WOW! A table full and more. I just planted a few tomato seeds in the greenhouse. It's still too cold here to plant them outside in the containers. I'd love to have some of your yellow currant seeds. I have alot of different flower and veggie seeds now that I could trade with you. I haven't updated my seed exchange page. I can e-mail you a list if you want me to.

I'd love to have some of your yellow currant seeds.

Hi Maggie, no trade necessary. Just send me your mailing info again so I don't have to look it up, I'll get some seeds off to you Monday.

Tom

Tom, how many Beefmaster plants did it take to produce this end of season bounty? I have tried two a few years back (Bonnies)with not much production. I grew my own seedlings this year and they are very strong and vigorous. I'm mulling over how many to plant.

john

That is almost art. :) I put my tomatoes out in their buckets yesterday. It was too hard to throw any sweet baby girl seedlings out so I doubled up the last bucket until I can decide what to do with my extra one. That's pitiful!

John - I have 10 plants and have been pulling 25-35lbs a week for the last 6 weeks. I use a 14-14-14 9 month CRF with the minors in it when I make my potting mix, I think it makes a difference.

Tina - I left the Sweet Baby Girl and Mountain Magic plants as is. They are still pumping out tons of cherries and I want the squirrels to leave my Beefmasters alone. I'm sure you'll find a good place for that last SBG ;-)

Tom

Tom,
My hubbie is after metro get my veggie garden going again, so I'd be happy to take any extra seeds off your hands! Whatever you send, I will try to grow!
My MIL is here for a couple of months to help. Do you still have my address somewhere? I think you have my email address "handle" @hotmail.com
R/Lisa A

Tom,
Wonderful photo's- What do you do with the greens?
I have never grown Beefmaster but I have started some
Beefmaster seeds this year. Just re-potted them for the first
time today. Hope they produce half as much as yours. I would love some of the yellow current seeds if you have any left. I will send you my address- Can I send a SASE?
Mark

We bought an 80lb bag of Osmocote 14-14-14 at a fire sale when the feed store had a fire. Do you think a bag that size would have the micro nutrients in it? We have disposed of the bag and have the fertilizer stored in covered buckets.

L - it's too late to start tomato and pepper seeds here now, you'd need to buy some decent sized transplants. What else are you interested in starting? You could start cukes, pole beans, okra, egg plant an squash now from seed....Drop me a line offline.

Mark - Send me your mailing info and I'll send you some yellow currant seeds, SASE not necessary. All the greens will eventually turn red, if at a mature size they will be good as is, if not there will be some white flesh to cut out but nothing goes to waste. Otherwise greens can be pickled, fried or made into salsa.

M - I know Osmocote is a CRF but have no idea if it has the minor elements in it. Someone else will have to answer that question.

Tom

Nice

Thanks Amber, I started Corinto and Corentine cukes today ;-)

Tom

Tom,
My email to your knology.net address failed.
Is there another one I need to look for?
Lisa

Wow, Tom!!! That's an amazing number of large tomatoes for almost February! They look great too. Mine stopped growing with the couple of cold spells we had, so the green ones I'm taking off now are half the size of yours or smaller. I need to make salsa I guess! I love beefmasters also and always have a few plants. This spring I've put out 5 of those and keep trying others as well. I've got a couple of jetsetters, pink beefsteak, black cherries, one neves azorean red, one Dr. Carolyn pink and I think that's it. What else do you have going for the spring?

Oh, I have a question for anyone. In the tomatoes in the box, the one with the shallow hole- what makes that type of hole? I've had some tomatoes with that type of defect and I'm curious as to what creates it. The tomatoes are still good, just curious.

Anna

Tom, that is a lot of tomatoes!

I picked tomatoes today

Silvia

Tom, Great job on the tomatoes! You too Silva.
One day I hope to grow veggies as well as you both.

By the way Tom, the vines I got from you are doing great! I can't wait till they bloom!
Also when I visited your garden you inspired me to grow my tomaotes in a container in the ground similar to your set up and it was my best tomato crop yet, thanks!!
Ariel

Lisa - CYE

Anna - Things have been so busy at work I didn't get a chance to start seedlings for this spring so I bought some Better Boy and Beefmaster seedlings, cut back the existing Beefmaster plants and left the five cherry plants (Mountain Magic & Sweet Baby Girl) in hopes the squirrels will continue to work them and leave my large tomatoes alone.

I'm not clear about your question regarding the tomato problem, can you post some pictures so folks here can help you?

Silvia - Beatuiful! I guess Willy did okay while you were gone ;-)

Ariel - I'm glad you've done well with the tomatoes. I can't wait to see your pictures of the Queens Wreath, please post when they bloom, if you can.

Tom

Tom, how much of the 14-14-14 CFR do you add to your mix? I seem to recall that you use florikan which is great stuff. Unfortunately they closed their distribution point here in Apopka. I'm sure there are other brands available.

After Florikan had their fire things seemed to have gone down hill....Bamboo Rabbit turned me on to Helena Chemical, great products and prices and after setting up an account they actually deliver individual 50lb. bags right to my door step. I'm using Caliber Cote 14-14-14, it's a 8-9 month release with all the minors in it. I've been very happy with this product.

Tom

Sorry, I didn't answer all your question. I use a 3.5 gallon bucket to mix in a wheel barrow. I still use Al's mix but like a 4:2:1 better than a 5:1:1. So, I wet 2 parts peat, put in one part perlite, then 1&1/2 cups each of dolomite and CRF, then add one 2CF bag of pine fines. This makes approximately 25 gallons (3.25CF) of mix.

Tom

Thanks Tom. It looks like it's working. Hekina shows an outlet only 9 miles away from me so I'll definately give them a call.

Just make sure it's not the Tampa office. That is not a distribution center, it's their regional office and purely administrative.

Tom