Uncle Mike Mahoney

What I grew

Up here in the Northeast, we couldn’t have asked for better tomato weather…you need it hot, and we got it.  My tomatoes have been almost disease-free this year, with just a few minor problems, very minor. 

Surprisingly, I started harvesting early this year - June 15th, in fact, when I began picking cherry tomatoes, like Sun Gold and Sun Cherry.  Now all the medium-size to large varieties are ripening so fast I don’t know what to do with them. 

Of course I’m harvesting my Brandywines, too.  I love this heirloom variety and for me it’s what summer is about.  I grow lots of it because it doesn’t produce heavily but man what a taste!!  Slice those babies up with some buffalo mozzarella and a little pepper, creamy Italian dressing, maybe some fresh basil (I don’t like balsamic…too much heart burn) and yum.

In addition to growing the heirloom Brandywines, I round out my tomato garden with some terrific hybrids.  I’m talking varieties like Celebrity, Big Beef and Better Boy, all producing large, round, blemish-free tomatoes. 

A new variety that we carried this past spring and that I’m growing in my garden is called Mini Charm.  It’s a cocktail tomato or also described as “small grape tomatoes”.  And seriously, they’re small and oval like an olive but the plant’s huge!   In fact, it looks a lot like a Sweet 100 plant, which is quite aggressive and productive, with an absolutely great taste.  I’ll go so far as to say I’d put its taste up there with Sun Gold and Sun Cherry, and they’re my absolute favorite cherry tomatoes. 

What next? Fall crops

And now that my tomatoes are at their peak I’m harvesting them like crazy,  but it’s also time to start my fall cold crops. So today I spent my morning sowing carrots and beets in empty spaces wherever I could find them, and I’ll harvest those in October or November.  To me there’s nothing like fresh carrots from the garden - they just have more taste than the store-bought. 

Another crop I love growing in fall is lettuce and its leafy greens.  You’re probably seeing more of these in the garden centers this year, starting this month but also into September, thanks to the growers stepping up at the supply end.

Speaking of which, I got some lettuce flats the other day that I need to get in the ground soon, so I’m back to the garden for now.      

Brandywine tomato photo by RS Green.  Carrot photo by Sunrise.

Uncle Mike Mahoney

Uncle Mike is Mahoney’s resident vegetable gardening guru. He took after his mother in his passion for growing Tomatoes & other Vegetables. After experimenting with hundreds of varieties in his own backyard, he is finally ready to share his passion with you through his line of Uncle...

Winter Damage on a Rhododendron: Although the leaves may be brown and curled, this doesn’t necessarily mean the plant is dead. In fact in most cases the plant will rebound easily with a little TLC.After a long, cold, snowy winter like we just had, we often see damage to our shrubs and trees often called “winter kill” or “winter damage.” The most common damage is brown or dead-looking azaleas, rhododendrons, holly and other broadleaf evergreens. Most people assume cold temperatures are to blame, but it’s actually caused by dehydration. In winter, cold dry winds and bright sunshine suck moisture from the foliage of broadleaf evergreens, much like chapped lips after a day of skiing. Plus, because the ground is usually frozen and the plant is dormant, plants can’t move water through their roots back to theire leaves. The result is dehydration, browning the tips of leaves or even entire branches. The more exposed to wind and sun, the greater the damage; particularly heartbreaking when it happens to shrubs you’ve loved for 20 years or more. Yes, sometimes the plant is dead and will need to be replaced, but often winter damage only make shrubs appear dead.

How do I know if it can be saved?

Look carefully and you’ll see that the leaves may be brown and brittle but the branch may have good life. Try gently scratching the bark with a fingernail, if underneath it’s greenish and pliable it’s probably still alive. If under the bark is brown and brittle the branch is probably dead – but not necessarily the whole plant. Continue the exploration down the branches and you will probably see some life along the way. Usually I tell people to leave winter damaged shrubs alone until late May. By then you can see the new growth starting, making it easier to see and prune the brittle dead wood. In any case, don’t give up on them to soon – in early spring, winter damage often looks a lot worse than it really is! All you need is a little patience and a good organic fertilizer.

The Scratch Test: Try gently scratching the bark with a fingernail, if underneath it’s greenish and pliable it’s probably still alive. If under the bark is brown and brittle the branch is probably dead – but not necessarily the whole plant.

Holly-tone by Espoma: Use it on all broadleaf evergreens like Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Holly, Boxwood and Andromeda.

Help the recovery with a good organic fertilizer.

I can remember I had a Holly and an Azalea that turned completely brown from winter damage. Then after feeding with Espoma Holly-tone fertilizer and some warmer weather from Mother Nature both plants completely re-foliated and grew back to where they were the previous fall. This saved me the time and effort of replanting the shrub. The earlier in spring you take action the better because it will allow more time for the bare branches to re-bud and start to fill in. There are other products to choose from, but Holly-tone is easy to use and it’s worked well for me. If there is mulch around the base, just push it away to expose the soil. Scratch the soil surface a little to allow for good soil contact and spread Holly-tone around the drip line of the shrub (the area under all branches). Just follow instructions on bag for proper quantity. Then just replace the mulch, water and wait for the magic healing to begin. You may need to go back and do some tip pruning later to cut out some dead wood but it’s far better than throwing out a live plant.

Side note:

There are several products that help prevent winter kill. They’re called “anti-desiccants,” a kind of a sunscreen for plants. Spraying an anti-desiccant places a harmless transparent wax coating over the broadleaves. The effect is to reduce the dehydration caused by wind and sun. Typically it’s applied after the first really cold nigh in late November or December. At Mahoney’s we recommend Wilt Stop by Bonide, but there are other good products to choose from.

The warm-crop planting season is finally here and we can safely plant our crops and yes, our tomatoes.  I love this time of year because my wife and I get together with the kids and pick our favorite tomato varieties to grow, and of course some new ones we may not have tried before. One of my favorite things is slicing up a bunch of different tomatoes (different shapes, sizes, colors, etc.) and tasting with friends. The favorites are usually written down to remember to plant next year.  Over the years we’ve come up with a delicious list.  One question I often get is, “what’s a good tomato?”  I’ve got to answer their question with a question: “good for what?  Salads, sauces, salsa, sandwich slicer or maybe a good cherry or grape.  I have favorites for all occasions.

These are some of my favorites. Try some new ones this year – you may be pleasantly surprised.

Super sweet 100

What a great cherry! I like to call this one the ‘’babysitter’’ because it produces so many small red sweet cherries it will keep the kids busy for hours when you say, “go pick them”. This plant is very vigorous – don’t be confused by the size of the fruit, this is a huge plant and it will take up a lot of space. It’s not great in small pots, as it will outgrow them quickly, but that’s doesn’t make me love it any less.  I strongly recommend it, even if you don’t have kids to entertain.

Sun gold

This one is probably the sweetest cherry I’ve come across.  If you haven’t tried this one, it’s worth it. A little bit on the orange side so it adds a different color to salads. It’s on the low acidic end, too.  

Brandywine

Now this is what summer is about! This old Amish heirloom comes in pink, red and yellow – and they’re all great.  Who knows which is the original, but it doesn’t matter when you taste these. It’s not a heavy producer, so I make sure to grow more than enough. But man what a taste!!  Slice those babies up with some buffalo mozzarella and a little pepper, creamy Italian dressing, maybe some fresh basil (I don’t like balsamic…too much heart burn). Yumm!!! If you’ve grown this one and want to try something new try Burpee’s ‘Brandy Boy’.  It’s a cross between Brandywine and Big Boy. I got a nice yield with that great taste, plus it produces much earlier in the season.  

Big Beef

This hybrid produces nice large, round, blemish-free tomatoes.  But don’t confuse this with commercial varieties that are bred to look ripe before their time. This Big Boy is very disease-resistant. So if you have had problems with disease or cracking try this one, it won’t disappoint you.

San Marzano

This is the plum tomato that all others are judged by.  It’s larger than roma, and tastes better according to my Italian relatives and friends. This variety is open pollinated like roma so you can grow it with other tomatoes without cross pollination (which can result in different tomatoes than what you intended).

Juliet

A large grape or small plum, this is a nice sweet variety that I love in salads, although you may want to slice them in half for the kids because they are slightly larger than your typical grape tomato. Nonetheless they are a nice sweet tomato with a long shelf life.  

Prudence purple

This is another great heirloom I love to grow. These big purplish or dark red tomatoes are another great tasting tomato like Brandywine. A great one for any occasion.  I love mixing these in with a caprese dish. They are really big and meaty and they taste great together.

Ramapo

This one was a surprise. We tried Rampo for the first time last year and it was great.  It’s an old reintroduction of a Jersey favorite.  Medium to large fruit with a great yield, this tomato will please all your uses. In fact I remember tossing a bunch in when making a sauce and they were not to watery. They’ve become a staple in my August salads.

Whopper

This is one big, big, nice tomato. Wait ‘til you see it – size alone is reason enough to grow the ‘Whopper’. You’ll agree, it definitely deserves a spot in your veggie garden. 

Mortgage lifter

This is a big pink or maybe more red tomato that has a heavy yield of large low acid and low seed fruit. But the best part is the story of its origin. It was developed by radiator repairman, M.C.“Radiator Charlie” Byles. Without any experience in breeding, Byles made a successful cross of four of the largest tomatoes he could find - German Johnson, Beefsteak, an Italian variety, and an English variety. With the money he made selling the tomatoes he ended up paying off his mortgage, hence the name.

Lemon boy

If you want yellow, here it is. This medium-sized fruit is great tasting, as yellow as a lemon and has a heavy yield to boot. I love how they really brighten up a salad,

Jet star

This probably is a tomato you may have passed by or maybe you’ve grown it before, but a nice medium fruit sized fruit that is low in acid (you don’t have to be yellow to be low acid).  This plant is a perfect size for those upside down tomato planters, it won’t take down the house when you water it and it also makes a great vine ripe bunch like in the groceries store.

This is just a short list of our ‘Uncle Mike’ varieties that we grow in our growing range in Woburn. We have selected a range of hybrids, grapes, cherries, heirlooms, dwarf, and lots of others varieties.  We also buy a lot from other local quality growers so we have even more of a selection for you, and as we find new ones, well we’ve got to check them out as well right.  All our tomatoes are locally grown so there is less of a chance to get late blight which is a disease that has been a problem in the last few years.

Uncle Mike Mahoney

Uncle Mike is Mahoney’s resident vegetable gardening guru. He took after his mother in his passion for growing Tomatoes & other Vegetables. After experimenting with hundreds of varieties in his own backyard, he is finally ready to share his passion with you through his line of Uncle...

You asked for ‘em, so we got ‘em. Pull up your crops that are finished and extend your growing season with fresh, new broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and other cold crops.

In the past I’ve heard people ask for cold crops (veggies that get planted in late August and early fall) but there wasn’t much available. But due to the interest in home veggie gardening, some of the growers (especially our Growing Division in Woburn) are growing some of these great tasting veggie garden season extenders.

What. When.

These cold crops can be planted now through fall and can include things like broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, kale, Chinese cabbage (bok choi), Swiss chard, spinach, and more. So if those summer crops have run their course or maybe some unforeseen (rhymes with Irene) problems cut your season short; these cold tolerant plants can extend your season late into the fall or even winter. Harvest timing is between 30 to 60 days, so plant now and harvest greens with the goblins – usually end of October, but I remember picking my broccoli last year in December and harvesting my carrots (that I covered in hay) in March.

Contain your enthusiasm

Guess what? These veggies also grow well in containers! Better yet, things like the kale or cabbage can serve as a decorative fall plant as well as an edible. They can sit on a doorstep and be very decorative just like the fall mums, asters, kale and cabbage. ALERT: The typical ornamental kale and cabbage shouldn’t be confused with the edible varieties – they look the same but have a bitter taste and rough texture. So make sure you get the edible ones if you’re looking to eat them.

So if you’re not ready to wave good-bye to the garden season just yet, or you just want to try something new, we got ‘em right now.

Tell us what you’re going to grow. If you want to confirm the availability of a particular variety, please call the Mahoney’s you plan to visit.

Uncle Mike Mahoney

Uncle Mike is Mahoney’s resident vegetable gardening guru. He took after his mother in his passion for growing Tomatoes & other Vegetables. After experimenting with hundreds of varieties in his own backyard, he is finally ready to share his passion with you through his line of Uncle...