Earthly Garden

Michael talked earlier last month about how a tomato plant saved his sanity during a heavy move he made. Tomatoes have always been a welcome fruit in my garden and I always tend to have so many that I am eating tomatoes constantly during the summer months and into the fall. This is the first year that I have actually strayed from my normal “whatever tomato plant” is available at the local seller and branched into the actual varieties and I have some wonderful tomatoes to enjoy and share with everyone that asks or sees the tomato varieties I am growing. Here is a simple list of some of the best varieties you can grow next summer in order to enjoy tomatoes all season.

• Big Rainbow: Matures in 102 days (huge fruit 1-2 lbs.)

• Burpee’s VF Hybrid: Matures in 72 days (fruit is very meaty)

• Celebrity Hybrid: Matures in 70 days (deep red fruit)

• Del Oro: Matures in 72 days (medium-sized fruit)

• Earlirouge: Matures in 65 days (medium size fruit)

• Early Girl Hybrid: Matures in 54 to about 62 days (common fruit, good for slicing)

• Evergreen: Matures in 72 days (amber green fruit)

• German Johnson: Matures in 76 days (heirloom, pink fruit)

• Giant Belgium: Matures in 54 days (small fruit 2-3 oz.)

• Golden Jubilee: Matures in 80 days (medium size, yellow orange fruit)

• Golden Queen: Matures in 80 days (yellow with mild flavor)

• Gold Nugget: Matures in 70 days (golden yellow cherry fruit)

• Green Grape: Matures in 80 days (yellow-green colored cherry tomatoes)

• Heat Wave Hybrid: Matures in 70 days (round fruit)

• Lemon Boy: Matures in 72 days (yellow medium-sized fruits)

• Oregon Spring: Matures in 63 days (very red and medium-sized fruit)

• Pixie II: Matures in 52 days (small cherry tomatoes)

• Rocket: Matures in 53 days (small fruit)

• Roma VF: Matures in 75 days (plum-shaped)

• San Marzano: Matures in 80 days (deep red in color)

• Santiam: Matures in 58 days (red medium-sized fruit)

• Sasha’s Altai: Matures in 59 days (medium-sized, delicious flavor)

• Siberia: Matures in 50 days (7 oz. fruit, low temp. tolerant)

• Solar Set: Matures in 70 days (Big fruit can withstand heat)

• Stupice: Matures in 52 days. (very good flavor)

• Sub-Arctic Plenty: Matures in 50 days (small fruit)

• Surefire: Matures ion 64 days (good fall tomatoes in hotter climates)

• Sweet 100 Hybrid: Matures 65 days (cherry tomato that grows very tall)

• Tanana: Matures in 60 days (resists the cold very well)

• Yellow Pear: Matures in 75 days (small fruit with a sweet flavor)

Due to a mid-life crisis need to change my life for the better I moved at the beginning of June.  My new home is much nicer, more comfortable and less stressful, but not a day has passed that I don’t miss the plethora of heirloom plants I had started from seed that I am certain are not being cared for.

Case in point - as mentioned previously herein, I am a fanatic about tomatoes and downright loony when it comes to heirloom tomatoes.  Before the spring growing season began I lovingly started several different varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings in my office window and nurtured them until they were ready for planting.  Any true gardener will no doubt understand my heartbreak when I was unable to take these beauties with me.

As a strong believer in karma I am happy to report that it wasn’t two weeks after my move that a very sweet lady at a local nursery asked me to have a look at a cart full of throwaway plants to see if there was anything I might be interested in saving, free of charge.  I had replayed my story of the lost plants and being a kindred spirit she wanted to do something.  Of course I would have taken the entire cart, but planting space at my new home is at a premium and I had to exercise restraint.  With tears in my eyes and a silent "thank you" that she no doubt understood, I accepted the gift of two Mortgage Lifter tomato plants that were more dead than alive.  Clutching them close to my chest I took them to the car and headed home.

Two months have passed since that wonderful day and I am so pleased with the progress these two neglected plants have made in such a short time.  While the blooms have yet to produce any fruit as of yet, the plants are growing stronger and greener by the day, producing that wonderful scent that only a tomato plant can emanate.

If you hadn’t yet surmised, I can be quite an emotional mess when it comes to my gardening but I have always believed that it is my spiritual connection to the this earthly garden that has allowed me to partake of such amazing results through the years.

When I get my first tomatoes, I promise you’ll hear about it here first!

Growing more and more every day,

Tags: environment garden gardening green heirloom tomatoes

Mornin’ all!

I was excited to find a good selection of heirloom tomato plants at our new garden center last night. It’s hard to find heirloom anything around here, much less ready-grown plants. I bought a few Roma tomatoes and a Cherokee Purple. I wasn’t going to buy plants this year, opting instead to start my own from seeds, but I’m a sucker for the heirlooms.

Here’s an article I found that talks about heirloom plants and why you might want to grow them.

I like to grow heirlooms mostly because of their connection with gardeners of the past…gardeners who lovingly saved seed from their favorite vegetable because it had been given to them by their grandmother or had been carried from one home to the other. And if it tastes great, well, that’s just a bonus!

dig it!

bobbi c.

heirloom vegetables, seeds, seedsaving, antique seeds, heirloom plants, grandmother’s garden