Despite earlier troubles with blight, our tomatoes have survived and we are finally enjoying their tasty fruit. “Russian Red”, “Money Maker” and “Yellow Currant” have shown the best blight resistance of the varieties we planted, and are now healthy and laden with fruit. “Orange Cherry” has fared less well. Also disappointing was “Tommy Toe” — a variety I selected in part because the seed catalogue claimed it had good resistance to early and late blight. It certainly hasn’t proven very blight-resistant for us! We’ll be keeping all this in mind when we choose what tomato varieties to plant next year.
We have now harvested our first jalapeno chili, and most of our “Buttercup” winter squash. I have wiped the dirt off the squashes and put them on a rack in the back room for storage. I’ve shelled the first of the borlotti beans and mung beans. Those will be put away in jars once they are thoroughly dry.
Buttercup squash
Purple “Maori” Potatoes
Tomorrow, it will be time to dig more potatoes, most of which will be dried off and stored away in paper sacks. Our kind neighbours from down the road gave us three kinds of heirloom seed potatoes, all of which are obviously well adapted for this area. They’ve done really well, even though we didn’t have the ground very well prepared for them. I’ve just planted another late potato crop, to be dug at around the first frost. If the weather turns cold early this year, then I guess we can put shelter-cloth over them to extend the season for a little longer.
More delights from the garden may yet be in store. We are watching in anticipation as the fruit ripen on the eggplant, bell pepper, pepino and okra. With all the rain we’ve had this February, it’s a slow season for the hot-weather crops. They look healthy enough, though, and we trust that they will be worth waiting for.
Awesome looking potatoes! Your tales of harvest in February aren’t doing much to keep me from planting stupidly early. 🙂
Wow, love those potatoes! I don’t think I have seen those yet.
The potatoes are a Maori heirloom potato. I’ve heard them called either “kowiniwini” or “peruperu.” They are my favourite of the kinds we are growing, and not just for the lovely colour. They have delicious flesh that is sweet and waxy, holding together well for boiling and also for potato salad.