Tomatoes 2007
MAMA'S BACK! And she's back with a vengeance, baby. I planted tomato seeds this weekend- it made me feel so incredibly whole! I forgot that with each seed we plant, it's like planting a little promise.
So far, the list includes:
VINTAGE WINE
SCHEIMMIG'S STRIPED HOLLOW- I can hardly wait to stuff these!
WHITE ZEBRA (has anybody heard anything about this?)
IVORY PEAR (any feedback?)
BLACK CHERRY- so looking forward to this.
Seeds from last year, that I planted anyway.
ANANAS NOIRE
ISIS CANDY
GREEN GRAPE
KENTUCKY BEEFSTEAK
I have to round it out with some others- a nice black one- perhaps BLACK FROM TULA or PAUL ROBESON, a yellow bicolor -maybe NORTHERN LIGHTS or LUCKY CROSS and a proper trad red. I want ot grow as many cherries as I can this summer because they are so effortless. Cross fingers that freaking fracking nematodes don't spoil my effort and break my kitten spirit. I'm growing extra seeds to give away to friends and spread some garden love. Let the seeds fly where they may!!!
posted by Loretta @ 12:52 PM
3 Comments:
I'm a new reader, as I embark on garden adventures.
Do you have any particular advice for growing tomatoes in LA. I'm gardening for the first time this year since I was a child. I can get expert advice from my mother, but it's Wisconsin specific. I'm going to buy plants rather than doing it from seed.
I just put in my lettuces and other spring things yesterday. It's a bit later than would perhaps be ideal but since I was breaking ground on a new bed it took awhile to get started.
Hi Sarah,
Growing tomatoes yay! It's like a constitutional right in Los Angeles. Advice for growing tomatoes- yes I do have some. First, you can plant seed now in March, or you can pick up some cool plants at the Tomatomania fest (http://www.tomatomania.com/), there are some plant sales coming up, Sunset nursery in east Hollywood always has a small selection of plants, OR Burkhards on Orange Grove in Pasadena has a good selection of plants. (But...it's owned by Republicans...) I would get a selection of different types of tomatoes- a cherry, something larger, a black one, etc, and be sort of adventurous with your choices. It's all about experimentation and having fun, I think. Then, plant deep! Your tomato will root along the stem and you'll have a healthier plant. Mulch with compost. Stick to a regular watering schedule, so your tomatoes don't swell up and crack. I always pinch off the first few tomato blossoms til my plants are about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall so the energy goes into building a larger, stronger plant, then I let it flower freely. You can flick the flowers or shake the plants gently for better pollination, and thus more fruit. Hmm, that's all I can think of right now. But that's not LA specific advice, but oh well! Have fun with your gardening adventures!
Oh, yes, and with the lettuce, when it's gets hotter, and you lettuce tastes a little bitter, you can soak it in water for 30 minutes or so and it will taste less bitter. I just cut down some flowering lettuce yesterday that was going to seed! Merveille de Quatre Saison lettuce is good to grow year round, and starting seeds is really easy. I have a really, really bad lettuce seed habit- I'm like a fiend, and can't stop buying different types of lettuce seeds. I get really defensive about it and hide it from my husband.
Ciao!
Loretta
I'm so glad I found your blog--I'm a fellow LA-area gardener and eater. We'll have to swap melon-growing stories.
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