After just two days in the ground, the French Breakfast radish (from Seed Saver's) and Purple Top White Globe turnips (from Botanical Interests) have already sprouted. The American Purple Top Yellow rutabagas (from Southern Exposure) are also popping up. We've had very heavy rain the last few days, although nothing like the 20 inches dumped on Georgia, and I was worried that the seeds might be washed away. Instead, they seem to appreciate the moisture and the cooler weather it brought. I see the beginnings of the broccoli and beets emerging, but still no sign of the brussel sprouts, fava beans, radicchio or orach. The seeds in our window boxes, nasturtium and mache, haven't done anything yet either, nor have the parsley and dill seeds I planted among the existing herb plants. Mountain cress seeds were quick to germinate in the garden, and will soon need to be thinned. This is the first time I've grown mountain cress, and I look forward to experimenting with it in salads and on sandwiches.
The fall tomato transplants look fantastic. The Matt's Wild Cherry (seeds from Southern Exposure) have lots of little green tomatoes already. The cherry tomato plant I started from collected seed has lots of flowers, but no fruit yet. The Green Zebras look like they'll be the last to set fruit. I discovered three tomato hornworm caterpillars on one of the Green Zebras. I pulled them off and smashed them in the driveway, shocking David. He said my behavior was very un-vegetarianlike, but I had no qualms about eliminating those garden pests in order to save our tomato plants.
When I see hornworm larvae, I just pull them off the tomato plants and throw them in a lawn area. These guys can't crawl that fast, and they may at least feed some parasitic wasps on their journey back to the tomato plants.
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