SEEDING TIME

I may be rushing it a bit but I have seeded the 2011 tomatoes today. The groundhog said we are to have an early spring and I want to be ready as early as possible. This planting day was cold and snow is still on the ground from the four inch blizzard the Delta experienced two days ago.

Getting ready to plant the seed is somewhat of a chore but necessary. I was up early this morning and to Wal-Mart. Purchased Miracle-Gro potting mix and twenty aluminum small loaf baking tins. My trusty ice pick was called into service to poke holes in the baking tins to allow for proper drainage. I then appropriated two large heavy duty cookie sheets from the bottom of the stove. From past experience I know that each cookie sheet will hold ten baking tins. That will allow me to plant 20 different varieties and I will only have to move two trays. The trays will have to be moved several times during the process to insure proper germination and seedling development to control the temperature and exposure to sunlight.

After preparing the seed containers, I fill each with the potting mix leaving about 1/4 inch at the top to cover the planted seed. Because all the seedlings will look exactly the same when they sprout, it is extremely important to carefully mark each container to identify the variety planted in that container. As shown in the photo, I make the markers using a permanent Sharpie and place the seed packet and the marker in the containers before the first seed is planted, It is also important for the potting mix to be watered before seeding. It is easier to do this before planting the seed so when the containers are filled the mix is already good and wet. (Watering seed planted in dry mix sometimes displaces the seed which have been carefully placed in the containers.) I simply open the bag containing the mix and pour a bunch of water directly into the bag. The dry mix will absorb the water in no time at all.

2011 Seeds/February 12th.

Each of these containers will easily germinate as many seed as you want to plant. I normally plant from ten to twenty seed in each container. I try to spread them out as much as possible as it is easier to transplant  the seedlings into the growing pots later without disturbing the tender roots. Tomato seed are tiny and if one has old eyes as I do a good pair of reading glasses is essential to this part of the planting process. Shake out of the seed packet the number of seed you want to plant on a hard flat surface. Then carefully place the seed, one by one, in the bread tin. Cover the seed with 1/4 inch of the potting mix, place the marker and you are done. Because I save old seed from the seed packets in the freezer, it is prudent to plant two or three more seed than you actually want to pot up. The germination rate is normally 100% if you purchase the seed from a reliable source, but the older the seed, the less the germination rate. I always record the number of seed planted and the number of seed sprouted to be sure my old seed are still good.

After planting I place the two filled trays in the warmest place in the house which in my case is our breakfast room by the heater. I am careful to keep the trays watered and in a week to ten days the seed should sprout.

So many choices!! THE SWEET SIXTEEN for 2011

My annual dilemma is selecting the tomato varieties I will plant in my garden. This year I will have enough room for sixteen plants. After much study and thought, I have selected nine Heirloom varieties and seven hybrids. All of the hybrids (with the exception of Porterhouse) have been grown before and have proven to be reliable producers in our Delta climate. The heirlooms are grown for variety and taste. The 2011 crop will consist of the following:

HYBRIDS

1. Dona This is a French hybrid grown for French fresh markets. I have some rare F1 seed purchased ten years ago. I bought 1/4 oz. (alot) of seed and have been using them many years. The seeds were discontinued for export, but I have a good supply which should last several more years. My wife and I agree that Dona is our favorite of all the tomatoes I have ever grown.

2. Goliath I love this variety as it has proven over the years to be the most productive of all my plants. The fruit is a little larger than Dona and will produce a minimum of 50 tomatoes through the season.

3. Better Boy This is the Mississippi Delta favorite. Everyone grew up here planting Better Boy, and it has proven to be one of the most reliable varieties for our hot and humid climate.

4.Big Beef A good big hybrid. I am planting this one this year at the request of Dr. Charles Purifoy who bought the seed and delivered it to my office last week.

5. Park's Whopper The Whopper is comparable to Big Beef. It has very large fruit but for me has not been quite as productive as Goliath. I usually alternate between the two, but this year I am planting both.

6. Brandy Boy This is a great new hybrid from Burpee. One of its parents is the famous Brandywine heirloom. I grew it last year for the first time and had a wonderful early crop until the blight destroyed it and all others in my garden. It is supposed to have the same excellent taste as Brandywine and the durability and disease resistance of Better Boy.

7. Porterhouse Another relatively new hybrid from Burpee which is supposed to produce 1 1/2 lb fruit. I am trying this one for the first time and in honor of John Doty Porter who will furnish me all the accoutrements for my new garden plot.

HEIRLOOMS

8. Mariana's Peace Who could blame me for not wanting to try this variety after reading its description from the seed supplier.

"The sugary nectar of this huge 5 inch tomato’s creamy, dense, red flesh is intensely rich, with perfect sweet-acid balance and sublime, complex flavors reminiscent of the finest of the 'old-fashioned' tomato flavors. This big, beautiful irresistible 1-2 lb. deep red fruit is the talk of the tomato world and has found its way into Top 10 favorite tomato lists of gourmands worldwide. It is perfection."

This will be my first year for Mariana's Peace. The only knock on this one from grower reports is that it takes 85 days from plant out to maturity.

9. Delicious This plant produces huge tomatoes. It holds the world record for largest tomato ever grown at 7 1/2 lbs. Most of the "so called" giant tomatoes are related to this original Delicious. I have harvested a 2 1/4 lbs. fruit years ago. That year I borrowed my next door neighbor's child, photographed her with the Delicious and the photo appeared in the Greenwood Commonwealth. That one was the largest I have ever grown, but it only meritied a third place finish in the big tomato contest. Three years before his death, my dear friend Jim Evans delivered me a Delicious from a plant I had given him that weighed almost three pounds. It was the ugliest tomato I have ever seen, but enormous.

10. Hillbilly This old heirloom supposedly came from West Virginia. It is a small beef steak type of average size. The fruit is orangish-yellow on the outside and red streaked inside. It is reputed to have a very sweet taste, akin to a peach. This is my first year to try Hillbilly and hopefully I will harvest some to serve to my grandchildren who do not like tomatoes that taste like tomatoes.

11. Red Brandywine Everyone has heard about this heirloom. It is supposed to be the best tasting tomato ever grown. I have tried this one before without much luck harvesting only three ripe ones from a huge plant. The taste was wonderful, but I just couldn't get the prolific blooms to set fruit. Jimmy Lynn and Brenda Long grew one of my Brandywines last year and have requested more this year. They had a real good crop and raved about the taste.

12. Kellogg's Breakfast This plant produces very large Yellow/Orange tomatoes. It has been one of my most reliable "exotics". I like the taste, but my wife says it is disgusting because tomatoes are supposed to be red. Friend and fellow grower, Bubba Fraiser grew one of my Kellog's last year and it was the prettiest plant I have ever seen and produced all season long. I stole a number of these jewels from Bubba's plant long after all of mine had succumbed to the blight last year.

13. Cherokee Purple This variety was supposedly grown by the Cherokee Indians in Tennessee long before they were displaced to Oklahoma. I have grown before with minimal success. It is normally classified as a "black" tomato, but my experience is that it is deep red on the outside with a very deep red inside. Taste is really good but my production was not great. I like Cherokee's cousin Indian Stripe (see below) much better for production, but the taste experts all prefer Cherokee.

14. Indian Stripe Some of the fruit of this plant really are striped. They have a very dark green top with the stripes running down to the blossom end. When they ripen the dark green tops turn almost black and the inside has a very dark and attractive appearence. I will always grow this variety. It produces delicious tomatoes and is prolific. The fruit are a little smaller than Cherokee Purple but the production is about double. I have also found that Indian Stripe is hardy and resists the blight better than most heirlooms. My taste buds are probably not the best, but I really can't tell the difference between Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe.

15. Black Krim I have been trying hard to find a really black tomato that will fare well in the Mississippi Delta. This one is supposed to be very dark and is supposed to be darker grown in hot climates. I will try Black Krim this year for the first time. If it flops then Carbon next year.

16. Pruden's Purple This is another first grow for me. I have selected it because it has been touted to rival Brandywine as best tasting tomato ever. It is really a dark, dark pink tomato with potato leaves. This was my last choice and it beat out Mortgage Lifter to be my number 16. We'll see.

Getting ready for a new garden plot

For about thirty years I have been planting my tomatoes in the exact same 12' x 15' plot. I have been relegated to this spot by my wife and she has refused to let me move it to a more suitable place in our yard.

In that I have been fighting what I believe to be a soil borne disease for the last couple of years and have not had my normal good production, my wife has finally relented and allowed me to move the tomatoes to the back portion of our back yard. I am really excited about this new space. This also leaves me my old spot for new and better things.

This year, as always, after the tomatoes were pulled, I planted turnip greens, mustard and radish in the old spot. Production was good this year and next week I will turn the green remnants into the soil as I have been doing for many years. I will plant the whole plot in Silver Queen Corn. It will be my first experience with corn. All I really know about it is that I love to eat fresh sweet corn and can't wait to take the fresh ears directly from the stalk to the boiling pot.

Now for the preparations for the new tomato garden. 
In exchange for tomato plants, my farmer friend, John Dody Porter, has agreed to give me 12 railroad crossties and with them I will construct two 4' x 16' raised beds in the new spot. He also has an interest in the old LeCo gin near Sidon and has agreed to furnish me a good load of well composted gin trash for the filler in the new beds. I will till the gin trash into the new soil and hopefully this will provide an excellent growing medium for the tomatoes. I plan on planting eight plants in each bed. Each plant will be of a different variety and if they all produce we will have our friends over for a tasting contest.

Growing tomatoes in the Mississippi Delta

This blog is started at the suggestion of my daughter who wants a record of my annual efforts in growing tomatoes. It is now January and I have already started planning the 2011 crop. In that I have been buying and saving seed for about 30 years, the first step was to take an inventory of my seed supply. I freeze all unused seed at the end of each season and have some dating back to the 1970's. Originally I simply seeded enough for my use, but, over the years I have become the local supplier of seedlings for many friends and fellow tomato growers. This year's inventory includes the following varities:

Dona, Goliath, Goose Creek, Indian Stripe, Brandywine, Pruden's Purple, Delicious, Big Beef, Brandy Boy, Mortgage Lifter, Park's Whopper, Kellog's Breakfast, Nyagous, Paul Roberson, Marion, Better Boy, Big Zac, Giant Belgium, First Lady, Box Car Willie, Super Fantastic, Polish Giant, Costaluto Genevesia, Cherokee Purple and Porterhouse. Also the following Cherry tomatoes: Black Cherry, Sun Gold, Sweet 100. Black Pearl and Red Lightening.

I have ordered 200 planting pots and carrying trays which should be in any day now.

I will start the germination process  by planting 10 or 12 seed of each variety selected in small aluminum bread trays with holes punched in the bottom. I use MiracleGrow potting soil to start the seedlings. I normaly start the seed on Valentine's day and transplant the seedlings to individual pots the first week in March. The seedlings will be ready to take to the garden on tax day, but I wait to set out the plants until  Good Friday or when the pecan trees bud (whichever occurs first).

After planting the seed, I keep the trays inside under a grow light until the first true leaves appear. When they sprout I keep them in a South window with a controlled temperature of 70-75 degrees. When they are transplanted to individual pots I take them to the greenhouse and try not to let the temp get below 60 degrees at night.

This year I will start my favorites which have proven themselves over the years to put in my plot and supply to friends. Dona is our favorite for home consumption and most of my friends insist on Better Boy. I have found that these two along with Goliath, Park's Whopper, Big Beef and Indian Stripe produce the best in our climate with the least disease. I will also plant Brandywine, Porterhouse, Kellog's Breakfast and Delicious to try and win the Big Tomato contest. (I have tried for thirty years and am always beaten by someone from Carrol County). My very favorite cherry is Sun Gold followed close behind by Black Cherry. I will also plant Sweet 100 and that way will have a colorful (red, black and gold) medely of cherries. I always seed what my friends call  "exotics" and force them on my friends for testing. This year will be Pruden's Purple, Paul Roberson and a few others.

I will attempt to post the progress of my garden this year to include, seeding, transplanting, preparing the garden, planting, staking, mulching fertilizing, watering etc. etc.

Please stay tuned.