Heirloom-a-phobia

gardenscout · March 14, 2007

I was engouraged to post this because of Craig's great thread inviting the lurkers to post more. Usually I just click around from thread to thread trying to learn all I can, and I normally don't want to bother anyone with my random queries. But here goes...

I am scared of heirloom tomatoes. I have only ever grown a few tomatoes in the past, all of which I picked up on a whim at a garden center. I rarely even looked at the name, and one time I bought, planted, and grew one that didn't even have a tag! All the tomatoes I have grown have all tasted pretty much the same, and not really that much different from grocery store tomatoes.

But now! I have stumbled into the tomato underworld, and I want to grow great tomatoes. I have a fine selection of seeds, some ordered and some traded (including my most valued seeds, which were generously sent to me by none other than Dr. Carolyn herself, in the Great Bloody Butcher Exchange.)

Which brings me to the whole phobia thing. I am scared that these heirlooms are all going to get diseases, or are not going produce well, or they are going to give me problems that I don't know how to solve. Hybrids are, I guess, designed to be easier, and I am afraid I am getting in over my head by trying to grow the real thing.

Here is my list: (I bet you can guess which ones I got from Carolyn.)

Cherokee Purple
Stupice
Kellogg's Breakfast
Eva Purple Ball
Omar's Lebanese
Neves Azorean Red
Tidewell German
OTV Brandywine
Bloody Butcher
Black Cherry
Sungold

I know they are not all heirlooms, so at least I can feel a little confident about growing the hybrids. I planted some of each of these seeds a few days ago, and they haven't sprouted yet (I check on them every hour or so, LOL.) But I know they probably will sprout, and the game will be afoot.

What have I gotten myself into?

March 14, 2007	#1
gardenscout Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: N. Rhode Island Posts: 37	Heirloom-a-phobia I was engouraged to post this because of Craig's great thread inviting the lurkers to post more. Usually I just click around from thread to thread trying to learn all I can, and I normally don't want to bother anyone with my random queries. But here goes... I am scared of heirloom tomatoes. I have only ever grown a few tomatoes in the past, all of which I picked up on a whim at a garden center. I rarely even looked at the name, and one time I bought, planted, and grew one that didn't even have a tag! All the tomatoes I have grown have all tasted pretty much the same, and not really that much different from grocery store tomatoes. But now! I have stumbled into the tomato underworld, and I want to grow great tomatoes. I have a fine selection of seeds, some ordered and some traded (including my most valued seeds, which were generously sent to me by none other than Dr. Carolyn herself, in the Great Bloody Butcher Exchange.) Which brings me to the whole phobia thing. I am scared that these heirlooms are all going to get diseases, or are not going produce well, or they are going to give me problems that I don't know how to solve. Hybrids are, I guess, designed to be easier, and I am afraid I am getting in over my head by trying to grow the real thing. Here is my list: (I bet you can guess which ones I got from Carolyn.) Cherokee Purple Stupice Kellogg's Breakfast Eva Purple Ball Omar's Lebanese Neves Azorean Red Tidewell German OTV Brandywine Bloody Butcher Black Cherry Sungold I know they are not all heirlooms, so at least I can feel a little confident about growing the hybrids. I planted some of each of these seeds a few days ago, and they haven't sprouted yet (I check on them every hour or so, LOL.) But I know they probably will sprout, and the game will be afoot. What have I gotten myself into?