Part of the gorgeous display at the NC Arboretum annual garden lighting event - mid December 2025
Hello fellow gardeners - happy New Year to you all. 2025 was a year - and 2026 is starting out to be just as busy and unpredictable. A few news items - Sue has recovered wonderfully from her October right knee replacement. We celebrated Eli’s birthday on December 27. And my own trip to the operating room will happen on February 2, when I will get a new left knee.
Eli opening one of his birthday gifts
As of today (just after lunch on Sunday, January 11), I am caught up on filling seed requests (and am now done responding to requests at this time - the next chance will be after the 2026 garden is put to bed). I am caught up on responding to emails. The dwarf tomato project book is my next undertaking - along side 2026 garden planning. With timing of my surgery, and help from Caitlin and Sue, there will indeed be a garden this year.
The main purpose of this blog is to lay out my initial plans for the garden to come. For comparison sake, I am going to list out the components of the 2025 garden and indicate what will be different.
2025 garden
22 strawbales, 35 containers
22 indeterminate tomatoes in strawbales
4 bales for corn (1 variety, 4 rows)
27 tomatoes in grow bags
Peppers - 4 plants in 2 straw bale, 7 in containers
Eggplants - 4 plants in 2 bales, 1 in a grow bag
Snap beans - 3 types in 4 straw bales (3 rows)
Cucumber - 1 type, 2 hills in 1 bale
Summer Squash - one type each in 2 bales, 2 plants of each
Total of 49 tomatoes, 11 peppers, 5 eggplants
Changes in the 2026 garden based on 2025 performance
Modifications to orientation, density, design of the bales - particularly with corn
Less peppers
Less eggplants
More tomatoes (taking the place of the pepper and eggplant spaces)
Same number of straw bales, perhaps container
Tomato type focus
Triply, Captain, and Cherokee Purple X Potato Leaf Yellow F2 selection work
Deep dive to find the desired Lillian Rose from the Epic family
Examine possible successful crosses from last year
Selection of our flavor favorites
Latest in the dwarf tomato project
Indeterminate Tomatoes in Strawbales
Grown in 2025 but not returning in 2026 - Cherokee Green, Brandywine, Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom (maybe - I may change my mind and grow it in 2026), Sun Gold F1, Rosella Cherry, OTV Brandywine, Dester, Polish Bling (I may decide to grow this too), Mary’s Favorite, Rufus Rainbow, Cherokee Sunburst, Valdichiana, Triply F1, Captain F1, Captain F2 potato leaf (16 or 18)
Grown in 2025 and returning in 2026 - Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Chocolate, Captain Lucky, Lucky Cross, Potato Leaf Yellow, Lucky Bling (6)
New in 2025 - Ferris Wheel, World War 2, Green Giant, Earl, Giant Syrian, Cancelmo Family Heirloom, 4 plants from grow out of saved seed from hybrid Cherokee Purple X Potato Leaf Yellow (2 regular, 2 potato leaf), 8 different seed lots of Lillian Rose - either my saved seed, or sent to me by garden friend volunteers (18).
Of the New in 2025 list, there are some flavor favorites that I want to get fresh seed from, and some project plants (which are obvious).
That will do for now. The next category - tomato plants in grow bags - is more complicated and I’ve not finished deciding yet. I will made my decisions and post the next blog within a week or so.
Good luck with your own choices. The more tomato types you grow, and more seeds you save, the harder the decision each year!
