Recent content by Waylon05

I'm down near Houston and i'm in the same boat as you right now. Luckily, there is pretty good tree line about 15 yards south of my garden that gives me a pretty decent windbreak. I don't know if you have access to a tractor and/or hay, but if you're looking for a quick/temporary windbreak...

I'm definitely excited about trying the new varieties - hopefully most of my surprises will be pleasant! I tried to pick a good variety of both yellows/golds and blacks/purples with the hope that I will find a couple varieties of each that will perform well in my hot, humid climate...

I'm also a big time tomato-head. I've grown mostly hybrids in the past with a couple heirlooms mixed in. This year is my first year to grow any non-red/pink varieties. Here's my list for this year: CHERRIES: - Sun Gold (2) - Sweet 100 (1) - Black Cherry (1) - Texas Wild (1) - Matt's Wild...

I had the same experience as you - placing the order was very easy and I received my order very quickly. Also, when the plants showed up, I found that I received WAY more than 60 plants per "bunch."

Check out Dixondale Farms in Texas: http://www.dixondalefarms.com/

According to the online label, there is no waiting period when used on tomatoes: http://www.gardentech.com/pdf/msds&labels/Daconil%20Labels%20&%20MSDS/2112%20Daconil%20Ready%20To%20Use%2032oz%20Label%202011-%20Eng%20&%20Span%205-3-11.pdf

It's impossible to completely get rid of the blight but spraying with certain fungicides can effectively slow the spread of the disease. I would consider spraying with Daconil every 7-10 days. Daconil is not organic, but I'm pretty sure there is no wait time before you can harvest.

I don't have any first hand experience on solarizing soil but it seems to me that could help prevent blight as it should help eliminate soil bourne fungus. In addition to crop rotating, it may also be worthwhile to use a soil treatment at initial planting to fight off fungus diseases. I...

I agree - Early blight. Growing tomatoes in Houston, I've got more experience with it than I'd like to admit. If I were you, I'd pull the affected plant and start spraying your remaining plants immediately with a fungicide. Fungicides won't cure early blight, but they can be very effective...

The mocking birds do alot of damage to tomatoes around here. So, alot of times, I pick the tomatoes as soon as they start to "turn" (as soon as they start showing any pink). I place them inside in front of a window and let them finish ripening. Larger tomatoes take a little longer than the...

I feel like my gardening career has been one big epic battle against blight, stink/leaf-footed bugs and birds. It's generally a losing battle for me, but I have found some techniques to help minimize my losses. When it comes to birds, mocking birds are the worst (because they are pretty much...

I think everyone in my extended family has eaten tomatoes twice a day, everyday for the past month (and I haven't heard a single complaint yet)! Most of the tomatoes are getting used fresh, but we have put up about 10 gallons of salsa as well! The tomatoes are getting a little bit uglier (more...

I do have a pretty big puppy! My two year old mastiff, Waylon, weighs almost 200 lbs. Just to try to put the picture into perspective, his crate (where the majority of the tomatoes in the picture are) is 55" long and 37" wide!

Thanks for all the nice compliments! To all of you out there in cooler climates that are jealous because you're just now starting to get blooms - if it makes you feel any better, I'm sure yall will be collecting fresh tomatoes long after me since my tomato plants will be done by the end of...

That's a great point - I've had success deterring birds with red Christmas tree balls and baseballs painted red. However, in really dry years like this, the birds don't give up as easily. In order to be effective in really dry years, you pretty much need to have the "fake tomatoes" outnumber...