[mongo_jones]

no wonder so many mouthfullers have impressive gardens.

[ranitidine]

Go easy on the dog manure in yours. Very heavy in phospherous. Or would you prefer I spell it posperous?

[mongo_jones]

fosfruss will do. or even phosphorus/phosphorous.

[rancho_gordo]

I have tons of tomatillos that have naturalized from previous seasons, mostly the smaller (and more desireable) milpero type.

[voyager]

rancho_gordo, on Nov 1 2006, 01:31 PM, said:

I have tons of tomatillos that have naturalized from previous seasons, mostly the smaller (and more desireable)

Interesting. We see tons of the very small (perhaps 3/4 ") tomatillos at markets, but never realized that they were premium. Tell us about them, please?

[rancho_gordo]

They are slightly sweeter and it's said they have a more developed taste. The former I can attest to and the latter from Patricia Quintana. I'd agee with her.

[cristina]

Here in Mexico they're called miltomates. It's a portmanteau word (don't you just love that word, portmanteau!) that comes from milpas tomates--tomatillos from the cornfields. These wee tomates grow among the corn stalks. Ranchito is right, they're at a premium here. We only see them at harvest time--right now. Yours are beee-utiful, Ranchito.

In case there's anybody on the MF planet who doesn't know, tomatillo is the name for the regular green ones of these in the USA. Here, they're just tomates.

A tomato--no matter the variety--is a jitomate.

[rancho_gordo]

The tomatillos at work.

[Rebecca]

TODAY IN THE GARDEN - not to change the subject from little green tomates, and not be gosh darn political - did you see the article by the president of Burpee seed company in this morning's Wall Street Journal that attempts to divide us all? Guess we can't comment herein but I'm so all over the Red/Blue map that my heart must be as purple as my toes. It says:

"The Republican is a sun-drenched green bean, elbows on the table, vine-loving gardener while the more passionate Democrat chooses from a wider range of cultivars of spicy and savory peppers, European tomatoes and flowers that prefer afternoon shade cast by mature trees."

[rancho_gordo]

Weirdly lovely weather has kept the gardens going strong with new growth and beans growing to maturity!

[Abbylovi]

Pretty much all of my herbs are still alive and kicking. Okay so I dragged them inside but still...oh you know what? I think my big rosemary isn't dead yet even though it is outside on the veranda.
My parsley experiment has been interesting. One plant outside in a big planter died and the one inside near the window is thriving.
I used to think that mint couldn't be killed but I'm doing a good job of making my spearmint wish that it was dead.

[akiko]

Here in London, my next door neighbors both have gorgeous climbing roses that are blooming... have been for about a month. I don't know if its the unseasonably warm weather we've been having or what but I've made a note to plant more roses next month because I want what they have. I saw those roses bloom twice last year - early in the summer season and late and now they're blooming again in the middle of winter.

[flyfish]

Our big rosemary, which has been brought inside for the winter, is blossoming.

[akiko]

I have a mystery tree in the backyard that has just begun to bloom. It kind of looks like what I remember an ume (plum blossom) tree to look like in Japan. But I think its too early for a plum blossom to bloom... does anyone know if they blossom this early in the year?

[elyse]

I have a question. I jsut mved to Westchester and have to find a good spot for my raspberry bush for the spring. It's in a pot now.

How much does the sun shift for the warmer months? And, the bush should have as much sun as possible, right?