Happy Holidays to You All!

[TomatoDon]

Hello gang,

I got a nice message from a "long time" member here and just wanted to say Hi to all and Happy Holidays.

I learned more about tomato varieties in a few months last winter and spring right here than I ever had before. It got me on the road to heirlooms, and I thank you all for answering all of the incessant "newbie" questions I had, and will still have for a while yet.

Some of you were interested in how things went, and although I learned a lot, the season was not great. Early hot and dry weather here in my area (north Mississippi) really threw things back. My first real attempt at growing from seed was ... well, I'll try to do better this coming year if the weather cooperates.

Next up, I went over to Fusion's (member here) nursery and got a batch of seedlings, planted them the right way, and labeled each plant. I then noticed that every time the guy came with the weed-eater more and more labels were missing. So...I couldn't identify all these new heirlooms! I have a better plan for that this next season also.

Next, the weather turned hot mighty early and I lost a lot of established seedlings, which had not happened before in the raised beds (this was not the seedling’s fault, it was just so dern hot and dry so early, they just couldn’t get their feet dug in good before the stress hit). And about the time I had everything planted I took on some nagging health troubles, nothing serious, but it just threw me off when I really needed to be in the garden. Later in the summer I got back in school with a grad course, and on and on. It was sort of a discombobulated season. The patch actually did okay all things considered, but I didn't eat a lot of tomatoes from it, didn't know what they were, and gave most away, or just let others help themselves.

So, here it is, Christmas Eve, and I'm already back here talking about next year's tomato patch. I've order my favorite fertilizers, have my grow list, and hoping to get my web site going again with a new tomato page, and so in a way my season has already started.

I guess the main things I learned, that I will share here, is no matter how well you think you've labeled your plants in the garden, do what Mischka says and chart it out on a sheet of paper. And then photocopy it! I'll do that for sure this coming season.

I found a new fertilizer that I like a lot. It's called Algo Flash for tomatoes, and I order it from Park's Seed Company. I still like the Aggrand products, such as their Natural Fertilzer, Natural Kelp and Sulphate Potash, and Liquid Bonemeal, and I got all that in this week. I do like the seaweed solution from Mr. Tomato for the roots and as a spray. And I think the aspirin works (read from last year’s posts on using it to start seedlings and as a plant spray. 81 mg uncoated tablet crushed into 1.5 gallons of water.) This year I will be trying the Blossom Set sprays, such as those offered by Bonide. I finally found a source for Naturize fertilizer and Cal-Mag-Plus, so I will try a little test for that too in 2007. Once I got the plants up they did okay, but it was just frustrating to see so many little ones shrivel to nothing. Yet, onward we march.

Had a lot of fun here at Tomatoville last winter, seeing M get the page up and running, and met so many nice and helpful friends such as M, Carolyn, Craig, MsMudcat, JJ61, Fusion, Suze, and so many other nice and helpful people who I now think of as true friends. And my all time favorite, markferon the snow bank tomato grower of many names. And still can’t forget Terry Light and those fine tomatoes all posed up and bulging, and C gnashing at the teeth hoping that thread would soon end! She was a pretty good sport about that. And who the heck is Terry Light?

Yes, it was so fun seeing the page get started, watching the membership grow (over 1,000 now!), and learning all this neat stuff about heirlooms. In looking back over the pages of postings, it’s now like a graduate school library for tomato lovers. Great job, great mission, great purpose, great results M.

So, this is the time to reflect back. Much more here on this great site than just how to grow a tomato. It's the people and the whole experience. I appreciate all of you and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season. May Santa sprinkle plenty of magic tomato dust over your gardens worldwide, and I look forward to getting back with you here for 2007!

Don
don06
Somewhere in Mississippi…where muddy water turns to wine…

And good night markferon…wherever you are…

[Suze]

Hi, Don. Good to see you around!

I think you are going to have better results this year by getting things started a little earlier.

Best,
Suze

[Suze]

Originally Posted by don06

This year I will be trying the Blossom Set sprays, such as those offered by Bonide.

Don, don't waste your money on blossom set/hormone sprays. They will not help in getting fruits to set fruit in high temperatures. The problem there is that extended heat can denature the pollen.

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Suze

Don, don't waste your money on blossom set/hormone sprays. They will not help in getting fruits to set fruit in high temperatures. The problem there is that extended heat can denature the pollen.

Didn't help me in cold weather either.
dcarch