Summer's Bounty

We've had a great summer for growing so far here in Ottawa - lots of hot sunny days and rain always coming just when we need it. The Cherokee Trail of Tears beans have reached beyond the top of the deck posts and are now winding their way across. They have lovely lilac flowers that attract alot of pollinators. The Hidatsa Shield Figure beans are much shorter, only about 4 feet high right now. They have small white flowers with bright yellow interiors. They don't seem as vigorous but they do have to share a pot with a very greedy zucchini.

Speaking of zucchini, my two plants, one black and one green, have been coming on strong since the end of July. I'll be posting some zucchini recipes later this month. You can never have too many zucchini recipes.

The tomatoes have all started to ripen - the first to turn red were the San Marzano plums, followed by the Heirloom Beefsteaks (see below). A tomato plant I purchased as Oliver`s German White has just started to turn red - I`m not sure if it`s supposed to do that before it turns white or if it was just mis-identified as a seedling. My Fantome du Laos tomato is also supposed to be white - its fruits are still green, as are the Brandywine tomato's, another heirloom variety that takes a long time to mature.

My eggplants have also been very productive - I'm averaging at least 6 Japanese eggplants per plant and my Rosa Bianca, a pink and white heirloom from Italy, has several large fruits.

5 Great Heirloom Tomatoes for Containers

I've grown many varieties of heirloom tomatoes but here are my top 5 favourites for container gardening:




Brandywine

Indeterminate, 80 days, large pinkish-red fruit, of Amish origin. Usually the last tomato to fruit here in Ottawa but the flavour of these early-September beefsteak tomatoes is worth the wait.

Tigerella

A bi-coloured heirloom variety from the UK, indeterminate and quite early at 59 days. Small red tomatoes have nifty yellow stripes. Two-tone slices look great in salads.



Yellow Pear

Small pear-shaped yellow tomatoes on indeterminate plants mature in 70 days. The golden yellow colour of the fruit really warms up the balcony garden. This prolific plant is loaded with fruit by mid-August. Gorgeous in salads.





Heirloom Beefsteak

75 days, indeterminate, large deep red fruit. In the Ottawa area, this slicing tomato matures in late August. Wonderful deep rich tomato flavour.



Heirloom Cherry

Tiny red tomatoes, 65 days, indeterminate. Produces loads of sweet cherry-sized fruit by early August. Great for kids - easy to grow, easy to pick!