Extra plants

[torquill]

Anyone in the Bay Area is welcome to take first crack at these plants (I could ship one or two, but I'd have to have a reeeeeeally good reason). Those that aren't claimed by the time I get tired of them will go to Master Gardener and class meetings until they all vanish.

The orphan tomatoes:

1 Black Krim - a very good dark beefsteak
1 Box Car Willie - reported to give lots of perfect round red slicers
2 Brandywine, Sudduth strain - quite prolific and has the best taste I've ever encountered in a tomato
9 to 12 Cherokee Purple - very, very popular variety, gives out lots of average-size dark slicers
2 Dr. Carolyn - might just be my favorite cherry tomato (it's pale yellow)
2 Kellogg's Breakfast - gives out huge, soft, juicy orange beefsteaks with lots of sweet flavor
1 New Big Dwarf - good for 5-gallon pots, and gives out average-size round red slicers
3 Olga's Round Yellow Chicken - I know nothing about it except that it's golden and has a funny name
1 Picardy - has lots of solid red slicers, good for canning or eating fresh
2 Vorlon - my favorite tomato: dark slicers with wonderful flavor, lots of them
2 Woman's Name Starting With A - The only thing I know about it is that it's red, and probably average size
4 Yellow Wisconsin 55 - exceedingly rare, and I'm trying to find people willing to save some seeds (it's easy).

I haven't hardened off the Cherokee Purple plants yet, but that should only take about a week. Oh, and all of the tomatoes except New Big Dwarf will need some kind of support -- they're not small plants. Planting them in large pots is okay, but the vines need to be tied up.

The orphan peppers:

6 Peter's Aussie pepper - from a friend in Australia; good for frying up and serving with steak
2 Poblano/Ancho chile - mild to medium-hot, commonly used for chile rellenos
3 Sweet Chocolate Bell - deep purple-brown, I think
2 Paprika - thick-walled, otherwise I know very little
2 Odessa Market - very popular, but this is my first time with it
3 Sheepnose Pimiento - squat, shaped like a wheel of cheese, and solid
3 Thai Red Bird chile - the green and red little cayenne-type chiles you find fresh in Asian markets; when heated they gain a citrusy flavor (I plan on using them for salsa)

All but the two marked "chile" are sweet peppers.

If you know anyone who might like to adopt one or six, have them talk to me.

Comments

[kitabare.livejournal.com]

I want one or two of the tomatoes... I need to get a pot.

I don't know which, but both Fate and I like tomatoes and I'm sure the rest of the house will find a use for them. Fate and I both like tomatoes for lots of reasons: sandwiches, salads, spaghetti sauce when I get a chance to cook, and just plain with maybe some salt. So we want one that's good for just about everything, with good flavor. Not too worried about how much they produce, Kathy says she'll find a use for what we can't eat. My only concern is that it will do well in a pot.... Maybe the New Big Dwarf, and one of the Brandywines if it will do ok potted.

How much sun do they need? I need to figure out where to put them.

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

They need as much sun as they can get. Not easy in the yard over there.

A NBD would be a good choice, since it puts out pretty good all-purpose tomatoes and doesn't get large. If I had thought I'd be looking to put some in pots, I would have grown more dwarfs this time around (I've been collecting them, as I don't know what my living situation will be like over the next few years).

I'd give you a Vorlon, except they're huge plants. I'll ask the tomato forums which plant they'd choose out of the ones I have, if putting it in a container.

Also, I can see about putting together a large self-watering container, so that you don't have to watch the watering like a hawk -- they can be made out of rubbermaid bins very easily, and I can get those for something like $4 apiece. Much cheaper than standard pots, and not terribly unattractive.

[kitabare.livejournal.com]

Kathy and I were talking about it. We figure the deck has the best possiblity. It's sunny pretty much all day now that the stupid spikey-ball tree is gone. Self-watering is a plus, but not a necessity, I can make time to water on a regular basis as long as I know how often. Although I have to admit, just having to check it once or twice a week would be nice.

Good link...

[kitabare.livejournal.com]

Oh, and on the subject of Olga's... check here...

http://davesgarden.com/pf/

Search under tomatoes... I found it. Might be a good reference site for you.

Re: Good link...

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

Thanks... I've run across Dave's Garden before, and sometimes it has good comments. It can be really hit or miss, though, and the vast majority of the plant entries have little to no information on the plants themselves (height, leaf type, climate, annual/perennial, etc.) It's gotten to the point that I don't bother trying them anymore, because I strike out so often.

Looks like their entry on Olga's confirms what I figured -- an average size gold slicer, and I know it's regular leaf because I have the plants. :) Otherwise, I get to find out what it's like, which is why I'm growing it. Always good to have a couple of unknowns out there...

[ca-snowflake.livejournal.com]

I would Love to adopt a couple tomato and pepper plants! We plan on working on the back yard and planting some things there, as well as probably putting some potted items out front. I could come pick them up even if that would be easiest. Let me know. Thanks!

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

Any idea which ones you'd like?

They're all looking a little wan from the rain, but the ones in the ground have perked up already (I planted them a week ago). They're sturdy little guys.

[kitabare.livejournal.com]

You may have met sidhedancer(aka Kelsey)'s mom Juli at one Bash or another. I mentioned the plants tonight at Sidhe's going away party. Nore specifically the conversation went something like this...

Me: Alison is giving away some of her tomato plants, you want some?
Her: Yes.
Me: How many?
Her: Yes.

In other words she'll take as many as she can get... she doesn't care if she has to pot them or plant them. She likes meaty ones that are tomatoey and not too acidic. I know she also grew peppers last year so she might be interested in those as well. I'll talk to her more before I get plants from you and find out exactly how many she wants. Do you have suggestions on tomato varieties for her? She expressed interest in the Vorlon.

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

Whadaya know... I planted meaty tomatoes for canning this year, and I like them on the sweeter side. This might work. :)

Vorlon is a beautiful, beautiful tomato. Outside, its bottom half is dark-purple, its top half is dark-green, and inside it's the color of a hematoma; it's quite solid without being dry, and makes a wonderful sandwich. And it cranks out dozens. The flavor isn't quite what Brandywine Sudduth is, but it's a winner nonetheless.

Of the rest: Black Krim, Brandywine Sudduth, and Kellogg's Breakfast were chosen for sandwiches, Box Car Willie, Picardy, New Big Dwarf, and Vorlon were chosen for canning, Wisconsin 55 (the red version) was developed for canning, and Cherokee Purple has about the same constitution as Vorlon. Essentially, I chose almost all of the varieties this year with the goal of replenishing my cellar in mind... and the meaty ones are what can up the best.

If she's willing to take a chance on an unknown, she can take a Woman's Name... I hesitate to give those out when I know very little about them, but if she has enough to guarantee a good harvest even if it's a dud, she's welcome to them. :)

I'll send you my phone #/email address via IM, maybe you could put us in touch.

[kitabare.livejournal.com]

Sounds good. I know she mentioned that she's never had much luck with Brandywine before.

Have you found out what would work for me besides the NBD?

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

She'll like Sudduth strain; it seems to perform better in this climate, and is more prolific in general. I was surprised by how much it outperformed the regular pink Brandywine.

Looks like I'll be giving you a Cherokee Purple once I'm sure they're used to the outdoors. They seem to take to pot culture relatively well.