Tomatoes and peppers are the lifeblood of my business. With a few exceptions, the plants that are going into gallon pots are all safely ensconced in the greenhouse(s). The pictures above are of them before they entered into their relocation program. I have to say they are probably the most beautiful plants to date. Someone asked me how long I have done this and it’s a good bet it’s been around 25 years. I started on the South Hill and participated in the fledgling (at that time) Garden Expo. The first year for me was held at the Spokane Community College. I think I had around 200 plants and I ..read more

Blue Beauty and Dancing with Surfs Blue Beauty July 25th 2023 These tomatoes were part of my dark and unusual choices for this year. I was amazed at the size and coloring of the ‘Blue Beauty’. Very prolific, they all seemed to ripen at once (so far) and the plant isn’t too tall. Labeled as an indeterminate. A cross between ‘Beauty King’ and a blue tomato. This is a Brad Gates Introduction of Wild Boar Farm. He has come up with some doozies! His are the most colorful tomatoes around. It is also one of the first to ripen in my garden. Dancing With Smurfs July 20 2023 Where does he come up with t ..read more

Sometimes, in order to get the varieties you want, you just have to buy them earlier than you want, just to get them. I start my selling season on April 15th and no way can you put them out at that time. Sometimes you want a certain variety such as Beauty King, Blush, Brad’s Atomic Grape, Cherokee Purple Heart, Vintage Wine, or Pruden’s Purple. Unless you grow them from seed you probably aren’t going to find them anywhere. What about peppers? Try finding plants of Biquinho, Royal Black, Filius, Jalapeno Tajin, or Lemon Drop at a farmer’s market. My customers who are savvy come earl ..read more

It always amazes me how fast my plants grow. When they are first transplanted they just sort of sit there for a couple of weeks. Then, when their roots are feeling a little more settled, they start to put on growth. I am going to take pictures at regular intervals so that you see what I see in my greenhouse. I will do the same thing with the tomatoes. There are four pics of the Jalapenos from 3 different dates. the others just represent the beauty of the little plants ..read more

It’s been a while since I posted. Just trying to get my health and my mind back. Spring may have sprung somewhere but not here yet, even so, I have been busy in the greenhouse. I hope to share all of that with you. Thought I’d start out with something simple. We started our peppers back in January. I have to say that they are the best peppers I’ve ever grown! I would swear by the LED lights we purchased from Barina on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s?k=barrina&crid=3GACK3JDA1B5Z&sprefix=barrina%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_noss_1. As I was hovering over the seed trays looking at all the l ..read more

Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable, it grows best in temperatures around 60 – 65°F. Once temperatures rise above 80°F, lettuce will normally start to “bolt” or stop leaf production and send up a stalk to flower and produce seed. The leaves become bitter when this happens. Romaine types such as Mayan Jaguar and Pomegranate Crunch, Butterheads, such as Tom Thumb and Speckled Amish, and loose-leaf lettuces, such as Buckley and Slo-Bolt tolerate heat better than tighter heading lettuces like Iceberg. This is what lettuce looks like as it BOLTS. The stalk is flowering and the seed heads are startin ..read more

The hot weather looks to be here. This morning I saw that it’s going to over 100 degrees for the next six days. (Unusual for our area) That means I won’t be going outside except to water. (I may stick a picture of myself in my horse’s paddock for her to remember me!) Although most people assume that tomatoes love hot weather. They don’t. Fruit development slows as the plant focuses on moving water through its system. A heat wave can also keep tomatoes from developing into a deep red, resulting in orange fruit. Most varieties of tomato plants take a break, even those who are bred for warmer cl ..read more

I was interviewed last week for an article in AARP. The author just sent it to me and I am going to share it with you. I have to say, I am so excited about this. I am quoted with two other growers, one of which is Craig LeHoullier, one of the original growers involved with starting the Dwarf Tomato Project. I feel honored to be in the same circle as someone so illustrious. As you know, I’ve been growing and selling the Dwarfs for several years now and love them. Don’t worry, I won’t forget my friends when and if I ever become famous! https://www.aarp.org/…/info…/ways-to-grow-tomatoes.html ..read more

Chef’s Choice is a series of tomatoes that are known for crack resistance. good flavor, prolific harvests and smooth firm flesh. Each color has it’s own characteristics. In some trials each plant produced 30 or more fruit. Indeterminate vines reach 5 feet and have a good disease resistance package. Are they really a Chef’s Choice? I don’t know the answer to that. However, I am happy to grow them this year. Chef’s Choice BiColor Producing large 10 -12 ounce flattened beefsteak fruits with beautiful pinkish-red stripes inside. Sweet with great flavor and texture. Each plant can produce about 30 ..read more

I am in love with lettuce. It’s good for you and comes in a multitude of colors and, shapes and sizes. who knew there were so many kinds. Most people , i they think of it all, figre there are 5 types of lettuce. Whqt they see in the stores is red leaf, green leaf, iceberg, romaine and sometimes butter lettuce. A couple of years ago I started perusing some of my favorite catalogs and was amazed at the variety. I grew starts and sold them along with my tomato plants. It was well received. I held a “Salad Bowl Workshop” for some of my customers and showed them how to plant i various kinds f pots ..read more