what are you most excited about growing this year?

[NarnianGarden]

Yes, my parents yard has white alpine strawberry bushes too, and birds to tend to leave them alone. The challenge with them is to keep a diligent eye on ripening fruits (sometimes your nose is the best indicator) and remember to pick them.

I planted some red-fruited varieties in the same flower bed in the fall, we'll see if they start to get more attention..

Funny though, birds never harassed our tomatoes before 2016. They got really audacious and knew to plan their raid for early morning hours when no humans in sight. Grrrr!

Funny,

[OzoneNY]

I have a few TSWV (resistant or tolerant or what ever) varieties that I am growing this year. I get thripps the last 3 years and my yield was terrible. Im also suspect I have fusarium in my soil so I hope these plants will produce in spite of these troubles. Hopefully these hold up and grant me some yield
Mochomo Tomato
Brenda Tomato
Bella Rosa Tomato
Heinz Super Roma
Plum Regal

[NarnianGarden]

I planted the first seeds of the year: all supposed to be micros. Aztek, Hahm's Gelbe Topftomate, and an anonynous cross from the MMMM swap. Really curious!
(I wonder if Aztek and HGT might be the same... Aztek's German seed vendor also calls it 'gelbe Topftomate', which simply means 'yellow pot tomato' ah well, both are yellow and I never grew a yellow micro before. Alea yacta est!)

[imp]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

(Perhaps green maters will get less attention from birds: Azoychka and Sophie's Choice were constantly under attack last year, as 'flying friends' wanted to peck the ripening fruits.)

My albino strawberries are never bothered by the animals.

(Being a J.R.R. Tolkien fan for many years I already imagined bearded cherry tomatoes wielding battle-axes above plant top.)

That would make a great avatar! Even Imp would be jealous!

Nan

Not jealous, but entirely charmed!

Well, most of the year, part of the year, I would probably be trying to mmmmm, bite them!

[Fritz77]

I'm excited about a lot of things:

1) building my first raised bed
2) growing a couple of varieties in grow bags for the first time
3) growing dwarfs for the first time
4) choosing among the dozens of varieties of tomatoes I got from generous forum members
5) seeing if the seeds I saved last season will actually germinate
6) attempting again to grow a big mater (somewhere around 2 punds…). Likely candidates are: Mega Marv, George Detsikas It Red, Slankard's and Curtis Cheek.
7) seeing if working on improving my soil will pay off

Regarding tomatoes, for my eyes I’m very excited to grow some of Brad Gates’ beauties (Lucid Gem, Blue Pitts) and I know my neighbors won’t believe their eyes because no one grows that kind of stuff over here. For the taste I have high expectations on Kosovo and Vorlon.

[MissS]

Fritz77 Another very good candidate that you have is Ruby Surprise. It had huge fruit for me last season.

[Fritz77]

Originally Posted by MissS

Fritz77 Another very good candidate that you have is Ruby Surprise. It had huge fruit for me last season.

In this case I will have to give it a try. My Ruby Surprise seeds happen to come from you

[NarnianGarden]

Originally Posted by Fritz77

I'm excited about a lot of things:

1) building my first raised bed
2) growing a couple of varieties in grow bags for the first time
3) growing dwarfs for the first time
4) choosing among the dozens of varieties of tomatoes I got from generous forum members
5) seeing if the seeds I saved last season will actually germinate
6) attempting again to grow a big mater (somewhere around 2 punds…). Likely candidates are: Mega Marv, George Detsikas It Red, Slankard's and Curtis Cheek.
7) seeing if working on improving my soil will pay off

Regarding tomatoes, for my eyes I’m very excited to grow some of Brad Gates’ beauties (Lucid Gem, Blue Pitts) and I know my neighbors won’t believe their eyes because no one grows that kind of stuff over here. For the taste I have high expectations on Kosovo and Vorlon.

I can imagine some elderly Italians reactions when seeing tomatoes that are not red.
Then again, a good sauce is good, no matter what the color. Then you can invite your neighbors over and serve them a delicious meal, to prove the point.
Our neighbors are getting used to the idea of crazy colors, slowly but surely.. But I still often have to remind some of them that yes, white or black or bluish toms are fully ripe and edible.
That's why I don't usually give out seedlings of 'exotic' varieties. No matter what i say, folks tend to expect the fruits to be red

[SueCT]

Tomatoes! ANY tomatoes! Stump of the World, Estler's Mortgage Lifter, Kellogg's Breakfast... I need a fresh garden tomato, some bread and a jar of Mayo. We are deep into winter and I dreamin of fresh cut grass, dirt under my nails and a fresh tomato in my hand.

[mecktom]

Amen!

[Fritz77]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

I can imagine some elderly Italians reactions when seeing tomatoes that are not red.

Exactly lol

To be honest, this is going to be the thing I'm most excited of

Last year my neighbor, who's 86 and grows some of the most delicious RED tomatoes I've ever tasted, thought it was really strange that I had some tomato plants with PL in my garden

I can't wait to see his face when he spots Lucid Gem or Girl Girl's Weird Thing next summer

[Fritz77]

Originally Posted by SueCT

Tomatoes! ANY tomatoes! Stump of the World, Estler's Mortgage Lifter, Kellogg's Breakfast... I need a fresh garden tomato, some bread and a jar of Mayo. We are deep into winter and I dreamin of fresh cut grass, dirt under my nails and a fresh tomato in my hand.

Nww I'm dreaming of the same things....

...the bad thing about it, is that it's the first day of February and it's raining outside

[Ann123]

About so many different tomato and pepper varieties. That a first for me (I'm a newbie, only 3 years). Also for the first time: melons and watermelons. In our climate greenhouses are the only way to get those. But I ordered some very early (water) melon seeds and hope they'll give me fruit without the protection of a greenhouse. I hope to grow carrots. For once not only carrot greens but also the carrot itself. Lol

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Wow, Tormato, that's some epic badness! What happened?

Nan

300 seedlings on the edge of the driveway, the morning after a rain shower. There's a slight depression in the center of the driveway that fills with water, and is a perfect birdbath. One morning my cousin comes over, and swerves his truck away from the bathing bird. He ran over the first 150.

A few days later, with seedlings about a week old, my brother decides to help me by watering them...with the garden hose. Several plants barely survived to transplant, with one or two dying each day, finally leaving me with three. Two of the three (well, 300) made it. The third, it stopped growing at about 7" (an indeterminate variety) by producing a huge fused blossom at the tip of the leader. Blossom dropped, plant died.

Sgt Peppers was on of the two survivors, but...really stunted. It grew to about 18" and produced 1 1/2 ounce hearts.

The one other plant thrived all summer long with really tasty, but mid sized pink fruit. It was sent to me as "Big Pink Ukraine", but I'll trial it again to see if it's big.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by imp

If you find a grey haired old lady curled up asleep in amongst your tomato plants, sleeping with a tomato smeared face, don't call the police, it's just me!



I am awaiting the further collection/increase of seeds for this one, sounds excellent!

That's what wish lists are for. With the "one of everything", I guess I missed that one.