Chicagoist: Gardenist: Ripening in the Dog Days

guest

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 19:38:30 -0600

#4 here ... No, I don't have any patterns of my own to mention. I tend to think weather is chaotic enough that it doesn't really follow those types of patterns. I was just wondering if you'd heard a forecast somewhere or something. Heck, with weather, one system's as good as the next. I'm sure you're right as often as Tom Skilling.

guest

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:05:04 -0600

#4, I base it on my 2004, 2005, 2006 experience (recent memory, and amount of time in current house). This summer reminds me a lot of 2004. Chicago weather is a little predictable. One summer will be ideal, the next summer will be too dry, the other will have too sporadic of rain and heat. This is just my observations, and not anything I have read. The farthest outside Chicago I've lived is by Arlington Racetrack so it's a good rule of thumb for me. If there is a different pattern you notice, I'd like to hear.

guest

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:52:17 -0600

Hey, guest #1. I'm just curious, on what do you base your veggie forecast for 2008 and 2009?

Navin

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:00:28 -0600

Wow yeah, thanks #1 I've got my first tomato plant producing its first tomato right now and you answered a lot of questions.

Chuck Sudo

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:39:35 -0600

Thanks for the tips.

guest

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:22:26 -0600

Unless the leaves are dying and there are no more flowers, your plants will continue to produced for another 4-6 weeks, weather permitting. This has been an off summer. My guess is next summer will only rebound slightly. 2009 will be another good year like 2006 when it comes to home grown veggies. My pepper plants are starting their second round of flowers, so I hope they survive to produce. The tomatoes will start coming in like crazy. If that is the color you picked them at, keep them on another day or two if it is sunny. This allows the sugars to get working. Sometimes though, you have to pick early because squirrels like tomatoes and the weight of several of those sized fruits will cause them to fall. But pick them really red. They will soften slightly and be ready for anything. Try the tomatoes in 5-gallon buckets next year. This will allow you to control the watering, weeds, and light. The damn crabapple tree in our backyard is starting to shade the plants, causing them to ripen much later.