I have the itch
Jan. 4th, 2006 01:37![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillI just finished organizing my tomato seeds -- transferring seeds to fairly uniform coin envelopes and filing them in a recipe box. They just barely fit, all of them, and now I can easily determine which varieties I have already. (Many.) Then the whole lot went into the freezer, since I discovered weevils eating one batch of seed.
I've sworn to cut back this year, though it's going to be hard; the garden itself will be smaller, so I had to cut back from 30 tomato slots to 24. Still sounds like a lot, right? Well, that means something like 13 or 14 varieties, if I do two of most of them, unless I do a whole crapload of one of my rare ones to increase the seed numbers. Still sounds like a lot, right? Wait'll you see my "want to grow" and "available seed" lists... sigh.
I have a couple I have to grow... Vorlon won my heart this year, as it was threatening to do before. It's perfect, I need say no more. Brandywine (Sudduth strain) is another one, especially as it bears more heavily for me than for many people. Yellow Wisconsin 55 is beyond rare, and if I can get any of my seed to sprout, it needs to be out there. So that's three. Kellogg's Breakfast is on the winner's rolls too, and I've missed it lately. Red Brandywine is one I've never managed to grow in all my years of trying and its reputation is fantastic -- since I've already tried the potato-leaf impostors RBFPL and Earl's Faux, I need to try the original now. So that's five.
Then on to the "want" list. Neve's Azorean Red has been all the rage in the last couple of years. Baylor Paste is a solid, meaty canner, and I need a couple of those to thrive to replenish my meager canned tomato stores. I wanted Box Car Willie for that, actually; if I can get seeds for BCW I'll do that, since Willie is so reliable and prolific, and that's what I need right now.
There are a few with name value. I tried hunting for a tomato with some name of mine on it, and the closest I came was "Woman's Name Starting With A". So I want to plant that (it's round and red, I know nothing more). A variety came along with it called "One Ball", and it looks like... well, you can guess. "Olga's Round Yellow Chicken" has tempted me for years. I also have seed for "Russian #117", which is a huge meaty red, but it's a wispy-leaf too, which fare poorly for me on average... it still might be worth a try.
That's eleven right there, and I haven't even started trying to round out the colors -- and I haven't named Sungold yet. I'm not sure whether I'm going to plant Sungold for myself this year, as (wonderful as they may be) we don't eat very many cherry tomatoes. I'm steering toward full-size ones, actually, in the hopes I'll actually have something to put in jars for a change. The harvests have been increasingly dismal, and I want more good tomatoes in the cellar.
I want a black, too, maybe Black Krim which did so well for me that first year. Hmm...
Good thing I know what varieties I want for almost everything else. Corn, summer squash, sweet potatoes, and cucumbers don't offer as much potential for frustration. And I haven't even started on the watering situation -- that comes tomorrow.
I've gotten new lights and starter mix for the light rack, though! Now I just have to twiddle my seed packs until it's time to plant, on Valentine's Day... :)
I've sworn to cut back this year, though it's going to be hard; the garden itself will be smaller, so I had to cut back from 30 tomato slots to 24. Still sounds like a lot, right? Well, that means something like 13 or 14 varieties, if I do two of most of them, unless I do a whole crapload of one of my rare ones to increase the seed numbers. Still sounds like a lot, right? Wait'll you see my "want to grow" and "available seed" lists... sigh.
I have a couple I have to grow... Vorlon won my heart this year, as it was threatening to do before. It's perfect, I need say no more. Brandywine (Sudduth strain) is another one, especially as it bears more heavily for me than for many people. Yellow Wisconsin 55 is beyond rare, and if I can get any of my seed to sprout, it needs to be out there. So that's three. Kellogg's Breakfast is on the winner's rolls too, and I've missed it lately. Red Brandywine is one I've never managed to grow in all my years of trying and its reputation is fantastic -- since I've already tried the potato-leaf impostors RBFPL and Earl's Faux, I need to try the original now. So that's five.
Then on to the "want" list. Neve's Azorean Red has been all the rage in the last couple of years. Baylor Paste is a solid, meaty canner, and I need a couple of those to thrive to replenish my meager canned tomato stores. I wanted Box Car Willie for that, actually; if I can get seeds for BCW I'll do that, since Willie is so reliable and prolific, and that's what I need right now.
There are a few with name value. I tried hunting for a tomato with some name of mine on it, and the closest I came was "Woman's Name Starting With A". So I want to plant that (it's round and red, I know nothing more). A variety came along with it called "One Ball", and it looks like... well, you can guess. "Olga's Round Yellow Chicken" has tempted me for years. I also have seed for "Russian #117", which is a huge meaty red, but it's a wispy-leaf too, which fare poorly for me on average... it still might be worth a try.
That's eleven right there, and I haven't even started trying to round out the colors -- and I haven't named Sungold yet. I'm not sure whether I'm going to plant Sungold for myself this year, as (wonderful as they may be) we don't eat very many cherry tomatoes. I'm steering toward full-size ones, actually, in the hopes I'll actually have something to put in jars for a change. The harvests have been increasingly dismal, and I want more good tomatoes in the cellar.
I want a black, too, maybe Black Krim which did so well for me that first year. Hmm...
Good thing I know what varieties I want for almost everything else. Corn, summer squash, sweet potatoes, and cucumbers don't offer as much potential for frustration. And I haven't even started on the watering situation -- that comes tomorrow.
I've gotten new lights and starter mix for the light rack, though! Now I just have to twiddle my seed packs until it's time to plant, on Valentine's Day... :)
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-04 10:26 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-04 10:33 (UTC)This spring is going to be a digging frenzy, really. In terms of materials... I think I'm probably set for this round, provided I can design an appropriate watering system. If you're feeling oddball, I can tap you for purchasing the nematodes in the spring, the ones that kill the Horde. Otherwise, well, a bit of working out there with me would be the best gift anyone could give me. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-04 10:35 (UTC)Of course I will help. Who knows? Walkyr may be able to get a backhoe (doubt it, but one never knows.)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-04 20:02 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-05 05:16 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-05 05:26 (UTC)Thanks for reminding me about the seeds; I was figuring I could start some alongside the other solanums, in the light rack. We can talk about how many you want when I get there. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-05 10:12 (UTC)