Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most cells .
When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but then if one dies
.... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the dominant one is more
apparent . That approach however uses more of the finite amount of nutrients
available , and maybe thinning now will make one that wouldn't have been
dominant actually be stronger than ...
Decisions decisions !
--
Snag

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most cells .
When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but then if one dies
... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the dominant one is more
apparent . That approach however uses more of the finite amount of nutrients
available , and maybe thinning now will make one that wouldn't have been
dominant actually be stronger than ...
Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch off
all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant a lot
of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room around here
and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and mostly
they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you said, the
secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.

On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:08:06 -0600, George Shirley
wrote:

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most cells .
When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but then if one dies
... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the dominant one is more
apparent . That approach however uses more of the finite amount of nutrients
available , and maybe thinning now will make one that wouldn't have been
dominant actually be stronger than ...
Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch off
all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant a lot
of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room around here
and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and mostly
they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you said, the
secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.


I tossed caution and common sense to the wind a few years ago.

I have a bed up front that is about 8' x 8'. It is enriched with
compost every year in the spring - just after I pull the tulip bulbs.

Yes, I put in about 80-100 tulip bulbs each fall (maybe $10 worth,
with a careful eye to local offerings). I think of the tulips as
annuals and get rid of the bulbs after bloom...some go to neighbors,
some wind up in other parts of the yard, some just get composted

After the pull, the new compost goes in, as do tomato seeds of many
varieties. I am a seed saver and some of the seeds that get used are
the older ones in the collection or ones I have picked up or ordered
from end-of-season sales. Way too many tomato seeds go into that plot
than any intelligent or knowing gardener would deposit. They come up
like crazy, as do any number of volunteers from the compost or the
tomato husks left as drops the previous fall (you know... when I pull
up the tomato plants before I put in all those bulbs).

Oh, it means I do not get huge tomatoes up there early in the season,
and that is ok. I tend to plant those that bear smaller fruits in that
plot.

The wonder is that the plants come in so thick and lush and flower and
fruit like crazy even though logic says they'd block the light from
each other and be undernourished. Nah....that plot is incredibly
productive....and it does not get a full day's sun, either...not once
the neighbor's huge oak leafs out.

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:08:06 -0600, George Shirley
wrote:

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most
cells . When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but
then if one dies ... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the
dominant one is more apparent . That approach however uses more of
the finite amount of nutrients available , and maybe thinning now
will make one that wouldn't have been dominant actually be stronger
than ... Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch
off all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant
a lot of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room
around here and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the
plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and
mostly they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you
said, the secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.


I tossed caution and common sense to the wind a few years ago.

I have a bed up front that is about 8' x 8'. It is enriched with
compost every year in the spring - just after I pull the tulip bulbs.

Yes, I put in about 80-100 tulip bulbs each fall (maybe $10 worth,
with a careful eye to local offerings). I think of the tulips as
annuals and get rid of the bulbs after bloom...some go to neighbors,
some wind up in other parts of the yard, some just get composted

After the pull, the new compost goes in, as do tomato seeds of many
varieties. I am a seed saver and some of the seeds that get used are
the older ones in the collection or ones I have picked up or ordered
from end-of-season sales. Way too many tomato seeds go into that plot
than any intelligent or knowing gardener would deposit. They come up
like crazy, as do any number of volunteers from the compost or the
tomato husks left as drops the previous fall (you know... when I pull
up the tomato plants before I put in all those bulbs).

Oh, it means I do not get huge tomatoes up there early in the season,
and that is ok. I tend to plant those that bear smaller fruits in that
plot.

The wonder is that the plants come in so thick and lush and flower and
fruit like crazy even though logic says they'd block the light from
each other and be undernourished. Nah....that plot is incredibly
productive....and it does not get a full day's sun, either...not once
the neighbor's huge oak leafs out.

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .
--
Snag
Had home grown green beans with our dinner tonight ...

On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:32:57 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .


The kids have all fledged, and there is just so much we can consume,
even over the winter, so I have cut back on some of what I grow.
And except for that bed up front, the rest of the food gardening is
done in tubs. We are critter-ridden, so using large tubs on the deck
is the best way to actually reap the harvest.


The blueberry bushes and the asparagus in down in the back garden, but
they are fenced/netted. Actually that tomato patch up front is fenced
and netted, too. The netting gets put on when the tulips start to show
in the spring, or the deer would have them for midnight snacks. The
deer cannot get into the back, but the groundhogs, possums, raccoons
and squirrels seem to have given me top honors on dining. I am the
first garden off a 150 ace woods, so I am the appetizer, I think.

Boron

On 1/30/2015 8:47 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:08:06 -0600, George Shirley
wrote:

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most cells .
When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but then if one dies
... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the dominant one is more
apparent . That approach however uses more of the finite amount of nutrients
available , and maybe thinning now will make one that wouldn't have been
dominant actually be stronger than ...
Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch off
all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant a lot
of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room around here
and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and mostly
they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you said, the
secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.


I tossed caution and common sense to the wind a few years ago.

I have a bed up front that is about 8' x 8'. It is enriched with
compost every year in the spring - just after I pull the tulip bulbs.

Yes, I put in about 80-100 tulip bulbs each fall (maybe $10 worth,
with a careful eye to local offerings). I think of the tulips as
annuals and get rid of the bulbs after bloom...some go to neighbors,
some wind up in other parts of the yard, some just get composted

After the pull, the new compost goes in, as do tomato seeds of many
varieties. I am a seed saver and some of the seeds that get used are
the older ones in the collection or ones I have picked up or ordered
from end-of-season sales. Way too many tomato seeds go into that plot
than any intelligent or knowing gardener would deposit. They come up
like crazy, as do any number of volunteers from the compost or the
tomato husks left as drops the previous fall (you know... when I pull
up the tomato plants before I put in all those bulbs).

Oh, it means I do not get huge tomatoes up there early in the season,
and that is ok. I tend to plant those that bear smaller fruits in that
plot.

The wonder is that the plants come in so thick and lush and flower and
fruit like crazy even though logic says they'd block the light from
each other and be undernourished. Nah....that plot is incredibly
productive....and it does not get a full day's sun, either...not once
the neighbor's huge oak leafs out.

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg


Our big problem with close planting of tomatoes is bugs, with no
sunshine getting into the interior of the plants the bugs take over.
It's a PITA trying to get in there and pinch all the stink bugs and save
some 'maters. They aren't as bad if there is lots of light getting in.

Looks like your method works well for you.

On 1/30/2015 10:32 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:08:06 -0600, George Shirley
wrote:

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most
cells . When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but
then if one dies ... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the
dominant one is more apparent . That approach however uses more of
the finite amount of nutrients available , and maybe thinning now
will make one that wouldn't have been dominant actually be stronger
than ... Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch
off all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant
a lot of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room
around here and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the
plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and
mostly they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you
said, the secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.


I tossed caution and common sense to the wind a few years ago.

I have a bed up front that is about 8' x 8'. It is enriched with
compost every year in the spring - just after I pull the tulip bulbs.

Yes, I put in about 80-100 tulip bulbs each fall (maybe $10 worth,
with a careful eye to local offerings). I think of the tulips as
annuals and get rid of the bulbs after bloom...some go to neighbors,
some wind up in other parts of the yard, some just get composted

After the pull, the new compost goes in, as do tomato seeds of many
varieties. I am a seed saver and some of the seeds that get used are
the older ones in the collection or ones I have picked up or ordered
from end-of-season sales. Way too many tomato seeds go into that plot
than any intelligent or knowing gardener would deposit. They come up
like crazy, as do any number of volunteers from the compost or the
tomato husks left as drops the previous fall (you know... when I pull
up the tomato plants before I put in all those bulbs).

Oh, it means I do not get huge tomatoes up there early in the season,
and that is ok. I tend to plant those that bear smaller fruits in that
plot.

The wonder is that the plants come in so thick and lush and flower and
fruit like crazy even though logic says they'd block the light from
each other and be undernourished. Nah....that plot is incredibly
productive....and it does not get a full day's sun, either...not once
the neighbor's huge oak leafs out.

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .

One of the things I do on bumper year tomatoes is just wash them, dry
them, then into a large vacuum bag and vacuum seal. Toss into the
freezer. Take a bag out, put in fridge, let thaw, pour off the liquid (I
usually drink it), skins, etc. go into compost, use the tomato meat in
soups, chili, etc. Has worked well for several years now.

On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:32:57 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:08:06 -0600, George Shirley
wrote:

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most
cells . When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but
then if one dies ... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the
dominant one is more apparent . That approach however uses more of
the finite amount of nutrients available , and maybe thinning now
will make one that wouldn't have been dominant actually be stronger
than ... Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch
off all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant
a lot of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room
around here and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the
plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and
mostly they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you
said, the secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.


I tossed caution and common sense to the wind a few years ago.

I have a bed up front that is about 8' x 8'. It is enriched with
compost every year in the spring - just after I pull the tulip bulbs.

Yes, I put in about 80-100 tulip bulbs each fall (maybe $10 worth,
with a careful eye to local offerings). I think of the tulips as
annuals and get rid of the bulbs after bloom...some go to neighbors,
some wind up in other parts of the yard, some just get composted

After the pull, the new compost goes in, as do tomato seeds of many
varieties. I am a seed saver and some of the seeds that get used are
the older ones in the collection or ones I have picked up or ordered
from end-of-season sales. Way too many tomato seeds go into that plot
than any intelligent or knowing gardener would deposit. They come up
like crazy, as do any number of volunteers from the compost or the
tomato husks left as drops the previous fall (you know... when I pull
up the tomato plants before I put in all those bulbs).

Oh, it means I do not get huge tomatoes up there early in the season,
and that is ok. I tend to plant those that bear smaller fruits in that
plot.

The wonder is that the plants come in so thick and lush and flower and
fruit like crazy even though logic says they'd block the light from
each other and be undernourished. Nah....that plot is incredibly
productive....and it does not get a full day's sun, either...not once
the neighbor's huge oak leafs out.

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .

About this time next year check the supply of foods you have
preserved. Figure out how long it will last you at your present rate
of consumption. Allow for a bad year and decide how much you really
need to plant and preserve. We went hog wild the first few years we
lived here and I am still finding stuff that is 5+ years old. I am
trying to go through everything and toss anything that is old and we
have not eaten much of any of it.

I am going to get back to arranging the shelves so I can find things.
DH's idea is to stick stuff anywhere there is spot. I like to have it
organized so I can walk to the spot where an item should be (and find
it there.)

--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a
To find your extension office
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

On 1/31/2015 7:28 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:32:57 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .


The kids have all fledged, and there is just so much we can consume,
even over the winter, so I have cut back on some of what I grow.
And except for that bed up front, the rest of the food gardening is
done in tubs. We are critter-ridden, so using large tubs on the deck
is the best way to actually reap the harvest.
Ours fledged years ago, they are approaching their middle fifties now.
Of course we have grands in their early thirties so we still plant a lot
and share plus trade with neighbors for their excess. We find deer
tracks behind our fence but no predation due to a six foot board fence,
required by the HOA. Lots of empty land behind us but is now filling up
with more subdivisions, newest is 300 homes going in.


The blueberry bushes and the asparagus in down in the back garden, but
they are fenced/netted. Actually that tomato patch up front is fenced
and netted, too. The netting gets put on when the tulips start to show
in the spring, or the deer would have them for midnight snacks. The
deer cannot get into the back, but the groundhogs, possums, raccoons
and squirrels seem to have given me top honors on dining. I am the
first garden off a 150 ace woods, so I am the appetizer, I think.

Boron

Sounds like time for a little archery practice or maybe an air gun for
the smaller critters. Groundhogs, raccoons, and squirrels are good meat
in this part of Texas. My mother always had me catch possums alive and
then put them up in a cage for a couple of weeks to "purge" them. Never
liked possum myself but the others were okay. Might try one of those
water guns that operates automatically. Friend in Ohio got one and the
deer eventually quit coming around.

On 1/31/2015 9:29 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:32:57 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:08:06 -0600, George Shirley
wrote:

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most
cells . When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but
then if one dies ... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the
dominant one is more apparent . That approach however uses more of
the finite amount of nutrients available , and maybe thinning now
will make one that wouldn't have been dominant actually be stronger
than ... Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch
off all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant
a lot of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room
around here and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the
plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and
mostly they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you
said, the secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.


I tossed caution and common sense to the wind a few years ago.

I have a bed up front that is about 8' x 8'. It is enriched with
compost every year in the spring - just after I pull the tulip bulbs.

Yes, I put in about 80-100 tulip bulbs each fall (maybe $10 worth,
with a careful eye to local offerings). I think of the tulips as
annuals and get rid of the bulbs after bloom...some go to neighbors,
some wind up in other parts of the yard, some just get composted

After the pull, the new compost goes in, as do tomato seeds of many
varieties. I am a seed saver and some of the seeds that get used are
the older ones in the collection or ones I have picked up or ordered
from end-of-season sales. Way too many tomato seeds go into that plot
than any intelligent or knowing gardener would deposit. They come up
like crazy, as do any number of volunteers from the compost or the
tomato husks left as drops the previous fall (you know... when I pull
up the tomato plants before I put in all those bulbs).

Oh, it means I do not get huge tomatoes up there early in the season,
and that is ok. I tend to plant those that bear smaller fruits in that
plot.

The wonder is that the plants come in so thick and lush and flower and
fruit like crazy even though logic says they'd block the light from
each other and be undernourished. Nah....that plot is incredibly
productive....and it does not get a full day's sun, either...not once
the neighbor's huge oak leafs out.

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .

About this time next year check the supply of foods you have
preserved. Figure out how long it will last you at your present rate
of consumption. Allow for a bad year and decide how much you really
need to plant and preserve. We went hog wild the first few years we
lived here and I am still finding stuff that is 5+ years old. I am
trying to go through everything and toss anything that is old and we
have not eaten much of any of it.

I am going to get back to arranging the shelves so I can find things.
DH's idea is to stick stuff anywhere there is spot. I like to have it
organized so I can walk to the spot where an item should be (and find
it there.)

My lovely wife would fit into your husband's ideas immediately. I'm the
one who sets everything up so I can eat the oldest stuff first. I always
put things back exactly where I got them, she just shoves stuff in
storage willy nilly. Aggravating to say the least but after being
together since 1958 it's a little late to change plus we like arguing
with each other. G

Good to hear from you Susan. Need more posters on rec.food.preserving
nowadays.

George Shirley wrote:
On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in most
cells . When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now , but
then if one dies ... or I can do it when they're bigger , and the
dominant one is more apparent . That approach however uses more of
the finite amount of nutrients available , and maybe thinning now
will make one that wouldn't have been dominant actually be stronger
than ... Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just pinch
off all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space to plant
a lot of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty of room
around here and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets into the
plant.
On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and
mostly they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you
said, the secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.

And this morning I snipped all but the strongest in those that had
multiples . The saved Romas from last year germinated better than expected ,
some cells had up to 4 seedlings ! I'm seeing some action now on the peppers
, my serranos are coming up though none of the rest are yet .

--
Snag

George Shirley wrote:
On 1/30/2015 10:32 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:08:06 -0600, George Shirley
wrote:

On 1/30/2015 5:58 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well , I've got lots of tomato seedlings now ... and two in
most cells . When do y'all thin your seedlings ? I can do it now
, but then if one dies ... or I can do it when they're bigger ,
and the dominant one is more apparent . That approach however
uses more of the finite amount of nutrients available , and maybe
thinning now will make one that wouldn't have been dominant
actually be stronger than ... Decisions decisions !

If there were two or more seeds planted in the same cup I just
pinch off all but the sturdiest seedling. Don't have enough space
to plant a lot of tomato plants. The plants themselves need plenty
of room around here and I keep them pruned so that sunshine gets
into the plant.

On occasion I have transplanted extra seedlings from a group and
mostly they succeeded but not as well as the primary. And, like you
said, the secondaries suck up all the energy for the primary.


I tossed caution and common sense to the wind a few years ago.

I have a bed up front that is about 8' x 8'. It is enriched with
compost every year in the spring - just after I pull the tulip
bulbs. Yes, I put in about 80-100 tulip bulbs each fall (maybe $10
worth,
with a careful eye to local offerings). I think of the tulips as
annuals and get rid of the bulbs after bloom...some go to neighbors,
some wind up in other parts of the yard, some just get composted

After the pull, the new compost goes in, as do tomato seeds of many
varieties. I am a seed saver and some of the seeds that get used are
the older ones in the collection or ones I have picked up or ordered
from end-of-season sales. Way too many tomato seeds go into that
plot than any intelligent or knowing gardener would deposit. They
come up like crazy, as do any number of volunteers from the compost
or the tomato husks left as drops the previous fall (you know...
when I pull up the tomato plants before I put in all those bulbs).

Oh, it means I do not get huge tomatoes up there early in the
season, and that is ok. I tend to plant those that bear smaller
fruits in that plot.

The wonder is that the plants come in so thick and lush and flower
and fruit like crazy even though logic says they'd block the light
from each other and be undernourished. Nah....that plot is
incredibly productive....and it does not get a full day's sun,
either...not once the neighbor's huge oak leafs out.

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm
trying to maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for
cooking . There will also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the
biggest portion will be San Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're
growing for later use , not only the tomatoes but several other
veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers , berries and other
fruits will all be preserved for next winter .
One of the things I do on bumper year tomatoes is just wash them, dry
them, then into a large vacuum bag and vacuum seal. Toss into the
freezer. Take a bag out, put in fridge, let thaw, pour off the liquid
(I usually drink it), skins, etc. go into compost, use the tomato
meat in soups, chili, etc. Has worked well for several years now.

My preferred method is basically the same , minus the vacuum bag (we don't
have the vac unit - yet) . I thaw differently though , run them under warm
water and slip the skins off then toss them into the cookpot . Chickens love
the skins .

--
Snag

The Cook wrote:

I am going to get back to arranging the shelves so I can find things.
DH's idea is to stick stuff anywhere there is spot. I like to have it
organized so I can walk to the spot where an item should be (and find
it there.)

I'm the organizer here . She sticks stuff anywhere there's room and then
wonders why she/I can't find it .

--
Snag

Boron Elgar wrote:
....
they are fenced/netted. Actually that tomato patch up front is fenced
and netted, too. The netting gets put on when the tulips start to show
in the spring, or the deer would have them for midnight snacks. The
deer cannot get into the back, but the groundhogs, possums, raccoons
and squirrels seem to have given me top honors on dining. I am the
first garden off a 150 ace woods, so I am the appetizer, I think.

once you get an elder who knows where you are they will
bring their youngsters to your gardens. we had a similar
problem as we are about the only garden for some distance
from several wooded areas. once the local hunters took out
the ring leaders we've not had as many deer come through.
there are still plenty of deer around, but they mostly do
not know we are here.


*shhh!* *be vewwy, vewwy quiet*


we were able one year to get some old rusted fence from
someone who was throwing it away and that we've put along
the edge that they were coming through most of the time.
that helps a great deal.

we also put large field stone patches around, deer have
a pretty tough time walking through those. kinda like
cattle guards for deer. they won't work in the winter if
we get a heavy snow, but once the snow is gone i won't
see any tracks in those areas. other than the fact that
they are heavy to put in place they do ok. we put down
heavy black plastic in a few layers under them so we don't
have to spray for weed control. raccoons go through them
at times looking for hornet nests.


songbird

On 1/31/2015 9:56 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
The Cook wrote:

I am going to get back to arranging the shelves so I can find things.
DH's idea is to stick stuff anywhere there is spot. I like to have it
organized so I can walk to the spot where an item should be (and find
it there.)

I'm the organizer here . She sticks stuff anywhere there's room and then
wonders why she/I can't find it .

She might be kin to my wife. Oddly enough, both her younger sisters are
like me, a place for everything and everything in its place. Should have
waited a couple of years. Naw, she and I are fine together, met her in
June 1958 and told her I was going to marry her. Sure you are Sailor was
her reply. Eighteen months later we married and her it is 54 years later
we're still together and still gardening and arguing about where stuff
goes. Both of us grew up on small farms with Dad's that worked and then
farmed. Me in Texas, she in Maryland, ain't a bad deal after all this
time. Two kids, five grandkids, six great grandkids, and we're still
together. I'm happy. I do wish she wasn't a packrat though. G