Opinions: Tomato Guide for Give Aways - Page 2

kath · April 16, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaleota

Matt's Wild Cherry gets to 10 feet????

I would say at least 10'!

Tracydr · April 16, 2012

I'm thinking about doing one next year but not sure how much detail to include. Some of the people who buy from Craig's list seemed interested. My mom and brother don't care much. They just want to know color, size, and if it's a paste or fresh eater.
My brother likes native stuff and I'm trying to grow more native veggies myself, so on the more native things, he would have more interest ( such as chiltepans or wid-type currants).
I'll probaly put something together so they can decipher my code on the cups next year, although nobody really seemed to care much this year.
Just seemed strange to sell a bunch of tomatoes and have two letter codes on my cups but I hadn't thought that far ahead.
Next year, I may actually consider a Farmer's Market or Tomato Fest for my extras.
If I do, I'll probably start a bunch of peppers and herbs, too. Basil is so easy to start and can for so much money. I just bought a varigated basil that can only be propagated from cuttings. Between that, chocolate mint, other types of basil, eggplants, peppers and all the tomatoes that I'm sure to start, heck, I could easily justify a market stand!

Tracydr · April 16, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdxwindjammer

Best use as in "good for canning" or "perfect for slow roasting."

This is the main thing my family cares about, and most people who bought mine. Size, color, taste and use.
They want to know if it's a cooker, salsa, snacker or beefsteak. I try to grow a mix of all. I started a huge number of paste and cherries, because I want to dehydrate and can. This gave me an abundance of extras to sell. Really thought I'd have issues with this. I was amazed that they went just as fast as the large beefsteaks, maybe even faster!
It's really nice to have a bunch of paste tomatoes when you want to make a bunch of salsa or spaghetti sauce. So much easier to peel and less cat facing, which is a problem here in AZ, where we tend to get a lot of fruit set when our nights are still cool but days are getting warm. I really love a big, dark beefsteak but boy, all that core and strange shape is a bear when trying to prep it for cooking or canning.

zabby17 · April 16, 2012

Just keep in mind that to many, many people, a tomato is just a tomato.
I carefully select collections for my friends and family tailored to their situations, gardens, etc., and then I ask how they did and they say "great" and I ask which one was their fave and they say "Oh, all good" and maybe get as far as "I liked the little ones" or "Susie likes the small ones" but I I say, "So, how did Sungold do for you?" or "Did you get good production from the Brandywine?" they shrug their shoulders. Most don't even label the plants in the ground, after all my careful labelling of pots.

I've come to accept this---there are things my sister cares about in lots of detail (fashion; shoes; Scotch) where I'm, like, "I like that dress 'cos it's red." They're giving my extra tomatoes happy homes and appreciating what THEY care about in them.

But it did take some reminding myself to come around to this approach....

Z

Firefyter-emt · April 16, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaleota

Matt's Wild Cherry gets to 10 feet????

I just said the same thing for Yellow Pear! I never caught that, and had planned this one to try growing in the greenhouse! I guess that may need to be changed!

dice · April 19, 2012

I write the usual plant height down on a quick note with plants that I give
away to people inexperienced with heirloom tomatoes. They could be
expecting all of them to fit in 3' tomato cages otherwise. Sometimes I
write it on seed packets, too, if the variety is somehow unusual (like
determinates that only get 2' high or get over 4'). "To 5'" is short enough
to fit on a plant label and comprehensible to both experienced and
inexperienced growers.

Sun City Linda · April 19, 2012

I agree that some of the most helpful info is HOW it grows and HOW it taste. Stuff like "Grows like kudza vine, needs strong staking" or "Sweet juicy flavor" "Meaty solid flesh, few seeds, strong tomato taste". Carolyns book has the kind of information I am always looking for. Unfortunatly, that only works for my first 100 varieties.

greenthumbomaha · April 20, 2012

I'm loving this thread. I made a fancy list, grouped by type. So far, I gave bundles to two friends this week with just the names on the cup. Tonight was supposed to be typing night, but I'm here on TV as usual. I do agree that at a minimum growth size and type should be explained to newbies.

janezee · April 21, 2012

I try to keep all the information categories for all the tomatoes I have or want to grow. I have a spreadsheet broken down into columns like DTM, D or I, Size of Plant, Pot?, Size of Fruit, Color, Kind, Uses, Flavor, and too many others to list here. I'd just have to pick the ones I was giving away, and select the columns of information I wanted to give, and then I could print out a sheet of just those great suggestions above.

j

April 19, 2012	#21
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I write the usual plant height down on a quick note with plants that I give away to people inexperienced with heirloom tomatoes. They could be expecting all of them to fit in 3' tomato cages otherwise. Sometimes I write it on seed packets, too, if the variety is somehow unusual (like determinates that only get 2' high or get over 4'). "To 5'" is short enough to fit on a plant label and comprehensible to both experienced and inexperienced growers. __________________ -- alias

April 16, 2012	#17
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I'm thinking about doing one next year but not sure how much detail to include. Some of the people who buy from Craig's list seemed interested. My mom and brother don't care much. They just want to know color, size, and if it's a paste or fresh eater. My brother likes native stuff and I'm trying to grow more native veggies myself, so on the more native things, he would have more interest ( such as chiltepans or wid-type currants). I'll probaly put something together so they can decipher my code on the cups next year, although nobody really seemed to care much this year. Just seemed strange to sell a bunch of tomatoes and have two letter codes on my cups but I hadn't thought that far ahead. Next year, I may actually consider a Farmer's Market or Tomato Fest for my extras. If I do, I'll probably start a bunch of peppers and herbs, too. Basil is so easy to start and can for so much money. I just bought a varigated basil that can only be propagated from cuttings. Between that, chocolate mint, other types of basil, eggplants, peppers and all the tomatoes that I'm sure to start, heck, I could easily justify a market stand!

April 16, 2012	#19
zabby17 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 211	Just keep in mind that to many, many people, a tomato is just a tomato. I carefully select collections for my friends and family tailored to their situations, gardens, etc., and then I ask how they did and they say "great" and I ask which one was their fave and they say "Oh, all good" and maybe get as far as "I liked the little ones" or "Susie likes the small ones" but I I say, "So, how did Sungold do for you?" or "Did you get good production from the Brandywine?" they shrug their shoulders. Most don't even label the plants in the ground, after all my careful labelling of pots. I've come to accept this---there are things my sister cares about in lots of detail (fashion; shoes; Scotch) where I'm, like, "I like that dress 'cos it's red." They're giving my extra tomatoes happy homes and appreciating what THEY care about in them. But it did take some reminding myself to come around to this approach.... Z

April 19, 2012	#22
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	I agree that some of the most helpful info is HOW it grows and HOW it taste. Stuff like "Grows like kudza vine, needs strong staking" or "Sweet juicy flavor" "Meaty solid flesh, few seeds, strong tomato taste". Carolyns book has the kind of information I am always looking for. Unfortunatly, that only works for my first 100 varieties.

April 20, 2012	#23
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	I'm loving this thread. I made a fancy list, grouped by type. So far, I gave bundles to two friends this week with just the names on the cup. Tonight was supposed to be typing night, but I'm here on TV as usual. I do agree that at a minimum growth size and type should be explained to newbies.

April 21, 2012	#24
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	I try to keep all the information categories for all the tomatoes I have or want to grow. I have a spreadsheet broken down into columns like DTM, D or I, Size of Plant, Pot?, Size of Fruit, Color, Kind, Uses, Flavor, and too many others to list here. I'd just have to pick the ones I was giving away, and select the columns of information I wanted to give, and then I could print out a sheet of just those great suggestions above. j