Heirloom-a-phobia - Page 2

pooklette · March 15, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomstrees

Only thing that "scares" me is I'm probably not going to be able to grow out all 12,000+ heirloom varieites !!! What am I gonna do ??? lol ~

It's amazing how you tend to evolve from, "I'll just try a few and see what happens," to, "Well if I expand the garden by 50% and move the peppers over there...I can fit another 10 plants in!"

Megan (whose garden is now 10 times larger than it was before 'discovering' heirlooms...literally)

Tomstrees · March 15, 2007

Megan -

I started out with 2 heirloom plants - then 6 - then 8 - then 15 - and now with pots ? 40 !!!
lol ~ Its just all so much fun ~

Tom

gardenscout · March 15, 2007

Wow, what a great bunch of replies. I very much appreciate the encouragement and experience. When I got home today, about half of my seeds have germinated, and the game is indeed afoot. I took off the plastic, turned on the lights, lowered them down, set the timer, and smiled a lot.

It is nice to know my worries are unfounded but not uncommon.

gardenscout · March 15, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mischka

I am very close in distance to where you live; less than a 20 minute ride.

If you should lose any of your seedlings, I would be happy to give you as many as you need, free of charge.

Whoa, what a kind and generous tomato neighbor! Thank you so much for the offer and the advice. It is great to know there is a friend right around the corner.

mathfed · March 15, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by gardenscout

Wow, what a great bunch of replies. I very much appreciate the encouragement and experience. When I got home today, about half of my seeds have germinated, and the game is indeed afoot. I took off the plastic, turned on the lights, lowered them down, set the timer, and smiled a lot.

It is nice to know my worries are unfounded but not uncommon.

What zone are you in? I am in zone 6, and am making myself wait until April 1. If you are in a lower zone than me, I won't be able to wait any more. I am pacing a path in the carpet looking at my dormant garden as it is. (Please tell me you are in zone 5. I REALLY want to start my seeds.

)

gardenscout · March 15, 2007

Mathfed,
I am in zone 6, and yes, I probably started a bit early -- but I couldn't wait. I will be growing some of them in my new diy earthboxes, so I figured the soil in the containers will be warmer than planting out in the garden soil. I am gambling on a warmish May, and I am prepared to make little greenhouse-type covers for them if I need to. I am shooting for Mother's day, which would be 8 weeks or so.

I also wanted to give myself some slack in case I botch the whole seed starting thing. It's my first time. Oh, and I didn't know how long they would take to germinate, so I figured that into the equation.

I know, these are lame excuses.

gardenscout · March 15, 2007

Mathfed,
See also this thread. I am evidently not the only one looking to sneek them out early.

pooklette · March 15, 2007

mathfed,

I'm in zone 5 and I already started seeds.

I just couldn't resist...

Ruth_10 · March 15, 2007

Mathfed, I am in zone 5b/6a, probably similar to you, and you can seed any time between now and April 1. Generally speaking, the end of March would be better than early March. Plant too early and you're tending small trees for the last week or so and you really don't gain much, season-wise, by starting too early. The younger, smaller plants catch up. But, yikes, I am biting my knuckles waiting for another week to go by so I can start seeding tomatoes.

mcasey · March 16, 2007

Another lurker stepping forward..........

Hi Gardenscout! About that heirloom a phobia thing......way before I even knew the difference between OPs, heirlooms and hybrids- I was ur average- I just wanna grow some tomatoes girl- grabbed what the local garden center had and brought em home. First year I did this......brought home these...Roma, Large Red Cherry and Beefsteak- (all OP varieties). They did very well in my Coastal Ct area and everyone happily chowed on the oh so good fresh garden tomatoes that grew in abundance. Last 2 years- the varieties I had grown were all Hybrids- Celebrity, Early Girl and a few others I don't remember. IMO they didn't grow as well here or taste as good. It's back to OPs for me!! And who knew there was MORE than just plain old RED tomatoes??

Mary Ann

MsCowpea · March 17, 2007

Mischka, your use of a foliar seaweed as your sole fertilizer intrigued me. How do you prepare the fields prior to planting? Was wondering if you use a cover crop? Thanks for info.

Gardenscout, don't worry. It is so much fun growing and testing varieties. You will make mistakes but every year you learn new things and the following year is that much better for it.

barefootgardener · March 18, 2007

Hi , Newbie here to this forum, but i've been an Heirloom Gardener for the past 10 years now.

I ordered my first heirloom tomato seeds some 10 years ago, (5 different varieties, Brandywine was one of them) Started them in my house from seed and had pretty good success my first year. Let me tell you after growing and tasting heirloom tomatoes for the first time, I became addicted and have been a total devotee ever since.

Since then more varieties have become available and I have since enlarged my garden to accomadate all the Heirlooms I grow. I stick with my favorites every year, plus add new ones to the list yearly. 2 years ago I planted 30 Different varieties. I saved seed from my favorites to plant this year, plus I ordered some new ones I have never tried.
Nearly my whole garden is now dedicated to heirlooms, Tomatoes, squash, melons,corn, ect...I am totally addicted and will never go back to just hybrids.

March 15, 2007	#17
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	Megan - I started out with 2 heirloom plants - then 6 - then 8 - then 15 - and now with pots ? 40 !!! lol ~ Its just all so much fun ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

March 15, 2007	#24
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Mathfed, I am in zone 5b/6a, probably similar to you, and you can seed any time between now and April 1. Generally speaking, the end of March would be better than early March. Plant too early and you're tending small trees for the last week or so and you really don't gain much, season-wise, by starting too early. The younger, smaller plants catch up. But, yikes, I am biting my knuckles waiting for another week to go by so I can start seeding tomatoes. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

March 17, 2007	#26
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	Mischka, your use of a foliar seaweed as your sole fertilizer intrigued me. How do you prepare the fields prior to planting? Was wondering if you use a cover crop? Thanks for info. Gardenscout, don't worry. It is so much fun growing and testing varieties. You will make mistakes but every year you learn new things and the following year is that much better for it. __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker

March 15, 2007	#18
gardenscout Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: N. Rhode Island Posts: 37	Wow, what a great bunch of replies. I very much appreciate the encouragement and experience. When I got home today, about half of my seeds have germinated, and the game is indeed afoot. I took off the plastic, turned on the lights, lowered them down, set the timer, and smiled a lot. It is nice to know my worries are unfounded but not uncommon.

March 15, 2007	#23
pooklette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Zone 5 Posts: 262	mathfed, I'm in zone 5 and I already started seeds. I just couldn't resist...

March 16, 2007	#25
mcasey Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Coastal CT Posts: 10	Another lurker stepping forward.......... Hi Gardenscout! About that heirloom a phobia thing......way before I even knew the difference between OPs, heirlooms and hybrids- I was ur average- I just wanna grow some tomatoes girl- grabbed what the local garden center had and brought em home. First year I did this......brought home these...Roma, Large Red Cherry and Beefsteak- (all OP varieties). They did very well in my Coastal Ct area and everyone happily chowed on the oh so good fresh garden tomatoes that grew in abundance. Last 2 years- the varieties I had grown were all Hybrids- Celebrity, Early Girl and a few others I don't remember. IMO they didn't grow as well here or taste as good. It's back to OPs for me!! And who knew there was MORE than just plain old RED tomatoes?? Mary Ann

March 18, 2007	#27
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	Hi , Newbie here to this forum, but i've been an Heirloom Gardener for the past 10 years now. I ordered my first heirloom tomato seeds some 10 years ago, (5 different varieties, Brandywine was one of them) Started them in my house from seed and had pretty good success my first year. Let me tell you after growing and tasting heirloom tomatoes for the first time, I became addicted and have been a total devotee ever since. Since then more varieties have become available and I have since enlarged my garden to accomadate all the Heirlooms I grow. I stick with my favorites every year, plus add new ones to the list yearly. 2 years ago I planted 30 Different varieties. I saved seed from my favorites to plant this year, plus I ordered some new ones I have never tried. Nearly my whole garden is now dedicated to heirlooms, Tomatoes, squash, melons,corn, ect...I am totally addicted and will never go back to just hybrids.