LONG overdue blog - my, how time flies at this time of the year!

Cherokee Purple and Cherokee Chocolate on May 22 - planting date was May 8

On April 19, my last blog entry, I was just at the beginning of selling some seedlings. Here we are, on May 28, and not only is my garden planted, but we just caged 115 different tomato plants at the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse.

Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse, which I’ve been granted use of for this year - one minute drive from my house!

My “Team Tomato” crew after fitting cages over the tomato plants - May 26 task

I have so much more to say about both my garden, and the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse - I will get a look at so many different tomato varieties, many of which I’ve not grown in some time. I will leave that for a future - and very soon! - blog entry.

Over the last month I’ve had the chance to do some great local workshops, including 2 for Sow True Seeds in Asheville. Up next are June 8 at the Carriage Park neighborhood in Hendersonville, on tomatoes, June 10 at the Veterans Healing Farm in Horse Shoe, on the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project, and June 13, at the Hendersonville Library, downtown, on tomatoes.

Here’s an exciting news item to share - Epic Tomatoes was chosen as one of 11 Best Gardening Books of 2023, by The Spruce. I so appreciate this recognition!

I am behind on answering emails, sending seeds, staking my tomatoes, and many other things. We have been short of rainy days, meaning lots of opportunities for hiking. Sue and I are finding lots of asparagus and strawberries at local farmers markets, so cooking (and eating) delightfully saps some of our time as well.

I hope to start reporting on what I am growing here at my house, and at the Veterans Healing Farm, with lots of pictures - maybe starting later today. If all goes well, I will start to get caught up (but don’t bet on it!)

Gorgeous native azalea spotted on a recent visit to the NC Arboretum.

Overnight frost seems to be finished - 2023 garden progress report - and a list of upcoming events

transplanting at last!

An email. from a friend reminded me that I’ve gone quite silent lately. Time is just delightfully passing, and between returning to yard work (mowing, getting our flower gardens in shape), hiking (listening for spring migrating warblers, seeking trilliums and orchids), and veggie garden prep (straw bale treatments, transplanting), I’ve been in a pretty peaceful zone inhabited by just Sue and the dogs - and often, just me (when I am deep into the transplanting phase).

This may be the least attention I’ve ever paid my tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings. There is certainly less pressure, due to cessation of local seedling sales. My garden is not a video target this year. Yet, they look quite good considering the coolness of the spring and the time they spent on the garage floor.

I am well into my spring speaking schedule, with a trip to Gastonia happening on Thursday April 20, hosted by Gaston County Master Gardeners. I have but one Zoom on the calendar, for Joe Lamp’l, for his new Organic Veggie garden course. The target for getting plants into the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse garden is around May 1, and my plants seem on schedule for that.

The strawbales are ready to plant but I am going to hold off for a few weeks to get them go through their mushroom phase. I won’t settle on which plants go where until transplanting is completed and I start to set aside varieties for the greenhouse.

Here is my speaking calendar (to date - it is growing seemingly daily!)

April 20, 10 AM, Gaston County (NC) Master Gardeners - Citizens Resource Center, 1303 Dallas-Cherryville Hwy, Dallas, NC 28034 - topic will be tomatoes, 50 min content, 10 min + for questions. I will have books for sale, and a small number of seedlings.

April 29, 3 PM, Morganton NC - Grace Episcopal Church, 303 South King Street, Morganton NC 28655. topic will be tomatoes, one hour event, books for sale, some seedlings

May 6, 1:30 - Veterans Healing Farm in Horse Shoe NC - 2 hour event, topic is container and strawbale gardening - 20.00 fee to sign up, which will be refunded if you attend the event.

May 10, 5 PM, Sow True Seeds, Asheville NC - topic is tomatoes - this one is full.

May 24, 5 PM - Sow True Seeds, Asheville NC - requires registration.

June 8, Carriage Park Neighborhood, Hendersonville NC - time TBD, but near lunch time - local attendance only

June 10, Veterans Healing Farm, Horse Shoe NC - 2 hour event, requires registration (20.00, refundable upon attending), topic is the Dwarf Tomato Project and home breeding of tomatoes.

June 13 - Hendersonville NC Library, 5:30 PM - topic is tomatoes, one hour workshop

July 1 - Veterans Healing Farm, Horse Shoe NC - topic is History of Gardening in the US - registration required - 20.00, refundable upon attending.

July 21 or 22 - Seed Savers Exchange Campout, Zoom - History of Gardening in the US - time TBD - open to outside attending TBD

August 30 - Sow True Seeds, Asheville NC - topic is Gardening in Strawbales and Containers - will require registration - time TBD

I also will be doing frequent live Instagram from my garden from now until late summer - watch my Instagram feed for more info - @nctomatoman

Showy Orchis, spotted on an April 18 hike on North Slope train in the Pisgah National Forest

Welcome to April - and (hopefully) warmer evenings - and lots of stuff to do in the garden. A bit more about the tomatoes I've started

Tomato seedlings awaiting transplant sitting atop new strawbales awaiting placement

This the cusp of the really active part of the gardening season. April sees some workshops (April 8 talking tomatoes at the nearby Veterans Healing Farm, April 20 talking tomatoes in Gastonia NC, and April 29 talking tomatoes in Morganton), a return to weekly Instagram Lives (of which I’ve already done a few in 2023, including last Thursday with Dave Whitinger of Victory Seeds - you can find them on my video tab in my Instagram profile - @nctomatoman), as well as an intense week or so of transplanting and positioning of the strawbales I’ve purchased.

Regarding tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, the vast majority have been planted and are up and growing nicely. A few days ago, I replanted a few no shows and recent acquisitions, as well as a few I forgot to plant initially. Many are already sprouting. I also planted some various basil types, echinacea, a rudbeckia and a zinnia. Once the rain stops, I will sort through those that are already of good size and start to decide how many to get into single plants per pot. This will include those destined for growing in the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse, and in my own backyard garden, as well as a very few that represent preorders of specific varieties for local pick up.

I am finding the prioritizing of my grow outs to be particularly complex this year. Here is my first attempt. The best approach may be to decide which varieties are a must due to need for seed, then to decide by the end of the month which location (farm greenhouse or backyard) will be their destiny.

Highest priority varieties (as a first pass) - indeterminate types - Big Sandy, Bisignano #2, Coyote, Dester, Eva Purple Ball, Gallo Plum, Giant Syrian, Hege German Pink, Indian Stripe, JD Special C Tex, Captain Lucky, Purple Dog Creek, Price’s Purple, Potato Leaf Yellow, Dorothy’s Green, World War 2, Pink Princess, Weber, Abraham Brown, Tundra, Taiga, Fritsche Family, Stocky’s, Earl, Kosovo, TBT, Ruthje, Peregrine Farms Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Green, Little Lucky, Marlowe Charleston, Sargent Peppers, and 9 of the Fairy series generously sent to me. I’d also really love to grow out new F1, a few F2, and F3 selections from my indeterminate X indeterminate hybrids - this represents an additional 14 varieties. If I total this up, I get to 55 varieties. Add in those I really want to grow due to being my favorites to eat - Anna Russian, Brandywine, Lucky Cross, Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Chocolate, Cancelmo Family, Hugh’s, Lillian’s Yellow, Monticello Mystery, Yellow Brandywine, Sun Gold, Casey’s Pure Yellow, Polish, McCutcheon, Stump of the World, Ferris Wheel, Red Brandywine, Nepal, Green Giant, Bing and Egg Yolk - that takes me to 76 varieties. If I can fit 80 into the Veterans Farm Greenhouse, between that and what I grow in my own bales, it leaves plenty of room for multiples of some varieties for various reasons - looking through the F2 or F3, or using different seed lots. OK - I’ve convinced myself it can be done. When I consider what to plant in my yard, it will likely be based on a combination of having great eating varieties close by, or particularly interesting genetics.

As far as dwarf varieties, my aim was to use the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse as a big demo of the Victory Seed released versions. I also have a handful of future releases, and just a bit of Dwarf Tomato Project R and D varieties. If I grow 40 to 50 dwarfs at the farm, I need to decide if I want to dedicate some of my strawbales for overflow of the dwarfs into my back yard. My aim for this year is to minimize grow bags, but it may be essential for a dozen of them so I can squeeze everything in.

Oh, the trials, tribulations and mental conundrums of an overly ambitious tomato grower! Stay tuned for the next chapter of “Craig transplants - and is overwhelmed…already”!

Lots of trilliums at the botanical garden in Asheville on the UNC campus, seen on our March 31 visit.

It's (finally) warming up - transplanting - and planting - is underway!

First transplanting - the dwarf Adelaide Festival

We may approach frost for the next few nights, but the long term forecast looks promising. We are there - real spring, with conditions that allow for outdoor hardening off of seedlings, and planting flower beds. I love this time of the year and am fully involved in getting the 2023 garden up and running.

Spinach and lettuce is now planted in one of our two raised beds

Tomato, pepper and eggplant transplanting is well under way, and I am collecting lots of germination data. I am not potting up single plants at this point, but moving clusters of seedlings into their own 35 inch pot - this gives the crowded plants some extra root room. The only plug flat remaining to deal with is the one containing the older tomato seed plantings.

In looking through the flats, it turns out that only a few varieties germinated poorly. I also forgot to plant a few varieties, not only tomatoes, but flowers and herbs. That flat was planted today.

The first 10 straw bales were also purchased and await placement in the back yard. I expect to purchase up to 20 more and get them organized and preparation started over the next two weeks.

Nice cluster of rather large-flowered dog tooth violets seen in a walk along the Davidson River in the Pisgah Forest on March 28.

Brrr.... it's cold. Brief update on the 2023 garden

Seedlings under lights in the safety of the garage

Waking up to temperatures in the low 20s is not much fun following the late spring-like temperature tease of earlier in March. All the plants - tender perennials, greens in addition to the tomatoes and peppers and eggplants seen in the above pic - have been in the garage for nearly a week.

However, it is only March 20, today is the first day of spring (at last), and if we get the forecasted warmth starting tomorrow, everything will head back outdoors, well hardened off. I could be a week from tomato, pepper and eggplant transplanting. My fingers are crossed!

What I am spending most time on at the moment is preparing for some local events (Veterans Healing Farm), and a Zoom with New York gardening groups on container and strawbale gardening.

For gardeners living near me, I don’t have a plant list or details on dates quite yet. I will be corresponding via email those those who are interested when I have a better idea on what’s to come.

I didn’t do an Instagram Live last week because there was really nothing new to report and it was too cold. Depending upon the weather, I may do one this coming Friday. This is the calm before the storm - things will be getting busy really soon.

Very young seedlings getting filtered sunlight before they went into the garage and under lights due to cold temps

Digging deeper into my 2023 tomato choices - focus on indeterminate X indeterminate F1 and beyond

Sun peeking through magnolia

In my last blog, I created my laundry list of seeds planted. Below is a deeper dive into some of the more interesting things destined for my 2023 garden. In my next blog, I will provide a germination update on all of my tomato flats planted to date, including the older seeds - which continue to slowly emerge and surprise.

Indeterminate X Indeterminate new hybrids

I am growing a few new hybrids created by a few of my garden buddies. I also managed to miss a few, so will grow those next year. My UK friend Lance Turner (owner of Tomato Revolution, web site here ) crossed Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom with Zena’s Gift. This is tomato 7622 in my collection. Lance also crossed Rosella Purple with Brandywine - tomato 7621, and Rosella Purple with Green Giant - tomato 7623 - which I forgot to grow this year. My friend Alex in Virginia crossed Earl with Cherokee Green and sent me the hybrid seed, which is tomato 7788. To summarize, I am growing tomatoes 7622 and 7788 this year, and will grow 7621 and 7623 next year.

Indeterminate X Indeterminate F2 generation from new hybrids

A few years ago I had a blast creating some new hybrids. I explored but a few of them last year - Little Lucky X Blue’s Bling, Polish X Blue’s Bling and Cherokee Purple X Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom. This year I want to take a look at a few F2s from Ferris Wheel X Striped Sweetheart, Don’s Double Delight X Cancelmo Familly Heirloom, and Cherokee Green X Caitlin’s Lucky Stripe. In each case I will find 25% potato leaf and 75% regular leaf seedlings. I’ve not decided how many of each to grow. I thus planted T21-2, T21-8 and T21-11 in sufficient quantity to get a few potato leaf amongst the forest of regular leaf seedlings.

Indeterminate X Indeterminate F3 generation from new hybrids

Last year, me, and a few friends, started hunting through seeds saved from the hybrids to see what interesting new varieties appeared - and we all had some level of success. A few were named, a few will be named depending upon what we find this year. From Little Lucky X Blue’s Bling came two exciting finds in my garden - both variegated, one potato leaf, which produced large smooth tricolored tomatoes that were yellow mottled with red and green, and one regular leaf, more of a standard yellow/red swirled bicolor. Both were delicious, and I am growing them out this year. The Potato Leaf is tomato T22-16, the regular leaf T22-13. All should be variegated foliage; a few potato leaf will likely pop up in the regular leaf selection (it takes longer to breed that out). I also sent quite a few of this seed out to those expressing interest in this effort, so we will have quite a few results coming later in the season. I also found a nice purple from Blue’s Bling X Polish, with potato leaf variegated foliage - T22-17. Turning to Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom X Cherokee Purple. Quite a few F3 are being grown, one found by me, others sent to me by gardening friends. I named a selection Lillian Rose last year and am growing T22-15 this year - potato leaf, with large pink fruit with some yellow shading and outstanding flavor. My friend Justin sent me a large fruited potato leaf pink - tomato 7838. Lance Turner sent me 7808, a very large oblate yellow with some red. A friend Mary sent me 7785, which was for her regular leaf, large yellow with pink inside and delicious. I can’t wait to see what this set of tomato royalty offspring deliver this season! From Cherokee Chocolate X Stump of the World, my garden buddy Eddie sent me a slew of interesting finds - the one I chose to grow is 7795, large fruited regular leaf green flesh, yellow skin, with some red inside. Finally, my friend Alex sent me 7789, a selection from Green Giant X Cancelmo Family Heirloom - a large fruited delicious potato leaf purple.

The above represent the real R and D that will be in my 2003 garden. I will likely grow a few in my yard, and a lot in the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse. Anyone local to me here in Hendersonville will have an opportunity to dip in to these mysteries as well.

Marlin amongst the spring colors

2023 Garden Plan - the major tomato planting of March 7

Forsythia and Spirea

In the last few blogs I talked about my first plantings - greens, flowers (especially hibiscus), and older tomatoes - along with some peppers and eggplants.

On March 7, I did a marathon planting session - three flats of 50 cells, each containing a different variety. Today is day 3 and germination is happening. My older tomato seed flat is out sunning itself on the side deck. I just finished transplanting the hibiscus, and the greens are proceeding well.

Here is what got planted on March 7.

Flat 1 - all Dwarf Tomato Project released varieties from Victory Seeds unless otherwise noted. For the most part, 5 seeds of each were planted.

Adelaide Festival, Banksia Queen, BrandyFred, Chocolate Lightning, Coorong Pink, Dwarf Awesome, Dwarf Beauty King, Dwarf Big Valentine, Dwarf Black Angus, Dwarf Blazing Beauty, Dwarf Choemato, Dwarf Elsie’s Fancy, Dwarf Emerald Giant, Dwarf Firebird Sweet, Dwarf Gloria’s Treat, Dwarf Golden Tipsy, Dwarf Goldfinch, Dwarf Grinch, Dwarf Hannah’s Prize, Dwarf Idaho Gem, Dwarf Kodiak King, Dwarf Mahogany, Dwarf Mr. Snow, Dwarf Orange Cream, Dwarf Parfait, Dwarf Confetti, Dwarf Peppermint Stripes, Dwarf Perfect Harmony, Dwarf Pink Livija, Dwarf Purple Heart (from Fruition), Dwarf Purple Heart (Victory), Dwarf Russian Swirl, Dwarf Sarah’s Red, Dwarf Saucy Mary, Dwarf Sonrojo Monster, Dwarf Snakebite, Dwarf Suz’s Beauty, Dwarf Sweet Sue, Dwarf Tanager, Dwarf Walter’s Fancy, Dwarf Wild Fred, Dwarf Wild Spudleaf, Dwarf Zoe’s Sweet, Loxton Lad, Loxton Lass, Lucky Swirl (Fruition), Lucky Swirl (Victory), Maralinga, Rosella Crimson, Rosella Purple (Southern Exposure Seed XC).

So, what’s the story with all of these released dwarfs? I’ve been wanting to do a test plant of our releases to see what people are purchasing/growing, vs what we wanted to release as a project. It will also be great for seed saving and photodocumenting. I hope to grow these at the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse. Many of my favorite larger fruited dwarfs are in that list. Such fun!

Flat 2 - here are all indeterminate varieties. Many of these are more densely planted so I have extras for locally interested folks.

Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Green, Mexico Midget, Sun Gold, Casey’s Pure Yellow, Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom, Lucky Cross, Large Lucky Red, Estler’s Mortgage Lifter, Captain Lucky, Purple Dog Creek, Price’s Purple, Potato Leaf Yellow, Big Sandy, Gallo Plum, Dorothy’s Green, World War II, Monticello Mystery, Polish, McCutcheon, Bisignano #2, Brandywine, Dester, Stump of the World, Ferris Wheel, Cancelmo Family Heirloom, Eva Purple Ball, Red Brandywine, Giant Syrian, Hege’s German Pink, Hugh’s, Indian Stripe, JD Special C-Tex, Yellow Brandywine, Pink Princess, Weber, Abraham Brown, Nepal, Green Giant, Tundra, Taiga, Fritsche Family, Stocky’s, Egg Yolk, Anna Russian, Coyote, TBT, Ruthje and Bing.

This is quite a grab bag. Some of my long-time-grown, real favorites are in this group. There are a few former favorites I am returning to for the first time in many years. I am also growing a slew that need fresh saved seed. There are also some that have been recently sent to me by friends. Some of these will be in my yard, and most will be at the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse.

Flat 3 - this is a real slew of all sorts of things, some indeterminate and some dwarf. This is also the third flat I planted, late at night, and there is an error somewhere with variety vs cell that I will have to solve once the seedlings emerge. Here goes…

Four F3 selections from Cherokee Purple X Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom (one of which I named Lillian’s Rose), two F3 selections from Little Lucky X Blue’s Bling, one F3 selection from Polish X Blue’s Bling, a first look at F2 from crosses I made a few years ago - Ferris Wheel X Striped Sweetheart, Don’s Double Delight X Cancelmo Family Heirloom, and Cherokee Green X Caitlin’s Lucky Stripe; Earl, seven from the Fairy Tale series - Snack, Shine, Garnet, Elf, Fairy Tale, Gold and Angel; an F3 selection from Cherokee Chocolate X Stump of the World, Cherokee Green X Earl F1 hybrid, an F3 selection from Green Giant X Cancelmo Family Heirloom, Abraham Lincoln from the USDA seed stock, Lillian’s Yellow X Zena’s Gift F1, Kosovo, Marlowe Charleston, the Peregrine Farm selection of Cherokee Purple, Andrew Rahart’s Jumbo Red, Aker’s West Virginia, the chartreuse leaf version of Dwarf Jade Beauty, a pink fruited gold striped F3 selection from Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom X Dwarf Speckled Heart, Dwarf Langston, another set of Victory released dwarfs - Uluru Ochre, Wherokowhai, Rosella Purple, Summertime Green, Summer Sunrise, Sweet Scarlet Dwarf, TastyWine, Willa’s Cariboo, Wilpena; Rosella Crimson, Dwarf Gloria’s Treat, Dwarf Emerald Giant, Dwarf Eagle Smiley, Dwarf Irma’s Highland, Dwarf Phyl’s Ivory Beauty, Dwarf Harmonic Convergence, Dwarf Shimmering Beauty, Dwarf Chilli Chick’s Wonder, Dwarf Sara’s Olalla Emerald, and Dwarf Swirly Heart.

I can’t even start to ponder where each of the above will go, but a fair number will be grown in my yard, particularly some of the more interesting mysteries. Once I confirm which varieties are growing where, and start to form plans on what I will be growing where, a future blog will lay it all out.

Lots of seeds are now planted. Let's start walking through my slowly forming plans for 2023 gardening

We’ll consider this major spring garden update Part 1.

On one hand, the pace of my gardening season seems slower. Then I look at the flats germinating in my office, or already transplanted sitting in my driveway, sizing up and getting ready for planting into our raised beds. This is our 4th season gardening here. We are (mostly) beyond the bizarre of COVID. I worked hard on the Growing Epic Tomatoes course with Joe Lamp’l, which was a key “busy” feature of the last two seasons. Already, this year feels different.

On January 31, I made my first planting - some flowers, some greens and other cool weather crops. It is they that have been transplanted. For flowers, I planted yellow and pink canna sent to me by my friend John. Germination was slow and spotty and I may go back when it gets warmer and repeat. Older packets of Echinacea and Balcony Petunia and Blue Wood Aster didn’t germinate. Pansies and Snapdragons did, and they are progressing well.

I planted Golden Beet, Crosby Beet (both of which germinated well), and an older packet of Detroit Red Beet, which did not. I have lots of plants of rhubarb and Bright Lights chard, and a few plants of a mustard, collard and kale. I’ve got plenty for my needs.

Seaside, Space and Nobel spinach germinated great; Acadia did not. All the lettuce - Gabriella, Green Ice, Rouxai, Magenta and Cherokee - are doing wonderfully. All of this will represent our cool weather garden that will reside in containers and our raised beds.

transplanted spinach, lettuce, etc - living outdoors

On February 20, I planted a flat with a few different flowers, a basil and lots of saved Hibiscus - the main reason being I wanted to explore how hibiscus seed maintains viability with age. The flowers planted were Thunbergia, Salvia Coral Nymph, a few saved Baptisia, and Carmel Chianti basil (saved seed). I am waiting on the baptisia, but all else germinated quickly and well.

As for the hibiscus, most were swamp mallow of various colors,, two are coccinea, the other being Hibiscus manihot, tall with yellow flowers and very spiny seed pods. Of 2014 saved seeds, so far 5 of 7 types germinated. 2015, 3 of 7; 2016, 6 of 7; 2017, 5 of 8, and 2022, 3 of 4 - in total, 21 of the 33 types I planted germinated. I have at least one plant of each color - white with dark red eye, pink with dark red eye, pink with pale eye, one maroon, and both coccinea red and white (Texas Star). I have no idea where these will all go, but I do want to get one plant of each for fresh seed saving. In general, they seem to be perennial here as well.

The hibiscus flat - thunbergia is lower left

Also on February 20 I undertook a planting of older tomato seeds that are quite close to those I obtained. The intent of this planting was to check on germination of older saved seed. Germination continues, even today on day 16, so the results are incomplete. No shows to date are Anna Russian (2012 and 2013 seeds), Bisignano #2 (2011 and 2013 seed), Eva Purple Ball (2011), Hege German Pink (2012), Rasp Red (2008), Red Brandywine (2006), and Yellow Brandywine (2011 and 2013). I do have seedlings up and growing from Big Sandy, Brandywine, Lucky Cross, Cancelmo Family Heirloom, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Purple, Coyote, Dester, Gallo Plum, Giant Syrian, Hugh’s, Indian Stripe, JD Special C Tex, and Monticello Mystery. The oldest germinating seeds are from 2009 and 2011 - 12 and 14 years old. At that age, germination is slower and erratic - 14 days or more.

In addition, in that flat I planted some peppers and eggplants - all 7 peppers (seed saved 2022) and all four eggplant (seed saved 2022). Fresh pepper or eggplant seeds, thus take 6 to 8 days to germinate, compared with fresh tomato seeds, that take between 3 and 5 days.

old tomato seed and fresh pepper and eggplant flat - getting some filtered sun

I will discuss last night’s marathon planting of 3 flats, 150 cells, of tomatoes - and also discuss possibilities of where they will be grown. With the nearby Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse, my options will be flexible and interesting.

Progress on what's been planted - thoughts on what comes next

Every year, a new spiral notebook.

Let’s get caught up on what’s going on with the 2023 garden, which is of course mostly seed starting, but, in addition, some transplanting too. Rather than visualize the season, this year will be a bit different. I am sorting it out in pieces by making rather quick decisions when certain types of seeds need planting. The last part, the main batch of tomatoes, is targeted for planting tomorrow, but I won’t decide on which until tonight!

Our backyard magnolia in bloom a full month sooner than our last three springs here in Hendersonville.

I planted the first seeds on January 31. I planted 7 cells of flowers, 1 of rhubarb, 3 of beets, 2 of chard, 1 each a mustard, kale and collards, three with spinach and 5 with lettuce. Of the flowers, Echinacea, Balcony Petunia, and Blue Wood Aster are yet to germinate (seeds are a few years old). One each seed of yellow canna and pink canna, 2 rhubarb, and some pansies in snapdragons are up and growing well. Golden and Crosby Beet are in good shape, but Detroit Beet was older seed and didn’t germinate. I’ve got plenty of chard, mustard, kale, collards, Seaside, Space and Nobel spinach, and Gabriella, Green Ice, Rouxai, Magenta and Cherokee lettuce. I’ve already separated out and transplanted all of the above into 3.5 inch pots or (for the beets and snapdragons), 1 inch cell plug flats. The greens are in 3.5 inch pots with up to 6 plants in each. They’ve been spending most of the time outdoors, being cool weather plants, and will come into the garage if a frost is likely.

Here come the greens described in the above section

On February 20, I planted 49 cells - a few random flowers and herbs (Thunbergia, Coral Nymph salvia, a few baptisia, a purple leaf basil and a celosia), but mostly wanted to test germination on a slew of hibiscus that were collected in the wild and grown out since 2014. I had no idea how these (mostly Swamp Mallows) kept their viability. As of today, 5 of 7 varieties saved in 2014 (9 year old seed), 3 of 7 saved in 2015 (8 year old seed), 6 of 7 saved in 2016 (7 year old seed), 5 of 8 saved in 2017 (6 year old seed), and 3 saved in 2022 (1 year old seed) popped out of the planting mix. I have at least one plant of each of the types that I want to grow out this year.

Here’s my messy hibiscus planting page

Finally came a major planting of older tomato seeds, and fresh pepper and eggplant seeds, on February 20. I wanted to use my tomato family trees tracking genealogy and see how older seed as close to the received seed as possible for each variety would germinate. This flat is still on a heating mat, so this is work in progress.

So far, Big Sandy saved in 2012 and 2013 is up and growing. Lucky Cross from 2011, Cancelmo Family Heirloom from 2016 and 2017, Cherokee Chocolate from 2011 and 2012, Cherokee Purple from 2011, Gallo Plum from 2009 (the oldest seed that is up - 14 years old), Giant Syrian from 2012 and 2013, Hugh’s from 2013 and 2014, JD Special C Tex from 2012, Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom from 2015, Monticello Mystery Tomato from 2013, and Yellow Brandywine from 2011 are up.

I’ve no growth yet from Anna Russian (2012, 2013), Bisignano #2 (2011, 2013), Brandywine (two from 2011), Coyote (from 2011 and 2013), Dester (from 2012 and 2013), Eva Purple Ball from 2011, Hege German Pink (two from 2012), Indian Stripe from 2011, Rasp Red from 2008 and Red Brandywine from 2006. All of the peppers and eggplant are up and growing. As far as days to germination, peppers ranged from 6-7 days, eggplant 6-7 days, and tomatoes 6 days for 2016 and 2017 saved up to 11 days for seeds saved in 2011. I will keep hope that more will appear and provide an update in a few weeks.

That’s it for the update. As far as what I will plant tomorrow, the parameters I am using - a set of standard indeterminate varieties that are favorites (choosing from most colors), a set of works in progress or newly sent indeterminates - and ditto for the dwarfs (some favorites, some works in progress). My other decision will be which to grow at the Veterans Healing Farm greenhouse (I can probably fit 80 indeterminate and 40 dwarf there), and which to grow here in our back yard in straw bales (probably 20 -30 varieties).

Magnolia close up

Happy New Year, 2023! Let's get this thing going again...

Holiday light display at the NC Arboretum, seen in a mid December visit

Last year was a busy one for my blog, with my periodic seed collection review and the entire republishing of Off The Vine. It will be impossible to match that, so I am pondering what this blog will be for the coming year. It has been a bit of a rocky start to the new year, with me, then Sue, coming down with COVID. We are both on the mend, thanks to having had all of our vaccines and boosters, and prescriptions of Paxlovid.

I spent lots of December fulfilling seed requests, but that job is not yet complete. Next week I will finish the job, and lots of gardeners will have interesting (and in some cases, important) things to grow in their gardens this year and beyond. I’ve also been working on updating the genealogies of some of the more important varieties in my tomato collection - tracking each seed lot from when I received it to the most recent grow out. It is certainly the super-geeky side of my heirloom seed and gardening passion, but I find it fun and relaxing - as well as a real data management challenge.

Requests for gardening workshops are coming in, and there are already a number of Zooms, and two close by in-person talks, sitting in my calendar. I plan to resume live Instagram sessions from my back yard, probably starting in March, when I start planting seeds. I won’t be selling seedlings on any sort of scale this year - that phase of my gardening life has now passed. For those that are local to me here in Hendersonville, a good friend plans to sell heirloom tomato seedlings - I will provide information when it becomes certain.

The Dwarf Tomato Project is, if not grinding to a halt, now moving at a much slower rate, which is appropriate for where we are, with so many successful releases. Given that, it is going to be a different type of garden for me this year - but more on that later on.

In closing, it will be another, interesting, fun gardening season - I look forward to sharing my findings with you as always. On we go, into 2023!

More of the remarkable display