Still wet from week end

   The needed rain ( 2 -1/2") has the garden too sogy to tramp around in , so we purchased some tomatoe cages , and got a great deal on 1 gallon & 3 gallon pots in aticipation of repotting these growing tomatoes.
   Hopefully, we will get back on track with planting mid week. My next major project is installing the water irrigation system. Thanks to my nextdoor neighbors small application in their garden last year. We now have the new expanded version about to be implemented in the " Tomatoes are Us garden" . I'm just gripping about the physical fittness program, I've recouperated from the tilling conditioning .

  Incidently, for the record, after talking with our web master (who is a great guy), he indicated that there are a lot of gramatical errors within our Blog. I apologize for the imperfections, however this should not be taken as a representation of the dialog in the e-book," that" was proof read, and edited 5 times.
  The Blog , on the other hand, is a spontaneous run as you go; hodge bodge of input that is written sometimes when I'm half in the saddle after working 12 hours ,  just catching up  to support the goings on with the "Victory Organic Gardening".

  So!, for those magnificent magnifying minds , that are obsessed with perfection on every given level, you have come to the right place to be frustrated, and forfill all of your monolinguistic judging in one convienient location.

 
 

Staying out of the Pollen

 

  Stayin out of the pollen today , as much as possible. We have been going through some horrendous allergy /pollen symptoms lately and so we are taking a time out. Hopefully the rain that is about to pummel Nashville will make some of this pollen disapate enough to withstand exposure to the elements. Our inventory is relatively the same, haven't too much of a run  on it this week, however the plants are getting bigger and we are going to have to put them in bigger pots . Anybody who wants to get a great deal on some of these before that time should put their order in now . We will be transplanting on Monday, and finishing hopefully most of the major garden planting. Again anyone interesdted in our available tomatoes should reffer to our previous blog entitled "Heirloom Varieties". 

                                    

                                                

Planting Tomatoes Phase 3

                                                                              

       

   We've been at it for a few days, have roughly  84 plants in the ground. Managed to stagger the maturity dates somewhat, we will plant our final tier of plants the 1st of next week.
  Picked up some great bags of leaf's  for the compost pile , it was like manna from heaven, all bagged and ready for storage.                                                  

                                                                                   
                Above is the compost piles, there are 3 piles each in stages of decomposition i.e. beginning , middle , and end. We have about 5 cubic yards going in each right now.

                                                                               

Planting garden

                                                                                

 We're back , after a extremely busy weekend reducing our tomato plant inventory. We are about to plant a second wave of tomatoes, and various other plants. It's official for our zone , that we can commence planting, and it is reccomended for Tuesdays date according to the Farmer's Almanac. So come rain or shine we are putting some plants in the ground.
  If you are still interested in acquiring tomato plants, we have updated our inventory as of today, it is in the blog page headed " Heirloom Varieties" .
  Remember you can plant tomato's all the way up to  Mid June , to get Fall harvest, and to staggar the maturity dates so you can have great tomato's throughout the Summer & the Fall. The rule of thumb is 90 to100 days before 1st frost, which for this area is between Oct. 7th thru 14th , not adjusted for climate change , birds flying south , and volcanic eruptions lasting more than 2 years. However if there is an extended heat wave , you may want to consider saving them for the fall primarys.

 

Moving right along.

"# ," reflects how many are in stock as of 4:30pm Friday 4/16, will update daily, some shall increase as we have some in 3rd teir of seedlings are hardened off.

  For our inventory of plants that are available, please see Blog under heading "Heirloom Varieties"
, the above "#    , " what we have available.

  As for the day , we have been tending to people coming by, and just doing general gardening. have another wave of people coming after work hours, so we're just doing the next right thing.

  Now I'm calculating our 5th teir of seedlings , since we can plant in phase's so not everything comes in at once. We have a window of 90 days from 1st frost, which is anywhere from the 7th, to the 14th, of October , according to statistics .  Mark Twain once said ; " There lies , and there are dam lies, and there there is statistic's! " . Boy! could we use him in this day & Age.

Have a great Day!

See "Heirloom Varieties" blog page ; updated discriptions

  Were just about ready for company tomarrow, finalized the " Heirloom Varieties" BLOG page with all the descriptions of tomato's .
  Will finalize inventory in morning, so far we have enopugh of everything that has been reserved to the best of my knowledge.

  Too tired to write a lot in this page. have a great night.

Plants ready to go Friday & Saturday!

  Some of these plants are getting hugh! If you are interested in acquiring these we will have open house on Friday & Saturday until 7 P.M.

  Should have discriptions and what is still available posted by Friday morning. please refer to our bog page that is headed "Hierloom Varities " for complete breakdown.

  Tilled another 400 sq. ft of garden today, so we can accomodate any orphaned plants, however so far I don't know if that is going to be a problem , we have reservations for over 100 plants thus far.

  Picked up some great empty fruit boxes from Sam's today for people to cart plants off with.
  

  This weekend it is supposed to get cool, so this may slow putting plants in the ground, however we think after this cool spell , if the remaining  forcast for next week is good , we believe we can officially get into full speed ahead.

  Most of the 1st tier plants are between 9" inches tall & 14" inches, pretty soon some of them will be getting pot bound , we got started early so these plants should produce early, looking forwward to having some great salads.

                                                                                     
                                                                         Black Prince       

 

                                                                                  
                                                                    Abe Lincoln

Posting discriptions, see 4/11 post

Short post , very busy, trying to update discriptions for tomato's, please refer to 4 / 11 previous post for updates on various varieties . i.e heading " Heirloom Varieties "

Heirloom Tomatoes

  Getting good response to our local ad on craigslist, however please make sure you put contact information on your inquires, we had one Gal named Susan that needs to re submit inquiry.

  Other than that, we have planted 22 tomato plants in the garden  today ( 12 different varities), we are staggering the planting in hopes that we can vary when the plants come up for ripened picking.  Some of the determinate types need more scrutiny than the indterminate types which produce all season til 1st frost.

  Unfortunately we need a bigger garden, so sometime this week my physical fittness program is going to have to kick in , and I'm going to till  another 300 sq. ft. to the 2300 that we have . We have now entered this program Nora has classified as; " leave no plant behind!"  Oye Vey!. At this rate I should be very svelt by the end of May. , or dead.

  So far this is what the garden looks like , with the exception that I pulled the fence out this morning.

  We are running string lines to keeep our rows straight, and our spacing is 3 ft, this should accomodate the majority of the plants.  We are going to let the ground warm up a little more before we plant the peppers. They like warm soil, and warmer evenings.

  Have a Great Week!

Heirloom Varieties

This is the varieties of tomatoes that are currently available.

All are Heirloom Plants, will be posting pictures tomarrow, most of these plants are ready to put in the ground , there are a few that won't be ready until next week , we asteric those that are still pending.
Some varieties will be are vey limited in number, they will be highlighted with the numeral sign, and available 1st come 1st serve.

"#     ," reflects how many are in stock as of 4:30pm Monday 4/19, will update daily, some shall increase as we have some in 3rd teir of seedlings are hardened off.

Abe Lincoln #  3  , indeterminate   ;  70- 80 days,  color: Red ; late season , brilliant red medium sized tomatoes.  Delicious. Excellent resistence to foilage disease.

Amish Paste #   n/a  , indeterminate;  75-85 days ; color: Red ; mid to late season, Great sauce tomato, good in salsa.  Heavey yeilding, 1 lb , acorn shaped.. lots of options with this tomato.

Arkansas Travelers #  22    , indeterminate;  75 days , mid season, color: red , 5-7 oz fruits, great taste.
Tolerates high heat and humidity, resistant to cracking, 5-6 ft vines.

Aunt Ruby's German Green # 10   , indeterminate , 80 days , late season, color : green,  beefsteak tomato.  The number one green tomatoe,  spicey aromatic, this is the one for fried green tomato's , or green salsa, green relish, rare seeds.

Aussies #  6  , indeterminate, days 85, late season; color: red, beefsteak 1 -2 lb tomato, "The BomB !, these buggers are show tomatoes, market tomato's.   Named one of the top 10 tomatoes in the U.S. 2008 ; by cracky.

Big Rainbow # 13 ,   indeterminate,  82 days , color : green shoulders -yellow middle-red bottom, 1-2-lb tomato; Beefsteak  , show tomato, Gourmet flavor ; slicer, or sandwich maker. awsome !~

Black Krim #   7  , indeterminate, 80 days , color : blachish dark red, 10-16 0z fruits, beefsteak , considered one of the best black tomato's, flavor naturally salty, do not require salting, great for heart great for salt restricted diets.

Black Plum # 14   ,indeterminate,  70-80  days , color : deep mahoghany brown , 2 0z fruits, developes best in hot weather, perfect for sauce, drying , or eating out of hand.

Black Prince # 5   , indeterminate,  69 days, color : reddish brown/black, 2-3 0z fruit, These deep garnet round, 2-inch (2-3 oz.) tomatoes are full of juice and incredibly rich fruity flavors. This is a tomato that chefs I deliver to rave about for it's rich flavors. The small fruits contain deep rich colors on the inside. Perfect for patio gardens. Perfect for eating fresh, and in cooking in tomato sauce or other culinary receipe's.

Brandywine Black # 19     , indeterminate ,  80-85 days ; color : purple black, 12 - 16 0z fruits, beefsteak.  Rich sweet flavor , good yeilds.


Brandywine Red #  35    , indeterminate,  72- 80 days ,  color: red,  12-16 0z fruits, beefsteak. Great Slicer,


Brandywine Pink # 38   , indeterminate,  72-80 days, color : red/pink 12-16 0z, Slicer , salad. great taste.


Carbon # 3 ,  indeterminate,  69-80 days ; color : purple brown/pinkybrown/reddish black, beefsteak, medium to large fruit 8 10 12 oz, fair producer, not a quantity crop, however great tast.

Creole #  13  , indeterminate,  70- 72 days , color : red , high yields , googd patio plant, early season
An heirloom developed in Louisiana for hot, humid climates. This variety has a very loyal following. Yields 3-inch, round, firm, red fruit with a lots of juice and delicious

Cherokee Purple #30  , indeterminate, 69-75  days ,  color: purple /brown / black , 120 yr. old Tennessee Indian Heirloom , one of the most popular black tomatoes, does extremely well in the region. Duh!, Cherokee might of gave it away.   Beeksteak , 8-16 0z & over fruit. A very popular market variety because of it's rich, complex and sweet flavors. One of the best tasting heirloom tomatoes.

Dagma's Perfection # 2    ,  indeterminate,  72 days , color : yellow/redstripe  Mid season ; A vigorous and abundant producer of medium-sized (3”, 12 oz.), slightly flattened, pale-yellow fruits with delicate, light red striping. Deliciously flavorful with overtones of tropical fruit and subtle hints of lime. Firm, juicy and elegant in the mouth, and jewel-like indeterminate,               ,

Fresh Salsa # 7 , determinate,   65-75 days  ,  Large , plum-shaped and dripless, 'Fresh Salsa' is "all meat"- ideal for tasty salsas, bruschettas and "light" Italian sauces.,    bushy plants are loaded with 4-5 oz. fruits, 2-3 1/2" long by 2" in diameter. 

Gary Ibsens Gold #  7 , indeterminate,  75 days , mid season, color: yellow /orange .  Tomato seeds for this tall, leafy variety were sent to me in 1990 from a gardener in Boone County, WV who shared that he had been growing these, and a favorite red variety for 40 years. He was given the tomato seeds from his Uncle who had grown them in Tennessee. For the past several years I included them in my seed trials under the name "No Name #4", and harvested the seeds each year from a few preferred fruits. In 2006 while eating some of this fruit just off the vine, I found myself so pleased with the flavor that I said to my wife, "Now this (slurp) is my kind of gold!" She suggested I call it "Gary Ibsen's Gold," harvest more seeds, and share it with our friends. Plant produces lots of very juicy, 14 oz. , brilliant orange-gold globes with tropical fruit flavors with enough acid balance to guarantee a burst of tomato delight

Green Zebra #   n/a     , indeterminate, 69-80 days, color green/yellow stripe, The 2-inch round fruit ripens to a yellow-gold with dark-green zebra-like stripes. The flesh is lime-emerald in color that has an invigorating lemon-lime flavor. A great green tomato for brightening up salads and other tomato dishes

Giant Syrians #10 , indeterminate, 75 days, color : red , . Regular leaf plant yields a good set of 1 lb., red, gorgeous meaty, good flavored, heart-shaped fruits.

Heidi # 13  , indeterminate, 75 days, color: red , A prolific tomato from Africa that bears 2-1/2-inch, pear-shaped, bright-red fruit with rich tomato flavor. A long season, super paste or canner or good eaten raw in the garden

Jersey Devils # 3   , indeterminate, 80 days , color red w/green shoulders, produce abundant crops of 5-6" long, tapered, bright red, paste tomatoes with pointed end, few seeds and very good taste. This variety is well respected as a meaty sauce tomato that is a good choice for making salsa.

Mortgage Lifters #  4    , indeterminate, 83 days , color : red , this heirloom tomato remains very much in demand in the Mid-Atlantic states. Mr. Byles, affectionately known as "Radiator Charlie" earned his nickname from the radiator repair business he opened at the foot of a steep hill on which trucks would often overheat. Radiator Charlie, who had no formal education or plant breeding experience, created this legendary tomato by cross-breeding four of the largest tomatoes he was able to find and developed a stable variety after six years of pollination and selection. He then sold his heirloom tomato plants for one dollar each (in the 1940’s) and paid off the six thousand dollar mortgage on his house in six years. It is said that each spring, gardeners drove as far as 200 miles to buy Charlie’s seedling tomatoes. The large, slightly flattened, pink-red fruits that range from 1 pound to more than 3 pounds, are meaty, very flavorful and have few tomato

Old German #  n/a   , indeterminate, 85 days, color red/yellow strip, Big regular leaf plant yields 1-2 lb. beautiful fruits. Fruit color is yellow with red mottling and striping on the outside and throughout the flesh. Best color of several strains of this heirloom. Not a heavy producer, but fruit harvested is deliciously sweet and very decorative.

Old Ivory Egg #  14 , indeterminate, 80 days, color yellow/white, An heirloom well named as it's fruit is the size (1 x 2"), shape and approximate color of a chicken's egg. (An unusual color for a plum-type tomato) Pale, ivory, fruit eventually turns creamy-yellow and has a mild sweet flavor.

Paul Robeson #  23 , indetermiinate, 74  days, color red/black , This favorite tomato was named after the operatic artist who won acclaim as an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. His artistry was admired world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union. This "black" beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4-inches. It’s deep, rich colors stand it apart from others…a dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in it’s center. Very flavorful fruits with luscious, earthy, exotic flavors and good acid/sweet balance. Paul Robeson (aka Pol Robeson) won "Best of Show"!~

Principle Borghese #  13 , determinate, 69-80 days, color red. Italian heirloom tomato produce's short determinate plants that prolifically yield big clusters of 1-2 oz. red, plum shaped, crack-resistant paste tomatoes that are a great substitute for Roma tomatoes. Tomatoes are prized for drying because they retain more flavor than most other drying varieties. Italians are known for hanging the whole plant, loaded with fruit, up to dry..A great sauce tomato or eating fresh in salads or canning. Also prized for reconstituting in olive oil or crushing dried fruit into flakes to add to a sauce for quick thickening.

Roma VF # 32 , determinate, days 75, color red, Premium canner, ideal for sauce and paste. Pear-shaped scarlet fruits of the Roma (VF) Open-Pollinated Tomato are thick and meaty with few seeds.  Roma is very thick, juicy, nearly seedless and plum shaped tomato with a deliciously different flavour which makes it an excellent variety for eating fresh as well. Tomato Roma is very heavy cropping and disease resistant.

Storgul #  n/a   , indeterminate, 80 days, color yellow orange, Produces good yields of large, 12 oz., yellow-orange globes with good, rich, sweet flavor.

Sweet Israeli # 7   , determinate, 64 days, color red , Low bush type yielding abundant crop of luscious, 2"-3" inch red tomatoes from Israel.


Taxi #  1  , determinate, 69-80 days, color yellow, best tomato variety for an early, lemon-yellow tomato. Very popular. Our TomatoFest organic tomato seeds produce compact, bushy, determinate, regular-leaf tomato plants that yield 4-6 ounce, meaty, uniformly-round, delicious, bright-yellow tomatoes that are very sweet (almost seem acid-free). A wonderful choice to add a zesty spark to tomato salads. or a splash of bright yellow color to your favorite salsas. Tomatoes hold up well to slicing s they are very suitable for sandwiches. Taxi can be grown well in most areas. They even hold up well in hot, humid growing regions.

Tropic VFN # 11  ,indeterminate, 80 days, color red , This exceptionally disease-resistant variety has excellent versatility as a garden, greenhouse, or market tomato. The fruit averages 8 to 9 oz., is thick-walled, and tends to sit high on the vine under a protective cover of foliage. The sweet flavored fruits ripen to red with slight green shoulders. Recommended highly for the Mid-Atlantic, and hot, humid disease-prone areas, especially where blight is a problem.

 Purple Tomatillo  * # out   , deterimate, 70 days, color : purple w / brown paper husk . Tomatillo "Purple" is a wonderful purple fleshed tomatillo. For those of you not familiar with the tomatillo, it's a wonderful unusual veggie, nornaly looking a lot like a small green tomato, but enclosed in a papery husk. These are excellent for making the "salsa verde" green salsa so popular at mexican restaurants.

White Wonder # 11 ,  indeterminate, 80 days, color yellow/white, is believed to be related to a white tomato variety which was grown in the 1860's under the name of the White Apple Tomato.

An excellent producer of very mild tasting, creamy white colored tomatoes in the range 5 to 6 ounces. The white color is seen inside and out, giving the White Wonder Tomato an ivory white colored flesh. Excellent for slicing or canning!

Yellow Pear # 8 , indeterminate , 69-80 days, color : yellow,  produce huge, bushy plants that yield very large quantities of 1 oz., 1 1/2-inch, bright yellow, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes that will give you fruit until frost. The tomatoes of this yellow pear tomato variety are zesty sweet and delicious. A beautiful salad or snackin' tomato. If you are growing several colors of cherry tomatoes include this one. A great tomato choice for a patio or planter garden    

Zheza #  7 , indeterminate, 69 days , color red, from a farmer in the Zhengjiang province of China as a heat-tolerant favorite. I've trialed this variety for 4 years and have found it to be a wonderful tomato. This short plant produces huge quantities of red, round, 10 oz. produced in clusters of 4-6 fruits. A thicker shin than most heirlooms , very tasty.

Last frost date in sight.

  Most of our time recently has been dedicated to protecting the plants, and hardening off everything. We have close to at least 400 plants in excellent hardy condition. I will post a picture of them within the next few days just for example. We will be posting a list of the varieties that we have that will be available. For all of our local friends that are considering getting tomatoes from us, we would suggest that you  contact us , so we can put you on the 1st come 1st serve list. Just email us at graymatter1@comcast.net . This may seem like putting the cart before the horse so to speak, since not all the details have been posted. However, before we go to the general public , we'd like to get a consensus of who's intersted, so their feeling arn't hurt , or we are hearing down the road we didn't make it known.
  In addition , there will be a linmited availability on some of the exotic plants, since we have dedicated some of the crop to our own garden for R&D, and for next years seed bank. Which is really why we started this project in the first place. These are all heirloom tomatoes & peppers, which means that the seeds can be saved  ( unlike hybred with adverse liabilities) , healthy organically grown.

 

  The picture below is old ( i.e. 3 weeks ago) , they are now 4 times the size, with hardy stalks & multiple branchs

  Since April 15th is the official last frost date we start dispersing after that date.

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  This is the time to get the right started on preparing that great garden that will give you quality benifits that you can enjoy all summer & fall. Take advantage of this sale time today.