Spring is Near

2 more weeks of Winter and then it will be Spring. Somehow this Winter doesn’t feel that wet. That I am surprised to hear that North Canterbury is still in drought. Do people realized by now that the man made change to the natural landscape is the reason for climate change? Perhaps, too much credit is given to our co2 emission? Nature is always on a correction course, whether we like it or not.

Rainfall this week, 26mm. A high of 13.1dC and a low of -0.6dC. The snow has been washed off the hills from the weekend rain. The land is saturated, waterfalls are happening, and yesterday, the river came right up.

What happens when the water reached the top 2 electrified wires on the fencing?

It turned out to be a beautiful day today, albeit a bit windy. I gave all the Tagasaste Tree Lucerne a good haircut. It helps them to form a strong trunk, and also opens up the view.

The tulips are coming through now, this one has divided into 2 bulbs.

And the bluebells. I am thinking of some snowdrops next season. And a bit of division to go with that. Something like, cutting a hundred bulbs into quarters and you get 400 bulbs out of it. Did I read that one out of the Propagation Hand Book?

Some different tomato varieties that I am going to trial this season. It also occur to me that I can grow 2 generations of tomatoes in one season, with some luck. I’ll give that a go and see how it pans out.

1. Eclipse Fireball F1 – Fruit are golden yellow with a distinctive ‘Eclipse’ colouring/shading on the shoulders of the fruit. Yellow fruit about ping pong ball size. The dwarf plants cascade well making it perfect for containers, baskets and small gardens. Most golden tomatoes are low in acid, but not this one! Acid is high, giving a magnificent flavour.
2. Amethyst Cream Cherry – Lovely white cherry with purple antho splashes on the top. Great flavor, delicate but complex. Big production. Sunburn, crack resistant. Great hang time and shelf life.
3. Blue Gold – Amazing 2-3 oz. Blue and gold bright yellow tomato with tops that turn black with anthocyanin. Interrior is red-yellow bi-color that is sweet and fruity. High production plant. Sunburn, crack resistant. Great hang time and shelf life.
4. Weissbehaarte – We are proud to introduce this rare, old German heirloom that produces lovely, little 2 oz. cream to pale yellow jewels that are very juicy and sweet. Large vines set high yields, and tender fruit are globe shaped; skin is shiny and silky smooth.
5. Blue Berries – 75 days. Here’s a small cherry variety from Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. Very dark purple color, which means it’s super-rich in anthocyanins. Unripe, the fruits are a glowing amethyst purple. At maturity they turn deep red where the fruit was shaded; the areas that received intense sunshine are a purple so deep it’s almost black! The flavor is intensely fruity, and sugar-sweet! Plants are very productive, yielding all season in elongated clusters that look so beautiful. A new favorite here at Baker Creek!
6. Wagner Blue Green – 80 days. This great “Blue” tomato comes from renowned heirloom/OP breeder Tom Wagner. Color is an incredible blue, with green flesh! We were impressed with its beauty and great flavor! The round fruits are around 3 inches in diameter, and are very smooth and blemish-free
7. Sunrise Bumblebee – 70 days. Chefs love the luminous swirls of reds and oranges, inside the fruits and out! Everyone loves the sweet, fruity taste, too! Oblong little fruits weigh barely an ounce, sometimes show a pronounced beak at the blossom end. Another member of the incredible new ‘Artisan’ series

These are out of stock at the moment, but hopefully I will be able to get my hands on them in November and grow them this season.

1. Kaleidoscopic Jewel – Exotic small striped. Very, very beautiful tomato. Large productive plants. Oval shaped fruits that start off green with beautiful purple anthocynin stripes and splashes. As it ripens it turns mutiple shades of red and black with dark stripes. Flavor is good and it does well in hot and cool weather.
2. Amethyst Jewel – Gorgeous pink with purple amethyst splashes. Large trusses load up with great tasting exotic looking fruit. 1-3 0z. Large production, hang on the vine ability with real tomato flavor. All around crowd pleaser.
3. Gold Berries – 80 days. Incredibly beautiful cherry type in purple and yellow. Long clusters are packed with small, half-inch bright yellow cherry fruits. Each has indigo shoulders, bursting with loads of antioxidants, anthocyanin in this case. The flavor is very sweet and rich, and the plants are so productive. Sunburn and crack resistant, and the fruits hold well on the vine or in storage. A choice selection out of the original Wild Boar Blue Berries

The Orchard Cottage this week. The existing tomato varieties that I will keep growing will be Indigo Rose, Tomaccio, Small Sweet Orange, Yellow Pear, Super Snow White, and Black Zebra.