tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 19, 2010 20:20:54 GMT -5
So when are ya' going to rerun the weather Darth?
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 19, 2010 13:50:58 GMT -5
In the vein of the dwarf project, some smaller indeterminate plants like Tibet Appel, IOW something that would really fit in a tomato cage for the hobby grower.
IMO Rutgers, traveler, a mobil are the right size, fer instance.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 19, 2010 13:40:22 GMT -5
Now I'm down to one rosemary. it is dreadfuly potbound so ask me again in the spring, on how'm I doing. Any quick draining soil will do. A saucer under the pot helps. Most window sills are a little too cold many propagating boxes (like to start tomatoes) are too warm. a table set near an east window is about right here. 60-70F.
This one is pretty young its only 5 or 6 YO.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 17, 2010 11:42:17 GMT -5
Blane's family tree musta had a Texican slip in there somewhere. IMO peppers much hotter than Cayenne are not food, or even seasoning.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 17, 2010 11:38:00 GMT -5
I'll let Carolyn answer more definatively, but I'll tkae the end of the wager that most of those 'dark fruited tomatoes are fairly recent developments; as in, yes they be Open Pollinated. No they are not heirlooms.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 17, 2010 11:35:06 GMT -5
I think its worth noting that a substantial number of tomatoes USAian's insist are "red" are in fact pinks. Likewise I like Darth's assessment (as well as Sandhills) that a whole bunch of the exotic brown-purple-black tomatoes might more honestly be described as "dark" fruit.
While I like those 'dark' fruit, as you note more than a few USAians rebel when confronted by produce that isn't comforming to predictable standard. I had a paid staff throw out rather than eat white cucumbers and pink sweet corn.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 13, 2010 10:39:04 GMT -5
Wrinkled old.
I expect your going to get a bit bitten by this thread. "heirloom" is sorta an oxymoron. What it has is the cachette to get you here. Which I think is a good thing.
What it doesn't do is tell you what the botanic differences are between F-1's and Open Pollinated plants are.
Somebody will differ a bit but the common use of heirloom (as a term) are more related to the practice of seedsmen. Before WW-II most plants were stabilized open pollinated. Post WW-II F-1 hybrids were developed to supply increasingly mechanized farming.
Returnist fuzzy headed liberals (thank you Helen Nearing) wanted to spin an improved cachette to those older OP cultivars. Here I beleive you will learn by observation some of the 'why' and 'what' of OP cultivation and breeding.
If you have not been banned from them, may I suggest visiting also "Home grown Goodness", and "Tomatoville". Not because the people here don't have something, rather because the internet provides unique access to a gardening light too long hid under an "educational" bushel.
Its almost like trying to drink lake Michigan. Landrace conservation (and the breeding of new cultivars) has not stopped and is huge.
So, jump in the water is fine! :-)
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 13, 2010 10:11:43 GMT -5
No your not bad, I'm just lazy. There be other haevy lifting already done. :-)
Tomato aren't the swine of the garden, IMO Asparagus and celery are; ie they need the most manure, sun, water. But, their close.
Most of my garden was on my old home range of NH, VT, ME. I have recently resettled in tropical OH. So, I expect my new soil won't be quite as vampiric for limestone.
It'll still need autumnal feeding of high carbon feed (read leaves) and a second helping of leaves and manure each spring.
For midwestern and eastern soils that are on the margins (like) full of clay or pure beach sand, the more tomato growers are going to tend to do something rather like hugelkultur. In breif: stuff as much organic high carbon stuff into-underneath-on top of their garden.
Gardeners with alfuenza will tend to buy their carbon fix. Tight a$$ed old yankees will want theirs for free.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 13, 2010 9:22:13 GMT -5
I'm old. I don't have to collect the next neeto thing. I rotate yearly between baby Blue Hubbard, and Butternut. OP strains of which are available nearly everywhere.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 13, 2010 9:17:02 GMT -5
I think there are-is already two pages on this thread in this forum. That said...
This fall I dug one shovel deep and stuffed in the resulting trench as much yard waste as I could stuff in the garden. Returned the soil and added a layer of more yard waste (mostly leaves).
In the spring I'll be toping ant surviving leaves with some horse poo. An' maybe a dusting of lime.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 12, 2010 13:25:43 GMT -5
Paul Wheaton has been posting on other forums about "hugelkultur", for them that really want to stuff a planting hole. The closest I ever got to doing what hugelkultur outlines is have a perfect beach to plant in. By year three of watching all the compostables vanish into sand, I dug out deliberately too deep trenches and back filled them with brush, logs, and several tons of leaves.
It did reduce what I needed for water on that garden, which may have contributed to less over watering on my part and made for better tasting tomatoes.
Paul's claim of removing ANY need to supliment rainfall, I'm not as sold on as he is.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 11, 2010 16:31:52 GMT -5
Carolyn, just how much chocolate is it going to take to bribe persuade you to stay on here?
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 9, 2010 13:11:50 GMT -5
Is that the one where a user name something like zzztopsoil is involved? Not my kind of site. Carolyn There's the link. Yes, ZZTopsoil was a post-er there. An' I'd give a nickle to get him and Prof. Dirt back posting.
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 9, 2010 11:20:33 GMT -5
Carolyn, I'll agree T'ville and here have the most interesting writers. And no, I don't rise to interesting.
Yes I've noticed in myself if nothing else the need to at least talk about gardening being on the rise as the legs work less.
I've never been able to make Daves Garden work. Gardenweb looks more and more like an abandoned Detroit auto plant...
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tomc
Breeder in Training
Posts: 155
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Post by tomc on Dec 9, 2010 10:55:31 GMT -5
So what is SCM-Froup? Carolyn SCM Froup: Soil Compost and Mulch Froup z15invisionfree.com/SCMFroup/index.phpThis has wandered around over a couple servers. This is a pretty chatty bunch of Disney-land 'banned from Gardenweb' orphans. More yak, and some gardening.
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