Disaster!

[gardenmermaid]

Well, I don't quite understand how it happened exactly, but a tray of 24 soil blocks with 5-inch tall beautiful tomato seedlings was dumped upside down with the seedlings piled on top of each other with no way to tell who is who.
The soil cubes were all crumbled up so I potted them up into solo cups. There are five plants that have very distinctive potato- leaves with 3 smaller plants and 2 that are much taller. I think the tall ones are Purple Bumblebee because I had 2 Purple Bumblebees, 1 Ruby Surprise and the rest of the varieties have 3 of each. The remaining varieties are: Mrs Maxwell's Big Italian, Limbaugh Legacy, Curtis Cheek, Arbuznyi, Black Master, German Black, Costeluto Genovese.
I will be researching to find out if there are any differences in leaf shape between these varieties to see if I can try to tell them apart. I don't have enough experience with these varieties to know who is who between the pinks and blacks even when they have fruit. If anyone can give me any hints or tips I would appreciate it. Once they are not wilted I will try to take pictures to see if we can differentiate.

The other issue will be finding a place to grow them as I was only planning on one each of the 9, not 24 and it is hard to give away unlabeled plants since people want to also know what they are growing.
I am also disappointed because some of these were grow outs of old seed to renew my stash but if I can't be 100% sure of the variety I won't be saving the seeds.
I moved about 4 years ago and was planning a big side by side comparison to see what does best here.
Anyway, that is the end of my venting of my disappointment and frustration.
On the bright side, my white and green tomatoes are still separated and labeled so those comparisons will still happen and worse things have happened than having to grow double the tomatoes I was planning on.

[slugworth]

You can get through this if you are keeping the plants for yourself.The fruits are very distinctive.

[gardenmermaid]

Are they? I hope so. The three pink ones are all beef steaks and the three blacks are all beef steaks with green shoulders. I will ask for help when I harvest to see what everyone thinks.

[MrsJustice]

Originally Posted by slugworth

You can get through this if you are keeping the plants for yourself.The fruits are very distinctive.

I agree with you. The varieties are so different that He can tell once the Tomatoes start to develop. Even when the Tomato plant becomes bigger it can be safely transplanted as well.



I only lost two plants in this wind here in Virginia. They were from Dr. Carolyn's Collection. I looked around and found I plant flying around on the ground. I am trying to save it. But, I am glad we did not get any floods. I Thank God for my Farmland is on higher grounds save from any flooding, Amen!!!

[slugworth]

But it is sad when your siblings tell you not to plant Costeluto Genovese because they are too difficult to wash with all the nooks and crannies.
Sad when families are torn apart over tomato varieties.
Beggars can't be choosers I always say.

[VirginiaClay]

Originally Posted by gardenmermaid

The soil cubes were all crumbled up so I potted them up into solo cups. There are five plants that have very distinctive potato- leaves with 3 smaller plants and 2 that are much taller. I think the tall ones are Purple Bumblebee because I had 2 Purple Bumblebees, 1 Ruby Surprise and the rest of the varieties have 3 of each. The remaining varieties are: Mrs Maxwell's Big Italian, Limbaugh Legacy, Curtis Cheek, Arbuznyi, Black Master, German Black, Costeluto Genovese.
I will be researching to find out if there are any differences in leaf shape between these varieties to see if I can try to tell them apart.

I'm sorry to hear about your mishap but glad your plants survived. Purple Bumblebee is regular leaf, not potato leaf. I'm almost certain the only two potato leaf varieties on your list are Mrs. Maxwell's and Limbaugh's Legacy. Maybe that will help you identify some of your plants.

[gardenmermaid]

Originally Posted by VirginiaClay

I'm sorry to hear about your mishap but glad your plants survived. Purple Bumblebee is regular leaf, not potato leaf. I'm almost certain the only two potato leaf varieties on your list are Mrs. Maxwell's and Limbaugh's Legacy. Maybe that will help you identify some of your plants.

Thanks for the clarification on PBB! That should tell me which is which with the pink tomatoes since Mrs Maxwell is quite a bit earlier than Limbaughs. I had a hard time finding the leaf shape info for Curtis Cheek, but it I finally found a source that confirmed that it was regular leaf

[slugworth]

2 trays of plants slid off a shelf but landed on their feet like a cat,so no damage.

[bad.kelpie]

Curtis cheek is a heart, so as it grows, it should be wispier than your non-heart varieties (I don't know if any of your others are hearts). Pretty sure it's regular leaf.

[gardenmermaid]

Originally Posted by bad.kelpie

Curtis cheek is a heart, so as it grows, it should be wispier than your non-heart varieties (I don't know if any of your others are hearts). Pretty sure it's regular leaf.

Thanks for that info! I thought a few of the seedlings looked more wispy while I was potting them, I will have to try separating those, then I should know my pink tomatoes! That will help a lot!

[JRinPA]

That's tough. I have mixed up soil blocks when I lost the seed map. And have flipped some like that, but not so that I couldn't tell them apart, or perhaps it did not matter.


Tough to advise what to do...I'd probably plant them all in the 9 spots and thin them to try to get to one of each type, maybe not until after they start throwing tomatoes if you are not sure.



Do you usually let them sprawl? If so, maybe this is the year to start pruning to one or just a few stems and grow all 24 in the space of 9 sprawls.

[gardenmermaid]

Originally Posted by JRinPA

That's tough. I have mixed up soil blocks when I lost the seed map. And have flipped some like that, but not so that I couldn't tell them apart, or perhaps it did not matter.


Tough to advise what to do...I'd probably plant them all in the 9 spots and thin them to try to get to one of each type, maybe not until after they start throwing tomatoes if you are not sure.



Do you usually let them sprawl? If so, maybe this is the year to start pruning to one or just a few stems and grow all 24 in the space of 9 sprawls.

I cage some and tie some to a fence. Pruning is a good idea! I hadn't thought of that. I remember a gardener showing me his 1 main stem growing up a string method. That could work

[MrsJustice]

Since we are dealing with a lot of wind, as you slowly Identify them put 2 Plant Identifications on each you till they all are Identified. That is what I going to do until sundown today.

[gardenmermaid]

Originally Posted by MrsJustice

Since we are dealing with a lot of wind, as you slowly Identify them put 2 Plant Identifications on each you till they all are Identified. That is what I going to do until sundown today.

I have struggled with finding a plant tag that you can still read by the time they are ready to harvest. Has anyone figured out what is a really reliable tag? The kits I've bought at the garden centers fade as quick as the sharpie on plastic spoons do. On the fencing areas I print out address labels and laminate them with a few layers of packing tape. Its VERY time consuming. Then I staple them to the wire fence and tomato cages. They last for years but it is hard to do all the steps.

Years ago I bought a few tomato plants from a farmers market stand and they were labeled with long thin white plastic strips and black markers and they looked good as new when I pulled them from the ground the next spring. I haven't figured out what they were or where you get them

[MrsJustice]

The Little Plastic Bags with a closable seal are real good to work; with Clear Strong Tape that thoroughly connect both end of the Little Bags on your Permanent Staking or Large Tomato Cages works good for me.

There is another method but I have to get that Company O.K. First, to be able to show pictures.