...you buy yet another tomato plant when you know that winter is coming, even in Southern Arizona, and there is truly no hope of harvesting anything from it.

...your beautiful, professionally landscaped backyard is trashed with container tomato plants dotting every speck of sunlighted space (and divorce may or may not be threatened).

...you have ordered more tomato seeds for next season than you'll ever need, of so many varieties that it will be impossible to plant out even one of each.

...you live in a climate that is almost totally hostile to growing vegetables, yet you fanatically focus on the "almost" and try to beat the odds anyway.

The words "Marvel Stripe", "Aunt Ruby's German Green", "Brandywine" and "Sungold" not only cause pictures to pop in your head, they make your mouth start watering.

Carla in Sac

I have no idea where to begin...

Before the season is even over you start thinking about what new varieties to plant next year... and GardenWeb is at the top of your "Favorites" list! :^)

LOL at all of you. I'm so glad I'm not the only one.

AZruss, divorce would certainly be threatened if my husband knew how many nights I go to sleep fantasizing about tomatoes!

j.

....if you turn off the TV to read a seed catalog

....if your favorite conversation changes from golf or football to germination.

....if your purchases of ornamentals is reduced to make room for "ONE MORE VARIETY".

....if you find yourself asking the veggie dudes at Walmart about getting some "real" tomatoes.

....if you really understand NPK.

....if you and your family's intake of vitamin C and lycopene is 50 times the daily requirement.

....if the apartment manager finally gives up on the flowers argument when you point to the tomato blooms.

....if you're more interested in the weather forecast than the news.

....if you have more than one neighbor to water when you're away.

....if your largest use of fungicides doesn't involve removing your shoes.

....if your neighbors can't understand why you want their leaves.

....if your automobile travel involves more of the "back roads" in order to find more local fruit stands.

....if your use of SASE has increased by 10,000%.

....if you're reading this.

Ted

....if you open the drawers in your bathroom, kitchen, desk, and dresser, only to find.....packages of tomato seeds

....if conversations with your girlfriends quickly turn from the latest gossip to how your tomatoes are setting this season

....if disease hits one of your tomato plants, you actually feel a deep sense of sadness, as if you might be losing a friend (he he)

1. You have grow lights and shelving in your bedroom.
2. You drink tomato juice instead of orange juice at breakfast every day.
3. Every other magazine in the rack is a seed catalog.
4. You plan your meal around one type of tomato you picked today.
5. You come in from the garden and wash your hands and the water is green, not brown.

You are afraid to admit how many varieties of tomato seeds you have because someone might deem you a bit crazy.
You plan your vacation time to coincide with attending a tomato party(CHOPTAG) 2 states away.
You decide hosting a tomato harvest party every year is a good idea and not odd at all. Thank goodness my husband loves me, lol.
Remy

Things like Choptag, SSE, ARGG and NAR actually mean something to you.

If you answer your friends question about dreaming in color by saying you see KBX, Purple Haze, Goose Creek, Hugh, and Evergreen and count tomatoes as you fall asleep.

George

If all of your friends, relatives, and neighbors get that glazed over look after what must be too much tomato talk.

Sue

If you know the only people who truly relate to you are reading these messages.

Kim

Kim nails it on the head!

1.You look over others people's trash with an eye out for good tomato supports. And you are willing to grab the finds even in broad daylight!

2. The only time you check the mail before your spouse is when you expect a SASBE to arrive with traded tomato seeds.

3. You have way more seeds than you can ever grow and yet you plan to order ALOT more. And you keep the empty packs much as your spouse collects baseball cards.

4. You have read every tomato book at the local library and had interlibrary loan ship you many others....plus you own several of the books or have them on your "wish list".

5. You keep old seed catalogs from years ago and look at the tomato sections in them almost as often as you read the new catalogs.

6. Your family doesn't dare to throw out any unidentifiable rotten looking stuff on the counter because it might be fermenting seeds that you "need".

7. You don't think any of these things area weird.

Lol, good stuff and all too true!

"2. The only time you check the mail before your spouse is when you expect a SASBE to arrive with traded tomato seeds."

OR

when you have placed YET ANOTHER order with one of the heirloom tomato sites, even though number 3 is highly applicable!

Your garage stinks due to the rotting tomato seeds you are trying to save for next year !!

Anil

...when sleepless, you count not sheep, but tomato varieties.
...when you have room for only 10 plants, whittling down the list is pure torture.

OMG, I'm so relieved to know I'm "normal."

"Your garage stinks..."

It's cold outside around here so I've been fermenting seeds inside. Tonight I couldn't figure out what the bad smell in the kitchen was. Yup, you guessed it. Two jars of rotting tomato pulp were hidden behind some baskets of produce. They were at the perfect stage to finish off, so all is well. And my husband didn't even notice the smell. Guess he's lived with a tomatoholic for awhile :)

I think the tomato seeds I ordered for next year will be at the post office today. Doubt if I will go get them because there is a raging snow storm going on. Am dreaming that I might be able to grow a plant inside...Do I qualify as a tomatoholic?

Even though the chickens ate more of my tomatoes than i did, and i had to take vacation days to keep up with this madness......here I am again, knowing perfectly well you all are tomato-enablers, inspiring me to plant even more varieties and invest in serious tomato infrastructure (raised beds with built-in Florida weave posts and a lean-to for season extension)for next year...

ROFL at tomato-enablers. Bad, bad people, they are!

And continuing the list:

...you find talk of raised beds with built-in Florida weave posts and season extenders oddly exciting.

ROFL at tomato-enablers. Bad, bad people, they are!

Sniff.

Oops!

But then what's a little enabling among friends? Nothing that a pallet of soiless potting mix and a gross of 10 gallon pots can't handle.

Switch from the soiless mix to a potting soil with fertilizer and you'll do all the better. (IMHO)

After all, what's a little advice among friends ;-)

I'm glad to hear you say that!

By the time I recycle and refresh the old container soils, ALL my mixes (soiless and otherwise) end up highly mixed. but I am under the impression that NCTomatoman Craig, who raises all his tomatoes in pots on his driveway, uses only a soiless mix. I was thinking about giving it a try, but now I won't.

Personally, I don't pot up my seedlings to larger container sizes as I grow them. I sow tomato seeds into styrofoam cups or trays made from foil lasagna pans--and from there, after they sprout, they grow in that soil until I'm ready to transplant them. I only have to worry about moisture, I don't have to worry about feeding the seedlings. The fertilizer in that soil mix is very gentle and very low dose, but it's a steady dosage.

As a precaution, if you are reusing soil you should first put it into the sowing container (foam or foil are best because they are very resistant to heat damage), then dowse the soil thoroughly with boiling water from the kettle. The boiling water will kill most everything it contacts, so it does greatly reduce the amount of any possible soil-borne pathogens. Wait a day before sowing to allow the soil to cool and the excess moisture to flow from the container drainage slits.

T

PS--steaming soil is kinda funky smelling. Remember to put on the kitchen exhaust fan before you start pouring the boiling water--your curtains can pick up that steamy dirt scent. Ick.

I made the switch to potting soil (Ferti-lome or Pro-mix)for starting seeds two years ago, but I have a lot of experience with starting all kinds of seeds...plus heat mats!..i still recommend soilless to newbies who might overwater or not have temp and humidity control down, nothing more discouraging than seeing all your babies damp off and drop over.

bring an eraser.

Reading this entire thread twice then posting