Heirloom tomatoes – worth the wait!
by Patty Leander
photos by Bruce Leander
And finally, tomatoes! If your tomatoes didn’t ripen in May, they certainly will this month. Early and mid-season varieties ripen first but the wait is longer for many of those big, juicy heirloom varieties that take 80-90 days to reach maturity. If nothing else, tomato gardeners are a patient bunch and know that the wait is worth it.
If you haven’t planted pumpkins yet, and you have the space, go ahead and get those seeds or transplants in the ground. They usually take 100+ days, so if you can avoid powdery mildew, virus, squash bugs and spider mites you just may have your very own home-grown jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. Pumpkins are vining plants and require a lot of space, but small varieties, such as Baby Bear, Orange Smoothie and Jack-B-Little can be grown vertically.
Make the switch to warm season greens with plantings of Malabar spinach, amaranth or molokhia. If you have not grown them before, their vigor and heat tolerance may surprise you. Molokhia is a nutritious, leafy plant that dates to the time of Egyptian pharaohs, and is widely consumed in the Middle East.
Plant tomato seeds this month so you will have transplants ready for planting in late July or early August.
The flavor is mild and it can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves are mucilaginous when cooked, and in many cultures the leaves are often simmered in broth to thicken soups. Much like okra, the cellular structure of these plants causes them to be slimy, but it also helps them retain water which allows them to better stand up to our Texas heat.
Two other tasty greens, Swiss chard and sorrel, will usually tolerate the heat, and will make it through the summer if given protection from the hot afternoon sun. Sorrel is a perennial herb with a tangy lemon flavor. I like to slice the
leaves into thin ribbons and add them to salads and sandwiches.
Here is the vegetable gardener’s checklist for June:
Watch for spider mites and treat regularly to keep their numbers under contro
- Harvest ripe fruit before spraying plants with any pesticide or fertilizer, whether organic or synthetic. Always read the label for instructions on mixing, dilution, how often to spray, and whether or not there is a waiting period after spraying.
- Watch for signs of spider mite damage. These tiny pests attack many vegetable plants, especially tomatoes, beans and squash. They like hot and dry conditions and can quickly invade and infest the garden. Though the mites are hard to see without the aid of magnification, once they are present, the top surface of the leaves will have a pale, stippled appearance. Organic controls for spider mites include horticultural oils, sulfur dust, and washing the underside of the leaves with a strong spray of water. Once you have them you will need to treat regularly to keep them under control.
- Harvest cucumbers when they are the appropriate length; pickling cucumbers are ready at 3-4 inches, slicers are ready at 6-8 inches, and oriental cucumbers may grow to 12-14 inches.
- Plant buckwheat or cowpeas as a cover crop in fallow beds.
- Make notes about favorite varieties, harvest dates, pest or disease problems, and any new varieties you want to try next year.
- Plant tomato seeds in pots early in the month so you will have transplants ready for the garden in mid-July.
Plant black-eyed peas or other cowpea varieties in fallow beds.
Cucumbers come in many shapes and sizes; for the best flavor harvest at the length appropriate for their variety.
Oriental cucumbers can grow 12 inches or longer and still taste good.
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