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Post by templeton on Oct 8, 2013 16:02:28 GMT -5
I usually start in July, on heat pad, but this year just waited until the first seedlings started to emerge from the compost in the potting mix the greenhouse, and took that as my sowing trigger. I delved deep into the shoebox, and emerged with lots of gifted seeds that I've never grown - some will be too old, but this years collection is a mix of whim - Julia's Child, Neves Azorean Red, Sunsets Red Horizon, old seed refreshment - Rainy's Maltese, KBX, Speckled Roman, Siberian Red cherries for Ms T - Tommytoe, Sweet 100 F1, Riesentraube, Wild Currant, and two supermarket collections,' Mini Roma' and 'Freshcrop Cherry' some cookers/driers - Ropreco Paste, Scatalone, Piennolo del Vesuvio a green breeding project - Aunt Ruby's, Grubs Mystery Green, Lime Green Salad, Green Banana a black breeding project - Black Krim, Japanese Black Trifele, Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple curiosity - Arbuznyi, Black and Brown Boar, Red Boar, breeder's burden - 5 lines of F3 'Little Flame' dwarfs, and Jaune Flammee.
Note the mix of fashion following (although somewhat delayed) and name chasing. In a horticultural corollary of the saying regarding grass, greeness and fences, 'The tomatoes are always tastier on the other side' - in this case, of the Pacific. Picture the puppy-like Templeton, standing on a beach, trowel in hand, whistfully gazing east, dreaming of Baker Creek and Tatiana catalogs... Thanks to all who's generosity has made the above list possible. T
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Post by raymondo on Oct 8, 2013 17:42:16 GMT -5
I have only recently sown Arbuznyi, Berkeley Tie-dye, Black Cherry, Canestrino di Lucca, Cornue des Andes, Isis Candy, Japanese Black Trifele, Piennolo del Vesuvio, Schimmeig Creg, Spitfire Hybrid, Striped Turkish Monastery and some crosses I'm working on: pink and orange F3 selections of a cross of Galina's Yellow, Snow White and KBX and some F2 of a cross between Barossa Moon (a dwarf small fruited type) and Sun Gold.
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Post by raymondo on Oct 17, 2013 0:55:29 GMT -5
Germinated so far: Arbuznyi, Berkeley Tie-dye, Black Cherry, Cornue des Andes, Isis Candy, Japanese Black Trifele, KBX cherry cross orange, KBX cherry cross pink, Piennolo del Vesuvio, Schimmeig Creg, Spitfire Hybrid, Striped Turkish Monastery. Only waiting on two, Canestrino di Lucca and Caro Rich both of whose seeds were around the 10 year old mark so they may take a while.
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Post by steev on Oct 17, 2013 1:14:56 GMT -5
Lucky you: I c*n only lu*t *or tom*to *t*rt* o* *ny *ort.
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Post by templeton on Oct 17, 2013 15:52:18 GMT -5
The earliest sown tomatoes are straining at the leash to get into the ground, the roaring hot wind of the last couple of days has subsided, and the bed is ready, so I think today will be First Planting Day. Tigerella, Little Flame project, Julias Child, the cherries, Rainy's, Siberian Red, KBX all ready to go. Neves and Red Horizon didn't germinate.
My second sowings are just emerging on the heat pad. These went in a month after the others - Raymondo, bless his little cotton socks, sent me a number of interesting varieties to try. The next day I went out to sow them after work, got caught by fading light and didn't get round to them. For the next three weeks I pulled the house, my office, and three cars to pieces looking for those seeds, then gave up. Then while unpacking my camping gear, grabbed a handful of clothes out of a bag and felt some paper in a pocket of a vest - the lost seeds! Arbuznyi, is well up, all the greens just up this morning apart from Green Banana (old seed collected from a market in Barcelona), All the blacks, but still waiting on Piennolo, Black and Brown Boar, Scatalone.
Just been thinking I should sow some Malakhitovaya Schkatulka, and maybe White Beauty. T
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Post by DarJones on Oct 17, 2013 16:41:27 GMT -5
Sure am glad you glue those seed trays down. I was reading this morning about Australia being a fine place to launch rockets and super cheap. You just cut loose the cables holding the rocket down and let it drift into space. Start the engines to guide it into orbit. But I bet it is hard on the tomatoes always trying to fall out of the ground. You must get some fantastic root systems!
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 17, 2013 18:12:58 GMT -5
I must say, this year I had a Cosmo/Sioux cross from Oxbow that one of the chef's in town just loved. And Ox, I owe you....the chef gave me and Leo a FREE dinner for bringing him 2 trays of cherries every week for 6 weeks. This was really a great producer!
Dar's piennolo del vesuvio was a lip smacking wonder. I've had them on the counter since July and am using them in my nightly cooking. I let the chef try them, but wouldn't give him any.
Lieven's Tear Drop was another tomato that wowed the chef...and no wonder, tastes like wine, lovely teardrop shape, and the flavor - put a Black Cherry and a Sungold in your mouth at the same time and you've got it!
I love the crosses you guys come up with.
I had a really great tomato season (it's October and they're still growing!)
Many thanks to all of you! Especially you Dar...
Best wishes on your growing season! May all your maters be lovely.
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Post by richardw on Oct 18, 2013 13:51:15 GMT -5
My list of tomatoes for this coming summer is nothing startling,i find just a few plants in the tunnelhouse is more than enough to keep the family supplied,so what ive got inside is one still a small plant of Grubs Mystery Green(families favourite),Scotland yellow which has been giving us fruit since late winter,Copia which i'm not too impressed with,its dropping most of its flowers yet i'm giving the bush plenty of shaking,its only got 6 tomatoes on it but would have dropped 50 flowers,one plant of Perth Pride which i will be selling seed of in Sentinels Seeds Group along with Rosella Crimson again for seed.Outside are a few plants of Matts Wild Cherry & Jagodka,ive got some other cold tolerant varieties to try but i'll have to do them next spring as its getting a bit late now for frosts.
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Post by templeton on Oct 18, 2013 15:55:53 GMT -5
Loaded the tomato trays on the ute, and headed over to my other garden for the first plant out, only to find a frost had smashed the toms I gave to the owner to put in a week ago. Re think the planting plan for another week or two.
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Post by allyh on Oct 25, 2013 1:05:23 GMT -5
This season I've got Grubs Mystery Green, Julia Child, Blondkopfchen, Honey of Mexico, Malakhitovaya Shkatulka, Coustralee, Dr Carolyns (thanks Raymondo), Eva Purple Ball, Emerald Cherry, Millefleur and a mystery one known only as "Medium Red Balls", sent to me by someone who obviously lost the seed label. I wasn't going to plant any tomatoes this season, and now I have 11 types. Oh well...
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 25, 2013 16:26:28 GMT -5
You have to watch tomatoes, they are famous for multiplying....
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Post by raymondo on Nov 2, 2013 16:31:11 GMT -5
The only tomatoes that failed to germinate were the Canestrino di Lucca. My own Caro Rich seeds didn't germinate either but someone sent me some fresher ones which are doing fine. Jack's still lurking (frost forecast later this week) so I'll hold off planting out for a week or two.
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Post by steev on Nov 3, 2013 20:32:05 GMT -5
Don't worry about Jack; he came here last week and will be busy for months.
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Post by raymondo on Nov 4, 2013 15:50:09 GMT -5
He made a fleeting visit this morning, I think just as a farewell for the season.
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Post by richardw on Nov 4, 2013 16:03:36 GMT -5
Dont send Jack over the tasie,had enough of him for the year,mind you ,sounds like he's got his hands at steev's place
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