Name:   lakngulf - Subject:   Hey, LNG>> Tomato Inquiry? Date:   3/14/2011 8:57:19 PM (updated 3/14/2011 9:12:09 PM)

I like pain, I guess.  You asked for it so here goes.

I bought all tomato plants from nursery up until three or four years ago.  My son and daughter-in-law gave me some seed that were supposed to represent the gardens of Thomas Jefferson (daughter-in-law was comptroller at the TJ house while my son was in law school at UVA).  I planted all the seed and was surprised at the results.  Among the seeds were some white eggplant and some brandywine tomatoes, which both did great and the tomatoes were some of the best I had ever had.  So after that I decided to start more plants from seed and things just grew from there.

For couple of years I started indoors under grow lights, then transfer to 5 inch peat pots.  These were put outside when the weather was pretty and brought inside when storms or cold was on the way (the pain).  When the weather was right (and even before) I transplant to garden, and hope. 

I got tired of taking the plants out and bringing them in, and they do not go well with my wife’s décor in the family room.  So, last fall I began a lean to extension on my old shed with the hopes of adding a greenhouse.  Things were going well in September until  (insert fall from ladder and broken leg here).  Well, finally I got back to it in time to put the five inch peat pots in the greenhouse, but still have the grow light and grow shelves inside house.  Hopefully the whole process goes to the greenhouse next year.  Also, I actually have some plants in some soil in the greenhouse with the hopes of a super-early crop.  The tomatoes I like the best are Celebrity—great tasting and pretty much produce at one time for freezing,  Better Boy—a little larger, great taste, and are supposed to last longer (the determinate, indeterminate thing that I can never figure out), and the TJ Brandywine—huge, meaty tomato with almost no core.  I have tried other kinds of Brandywine, but TJ knew best.  I also start peppers, egg plant, cukes, squash, beans, okra.  They just start so well in the miracle gro soil.

I like the idea that I saw each plant in the garden grow from that little seed.  The gain from the pain.