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Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.

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Old May 12, 2006   #1
tanagerzoo
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Default Gone in the blink of an eye

Every year, I anticipate some disaster so I always oversow seeds. Then, I end up with a ridiculous amount of plants after I'm done planting. In my little microcosm of life I don't seem to have any friends, family, or co-workers with any interest in growing tomatoes. After giving my annual one plant to my UPS man's 6 year old daughter (only one in her family who likes tomatoes!) and a handful to neighbor who always stops to chat when dog walking, I am left with 80+ tomatoes (around 30 heirloom varieties) and 25 pepper plants.

So this year, I decided to donate mine to a local festival that has been going on for the last 70 or so years on Mother's Day weekend (Th-Sat) The profits from Flower Market go to children's charities.

So Tuesday night, I spent 2+ hours taping on labels I made on the computer that identified each plant, gave some basic info about it plus whatever history I knew regarding the variety. Wednesday morning, on the drop off date, I dropped them off.

Thursday afternoon (opening day) I decided to drop by at around 1:30 in the afternoon to see if they'd managed to sell a plant or two. I get there to find about a dozen and a half or so of really scraggly looking tomatoes (bloody butcher and celebrity). I asked the volunteer worker where the rest of the tomatoes were. She said "that's it!" And I said, "but I dropped off about 100 plants--they were in Solo 9 oz cups with labels?" And she told me that they couldn't sell them fast enough--they were all gone less than 2 hours after opening for business! AND, they sold them for the same price as the tomatoes being sold by the commercial growers under the vendor tent!

I'm really tickled. I honestly expected there to be left overs on Saturday at closing. And there were a bunch of "kooky" (at least kooky to the "tomatoes are only red and round" people) varieties. I donated the following varieties: AGG, ARGG, Brandywine OTV, Brandywine Liams, Burracker's Favorite, Crnkovic Yugoslavian, Earl's Faux, Debbie, Green Giant, Green Grape, Green Zebra, Indian Stripe, Lithuanian, Lucky Cross, Milka's Red Bulgarian, Neves Azorean Red, Noire de Crimme, Paul Robeson, Persimmon, Prue, Purple Russian, Sara Galapagos, Silvery Fir Tree, Tangella, Wes, and White Queen.

Christine
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Old May 13, 2006   #2
kimpossible
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That's great, Christine! I will have to donate my extras this year as well. There really is an eager market for heirlooms - lots of possibilities. I love being able to introduce friends & families & coworkers to new varieties. We live in a rural area that is close to a couple of main highways. There are roadside produce stands along the way. I haven't done it myself yet, but I think I will in the near future.
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Old May 13, 2006   #3
pooklette
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Glad to hear your plants were such a hit!

Those 'kooky' varieties you listed would probably sell like mad in my area too simply because you can't usually find them here. We don't have any plant vendors or farmers markets offering open pollinated or heirloom veggies here. None!

P.S. I love that you were able to contribute to a good cause and share the tomato wealth at the same time. Kudos!
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Old May 13, 2006   #4
carolyn137
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Christine, you certainly did share some DARN good varieties there.

And for such a good cause.

Each year until I fell I also gave away a lot of plants but not for any one cause, just to some local friends.

And those same friends don't have many other good sources for heirloom varieties and none of them want to start plants from seed, which I offered to them, so it will be a different season for them this summer.

As for me, Martha ( gardenmama from VA) will be sending up the 12 varieties I chose and one other person we ALL know, has suggested driving over here from MA and has also offered some different varieties.

So what am I going to do with all those tomatoes when my two cat kids don't eat them?

Well, after the first surgery there will be the nurses and aides and PT person and meals on wheels person coming by, and for the second surgery the same, so I don't think I'll have any problem at all in sharing all the expected fruits that I won't be eating.

And it will be the first year that I'm not growing new varieties that I'll be saving seed from, so that will be a nice break.

Actually I have several new varieties adopted out being grown in ME, and NC and NYS and I do intend to thank those folks in the thread on my health, for they will be the ones saving seed so I can list them in the SSE Yearbook and perhaps in the future make another large seed offer although that's entirely unclear at present.
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Old May 13, 2006   #5
kimpossible
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Carolyn, What 12 varieties did you choose?
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Old May 13, 2006   #6
carolyn137
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Carolyn, What 12 varieties did you choose?

Old faves for the most part Kim.

From Martha's very very long list of available seeds I chose 18 at first and then cut it back to the 12 starred below;

*Aker's West Virginia
*Aunt Gertie's Gold
Anna Russian
*Black Cherry
Brandywine (Sudduth)
*Bulgarian #7
Chadwick's Cherry, aka Camp Joy
*Cherokee Green
Jaune Flammee
German Red Strawberry
*KBX ( a PL Kellogg's Breakfast that was Martha's discovery
*Omar's Lebanese
Sandul Moldovan
*Sungold
*Tidwell German
*Mama Leone
*Sara's Galapagos
*Virginia Sweets

I sent seeds for the last three to Martha since she didn't have them. Initially Mama Leone didn't germinate so my backup was Wes, of plants she already had going, and then Mama did germinate so I guess I'm getting maybe 13 plants.

I told Martha that 13 wasn't the best number to send thru the mail, or whatever, and suggested she either add one or euthanize one, but she was shocked at my use of the word euthanize.
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Old May 14, 2006   #7
Organic_Nut
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I could never euthanize a tomato plant.

that is one of my problems. I try to save them all.

Super list of strains.
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Old May 15, 2006   #8
bigcheef
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No Brandywine Sudduth this year Carolyn?

We'll just have to send you a care package when the fruits start rolling in.

Christine,
I too was surprised at the success of my heirloom plant sales at work. I guess the word is getting out. I am acutally planning on selling fruits and fresh salsa at a roadside stand (chair in my front yard) this year. I'll post my success or failur later in the season.

RIK
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Old May 15, 2006   #9
Cecilia_MD7a
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Off-topic, but I just had to mention:

Organic Nut - After seeing your avatar, I figure you must be my long-lost twin brother!
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