Confession thread

[loudog]

I'm guilty (again) for starting more plants and varieties than I can grow! lol and I started 4 new varieties yesterday. But again it is a good addiction and I usually find good homes for them and introduce people to gardening. Feel free to admit your tomato addiction here. I try to squeeze in as many I can and grow every season as if it is my last garden but the rewards are always worth it! Happy gardening! Louie Inspired by the man from LA Mancha

[AlittleSalt]

Lets see, in Garden #1 - I have 5 rows with 13 tomato plants each. Three raised beds with 4 tomato plants each, and in garden #2 - two rows with 5 tomato plants each. 90 tomato plants. My reasoning was to grow several varieties from each tomato color group. (Sound reasoning) I carefully researched every one of them, read threads and replies from you all. I was going to plant three varieties from each of the color types. Three isn't that many, and we have to space for them. Yeah, sound reasoning.

And then Tormato and the MMMM happened. Then Marsha, and I became very comfortable trading seeds...

I chose an altered Pokémon theme over my carefully planned out thinking. Altered Pokémon theme = Got to - Got to - Gotta plant um all... WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Okay, I confess, I'm growing enough tomatoes to help stop world hunger.

[AlittleSalt]

Hmm, something strange - I cannot edit my post. It just goes to a blank Message screen.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Hmm, something strange - I cannot edit my post. It just goes to a blank Message screen.

That's because it is a confession thread, once you have confessed you cant take it back.

Worth

[Gardeneer]

I admit "guilty" on 2 counts:

1- For starting more than I have room for.
2-For Keep adding more to what has been already too many.

So I am going to beg friends and relatives to take whatever they wish. How can I compost those babies. That would be bigger than a guilt, CRIME. LOL

[habitat_gardener]

I somehow limited myself to about 40 or so varieties (only 3 gardens this year). And of course I planted multiple seeds! But I now have a greenhouse! So they're coming along nicely and I already have a couple garden groups to give plants to in a couple weeks. In the meantime, another gardener left me some dense 6-packs of Ace, and when I potted up I had 25 plants! Half of those are spoken for so far.

Tomato plants are easy to give away.

[loeb]

Oh yes.. planted about 50 varietes, 2 seeds each [ok some more accidentally and some are unstable breeding lines so it was sooo tempting to plant more..] ..and few potato seeds and now I'm thinking hard where to stuff that stuff, because even if I will give away every "copy" of stable varietes there still be a lot for me.. 20 big ones[in this 10 "dark" to find the one or 2 I will really like], 20 cherries and 10 dwarfs.. And even if I think I will find favourite ones, I know I will be tempted each year to test something new sooo.. I don't know how to go down with those numbers

[Ed of Somis]

Originally Posted by Worth1

That's because it is a confession thread, once you have confessed you cant take it back.

Worth

Way too funny! haha

[drew51]

I confess to growing more than i should. I started 34 tomato plants this year and i have room for 15. i said i wouldn't add any fruit trees, but I only added three! I think I have 25 now. One friend of mine has 68 fruit trees. These are big plants! I bought another blackberry plant too, now having about 15 different cultivars.
I grow about 21 different cultivars of raspberry. I added 6 fig trees, well cuttings, if they all take! I also started 35 peppers, onions, and all kinds of herbs.
It's going to be a good year. Oh I also have scion to 6 peach trees, and about 5 plum trees. I'm not sure where I'm grafting them yet? Luckily you can graft peach and plum unto each other. So I should have 10 different peaches and 10 different plums, all ripening at different times. It's a lot of fun! I'm going for 3 or 4 cultivars per tree. Frankin trees! Once you run out of room for more trees, you start grafting cultivars unto existing trees.
I bought Nadia this year a Plum-cherry hybrid. Excited about this one. The fruit looks like a giant cherry! Taste is supposed to be excellent.

[bower]

Plum-cherry looks AWESOME, Drew. (Where is salivating smiley?)
So I tried to be very conservative this year, not to overfill my 24 spaces with 40+ plants like last year. I admit I got a little carried away at the germination tray (well you can't leave spaces empty, it would be a waste!)... then started a few extras - my Mom must have her favourites even if she says she doesn't want a garden this year, she's bound to change her mind... and a few more extras - couple of exciting seed gifts arrived just late.. from a T'villian enabler of course!.. and then I had to add a couple of varieties to fill out that germination tray (did I mention that empty space on the heat mat is SINFUL)
Now I just did a head count, and I AM STILL DOING GREAT with the self-restraint, even after the extras! Only 30 varieties in total... 20 OP's and ten segregating breeding lines Maybe I should start some more, yet.... that is only 120 tomato plants.

And I only have 72 pepper plants so far, yes a few more are just sprouting....
It's shaping up to be a perfectly manageable year.

[Worth1]

I have learned a long time ago to only plant as many plants as you can take care of and it still be enjoyable.

If you go over board then all of the plants suffer.
It is like having children.
You have 10 and you cant take care of them all.
You have two you can take care of them better and they and your self benefit from it.

Be truthful to yourself and dont go overboard by wanting to plant so many different varieties you cant take care of them.

I have 23 pepper plants and 13 tomato plants.
Every one of them gets babied and taken care of.

I have had over 200 plants and it was a nightmare.
What I got out of it was a so called culling of the ones I will never grow again in my climate.
Every year I try to plant new varieties for a test.
I plant each of a total of 4 to 6 or so new plants.
This year it is Lemon Boy, San Marzano, Black Prince and Solar Fire.
The only two come backs are Early Girl and Sun Gold.
Both of these verities have been out standing for me.
I am hoping San Marzano does good too.
So far it has.
Once I get the bugs worked out in these two raised beds then I can take that information on to two more beds.

Worth

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by Worth1

That's because it is a confession thread, once you have confessed you cant take it back.

Worth

Thanks Worth! I needed a laugh today. That was pretty funny.

[Ed of Somis]

W...I think you will like your Black Prince. It is not touted that much on these forums...but the one year I grew it, it was very good. I have it back this year.

[crazyoldgooseman]

I have started about 80 plants. I only need 25. The darn things are 5 inches tall and i can't plant out until May 1st. It was 20 degrees this morning and it snowed again a couple nights ago. Please help me. Was it supposed to help confessing this?

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by crazyoldgooseman

I have started about 80 plants. I only need 25. The darn things are 5 inches tall and i can't plant out until May 1st. It was 20 degrees this morning and it snowed again a couple nights ago. Please help me. Was it supposed to help confessing this?

Keep them on the dry side. Let the media get pretty dried out and the plants start to droop a little before watering. And keep them cool too. Try not to water the foliage.

sorry I have no confessions as of yet. I'll let everyone know as soon as I need to. unless you want to consider the 6 plug trays of snaps impatiens and petunias and I need a lot more room to lay out the transplanted flats... like I need to plant about 10 flats of each each of those... oh where oh where an I going to fit them in at. My house is already full. I haven't started the cabbage and broccoli or the marigolds.... I have a lot to confess, huh? peppers aren't transplanted yet either...