My tomato list for '13

[Botany]

Black Prince (cherry) 1st time
Sungold (cherry) my fav cherry
Arkansas Traveler 1st time
Jet Star ...... very good central OH tomato
Black Krim my new #1 Fav
Mr. Stripy
Mortgage Lifter ... DUer suggestion 2 years ago thanx!
Brandywine ..... taste of the Gods
Cherokee Purple
Rutgers
*****
planting mix .... pro mix BX, composted cow flop, sand (SiO2) potting soil, and espoma plant tone .....
my first batch had old tomato stuff from my compost and it had "the wilt" in it and so I had to pitch all
of the tomato plants and the first planting mix and start again.



*********
Serrano Peppers, cilantro, green and yellow bell peppers, white onions, red and yellow potato (red skins & yukon
gold)red chili peppers (cayenne they dry nice and look preety in the window), basal, and parsley .... KY pole beans
and horse radish too.

*****

for work I just got in some big bluestem, iron weed, red milkweed, N.E. aster, and fox sedge from a friend's
biz in wisconsin ... ecological restoration work.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Well done! You don't want to see my tomato list....

or maybe you've seen it on my blog. over 200 varieties....yikes.

Very happy to have my garden all planted - now it is maintaining time. We are having weird weather - 41 degrees this morning - but the 80s aren't far ahead.

Have a great garden season!

[Botany]

4. when i saw my first patch was >70% wilt I was pissed ....

..... but I pitched the bad plants and bought new ones and changed out the planting mix

[femmocrat]

2. Sounds wonderful!

I wasn't able to start my plants from seed this year (due to a health issue). I will surely miss those gorgeous heirlooms in August and September. I'm going to have to rely on the local greenhouse. They will have Rutgers at least.

Oh, I love Arkansas Traveler! One is just the right size for one serving and mine were still getting fruit way into fall last year.

Good growing!

[Botany]

3. lots of places now have good heirloom tomato plants for sale to the public now

Lowes has a good assortment and the company "Bonnie" sells to lots of
garden centers and big box stores.

[femmocrat]

5. Yes, I'll check. Thanks.

Our local greenhouse usually has some. It has been chilly here so they should still have some in stock. It's bad karma to plant them before Memorial Day in PA! We have a frost warning for tomorrow morning! LOL

[Botany]

6. Buy local if possible but I have found that Lowes has some really good strains of tomatoes

...... if you can try lemon boy very very very productive

[Retrograde]

7. Another Rutgers fan!

It's my choice for a general purpose tomato. In addition to Rutgers, I have some bush Brandywines, Striped Stuffer (looks like a pepper but tastes like a tomato), Abe Lincoln, New Yorker, an unknown variety I call Stephanie's Orange because I got the seeds from my friend Stephanie and it's orange. I also have Principe Borghese which are still in their seed pots. And tomatillos.

Not enough sun and heat for peppers in my yard, sadly, and some years even the tomatoes are marginal. But a garden makes one optimistic...

[Botany]

8. Give me a rutgers over an early girl, a big boy, or a beef steak any day.

You might want to try Black Krim if not enough sun and heat is a problem.

A dark mulch or a black weed cloth or even some black plastic under the
tomatoes will give you a little heat because of the albedo effect.

[wiggs]

9. Yep, good list. I always grow Black Krim and can't imagine a better tasting tomato. This year I

splurged and got a grafted Black Krim. So far so good...lots of tomatoes coming, no blossom end rot yet (used some gypsum and bone meal this year), very vigorous and happy. Can't wait.

Tried Black Prince last year and loved it
Always grow Sungold and Green Zebra
Tried Mr. Stripey and found them easy, impressive growers but mealy fruit.
Trying Persimmon, Black Sea Man, and Caspian Pink for the first time. Caspian Pink is supposed to be even better tasting than Brandywine.

Good luck!

[Kolesar]

10. Cultivated "Geronimo" from seed for use as "storage tomatoes"

I have grown Burpees' Long Keepers and stored them for use through early November. This year, I am trying the variety: Geronimo. I read on another forum that Geronimo is a good choice for storage. It is a long season tomato, about 85 days, IIRC. The Johnny's Seeds packet describes them as "greenhouse tomatoes".

I used to pick the Long Keepers when green in early September. I would wipe them with bleach solution then put them on a tray in our basement. Our basement is not a very cool spot because we have insulation below the slab. It has to do! Some tomatoes spoil, but I always had dozens of tomatoes in October.