[GG Mora]

Abbylovi, on Jun 1 2005, 10:11 AM, said:

Inspired by GG Mora, I bought a tomatillo plant at the market on Saturday. Unfortunately my only option is to plunk it into a big container, which I did. Do they really grow to 8 feet?

GG -- besides thinking happy thoughts of salsa verde, any other words of wisdom?

More like 5 feet, though in a container it's likely to be smaller, unless you fertilize the hell out of it. They tend to sprawl out to 3 – 4 ft. across. Plan on providing some kind of support.

As for using them – well, salsa verde, salsa verde and salsa verde, though it has broad applications. Were you the one that suggested chili verde? I made a delicious one with pork and black beans. Recipe somewhere on the site... Also, pork long-braised in salsa verde is delicious. Rick Chinless gives a recipe in One Plate At A Time for pork tenderloin, but I prefer something a little fattier. Like, say, a big ole Boston Butt.

My gardening has been curtailed by workload and weather, but I'm planning a big push this weekend and promise lots of pictures.

[yumyum]

Are you serious? 3-4 feet across? Will a tomato cage be enough to contain it? (Abby generously picked me up a plant from the market too.) Mine already has a flower, which opened up in the car on the way home.

[Abbylovi]

Holy merde, 3-4 feet indeed.

Yes it was I who suggested chile verde, and I'm glad you reminded me of it.

Now here's a question for all the gardeners: let's talk fertilizer. I got some Neptune's Harvest last summer and I can't say that I'm wowed by the results. The flies definitely like the fertilizer (the come swooping in after I use it) but my plants definitely don't seem to feel the love.

[rancho_gordo]

If it helps, on my property, we grew them one year and we will now have them for life. They show up in the darndest places. I never fertilize and they only get runoff from the irrigation. These taste the best. I think they like it a little rough (just like me!). it makes them sweeter. I'd fertilize once and then leave them alone except a llittle water since they're in a pot.

I had a sweet variety that I eneded up canning. The process lost all it's sweetness but my canned tomatillos were so much better than the commercial canned that I was glad I did it, although I've never done it again.

Edited to add: If you have the room, let them sprawl. Some farmers insist on it.

This post has been edited by rancho_gordo: 01 June 2005 - 02:49 PM

[GG Mora]

Abbylovi, on Jun 1 2005, 10:36 AM, said:

Now here's a question for all the gardeners: let's talk fertilizer. I got some Neptune's Harvest last summer and I can't say that I'm wowed by the results. The flies definitely like the fertilizer (the come swooping in after I use it) but my plants definitely don't seem to feel the love.

Um, well, I use Neptune's Harvest. But it's more maintenance than anything, since I've already beefed the dirt with cowshit, rotted fish parts, alfalfa meal, greensand, bone meal and dried blood. If your soil isn't great to begin with, you probably need something stronger. You could try using Neptune's Harvest at a stronger concentration. I think recommended application is 1 oz/gallon...try 2 oz/gallon? It's mild enough that it won't burn anything. Pro Gro is a good pelletized organic fertilizer.

If you're not concerned about organics, there's always Miracle Gro.

[Tamar G]

play music for it and get a friend to give it Reiki. My friend gave a plant Reiki and swore up and down that it grew 4 inches overnight. He then gave me Reiki but I didn't grow at all . Then again, I'm not a believer.

[Abbylovi]

I should make it clear that I am "gardening" on a roof in New York City, so yeah unfortunately my soil isn't the best it could be. I'll try using a higher concentration of the Neptune and see what happens.

[yumyum]

"Let em sprawl?" Again, I must ask my tomato cage question. Will that keep it from eating my neighbors? I will be potting up my little guy in a big container on the patio.

And I love Miracle Grow. I know I know it's not organic, but MAN does it work! So much so that I've been tempted to buy their potting soil as well for my herb containers and for my tomatoes.

Oh boy. I'm really behind this year.

[GG Mora]

yumyum, on Jun 1 2005, 11:25 AM, said:

"Let em sprawl?"  Again, I must ask my tomato cage question.

Erm...depends? Mine get so big that I have to stake the tomato cages...three 5' stakes, triangulated, driven down through the cage to support it.

[voyager]

yumyum, on May 30 2005, 01:25 PM, said:

And I love Miracle Grow.  I know I know it's not organic, but MAN does it work!  So much so that I've been tempted to buy their potting soil as well for my herb containers and for my tomatoes. 

Might you be better off going for small and full of flavor rather than Miracle-Gro's giant size? My husband won't let M-G on the property.

[yumyum]

It's not even the giant size I'm going for. The whole plants look bigger, healthier, greener. Just like the commercial says.

[guajolote]

my peonies are in bloom and i'm very happy

i also have an order coming from dutchbulbs.com (thanks gg for mentioning that site) this afternoon, and my mom is bringing me more plants this weekend.

does anyone here prune their tomatoes? a farmer friend of mine said that where 3 branches of a tomato are forming you should nip the middle one off.

[Abbylovi]

This heat is godawful but at least my tomatillos are happily flowering away. I'm going to have to provide support very soon.

My arugula is zooming past the baby stage and right into adulthood at an alarming pace, I can't keep up!

[Ron Johnson]

Abbylovi, on Jun 8 2005, 01:17 PM, said:

My arugula is zooming past the baby stage and right into adulthood at an alarming pace, I can't keep up!

They grow up so fast.

[Abbylovi]

Ron Johnson, on Jun 8 2005, 02:19 PM, said:

Abbylovi, on Jun 8 2005, 01:17 PM, said:

My arugula is zooming past the baby stage and right into adulthood at an alarming pace, I can't keep up!

They grow up so fast.

I know, I feel like I barely got to know it.