newbie with plants in the ground and GOING in the ground.

jtharper76 · April 28, 2009

Hello TOMATOVILLE,

I have the following varieties this year for my garden that are growing true to type:

Black Zebra
Mortgage Lifter
Green Zebra
Creole
Florida Pink

The following plants are giving me some confusion:

**Louisiana Pink - Said to be RL but I have a PL plant
**Brandywine Red - Said to be RL but I have a PL plant

and then from a nursery in the area I saw that they had a 3 pack of plants listed as Brandywine... (thats it no other listing) and it was also PL so I bought it to see what type of fruit i would get.

**Just went to Nursery #2 and they also had brandywine and it was PL also. This nursery also had Mortgage Lifter. I just bought them to see how the Brandywine compares to mine and the other nursery and I bought the Mortgage Lifter to compare to my one (somehow PL) seedling****

I looked on Tatiana's site but all the Brandywine are making my head spin, so is there anyway to tell what i have or do I just need to wait until I get fruit and then let yall tell me?

FINALLY, I am looking for a way to mark my plants in my garden so I can remember what is where. What are some ways you guys and gals do this that will last through the season?

Thanks in advance from JT in cajun country.

kerry.heafner · April 28, 2009

Hey, JT. I'm north of you in West Monroe. Funny you should bring up the regular vs. potato leaf puzzle. I'm scratching my head over some of my plants in this regard as well. Some of what I thought were Matt's Wild Cherry are just as potato-leaved as they can be, as are some plants of a variety called The Dutchman.

I think Brandywine is a good example of how using common names can be problematic. If these were different species, rather than varieties, the system of nomenclature would be better defined and more rigidly adhered to because there would be a type specimen and so forth. I don't know that something like this exists for cultivars, but it may. I think a good place to start is Amy Goldman's book; it seems she (or a librarian at Cornell) researched where the original Brandywine came from and it evidently had regular leaves. I'm just wondering if the potato-leaved beasties I'm seeing in garden centers aren't Sudduth's Brandywine. I dunno.....

Permanent labels would be nice, but I'm planning on using a Sharpie and wide tongue depressors ALOT this summer.

Keep us posted on how the different varieties perform for you in this soupy weather.

habitat_gardener · April 28, 2009

How to remember what was planted where: I have a garden journal where I write down what I've planted immediately after I plant it, and I draw a map of the garden. Oh, and then for the month or two while the plants are in walls-o-water and bubble wrap, I check on each one every couple of days, so while they're small I basically learn where everything is.

Another good method I've read about is to write the names on colorful plastic tags that are attached to the tomato cage at eye level, so that once the plant fills the cage you can still find the name without rooting around underneath the tomato jungle. I wouldn't do this at the community garden because I don't want to alert prospective poachers that those green tomatoes are green-when-ripe tomatoes (if they're aware such a thing exists!).

Barbee · April 28, 2009

I've always used the plastic markers from the store and a sharpie to mark my plants. I make them all out and stick them right in the cup with the plants so I don't get them mixed up. Someone here mentioned cutting up pop cans and etching the names on the backs of the cans. I've got several sheets of thin metal that I bought for a craft project years ago and never finished. I plan to cut those up and etch them, then poke a hole in them and attach to the cage with a zip tie. I'm hoping the tied on metal clinking around on the cage might deter critters, too. Plus I write it all down in my journal.
Triple coverage

lumierefrere · April 28, 2009

Craig LeHoullier has a very informative article on Brandywine and its history here

http://www.victoryseeds.com/informat...randywine.html

as for knowing what plant is where, I have a map in the house. It doesn't get rained on, it doesn't fade and it doesn't blow away. The only issue is ever "Where did I put it?"

jtharper76 · April 28, 2009

Thanks so much for the replies. Anyone else that wants to chime in please do. Kerry.Heafner hello from Ponchatoula.

April 28, 2009	#1
jtharper76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ponchatoula , Louisiana Posts: 99	newbie with plants in the ground and GOING in the ground. Hello TOMATOVILLE, I have the following varieties this year for my garden that are growing true to type: Black Zebra Mortgage Lifter Green Zebra Creole Florida Pink The following plants are giving me some confusion: Louisiana Pink - Said to be RL but I have a PL plant Brandywine Red - Said to be RL but I have a PL plant and then from a nursery in the area I saw that they had a 3 pack of plants listed as Brandywine... (thats it no other listing) and it was also PL so I bought it to see what type of fruit i would get. Just went to Nursery #2 and they also had brandywine and it was PL also. This nursery also had Mortgage Lifter. I just bought them to see how the Brandywine compares to mine and the other nursery and I bought the Mortgage Lifter to compare to my one (somehow PL) seedling** I looked on Tatiana's site but all the Brandywine are making my head spin, so is there anyway to tell what i have or do I just need to wait until I get fruit and then let yall tell me? FINALLY, I am looking for a way to mark my plants in my garden so I can remember what is where. What are some ways you guys and gals do this that will last through the season? Thanks in advance from JT in cajun country. Last edited by jtharper76; April 28, 2009 at 12:38 PM.

April 28, 2009	#4
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	I've always used the plastic markers from the store and a sharpie to mark my plants. I make them all out and stick them right in the cup with the plants so I don't get them mixed up. Someone here mentioned cutting up pop cans and etching the names on the backs of the cans. I've got several sheets of thin metal that I bought for a craft project years ago and never finished. I plan to cut those up and etch them, then poke a hole in them and attach to the cage with a zip tie. I'm hoping the tied on metal clinking around on the cage might deter critters, too. Plus I write it all down in my journal. Triple coverage __________________ *Barbee*

April 28, 2009	#2
kerry.heafner Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: West Monroe, LA Posts: 40	Hey, JT. I'm north of you in West Monroe. Funny you should bring up the regular vs. potato leaf puzzle. I'm scratching my head over some of my plants in this regard as well. Some of what I thought were Matt's Wild Cherry are just as potato-leaved as they can be, as are some plants of a variety called The Dutchman. I think Brandywine is a good example of how using common names can be problematic. If these were different species, rather than varieties, the system of nomenclature would be better defined and more rigidly adhered to because there would be a type specimen and so forth. I don't know that something like this exists for cultivars, but it may. I think a good place to start is Amy Goldman's book; it seems she (or a librarian at Cornell) researched where the original Brandywine came from and it evidently had regular leaves. I'm just wondering if the potato-leaved beasties I'm seeing in garden centers aren't Sudduth's Brandywine. I dunno..... Permanent labels would be nice, but I'm planning on using a Sharpie and wide tongue depressors ALOT this summer. Keep us posted on how the different varieties perform for you in this soupy weather. __________________ Kerry

April 28, 2009	#3
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	How to remember what was planted where: I have a garden journal where I write down what I've planted immediately after I plant it, and I draw a map of the garden. Oh, and then for the month or two while the plants are in walls-o-water and bubble wrap, I check on each one every couple of days, so while they're small I basically learn where everything is. Another good method I've read about is to write the names on colorful plastic tags that are attached to the tomato cage at eye level, so that once the plant fills the cage you can still find the name without rooting around underneath the tomato jungle. I wouldn't do this at the community garden because I don't want to alert prospective poachers that those green tomatoes are green-when-ripe tomatoes (if they're aware such a thing exists!).

April 28, 2009	#5
lumierefrere Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Zone 4 NY Posts: 772	Craig LeHoullier has a very informative article on Brandywine and its history here http://www.victoryseeds.com/informat...randywine.html as for knowing what plant is where, I have a map in the house. It doesn't get rained on, it doesn't fade and it doesn't blow away. The only issue is ever "Where did I put it?"