I have Cherokee(heirloom), San Marzano(paste type) and Juliette(grape type).

is super vulnerable to ground hogs and other raiders. I've tried a few things over the years, but nothing really thrives there. It desperately needs to be tilled down several feet, covered with landscape fabric or plastic and allowed to bake for at least a season... and then a very good fence added. I might get to that one day, but in the meantime I like my little front step garden and I can take it with me if we have to move someday, unlike the investment I'd need to make to get the in-ground space workable.

I do have some flower beds around the side of the house, so I get to do about as much weeding as I can stand every week.

My first property had woods and fields close to the garden, and it was a losing battle to save the very nice broccoli I grew. The place we live at now has about 120 foot open lawn area to the woods from the garden, and with neighborhood dogs and cats patrolling, I haven't been bothered yet in five years, although I have seen some at the edge of the wooded area. We do use pots for some of our herbs and flowers. I notice the basil that grows in pots are more tender than the basil I have in the garden, and they are all of the Genovese variety.

-

Black Krim
Yellow and Red Brandywine
"Mr. Stripey"
Pineapple

Yum.... What do you use for fertilizer? I try and keep everything organic...I use a solution of Dr Bronner's peppermint soap for pests (which works great). Just wondering what fertilizer would be good. They are doing incredibly well and want to get a good yield. (however the discovery of 4 baby groundhogs in the back yard have me a tad )

And I'm not a purist(but a believer) on the organic thing, so I use my worm castings and soybean meal for fertilizing my tomatoes. But, sometimes early in the season, I might give them one spray of Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer, which seems to brighten them up more. But I stay away from too much fertilizer, whereas one of my neighbors pour it on, and get very bushy plants, but no better production.

the street and gave away to neighbors.

Also growing Mr. Stripey, Green Zebra, Black Cherry, Japanese Black Triefele. Was just given an Italian Tree Tomato and an Indigo Rose that I might try. Always love and grow Sungold but skipping it this year.

I'm intrigued... tell me more.

see the google images...can be stunning and is supposed to be delicious.

I haven't grown one or seen one....got it from a great organic seedling nursery in Richmond, CA.

I use the Wiggle Worm brand: http://www.vermiculture.com/store_soil_builder.html


It's magic stuff. And speaking of magic, Lyric's famous milk bath is an amazing elixir for any vegetable (Search DU for "milk bath" for the recipe.)

My local groundhogs seem to like to eat seedling tomatoes and/or about-to-be-perfectly-ripened tomatoes. Picking them and doing the final ripening indoors helps a bit.

Good luck and keep posting. This group is an great resource for garden advice. I've learned so much from my fellow DU green thumbs.

Sweet peppers, hot peppers, lettuce, onions, chives, strawberries--all in pots on our apartment's terrace, or hanging from hooks. I'm trying to start some bush zucchini. (Don't have room for vines.)

Oh, I put some flowers in pots, too, just so the landlord will think it looks nice. Geraniums, hydrangea, peonies, vinca, and marigolds.

I call it my "pot farm."

First time gardening in the ground -- community garden 6X6 plot -- rather than pots

gonna make some bamboo cages, if anyone has suggestions (thinking of tripod type thing). 2 Sungolds and 1 Cherokee

But this year there's one little guy who keeps feasting on my morning glories.

Hope your squirrels are merciful. Would love to see some pics of your garden.

Eleven cherry tomatoes here - (Sungold X 4, Sungold Select II, Red Ambrosia, Orange Ambrosia, Blush, Maglia Rose, Tiger Tom, Green Zebra Cherry)



And around 200 in pots here -



Indeterminate varieties:

Caitlin's Lucky Stripe
Cherokee Chocolate
Cherokee Green
Cherokee Purple
Piennolo
Torre Canne
Anna Russian
JD Special C Tex
Little Lucky
Big Sandy
Mexico Midget
Striped Sweetheart
Hege's German Pink
Tennessee Britches
Abraham Lincoln
Lillian's Yellow Heirloom
Lucky Cross
Large Lucky Red
Bridge's Mikes
Dester Amish
Giant Syrian
Polish
Aunt Ruby's Green
Nepal
Don's Double Delight
Selwin Yellow
Costoluto Genovese
Big Willy
Strawberry Margarita
Dana's Dusky Rose
German Johnson RL
Anna Russian
Orange Strawberry
Reinhart Chocolate Heart
Cuostralee
Regina's Yellow
Burgundy Traveler
German Johnson PL
Great White
Brandywine
Nelson's Golden Giant
Green Grape
Yellow Ponderosa
Leggy F1 - Lazy F2 X Orange Banana
Softy F1 - Dwarf Stone X German Red Strawberry
Amana Orange
Sunny orange X Orange Pear F1 - Fancy F1
Virginia Sweet
Ivalde F1
Taps PL
Reinhart Green Heart
Arkansas Traveler
Nebraska Wedding
Abraham Lincoln PL
Lazy F2 X Dino Eggs - Kiwi F1
Trader Joe Yellow Cherry
Hege's German Pink
Cosmonaut Volkov Red
Black from Tula
Green Giant
Lucky Cross RL
Green Giant RL
Taps RL
Stump of the World
Teddy Smooth
Yellow Bell
Hillbilly
Teddy Steak
Druzba
Lucinda
Green Doctors
Large Lucky Red RL
Lucky Cross RL
Hillbilly PL
Summertime Green Ind
Casey's Pure Yellow RL
Lillian's Yellow RL
Indian Stripe F2 sl purple stem
Speckled Roman
Maiden's Gold
Indian Stripe F2 pur stem
Cuor di Buie
Cherokee Chocolate
Cooper's Special
Kellogg's Breakfast
Cherokee Purple
Tondino
Sorrento
Indian Stripe F2 pur stem
Summertime Green Indet
Casey's Pure Yellow RL
Striped Sweetheart

Work on our Dwarf tomato breeding project

Dwarf Lemon Ice F6
Dwarf Pink Passion F7
Dwarf Lemon Ice F6
Dwarf Pink Passion F7
Dwarf Golden Heart F7
Dwarf Scarlet Heart F4
Dwarf Kelly Green F8
Beauty yellow stripes F4
Tasmanian Red F3
Summertime Gold F7
Dwarf Beryl Beauty
Beauty King F4
Summer Sunrise F9
Grizzly red F5
Chocolate Champion F6
Fred's Tie Dye F4
Cheeful F1
Harmony F1
Dwarf Caitydid F5
Dainty F1
Summertime Gold F8
Boronia F7
Boronia F6
Dwarf Wild Fred F8
Boronia F7
Sweet Scarlet Dwarf F5
Pesty bicolor F4 unusual stripe
Sweet Adelaide F8
Loaves and Fishes F3
Summertime Gold F7
Summertime Gold F5
Sunny ivory F4
Beauty Green flesh F4
Beauty Green flesh F4
Sarandipity F6
Dwarf Sweet Sue F11
Dwarf Rosella Giant F8
Uluru Ochre F4
Rosella Crimson F7
Loxton Lass F5
Chocolate Ligthning F4
Sweet Scarlet Dwarf F6
Dwarf Blazing Beauty F7
Barossa Moon F4
Loxton Lad F4
Dwarf Blazing Giant F4
Barossa Moon F4
Dopey F2
Sarandipity
Perth Pride
Dwarf Caitydid F4
Uluru Ochre F5
Dopey F2
Uluru Ochre F4
Dopey F2
Dopey F2
Ivalde F2 PL
Ivalde F2
Ivalde F2
Ivalde F2
Ivalde F2
Ivalde F2
Dwarf Blazing Beauty F7
Wherokowhai F7
Lucky Swirl RLF4
Beauty purple stripes F4
Dwarf Wild Fred
Dwarf Russian Swirl F6
Sleeping Lady
Uluru Ochre F4
Mallee Rose, orange F4
Dwarf Rosella Giant F7
Tidy striped F4
Patrina Pepperina F3
Dwarf Russian Swirl F5
Neil Lockhart F3
Dwarf Rosella Giant F6
Lucky Swirl PL F4
Tasmanian Pink F3
Tipsy pale orange F6
Dwarf Purple Heart F6
Uluru Ochre F4
Dwarf Arctic Rose F7
Adelaide Festival F4
Bendigo Rose F4
Wherokowhai F6
Uluru Ochre F4
Rosella Crimson F6
Rosella Crimson F5
TastyWine F6
TastyWine F5
TastyWine F6
Dwarf Leesha F4
Wherokowhai F7
Dwarf Blazing Beauty F7
Bendigo Dawn F4
Sweet Scarlet Dwarf F6
Dwarf Blazing Beauty F6
Iditarod Red
Yukon Quest
Dwarf Jade Beauty
Uluru Ochre F4
Boronia F6

Nice to be able to double up on the seasons. I can see you joining the team next year!

called Moscovich, from Johnny's Seeds. 3 plants that I hardened off 2 weeks ago and transplanted out shortly after the new moon.

But I also have 32 feet of sugar snap peas and over the next couple days will be putting out another 32 feet of soybeans. And I have a dozen or so broccoli plants, half a dozen musk melons, a few squash, a dozen or so sunflowers, half a dozen heirloom corns, and a half dozen or so little pepper plants that aren't doing real well this year.

Btw, I had 6 sugar snap peas last year that weren't enough to stir fry and I was't in the mood to pack a salad for lunch. So I tried lining my sandwich with them. They fit perfectly on the bread and added a great crispy, juicy sweetish flavor to the greens.

I'll definitely be trying that one as soon as mine produce.

Early Girl, in containers. Ripe Tomatoes in early July.
BetterBoy, in garden.
German Queen. Heirloom, and so tasty a real sandwich Tomato.
German Johnson. Another tasty heirloom.

so this year she plants even more. She just cant resist when she sees them at the nursery

Black Krim (2)
Early Girl (3)
Cherry (2)
Hawaiian Pineapple (2)
Improved Sun Gold (2)
Cherokee Purple (2)
Husky Cherry
Black Sea Man (2)
Sun Gold Cherry (2)
Sweet 100
Bisque Blue

This year I doubled the size of the garden. We have a friend who raises purebred goats and the goat manure/straw is probably the best fertilizer I've seen. last years tomato plants grew 8 ft tall easily outgrowing the largest cages so I put in 8 ft poles for each plant. Everything is on drip with weedguard laid down. The weedguard really helps locating the hornworms when they show up mid summer. Its easy to see the worm droppings on the weed guard and figure out where to start searching. Better pruning this year should also help. I tried the black light method, dont waste your money, Tomato hornworms DO NOT glow in the dark



crooked neck squash and bean pole. Unreal how productive the green beans are. Might put two of these poles in next year. Asparagus raised bed in background (1st year so 2 more to go before we can pick them)



zuchinnis, more squash, some potatos in the back



this year we are trying an experiment growing potatoes in buckets. 4 or 5 varieties and several different types of buckets to see what works best. You start these in about 3 inches of soil in the bottom of the buckets and then fill to the brim as the potatos grow. Theoretically much higher yields this way.

And "Bisque Blue" just sounds like a gorgeous tomato. Please post some pics when you have a ripe one.

Bet the Lemon Boys would be good in this:


http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/grilled-yellow-tomato-bisque.aspx

grows by the day. Might have to scour the Farmers Market for some golden beauties to make that soup!

For green-fried sandwiches it's still the best.
Also 4 Bonnie Sun-Sugar cherry tomato - sweet and deeelicious!
1 golden heirloom
2 Mister Stripey - the kids love 'em.
4 Rutgers - succeptible to disease & blossom-end rot - but oh, so tasty.

Sounds like it's worth all the heartache for a few perfect fruits.

...because the worms love them so.

We love Oregon Spring (6 oz., tasty, not cherry, but fast and tasty) and an Heirloom saved from last year's Assorted Heirloom that is a large narrow Roma tomato that is about 7 inches long and very tasty, especially cooked in a sauce. Started seeds in late FEBRUARY, transfered to larger containers 3 times in our Maine greenhouse only to put in the raised beds between May 15 and May 22, as the nights are now more mellow in S. Maine. Plan to eat, cook with, freeze sauce, freeze whole blanched tomatoes as well as donate to local food pantry.

Sungold
Cherokee Purple
Bradley ????? 1st time
Mortgage Lifter
Black Krim
German Queen
Marglobe

Makes me smile to think of paying off a house by selling tomatoes.

Got home late. Thanks for all the info! This is a great thread with lots of ideas. Thank you all for your input.

4 other varieties that I try each year...

Sun Sugar
Tiger Stripe
Patio
Sungold

They're so cheerful on a plate.

It doesn't seem to produce as well as the others.

The tomatoes are still green but I am already seeing the "stripes".

If you're not already aware of these guys you need to check them out.

Tomato Grower's Supply

Best selection of tomatoes I've ever seem. And an amazing selection of eggplants and peppers as well.

Enjoy, NCcoast

Before I got into gardening, I had no idea what I was missing!

West/Central Arkansas close to the Oklahoma border.
The Tomatoes didn't do well last year because of Heat & Drought.
We put them out very early this year (against the Old Timers advice) hoping to harvest before the HEAT sets in.
Luckily, no late frost this year.
Some are getting tantalizingly close to picking.


("Oh MAN... I can almost taste it!
I WILL wait until ripe!
Mustn't pick too early....
but I can hardly wait!!&quot

4-Early Girls

4-Rutgers

2-Creoles

2-Cherokee Purples

3-San Marzanos (for cooking & Marinara Sauce)

1-Mr Stripey

1-Yellow Pear

1-German Johnson (couldn't resist the name)

1-Brandywine (we keep trying this one even though it is too hot here)

We are still using the Dirt Devil in the Veggie Garden too.

...especially on those nasty and persistent Squash Bugs.
We also use it indoors on isolated wasps and other undesirables that find their way into the house.
Did you know that it can be used to clean up small messes and Dust Bunnies too!!??
Our rechargeable battery is starting to lose some power & life.
I looking for a way to replace it, though it appears that this is NOT a customer serviceable component, and we may have to BUY a whole nother new one.

Unfortunately, our BIG problem with Zucchini was being caused by the much smaller and harder to see Squash Vine Borer that usually overlaps with the first appearance of Squash Bugs.
There are a bunch of other remedies posted on The Net,
but the most effective one we have found is to simply plant Zucchini after July 4th when the Vine Borer is past its larval stage. We did that last year, and it worked. We harvested beautiful late season Zucchini.

We haven't given up on early Zucchini.
This year, we planted it in a special bed next to the Chicken Yard.
After the Zucchini reaches a size (about now) where the Chickens can hurt it, we are going to open a door cut in the fencing and let the Chickens patrol the Zucchini and some Melons for Squash Bugs. If they will do the work for us....we're all fer it!

We have expanded a bunch, and I've started posting to the Rural/Farm group.
Though we are far from "a Farm", this group seems more applicable.

So far this Spring, things are going well due to our early planting and irrigation. Most of the Veggie garden is on long Soaker Hoses that we run almost constantly now.
The Tomatoes are still setting fruit, though the temps are climbing, and it has stopped raining.
Our area is now officially in Moderate Drought, and close to Severe Drought.
Burn Bans are in effect for most of Arkansas.

We have already given up on White Clover (for our Honey Bees), the wild Black Berries. and some Fruit Trees since it is impossible to irrigate these from our well, and are concentrating on the vegetable beds.
We DID get a good early Honey harvest, and will probably take off some more honey today,
but without rain, that will come to a stop.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1182412

We really pray that THIS is NOT The New Normal,
but fear that it is. We are adapting.
We are working on strategies to get fragile stuff in the ground early and protect it from Late April Frost (which didn't happen this year) and harvest before the Summer HEAT really sets in.

For the heat of Mid-Summer...Black Beans, Okra, Field Peas, heat resistant Bush (Green) Beans,
and a few others. We might try for Late Season Tomatoes by starting seeds around July 4th.


The Early stuff did great this year.
Asparagus and Strawberries were fantastic!.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1182319

We feasted on Asparagus every night for 6-weeks,
and planted more this year.

Good to see you.
We are hunkering down and hoping for rain.

I am going to try rooting some of that same Clematis from cuttings from a friend's vine. SO pretty.

And, as always, I am braced for the squash vine borers here too. I've pretty much resigned myself to growing zucchini for the blossoms instead of the vegetables. We do love to cook w/them the flowers and you can't get them in the grocery or even at the Farmer's Market, so blossom farming it is.

The newest pest is a little squirrel who has decided to eat every morning glory seedling as it comes up. I've been forced to start some in peat disks which I hope to transplant once they've made a second set of leaves. Will probably need some protective chicken wire too. Such a aesthetic blow to my artistic desire for lovely climbing vines and serene blue blooms, but can't let Mr. Squirrel win this battle.

Thanks for the links to your other posts. I've added Rural/Farm Life to my subscriptions so i won't miss another one. Love seeing all your growing things and ZOUNDS(!) you have a rescue deer? I must get reading on that story...

Now that I know where to find you, I look forward to reading updates on all the doings on your little homestead.

She has grown into a beautiful young White Tail Doe.

She has shed her drab Winter Coat, and her Summer colors are beautiful
with amazing Red Highlights.

We set her free last November when we felt she was big enough to take care of herself. She can choose to run with the Wild Deer that inhabit this area,
or to hang with us. She seems to stay fairly close, showing up at random times during the day, occasionally sleeps somewhere Off Campus but always returns in the evenings before Sundown for Treats, Scratching, and Relaxation.

Initially, we thought she was just doing this for the easy food,
but she genuinely seems to enjoy our company, and will lay about even if there is no food involved.


She is very spoiled. She thinks she is Da BOMB, and, of course, she is.





I am putting together an update for her 1st Birthday (July 1st) which I will post to the Rural/Farm Group. My Wife thinks we should give Sweet Tea her own Facebook page, and I would....
if I knew what Facebook was.

I don't have much room so I have only 2 plants. Beefsteak and Beefmaster - I like the big ones so one slice covers a piece of bread. Was hoping to get a hanging basket of little tomatoes but they were sold out at the place I go to for plants. Might find some elsewhere - they were tasty and looked really nice with their redness in a hanging basket on a shepherd's hook in the yard.

Truly one of life's best simple pleasures.

This year I have:

Early Girl(4 and they're my all time favorite.)
Pink Girl
Celebrity
Park's Whopper - 4
Black Prince

I planted 21 plants all together but 1 never made it and 3 more look like theybare going to bite the dust. I planted a bunch of different hot peppers too. I have:

Hot Banana - 4(my favorite)
New Mexiso Big Jim green chili pepper
Hot Cherry pepper
Sweet Cherry pepper
Serrano
Cayenne

I'll post some pics later today. I have to cut the grass now before it gets too hot.

Love seeing other people's green thumbs at work.

Last edited Mon Jun 4, 2012, 12:45 PM - Edit history (1)

Cherry type:
Sweet 100
Black cherry
Chocolate cherry

Sauce type:
San Marzano
San Marzano Nano
Chico

Early season:
Silvery Fir
Taxi
Early Girl
Super precoce

Main Season:
Lemon Boy
Cherokee Purple
Old German
Rainbow
Kellogg's Breakfast
Cuore di Bue
Black Stripe
Longkeeper
Indigo Rose

Indigo rose is a new-to-market OP tomato with a deep purple skin and high in antioxidants. The first fruit on the plant looks like blueberries. I don't need a tag next to THAT plant. I hope that it has a good flavor.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/purple-tomato-debuts-%E2%80%98indigo-rose%E2%80%99

All of the sauce types and the super precoce are from seeds my neighbor brought back from Italy.

From Burpee:

Orange Wellington (2x in ground)
Black Krim (2x in ground)
Cherry Punch (1x in ground, 1x in container)
Black Pearl (1x in container)
Mr. Stripey (1x in ground, 1x in container)

From the Tomato God in NC:

Cherokee Chocolate (1x in container)
Cherokee Purple (1x in container)
Lucky Cross (1x in container)
Mr. Snow (1x in container)
Rosalla errr, something (1x in container)
Stump of the World (1x in container)

This year I also grew starters for several coworkers. One of my wife's friends has his own landscaping business and donated (free) a dozen 10-20 gallon containers to me, so I paid it forward and grew starters (their choice) for half a dozen co-workers and provided them with a container. Pretty cool that between donated seeds and donated containers, I could provide a few people with their own tomato plant. I bring in more than half the tomatoes I grow to give to co-workers, so I thought, why not just give them a plant instead? A few of them have kids, so hopefully it'll inspire a few members of the next generation. One has already requested seeds instead of a starter plant next season so their kids can watch them grow from seed.

Cherry Punch have been the first to produce fruits. They're getting bigger daily. Almost there...

urban gardeners, especially the kids!

I'm growing Mr. Snow and Rosella Purple from NRaleighLiberal too, so we'll have to compare notes as the season goes along.

I know (or am assuming) they are types of hybridization. What does the F(x) mean?

link has a pretty good rundown of what those numbers mean:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=17088

Last edited Sat Jun 9, 2012, 08:31 AM - Edit history (1)