Ever pull a tomato off the vine and think... "What on earth happened here??" If it looks similar to the one in the photo → that's called 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴. 🐱 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴? It's a physical deformity that shows up as scarring, puckering, and sometimes deep cracks or holes near the blossom end (the bottom of the tomato, opposite the stem). Apparently, someone thought the scarring looked like a cat's face. But I may have to disagree there. What do you think?? 🌺 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁? Cat facing happens when the plant is under stress right around the time a flower is forming. That stress messes with pollination, and the flower ends up developing extra plant tissue that's fused together instead of forming smooth & round. That flower still turns into a tomato, but the fruit grows around all that extra tissue, which is where the scarring and puckering come from. 𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: - 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, especially nights below 55°F (13°C) while the blossom is forming - 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿, which pushes leafy growth over healthy flower development - 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘁 landing on the plant at the wrong time - 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 right around the flower clusters 🍅 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 This happens most commonly with big beefsteak-style and heirloom varieties, think Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, and Cherokee Purple (which is what's in my hand in this photo). Their flowers are naturally bigger and more complex, which increases the chance of cat facing. Cherry and grape tomatoes almost never cat face since their flowers are small and simple. 𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲? Yes! It's just cosmetic. You can cut away the scarred parts and enjoy the rest. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿? Not necessarily; it depends on what stressors your plants encounter around bloom time & which varieties you're growing. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁? You can't control the weather, but you can stack the odds. Wait to transplant until nights are reliably above 55°F (13°C) and go easy on the nitrogen.

I am quite sure that no one else ever eats berries straight from the bush whilst watering their garden. Oh, you do? Well just be more careful than I was this morning. I was watering (eating) raspberries quite happily when I put a few in my mouth. They did not taste like berries so I rapidly removed them and silently screamed when I realized there was a bug among the berries. See attached pic. Apparently a stink bug and fortunately NOT poisonous. I am fine though will be a bit off of raspberries for awhile. Said bug appeared fine and is roaming the grass no doubt about to boast of his brave adventure with his bug buddies tonight. In case you are wondering, he tasted minty. Cheers!

What's been coming out of your garden? Veggies? Herbs? Flowers? Mostly weeds?? 🫣 Let's see some harvest photos!

I do believe that snails have to drink water to survive. I watched these guys belly up to the lily pond so they could replenish themselves after a long hot day. I don't like them in the garden but it's ok with me if they hang with the tadpoles.

I harvested 2 lbs 9.6 oz of blackberries this morning, and that wasn't even half of what's out there ready to pick! At the current rate of $0.67/oz for organic blackberries at the store, that makes this a ~ $28 harvest! Woohoo! 🙌 To celebrate, here are some fun facts about growing blackberries. 😊 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗹: A pH of 6.0–6.5 is their sweet spot, the same range as blueberries and strawberries. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗻: Less sun = fewer berries. They want at least 6–8 hours a day. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗲: - Floricane varieties produce on second-year canes. So you plant, wait a year, then harvest. - Primocane (everbearing) varieties fruit in their very first season AND again the following year, giving you two crops from one plant. 𝗣𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 = 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: It feels counterintuitive, but pruning canes during the growing season encourages branching, which means more fruiting sites. Don't skip it! 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸: - Wait until there's zero red or pink left on the berry, AND it comes off the cane with almost no effort. If you're tugging, it's not ready. - Bonus tip: ripe blackberries lose their glossy shine and look slightly dull. That matte finish = peak sweetness. Pick those! 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱: A well-maintained planting can produce for 15+ years. Plant them once and enjoy them for a long, long time. ⚠️ 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺: - Blackberries spread, and they spread fast. New canes will pop up beyond where you planted them, so you want to be able to spot and remove any strays easily. - Keep them away from your main garden beds and annual veggie areas. They will absolutely take over if given the chance. A dedicated spot with clear boundaries is the move! Are you growing blackberries? Thinking about it?