[murihikukid]

Hi..Thank goodness we do not have fungus gnats here...So here is a small story that hopefully is relevant..Its nearly midnight and while my tea was cooking I was out in my greenhouse pulling out the last seasons crop from the washing machine drums which I use as Pots prior to my disinfecting everything.....Now let me explain 6 of my Tasty Tom plants last season were purchased from a garden centre for $22.50 (but this was later refunded ..lucky me)...Apparantly these plants were "specially" ordered by somebody from a Growing Company but he then rescinded on the order....and so they ended up in a local garden centre and then into my greenhouse where they were transplanted and looked after along with about other 12 plants that I had grown from seed....and had also been transplanted into washing machine drums........

The Tasty Toms thrived and produced buckets of fruit ...while my plants hardly produced anything.......and I presume I know the reason....I am always interested in what I find under the soil....and this is what I have now found..
The Tasty Toms have a huge extensive root system while mine have not..its basicly unbelievable the difference...This did not surprise me as I knew this was my weak point of growing....It certainly raises a question in my mind ...Can I buy 2 or 3 of these "special" Tasty Toms this year if available and simply use cuttings off them for the rest of the Tasty Toms I want to grow..I already know that the laterals produce special plants also.....
I have been building a Growth Chamber that I hoped would help me with my hardening off of my seeds but my friend an electrician who is building the temperature control unit has suddenly been very busy and I do not know when he will have it ready ...This unit will sit outside the chamber where the plants will be and they will be connected by pipes/tubes....and control everything temperature wise electronicly .... there will be a controled lighting system inside the chamber as well for the seedlings....but unfortunately it looks like it will not be ready in time for me.....
I could with some effort put my seeds through a hardening off period myself ....Temperature wise would not be a problem as its round 10 degrees here at the best of times at this time of the year so I could easily keep the temperature up to that....This would help me til the temperature control unit is finished....Then there is mycorrhizae???I used it last season but did it work...?? To be honest I do not know but my intentions are to use it again.....unless I can establish what is being used by the Growing Company on their Plants..

Now I have now found out that I have a neighbour (not far away) who is from the UK and he has had 20 years in the business in the UK......He is soon shifting to the North island but hopefully I can get some secrets from him before he goes..;....
I am months ahead of where I was 12 months ago which should help me and once I get some peat moss I could be set for a bumper crop ??
Thanks Mk

By the way ...Tasty Toms v Campari....as I understand Campari is available in the USA.....I am sure they are brother and sister...I thought Tasty Tom was a touch more probably acidic to Campari and a friend also thought that in a taste test but They are so close to being Identical...and I grew a Campari which initially got some bleach spray but once out in my Greenhouse turned into a beautiful plant loaded with fruit....