While my personal favorite are these lavender/purple/pink ones -
(I don't know the name of the variety...)
Posted on 03/25/2023 6:47:01 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Has anyone tried tomatoes from the Dwarf Tomato Project?
I’ve got some under lights along with basil now. They might be the only seeds I start in pots this year, the rest I will winter sow, sow direct, or buy.
I am hoping short compact tomatoes will be easier to protect from deer. And that they are good tasting, healthy and productive.
I always want to order from Breezeway. But have to impose gardening discipline on myself, not buy one of everything pretty.
.
I am waiting patiently for THAT also.
Decades ago, my grandfather and his brother (my great uncle)
would compete every year year to see which of their two
vegetable gardens would produce the first vine-ripened
tomato of the year before July 4th.
If no tomatoes won before the 4th, the contest was considered
a 'draw' for that year.
As I remember it, my great uncle won more times that not.
This was when I was a boy and too young to catch my father's
'gardening bug' yet - so back then I didn't care.
.
Squirrels would leap off of the neighbor's fence, seize a peach
in it's mouth, and 'wriggle' until the peach separated from the branch
and squirrel and peach would fall to the ground.
The tree rat would then run away with the peach,
or else just eat it right there.
And they would also shimmy up the corn stalks and get the stalk
swaying, until the base of the stalk broke and fell over.
Easy dining on multiple ears of fresh corn then...
While my personal favorite are these lavender/purple/pink ones -
(I don't know the name of the variety...)
Please post photos when they bloom! I love irises, collect them and are always looking for unusual ones. Last summer a very unusual yellow and red iris bloomed - have no idea where it came from. I suspect it was here when we bought the house and decided to bloom last summer.
I love them too - but wish they had a longer blooming season. They bloom for about two weeks during Feb. into March and then they’re done, but when they do bloom, they are spectacular!
I lost my rhododendron this past year - I got it as an experiment knowing I haven’t seen one growing anywhere in my area. It didn’t like our brutal summer heat even though I tried to baby it - didn’t work. I’ll enjoy them when I travel to Northern California.
Those are beautiful!
I used to grow banana peppers b/c my husband loved them - he’d fry them up with steaks. Delicious!
It is so nice to hear the birds singing again. Same here with what I laughingly call Roller Coaster weather. Despite it being much cooler today than yesterday, saw the first bee of the season this afternoon! Dianthus is blooming, as are the daffodils. Lettuce is growing nicely. Trees are dumping plenty of pollen so there is a yellow-green coating to everything.
Thanks for the link to that iris site - I went crazy looking at it. Lots of irises I would love for my collection!
Looks like most are either out of stock or sold out. Hope they re-stock soon.
>Has anyone tried tomatoes from the Dwarf Tomato Project?<
Yes- I believe this project is the one connected to Victory Seeds. They have many different growers and developers of the Dwarfs, and dozens for sale. I tried Dwarf Pink Passion and Dwarf Sweet Scarlet under lights during this winter in the house. The Pink Passion got 3 feet tall and no blossoms, but the Scarlets are doing nicely, blossomed out at 12 to 14 inches high, baby tomatoes starting - they are a mid-size fruit.
But the best dwarf I’ve tried - second year now - is Red Robin - 12 to 14 inch plants, lots of yummy 1 inch cherry tomatoes. They thrived outside during the summer and kept on when brought back in. Now my new ones, January planting, have a great start inside and will be blossoming any day. Of course you have to pollinate gently with a tiny paintbrush when grown inside. Red Robin is in several catalogs and sites - Territorial and Seeds ‘n Such, I know - not too pricey, and every single seed I’ve planted has germinated.
They get going on the iris sales in sometime in spring. I live less than 10 miles from them. Was able to attend a late summer clearance sale there a couple years ago. Bought a lot of iris that day. They are nice folks. Multi-generation family business. 🙂
I have spent many hours viewing their website, too. 🙃
Thank God, and now that I actually have a smart phone (due to a Infinity deal which made the bill cheaper than for just Internet and landline as long as do not wander far) then I should be able to get more pics. I just put seeds about 75 cups, and pray to have plants poking thru in about a week.
But here are some prep pics from earlier years by the grace of God.
(the plot)
(on 5-2)
(6-1=2019
7-10 - b4 the wilt.
I remember them! I grew up on the south side of Chicago in a similar situation. Long garden on the side of the house and garage. Very much like yours. So your garden is a nice reminder. Dad got so much produce out of that strip and gave much away to the neighbors. He was Orthodox and knew the bible inside and out. When you took a year off you were missed on the thread.
It’s really amazing what can be done with efficient planting.
I went to a sale that Breezeway had 2 years ago. Hundreds of varieties at reduced prices. I had to limit myself to a dozen varieties, so I wouldn’t bring home too much garden work. 😅
Freeper Gardening Wisdom, collected by Pete from Shawnee Mission
https://freerepublic.com/~pollard/#wisdom
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - ‘Sprinklers’ are the Devil’s invention!
No. Overhead. Watering. Unless you’re raising RICE, or a newly planted lawn. :)
however, I did start some seeds inside ....marigolds, pink banana, zucchini, peas,leeks....
a little too early for tomatoes or peppers or beans...
I do have two green pepper plants upstairs that I overwintered...they defiantly have life..
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