Thoughts from Starlight Cascade

It was a great last few days to be gardening.
We started transplanting Tomatos from the greenhouse stands outside (hardening them off the last few days) into the grounds of VegBeds 4 and 5.
Friday for 2 hours, Saturday for 6 hours and Sunday the last of the work was completed.

Some planting notes from 2019:
We have approximately 135 heirloom tomato plants of approx 60 types.
We plant them in rows running north south approx 1 3/4 to 2′ apart in the row.
Rows are 3′ apart.
We use 2×2 stakes that are at least 3′ tall (or at least started that way).
Each 2×2 stake/plant gets its own sign. We print off in alphabetical order, all of the Tomatos in 14 point font on 8.5″ x11″ paper and then have it laminated at the local Staples shop for approx $3 each. Then they get separated with scissors and then stapled onto the stake, on the north side of the stake.
The 2×2 stakes last at least 5 seasons. The laminated signage, at least 3-4 years.
Once in the ground, their small popsicle stick name from seed planting, is also put into the ground as a backup. Then we also add a sharp skewer stick about 6-10″ tall, right up against the plant stalk. This prevents cutworms from popping up in the night, wrapping around the talk and cutting it, killing the plant.
Lastly we heavily water them with a watering can. This is supposed to help reduce transplant shock.

We lost two plants the first night, even with the sticks. These were replanted with other types.

In general the plants are smaller and spindlier than we would like, but the weather is good and they should survive the first week no problem.

We have several experiments this year. One is to use two TPosts and run bailer twine inbetween them in a Florida Weave style, supporting the plants as they grow taller. If this works out, it will replace a lot of 2×2 staking and tieing up later on.
We are also letting an indeterminate type, a Sunrise Bumblebee, climb up a 7′ post, tying it up as it goes, to see if it will make the top. This will help keep the fruit off the ground and let it get more light.

One other experiment is to use 5-7-7 fertilizer . We chose one Russian Peasant tomato plant to receive an initial 2 tablespoons of fertilizer mixed into the soil, then the plant, then 4 more tablespoons sprinkled on the ground surface. Two other Russian Peasant of similar size and health act as the controls.
Typically we have never used after planting fertilizer on any veg plant… only compost and composted manure in the soil tilled in before planting.

Interspersed with the tomatos plants are more than a few basil herbs… something about eating fresh tomatos and basil.. perhaps even on a pizza! MMmmmmmm.
Marigold flowers were also put in with the tomatos.

A partial list of the tomatos:
SCGO Tomato Acadian Cherry
SCGO Tomato Alacrity
SCGO Tomato Amish Paste
SCGO Tomato Anna Russian
SCGO Tomato Ashleigh
SCGO Tomato Azoychka
SCGO Tomato Berkley Tie Dye
SCGO Tomato Bonny Best
SCGO Tomato Brandywine
SCGO Tomato Buckeye State
SCGO Tomato Burpee’s Dwarf Giant
SCGO Tomato Cleota Pink
SCGO Tomato Dandy
SCGO Tomato Earliana
SCGO Tomato Earliest & Best
SCGO Tomato Elbe
SCGO Tomato Eros aka Red Eros
SCGO Tomato Fargo Yellow Pear
SCGO Tomato Garden Peach
SCGO Tomato Georgia Streak
SCGO Tomato Golden Delight
SCGO Tomato Green Grape
SCGO Tomato Green Zebra
SCGO Tomato Ground Cherry
SCGO Tomato Honey
SCGO Tomato Hotset
SCGO Tomato Hungarian Pink Heart
SCGO Tomato Jaune Flamme
SCGO Tomato Jefferson Giant 1880
SCGO Tomato Jersey Devil
SCGO Tomato Lava Flow
SCGO Tomato Ledoux Special
SCGO Tomato Lemon Drop
SCGO Tomato Livingston Buckeye State
SCGO Tomato Livingston Globe 1905
SCGO Tomato Livingston Gold Ball 1892
SCGO Tomato Livingston Honor Bright 1897
SCGO Tomato Livingston Magnus 1900
SCGO Tomato Livingston Main Crop (post 1905)
SCGO Tomato Livingston Stone
SCGO Tomato Manitoba
SCGO Tomato Margaret Olson
SCGO Tomato Moscow
SCGO Tomato Mr Griffiths florida cherry
SCGO Tomato Mr Griffiths Lynda Silver
SCGO Tomato Napoli Paste
SCGO Tomato Nile River Egyptian
SCGO Tomato Oxheart
SCGO Tomato Peasant Russian
SCGO Tomato Pink Bumble Bee
SCGO Tomato Polish Giant Paste
SCGO Tomato Purple Yellow Bumblebee
SCGO Tomato Red Deborah Barr-Mom
SCGO Tomato Russian Saskatchewan
SCGO Tomato Sams Small Paste
SCGO Tomato Scarlet Beefsteak
SCGO Tomato Schellenburgs Favourite
SCGO Tomato Scotia
SCGO Tomato Sunrise Bumblebee
SCGO Tomato Tigerella
SCGO Tomato Yellow Brandywine

Because we are in this for seed-saving, record keeping is critical. After the plants are in, the signs are up, the notes are taken, transcribed and backed up, the maps are drawn, we also take a video camera and walk the gardens, reading out loud the row numbers, the plant names and other information.
This has saved our **ses more than a few times as one set of records gets lost, destroyed, or just fades away…

Moving forward every few weeks, we will support them trunks with velcro ties against the 2×2 stake.

The tomatos have come out of the greenhouse and have been hardening off outside for the last three days. So far so good, no losses.
This is the approximate list, ie those that were planted in the greenhouse. Some did not germinate, others did not survive. They have been transplanted once into larger individual pots (seen above) and will be put into the ground in the next few days. At that time we will correct the list where needed:
1 Tomato Alacrity
2 Tomato Amish Paste
3 Tomato Asleigh
4 Tomato Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry
5 Tomato Azoychka
6 Tomato Bear Claw
7 Tomato Black Plum
8 Tomato Blush
9 Tomato Bonny Best
10 Tomato Brandywine
11 Tomato Brandywine Lanis Valley Strain
12 Tomato Brandywine Sudduths Strain
13 Tomato Bull’s Heart
14 Tomato Burbank 1915
15 Tomato Campbell Paste
16 Tomato Cosmonaut Volkov
17 Tomato Dandy
18 Tomato Earl of Edgecombe
19 tomato Earliana
20 Tomato Eros aka Red Eros
21 Tomato Ferris Wheel
22 Tomato Fireball
23 Tomato Green Grape
24 Tomato Hotset
25 Tomato Kellogg’s Breakfast
26 Tomato Lemon Drop
27 Tomato Lime Green Salad
28 Tomato Livingston Stone
29 Tomato Martino’s Roma
30 Tomato Mr Griffiths florida cherry
31 Tomato Napoli Paste
32 Tomato Pink Bumble
33 Tomato Red Pear 1861
34 Tomato Scarlet Beefsteak
35 Tomato Scotia
36 Tomato Sunrise Bumblebee
37 Tomato Yellow Pear

There are at least 3 of each, for approx 110 plants.

The worst of the heat and drought have almost given rise to cooler wetter conditions, but not quite yet.
This is raised bed #1, containing heirloom tomatos. They are still mostly small and behind with many of the blossoms some weeks ago dying off.

Raised Bed #2 also contains heirloom tomatos, these doing a little better.

Raised Bed #4, having had garlic in the fall winter and spring, was harvested in July and then allowed us to transplant heirloom tomatos from pots, into the ground. They are a good 2-3 weeks behind the rest of the tomatos but otherwise as doing ok.

Raised Bed #5 is mostly potatos. Only a few varieties have died off with the others still bushy and hopefully growing large potatos. There are a few scattered tomato plants here and there that are also doing ok.

Raised Bed #7 also contain heirloom tomatos… and they are doing very well… lots and lots of greenery along with some good size tomatos.

Raised Bed #8 did hold the garlic bulbil project over the fall, winter and spring, and were also harvested in July. Now there are late growth lettuce, radishes and a couple of strawberry plants transplanted in.

Raised Bed #9 is also heirloom tomatos, many of which are the smaller variety like “sweetie” and have come along gangbusters.

There we go… our annual purchase of dirt to help create flower and veg beds on our rocky rocky land.
This is 7yds of triple mix earth running at about $39/yard this year, a little up from last years $38.
Delivery was next day, which is always good.

We keep track of where it comes from and where it goes, along with any soil additives that go into it. We don’t really need this now, but if someday we decide to apply for certified organic with our heirloom seed saving veg, we will already have a track record on paper.

7 yards should be about 63 wheelbarrel loads, using our 4 wheel dumping wheelbarrel. That alone has been a lifesaver over the more conventional wheelbarrel. Especially now that the flat tire problems have gone away with the addition of tubes inside the tires.

We hope to have this pile gone in a week or so. It tends to get rained on and compacted over time. It also kills the grass underneath it, where it overflowed from the tarp on the ground.

About 2 yards are going into a new 12′ diameter circular flower bed out front, that will be mostly low maintenance plants with a few concrete steps and the centerpiece, a wind spinner.

More of it is heading to the newly relocated/rebuilt raised veg bed #9, a 4’x16′ bed moved from behind the shadows of a lilac bush.
Funny… when we first built the bed, the lilac bush was only 2′ tall.. Now it is over 8′ and still growing!

More is headed for grading around the house, to slope it away so water also goes away from the foundations. All of the rest of the veg beds need a topup, and maybe we will have more leftover to top up some of the other flower beds as well.

Summer is coming!

The Heirloom tomatos came out of the greenhouse, spent a few days outdoors and then went into the ground on May 30/31.
Stakes and or cages went on them right after that.
Yesterday, after 23 days, some of them were tied up to their stakes, as they were getting large enough to warrant it. Many were bent over from the constant westerly wind and this new standing upright will be a surprise for some of them.

Still no tomato hornworm but we are on the lookout every day.