One of my favorites from Ocracoke 2009, with Mocha and Buddy

On we go, moving into the content of the last Volume/Numbered issue. It is always interesting to revisit my grow lists - this looks like it was a busy year. In 1996 I saved seeds from 87 varieties. The focus was clearly on heirlooms.

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Another Year, Another Garden, More Decisions!

by Craig

Can it possibly be time to start the tomato seedlings? Why does it seem as though Christmas was just a few weeks away? The view out of my window at work tells me that spring is indeed just around the corner. It is the second week of March, and the ornamental cherry trees are in full bloom. I just received my seed potatoes from Ronniger’s, the Seed Saver Exchange seed requests are arriving each day, and I think that I finally decided what to grow this year. As you read in the last issue of OTV, 1996 was full of the challenges of nature, from hungry critters to destructive storms. Hopefully, 1997 will be delightfully uneventful. Soon, my arsenal of deer repellents will arrive, and I will continue my ongoing and annual battle with the ever increasing population of hungry Bambi look-alikes.

In 1994 and 1995, my tomato choices were mostly historical commercial varieties liberated by Carolyn and I from the USDA collection. Last year saw a return to heirlooms, most of which were grown in my garden for the first time. This year will be less ambitious both in the number of plants as well as new varieties. I decided that it was high time to eat and enjoy my tomato crop, and will therefore focus upon those types that I love and, even more important, seem to grow well in North Carolina. There are also a few new additions to my collection, and some that I have had for years and now feel compelled to try.

My red tomatoes will be Bisignano #2, Lillian’s Red, Abraham Lincoln, Red Brandywine, Rasp Red, Livingston’s Favorite, Buckbee’s New Fifty Day, Maule’s Success, King Humbert, Nepal, Dinner Plate B, Reif Red Heart, Niemeyer, and Turkey Chomp. Pink tomatoes include Big Junn, Brandywine, Tappy’s Finest, Tap regular leaf, Tap potato leaf, Anna Russian, Ukrainian Heart, Wins All, Sandul Moldovan, Middle Tennessee Low Acid, Eva Purple Ball, Big Junn, German Johnson, and Geswein’s Purple Bonny Best. Bicolored tomatoes will consist of Regina’s Yellow and Selwin Yellow. Yellow and Gold tomatoes include Sun Gold hybrid, Yellow Brandywine, Potato Leaf Yellow, Simpson’s Big Yellow, Azoychka, Dr. Carolyn, Orange, Brown’s Yellow Giant, and Golden Beauty. Finally, the odd colored tomatoes include Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Brick Red, Green, and Aunt Ruby’s Green. Oh, yes, the mystery tomatoes of 1997 will be Mikado (I am still looking for the pink potato leaf version) and Nina’s Heirloom (continuing my search for the regular leaf bicolor). I am not sure about the colors of York, West Virginia, Russian Sweet #2, Sterling Old German, Hart’s Delite, D’Amato, or Maria Dondero Early.

Many of the above tomatoes were described in past issues of OTV. Here is some information on those that may be new to you. Bisignano #2 was one of the first tomatoes ordered when I joined SSE, and I first grew it in 1988. It is unusual in that it is not uniform in shape, with oblate, round, and long tomatoes all appearing on the same plant. It is originally from Italy, being obtained from a Mr. Bisignano by a SSE member in the mid 1980’s. Mr. Bisignano won the Victory Garden award some years back, and this tomato was one he grew in his garden that year. Lillian’s Red was sent to me by Robert Richardson of New York in 1989, and has been a favorite of mine ever since. It is not very easy to grow due to the plant’s relatively low vigor. The medium sized oval tomatoes are outstanding in flavor, however, and the plant is very productive. Mr. Richardson obtained it, as well as one of my all time favorites, Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom, from a Tennessee woman named Lillian Bruce. Dinner Plate B was in a collection of tomatoes sent to me in 1990 by a New York gardener named Roger Bennett. I grew it once, in 1991, and was surprised to find that such a spindly, weak plant could produce such delicious, elongated medium sized tomatoes. It is time to try it again to see how well my memory serves me, and to see how well it does in my sultry climate. By the way, Dinner Plate A, an oblate slicer, was just as fine flavored, but it will have to wait until next year to be tried again. Turkey Chomp is one of numerous tomatoes sent to me in 1990 by the elusive and mysterious tomato collecting former SSE member, Don Branscomb, of California when last he was heard from. I grew out a number of that set in 1991, and Turkey Chomp stood well apart from the rest, giving me delicious smooth large fruit. Tappy’s Finest, obtained from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange in 1989, was a star performer in my garden that year, yielding uniform, smooth, large pink slicers with outstanding flavor. King Humbert is one of the tomatoes that was obtained from the USDA collection. It is an old, Italian sauce tomato that I will finally get to testing this year. I tried to grow Niemeyer last year, but the plant died from wilt before I harvested any tomatoes from it. The same goes for Middle Tennessee Low Acid and Big Junn. Hopefully, this year will be more successful for these three varieties.

I am trying the microwave/potassium nitrate soak rescue program on some old seed that I have yet to grow out. These are York, German Johnson, Brown’s Large Yellow, West Virginia, Russian Sweet #2, and Sterling Old German, as well as a stubborn sample of Dr. Carolyn (the seed is stubborn, not Carolyn)! Some new seeds recently sent to me, and to be grown this summer, are Maria Dondero Early, D’Amato, Bronze Leaf Abraham Lincoln, Heart’s Delite, and Simpson’s Big Yellow. If my rescue program does not work, I have already decided on my back up tomatoes. This list includes OTV Brandywine, Magnus, Old Virginia, Nicky Crain, Bridge Mike’s, Paragon, Trophy, Beauty, Royal Purple, Cream City, Redfield Beauty, Orange Strawberry, and German Red Strawberry. So, if all goes well, the next issue will include my first look at the 50 or so varieties of tomatoes that I have chosen to grace my table this year. I can hardly wait!

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I grew some great varieties in 1996 - it was the year I confirmed Cherokee Chocolate as a stable variety rather than a cross. I was pretty delighted with some that were new to me such as Sandul Moldovan, Old Virginia, Zogola, Red Brandywine, Taps, Azoychka, Curry, Rasp Large Red, Russian 117, Bridge Mike’s, and Selwin Yellow.