Downsizing

I'm finally starting to just accept the fact that this year hasn't been the best for Cincinnati gardening.

Reluctantly I've been pulling some of the plants that are limping along, like the melon, zucchini, squash, and last of the lettuce. I'm really disappointed to not have any zucchini or squash this year. The plants just never got big, and at no point were they nice and leafy green. There are several blooms right now but barely any foliage - no chance that they will ever pull through. Better luck next year.

So I've pared things down to the plants that are succeeding - I was starting to get tired of seeing a half-haggard garden every day. I'm left with the staples now: tomato, peppers, eggplant, and herbs.

The herbs seem to like the side of the house - sunny but not brutal. I have one mature eggplant and another on the way. Both types of peppers are loaded with goodies.

The tomatoes have been quite interesting this year. I've never grown this many varieties before and have never had experience with heirloom plants. I'm quite excited to see how certain types are fans of the Cincinnati climate while others are missing a little something.

While the Gold Nugget was the first to ripen, I've been blown away by the Black Krim this week - he gets the "Sleeper Award" of the summer. He was off to such a slow start that I thought he might not even fruit, but out of nowhere he has come from behind and is loaded with more fruit than any of the other plants!


On the opposite hand, the Pink Brandywine isn't as happy as he could be. I'm convinced that these plants are meant to have more room than I'm able to offer - they're meant to be grown in the ground so they can spread out and access all the nutrients possible so those huge fruits can grow. He still has several squatty tomatoes though.


The Black Cherry is tall and a little leggy, but dotted with little green globes.


Lastly, the Green Zebra has several tomatoes starting to swell and ripen.


At this point everything still looks like a bunch of green tomatoes, but if you are familiar with the nuances of the varieties, you can tell them apart - something for me to work on.