Heirloom Seedlings

 

These tomatoes and pumpkin starts turned out pretty nice. I had enough to pass out to family and friends. (This is just a few of them)

The ones that I kept for myself did terribly. The ones that I gave to friends did not grow or produce well. The ones that I gave to my sister grew and produced like monsters.

The first mistake that I made was to put them in terrible soil. I had put all the compost from my bins into the soil first. I had turned the soil a few times. I had added a few bags of purchased organic garden soil. I added coffee grounds, an organic fertilizer and worm castings before I planted. But soil needs time to be amended and I didn't realize just how bad and depleted the ground really was. Next spring I will have better soil. I'll also add some calcium and fish in the hole before I plant. A woman down the road told me that she adds a dead fish down by the roots and always has great tomatoes. Ive read about it. I'll do it.

An early warm spring fooled me. We had a spurt of great weather and I went crazy with planting things. The tomatoes went in way too soon. When the weather turned windy and chilly, these became stunted. They didn't have a chance in hell to become great producers. But I limped them along all summer and I did get a few tomatoes. What a waste of water and effort though. I learned things. I learned. I'll wait until May next time. I'll start the seedlings later.

I also planted them too close together. I knew this wasn't good. but they did ok up at Sam and Earl's last summer. So I went ahead and did it. Bad Move.

It was not a hot summer. They needed more heat. It was too windy. And I also don't think that they got enough sun. I'll plant them in different places next year. I also may put some of them in Smart Pots and see how they do.

As for my friends, they had neither the time nor the initiative to learn how to grow a vegetable. But it might move them forward for next year. At least they didn't die!

As for my sister, she lives in Napa - very hot in the summer. She had a walled in, protected garden and the soil had been amended for several years with chicken and rabbit manure. Her tomatoes went insane. Her peppers and eggplants were monsters. I would like to live in Napa. But here I am........................I will add some aged manure this winter.

I had lots of rogue tomatoes again this year, and I let them grow wild. Those did fabulously. I had cherry tomatoes again and the neighbors ate them to their hearts content.

To be continued next year.