Got A Little Greedy...

I mentioned in my previous post about the importance of trimming back plants and not letting them overgrow. I've done a good job with the basil plant, but I seriously dropped the ball on my roma, marglobe, and big boy tomato plants. And because I didn't trim them back, too many branches grew bearing too many fruit. This means I have to water and feed the plant a lot more. And, we end with 50 small tomatoes rather than 20 good sized fruit. This week, I decided to cut a lot of the low hanging branches and pull off the small green tomaters. I'm really hoping they ripen off the vine.

So how do you properly trim the plant? Well, there are many differing theories. But here are a couple standard tips. Always cut off the budding parts called suckers. They grow in the middle of the "V" shape of branches.

Clip All The Suckers On The Plants

Also, it's been suggested to trim the first few branches just above the soil level. That helps prevent those lower branches from fungus from a wet ground and other pests looking to crawl onto the plant and cause harm.

As for our 'maters, I finally trimmed them up, but I'm worried I closed the barn door as the horse runs out in the field. Oh well, I think we will still get some great tomatoes with our not-so-great ones.

Just A Little Off The Top, Please

Snipping The Buds Helps The Rest Of The Plant Below

Ever hear the phrase, "Less is more."? Well that applies to gardening, too. Unfortunately, I haven't done a very good job of that this year with tomatoes, but I'll save that for another post this week. But one plant that needs pruning is basil. One way to get more out of your basil plant is to continually pick the leaves. The faster you pick, the faster it grows back. I guess it's like gray hair.

Other than picking leaves, you also need to snip off all the flower buds along with the top couple sets of young leaves on the stems. Doing this will keep the plant focussed on growing large and tasty basil leaves. And eventually, you can use those basil leaves for homemade pesto.

Seriously? What Could Grow In This Heat?

I see Cacti. Any Cucumbers?

Ever been to Arizona in July? Wow. Forget the, "It's a dry heat"argument. It's like sticking your head in the oven out here. So how in the world can anything grow in this arid climate? And with this heat, I'm guessing the growing and harvesting season happens a lot earlier in the year.

Well I found someone who seems to have found the right equation. Tomatoes, eggplant, corn, and......wait.....is that an artichoke? Oh man, I'm super envious. I would love to grow artichokes. Anyway, check out his blog...especially you folks living back in Nuevo Mexico. The Desert Garden

That Is Culinary Heaven, Right There

By the way, it's 75 and raining at home in Virginia. Very nice.

When The Farmer Is Away...

Fortunately for me, I have a trusty farmhand to help take care of the crops when I'm travelling for work. And today, Mrs. Harlan picked another Cajun Delight okra and two bell peppers. No, they're not red. But that's because she picked them a tad early. All bell peppers start off green and eventually ripen to another color...red, yellow, orange, purple, white, etc. They may not be as sweet as if they had matured to red, but they'll be good just the same. Plus, now the plant can focus on nourishing the other smaller peppers.


Compared to last year, just having any decent sized peppers this season is a major coup. A combo of no rain, extreme heat, and small pots last year created peppers downright awful. So to see two peppers this size on the Fourth of July is reason for fireworks.

Down Home Gardenin' to Cookin'

This year I wanted to grow a couple of unique plants. One was okra. Having Cajun French as part of my heritage, I've always had a taste for southern food. So I figured if I grew some okra, I could try my hand at homemade gumbo. But tonight, I decided to fry my first batch. With a little milk, cayenne pepper, and cornmeal, I tried my hand at fried okra. Although the oil was a bit too hot, I'd say the first go 'round was a success. But my Cajun relatives probably would say I have a lot to learn.