Renton Gardening Progress Report

Halladay Mortgage Lifter

Tomatoes are quickly turning red. There are three varieties growing: Halladay Mortgage Lifter, which is a variety not available commercially, but does well for Pacific Nortwest Gardeners.
Often with many tomato varieties, long periods of hot and sunny with warm nights are required, something the Seattle area cannot provide, which is why many gardeners around here grow smaller tomatoes, rather than beefsteak size, because they ripen more quickly.
But Halladay grows big and heavy quickly, and is sweet and juicy. This is my third year growing them, and I save the seeds for future use, since one can't find the seeds or starts in stores.
Then there's Sweet Baby Girl, a fairly common but nice and prolific red cherry tomato.
And last but not least is Sun Sugar, a relative of the much heralded Sun Gold, an orange cherry tomato that's smaller than Sweet Baby Girl, but bursting with tangy sweet juiciness.
Peppers are also doing well. Giant Marconi is producing large, long peppers that are great for grilling or roasting.
And the "Tam" mild jalapenos are prolific as usual, and very dependably produce well in these parts.
Originally had 19 melon plants, and now have 5, but have some small green melons. Melons are pretty finicky.
Had lots of lettuce, and just planted more for a fall harvest, and also planted mustard greens, turnips, spinach, broccoli, and brussel sprouts for the fall.
Sugar Snap peas recently got all harvested, then dug up to plant broccoli. The peas produced dependably for about a month.
Blueberries are fruiting well now, marionberries are done after a month or so of producing large and sweet berries, and raspberries are producing in fairly small numbers at this point. It's the Autumn Bliss variety, a berry a bit firmer and larger than many raspberries, and delicious.
For the first time, grapes are producing fairly well. It took a few years.
I'm ready to dig up the kiwi vine. They demand water and don't produce fruit, and I don't especially like their looks. Diane thinks I should give them another year, but I think they belong in the compost bin, that another grape vine would do well on the same structure.
Some day I'll grow pumpkins.
Last year we donated quite a few of the mild jalapenos to the food bank because they were so prolific, and in doing so may have disappointed a few Mexicans, who maybe were expecting something hotter.
But the mild jalapeno is an all ocassion pepper, good in salads, omelettes, stuffed, grilled, etc.
It's good to garden in the Pacific Northwest. Some things can be grown almost all year, because it doesn't get all that cold.
But I'd be happy if avocados grew here.
I guess I'll just have to wait for more global warming.