Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tomato Report / Feeling lousy! / Fire!

Roma is misspelled in the last picture. (Sorry too late to change that now.)

Well it looks like the Early Girls don't like it down here too good. (Can't say that I blame it for this time of year) Note the second picture. I can't tell it has changed much at all since Just Me gave it to me. Of course the soil isn't Miracle Grow like the Roma is growing in, but still I'd think it would have actually grown some. If the tomato on it has gotten any bigger I can't tell it. I guess it has another disadvantage to though and that is that its growing outside where the Roma is still inside. Both plants get about the same amount of sun light because the Early Girl is on the east side of the trailer and doesn't get the really hot afternoon sun.

Picture three shows where all 6 of the tomatoes are on the Roma, but one is hidden from view by two larger ones. One is actually pretty large and hasn't started ripening yet where one is about the size of a large cherry tomato and its almost fully ripe now. The Roma plant its self doesn't seem to be getting any larger, but it is still putting on blooms and looks like more tomatoes will come from it. The Early girl is not adding any blooms at all so the one tomato may be all it puts out and if it dies before it ripens then I won't get any off of it unless I fry up the one green one. From what I've read tomato plants will only put on blooms while its below or in the low 70s and so far it only gets down in the low 70s even early in the morning. I guess as long as that holds up maybe the Roma will keep doing good. It also gets the added benefit of the added humidity from the swamp cooler and the cooling from it even though it usually gets up to the low to mid 90s in here in the afternoon, but at least it doesn't see the 110 and higher the Early Girl is seeing about every day.

Some pictures from night before last.

And on another note I've been feeling like pure crap for about the last 4 or 5 days and this morning that hasn't changed any either. Frann lined me up with a ride to the VA in Big Springs yesterday, but I turned it down because I doubt that I'd have been admitted so would have been stuck there until I could have gotten a ride back or at least a ride back to Odessa. My little sis said she would have gone and picked me up, but by the time I talked to her the ride was already gone. I'm planning to ride to Odessa with Frann next week so will probably see if I can get some help at the VA clinic there if I don't start getting better.

Where's The Fire?
Looked out the window while ago and saw smoke everywhere and the thick smell of it. It is so smoky that I thought it must just be over one of the hills so I called Frann and ask if it was smoky there. She said Yes and very thick. Made me feel a little better knowing it wasn't just over the hill and headed this way. Maybe its in Mexico? That's the direction the wind is coming from. I guess I better stay inside as much as I can to save my lungs from getting any worse.
Pictures of my neighbors place and 9 points. Most of the other mountains around here can't even be seen.

 

11 comments:

  1. Just got a news bulletin saying...

    "Carlsbad Caverns National Park Closed Due to Fire"

    "Staff Report
    NewsWest 9

    CARLSBAD, N.M. – NewsWest 9 has learned that a fire has forced the evacuation of Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.

    An employee with the Park tells NewsWest 9, park employees who were working in the back country reported a fire.

    The fire, called the Loop Fire, has burned 1,500 acres.

    Firefighters are on the scene working the fire.

    Park visitors and employees have been evacuated from the park and the park has been closed.

    The park will remain closed until conditions are deemed safe."

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  2. tffnguy - Oh, hope you feel better soon. The heat getting to you?

    Looks like your early Bird may have a nitrogen deficiency - relieve yourself of some water ( :-) ) and that should help. Say every 10 days for 10 seconds LOL Apparently, tomatoes love an occasional dose of urine. Wouldn't eat that one that's growing on the plant for 3 weeks though...

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  3. Dani, feels like I have my yearly case of pneumonia, but it came in the summer this time instead of the winter norm.

    Shouldn't be a nitrogen deficiency because the potting soil is about 50% peat moss and according to Just Me peat moss is high in nitrogen. The way I mixed the soil was about 50% peat moss, 40 percent generic potting soil and 10% Miracle Grow.

    I'll pass on the urine idea.

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  4. Oh just go ahead and pee on it! Think of the jokes while we eat the salad!

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  5. Sorry you are not feeling good, you don't look too good either (grin).

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  6. Sorry to hear about the feeling bad! Can be a bummer in the Summer especially!

    Hope the 'maters come around for ya!

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  7. Frann, it is setting on the ground so maybe one of the coyotes will hike a leg on it and we'll never know.

    DD, I don't look good when I'm not sick so you can imagine what I look like now.

    HJ, yep not any fun at all with the heat to go with it and now the smoke to.

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  8. Just Me wrote-
    I give up!!!! I've tried at least a dozen times to post this comment on your
    blog and it just will not post. Every time I type in the security word, it
    takes me back to the screen for my UserID and Password. I refuse to type them
    in another time. Here's my comment...



    Tomato -
    1) Peat Moss acidifies the soil - good if you're mixing it with our local soils
    which are quite alkaline. No nitrogen there. Your plant needs fertilizer.
    Urine is cheap and you don't have to drive anywhere to get it. Dilute it with
    water and put it on the soil, rather than directly on the plant.
    2) I don't see a white film or spots on the plant. Did you spray it with the
    cornstarch & water mixture I gave you to reduce evaporation and help protect it
    from sun and wind?
    3) Did you plant it near the bottom of the container and put soil around the
    majority of the stem to promote root growth?

    Fires & Smoke -
    Our smoke is coming from fires in Mexico. Take a look at the NOAA viewer , zoom
    in on the Big Bend area and make sure you have selected the layers for Parks -
    State and National, the layer for County Boundaries and the layer for Analyzed
    Smoke from Satellites (Dense). You'll be able to see the red dots showing
    fires in mexico and the purplish colored area of the smoke plume all around us.

    Health -
    Hope you're feeling better soon! If all goes as planned I should be heading to
    Midland this coming weekend. Let me know if you need a ride to Odessa. End Quote


    (1) It has some Miracle Grow in it and that has fertilizer in it. No Pee on or around my tomato plants! I pee on the bushes and grass around here all the time and they still look dead.

    (2) No I'm too lazy or haven't felt like messing with it.

    (3) I buried it deep enough that there shouldn't be a problem. Like I've always done with tomato plants.

    Fires? Well I guess that explains it, but they sure are screwing us up here.

    Trip to Odessa? I may have a ride in to Alpine and if I do then I plan to get a temporary permit to drive the Pickup to Odessa and will stay there for a while to try and get it fixed up, inspected and registered in my name so I can start driving it.

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  9. Make sure the soil at the bottom of the pot is not staying wet, Early girl is pretty picky about that, messes up her nail polish or some crap In a double pot like you have, she could have water standing in the botton and the top will be dry.

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  10. http://lifeonthebalcony.com/grow-delicious-tomatoes-in-four-simple-steps/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeOnTheBalcony+%28Life+on+the+Balcony%29

    :-)

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