they'd ever turn red. They rotted.
After some investigation, I discovered that the term "Beefsteak" doesn't necessarily refer to size. It refers to the way they slice, not how big they get. And there are several varieties, too. Mine were probably "Orange Paruche." And yes, they slice nicely!
When the first freeze hit and I had to pick all the green ones, I had three times as many green tomatoes as ripe ones. Fortunately, they've all started ripening in the house. No rotten ones this year!
So, next season, I'm going to skip Costco and go back to Bonnie and get "Early Girl" tomatoes because they ripen faster. And they can't be any smaller!
*Onions*
I can grow green/bunching onions really well, but yellow onions are a disaster. I get shallot-sized onions after TWO YEARS!
After some investigation, I learned it's a soil thing. Green onions and yellow onions prefer very different soil conditions.
So, I just planted ten walking onions, which are a variety of green onion. I put them in Friday afternoon and deliberately didn't water them in. Then it rained Friday night. Great timing!
*Gojis*
They're too much of a pain in the ... to pick, so I ignored them completely this year. Plus, they're bitter. No water, no tender loving care, nothing. They thrived.
And guess what? After about five freezes and all the leaves falling off, the fruit is still intact. Apparently, freezing gets rid of about 80% of the bitterness. I call them "Ice Gojis."
I finally broke down and picked a few.
*Soil*
My soil is lake-bottom sediment and rock from the Greater Lake Lahontan. It has all the nutritional content of the moon.
So I imported some local organic soil for my garlic bed. This is the first year I've gotten normal-sized garlic! (Songbird is responsible for the soil recommendation. Thank you!)
Unfortunately, my garlic developed black powdery mold, so apparently I can never grow garlic in that bed again.
And now I have to wait until next year to learn even newer lessons.
I can't wait to see my new onions walk! They better not die on me!
-T