Garden update

Hydroponics: same as last year even with only 2 plants , the leaves started wilting . The massive root ball seems to be too big for the size on the reservoir. Possible next year a single Dutch bucket system for each tomato plant. Shifted to a recirculating system to add more capacity to the nutrients and require less topping off as the growth rate increases the more nutrients are used some days topping off at twice  a day. I occasionally trimmed the plants of shoots , but even just two plants, they grew massive main shoots from the base and went into the budding stages quickly. Don’t know if the plants will survive and continue during the heat wave, as of now none no substantial browning of the leaves buds are intact. Overall I like the type of tomato larger than last years cherry type. We will see about the taste when ripe.  addendum: some of the shoots have regained their strength while some have browned.

Conventional gardening: One of the tomato plants, hydroponically started was transplanted to soil, a small piece of weed stop fabric was used at the base. The growth rate was a bit slower than the hydro system, but there is no signs of stress on the plant. Soil temp is of course cooler than the exposed hydro reservoir. Continued to feed and water it with about the same nutrients as the hydro system. Roughly looks about the same or a bit less fruiting than the hydro system.

If it’s July then it raspberry picking time. No maintenance per say  on the bushes in the yard.  They  have spread into 2 different areas , during the off season they were mowed with a buffer zone between them. One section receives more sun that the other. About a 15 minute pick time today at high noon heat and sun, the midday siesta broken by the occasional sound of mowers, weed wackers and blowers in the hood. Good  harvest, some berries falling from the canes as I move them,  possibly an earlier pick might have yielded more but those on the garden floor may be for the birds or propagation. Today is a 12 ounce yield. July 03 , 1 lb 5oz. July 06 1 lb, 10 3/8 oz. July 08, 1 lb. 11 oz. July 12: 1 lb 2 oz

The berry bushes , side yard, have produced some berries but they quickly disappeared , managed to eat a few while mowing the yard a week or two before. The Viking aronia have some berries may be less than last year. Two cherry bushes have blossomed one is recovering when it got ran over by driving my pickup to the rear door when the basement clean out was underway severing one of the main shoots. After nutrient feed, many base shoots have sprung.

It seems to me through the years the different type of the fruit producing plants either raspberries, tomato or bush cherries have their annual “day in the sun” as far as fruit production.