YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Friday May 25, 2012
Greengirl: State Fair Champion 2006
Posted on August 31st, 2005 – 7:53 AMBy Jaime Chismar
A few weeks ago, as my tomatoes started to ripen and my cukes started flowering, I got kinda cocky. Okay, I got really cocky like Clint-Eastwood-give-me-a-fistful-of-dollars-or-die cocky. I was so freakin’ confident in my newbie gardening successes, I decided it was time to pit my veggies against the best of the best. I registered for not one but THREE amateur veggie competitions at the Minnesota State Fair.
Winner take all! Go Greengirl! Woot! Woot! Woot!
Unfortunately, my garden had other ideas. My tomatoes started to crack. My pole beans pooped out. Squirrels stole my cukes. What I had envisioned as one big bountiful harvest was actually a slow steady trickle of produce. There is no way I will have six perfect tomatoes, six perfect cucumbers and a dozen perfect pole beans by Saturday.
To become a State Fair champion, I don’t need a pep talk as much as I need divine intervention.
Are you a blue ribbon winner? Do you know how to grow an award-winning bean? What sort of tips and tricks should I keep in mind for next year?
4 Responses to "Greengirl: State Fair Champion 2006"
i am sorry to say, i don’t have answers for you - but, while i do not have any state fair aspirations, i am wondering why my tomatoes crack (water issues?), how i can avoid this problem, and whether i can still eat them even though they are cracked (i have been). any ideas? thanks
As far as I know (which comes from my mom who’s been growing veg as long as I can remember) the reason tomatoes crack is because they get too dry for too long then get watered or rained on. With the new moisture they grow way too fast and thus the skin cracks. Whether that’s actually right or not, I don’t know.
I’m pretty sure you can still eat them. Just make sure there isn’t any mold or rot inside.
I have been growing tomatoes since I was a kid big enough to figure out which ones the weeds were. My experience is that you can do all the right stuff and still sometimes you get cracks. The heat, lack of natural moisture, and varieties all come into play and cracks happen.
The good news is, most of the time they eat/can just fine once ya cut the cracks out.
Tadalafil
Tadalafil
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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