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Harvest Monday

June 11, 2012

Happy Monday everyone!

Something very exciting happened this week!  We harvested our first three tomatoes!!!  Yep, you read that right…two Yellow Taxi Tomatoes and one cherry tomato!  Oh man!  I guess that starting those seeds under the grow lights in February really paid off 🙂

We also harvested our first dill, the last of the over-wintered carrots, and some more kale, peas, strawberries and chamomile.  I am incredibly excited about all the varieties that are maturing in the garden right now!

We also had an accidental harvest of a head of garlic (well, I guess a head and a half since one head only appears to have 2 cloves on it) while Tool Lady was putting in our new drip system in the front yard on Saturday. 
Speaking of drip systems…I have a question that I’m hoping some of you can help me with…How long might this system last in the garden?  I know there are many variables and we will have to replace small parts on a fairly regular basis, but I’m talking about the big picture here.  We invested $200 in this system and I want to add it to our expenses, but I would also like to amoritize it.  Ideas/thoughts/experience???  Thanks in advance!!!

Alright, it’s time for another garden mystery, which means I have another question!  Any idea what these disgusting, itty bitty worms are???  We found them on the back of one of our tomato leaves and there are hundreds of them!  Ugh…again, having a “living” yard is great, but I could totally do without some of the gross life that comes along with the pretty, yummy veggies.

 This weeks totals:

  • Carrots = 4 oz
  • Chamomile = not weighed
  • Dill = not weighed
  • Oregano = 1 oz
  • Kale = 12 oz
  • Peas = 10 oz
  • Strawberries = 6 oz
  • Tomatoes = 6 oz
  • Eggs = 29 eggs
Hope everyone has a fabulous day!
Happy harvesting!
Linking up to Harvest Monday @ Daphne’s Dandelions
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26 Comments on “Harvest Monday”

  1. Congrats on your first tomatoes! I’ve never seen those nasty little worms before, which I was sure I’ve had to deal with every pest imaginable in my garden. I’m also installing an irrigation system and I’m hoping it lasts awhile because it is turning out to cost more than I thought, especially since we have well water so there’s no water bill to save on.

    1. Thanks, Julie! The tomatoes have been quite the treat!

      Ugh…aren’t the pests the worst?! It seems that there is no end to them!!!

      Apparently, if taken care of and mulched over, irrigation systems should last years and years. YAY! We should have to replace small parts form time to time, but it seems as though the larger pieces are quite a good investment! Good luck with your installation! Even if you’re not saving on a water bill, saving your precious well water will be more than worth the monetary cost and the effort 🙂 I wish we were on a well!

  2. What a nasty little critter! I hope they aren’t damaging your tomatoes.

    Your strawberries and chamomile make a beautiful pic together.

    1. So far we haven’t found any damage 🙂

      I love strawberries and chamomile, individually and in pictures 😉

    3. Thanks Patricia! I think we’ve figured out that they’re Western Bean Cutworms. Disgusting! So far there’s no other trace of them…I hope it stays that way!

  3. Never heard of the Taxi before, but then there are probably thousands of varieties of tomatoes! What ever those caterpillars are pick them off, the chickens will love them.

    1. I highly recommend the Yellow Taxi…it’s a determinate heirloom and has done really well for us the last two years. It also makes a yummy jam 🙂

  4. What a coincidence. I harvested our first large tomato this week too and it was Taxi.

  5. Beautiful tomato. I hadn’t heard of Taxi before. Your drip lines (tubing) can last anywhere from 10-30 years. I read that they last longer if you cover them with the mulch instead of leaving them exposed to the sun. You’ll have to replace emitters from time to time. Soaker hoses last about 10 years. For my budget, I pretty much carry a max of 10 years; which you could safely do for most of your drip parts.

    1. Thanks! This is our second year growing the Taxi…it’s a determinate heirloom, is pretty tasty and has been very reliable so far!

      Thanks for the info about the drip lines and soaker hoses. We covered them up with a good layer of straw once they were all down and I’m very hopeful they’ll last as long as you say they will! That’s amazing!

  6. No clue on the bug but I agree with Liz — the chickens would probably love that feast! Awesome harvest!

  7. No idea on the bugs. You got me beat on early tomatoes for sure!

    1. Oh man…I couldn’t be happier about those tomatoes! It looks like I should have several this coming week, too 🙂

  8. YIKES! Oh, Holy COW… I hope those aren’t contageous via internet. LOL. (No offense but it doesn’t look like anything I want in my garden either) I sure hope you get it cleared up!

    1. Yeah…I don’t think they’re internet contagious, but I wouldn’t wish them on anyone…they were so gross! So far it seems as though they were an anomaly…I’m hoping they don’t rear their ugly heads again!!!

  10. Wow, I haven’t seen that on tomato leaves before… your Cooperative Extension should be able to identify it, just send in one of your photos. Otherwise, nice harvest!

    1. Thanks!!! I think we’ve figured out what they are…Western Bean Cutworms. So far that’s the only patch of them we’ve found…I’m hoping that remains the truth 🙂

  11. Ick – do the chickens like them? Congrats on your tomatoes!

  12. Not really sure about the infestation – not looking like anything I have had to deal with on tomatoes before. Is it confined to specific leaves or is this a widescale infestation? If confined, I would quickly trim away the infected leaves and destroy them.

    Congratulations on the ripe tomatoes and those strawberries look quite yum!

    1. Thanks for your tip…that’s exactly what I did…let the chickens destroy those little buggers! So far it has only been that one leaf, but I’m keeping my eyes open for any other miniature worm explosions!

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