Attention OCD Folks / What Are You Growing for 2010?
 

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]I have a feeling somebody would start this thread eventually, so being a bit OCD and a compulsive planner, and given the fact that I'm up in the wee hours of the morning praying for sun and riding a substantial caffeine buzz, I thought I'd kick it off.

[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]We set a limit for ourselves in 2010 of a combined total of 30 varieties of tomatoes and peppers. Given what we've chosen, this breaks down into [URL="http://www.meticulum.com/2010_Tomatoes.jpg"]18 varieties of tomatoes[/URL] and [URL="http://www.meticulum.com/2010_Peppers.jpg"]12 varieties of peppers[/URL]. The tomatoes we'll be growing will all be open-pollinated varieties. We'll have a total of 36 plants of each variety for a total of 648 tomatoes and 432 peppers.

Here's our motley mix:
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Tomato / Sauce - Berkeley Tie Dye Heart
Tomato / Sauce – Coeur d’Albenga[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS]
[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Tomato / Sauce – Ernie's Plump
[/SIZE] [/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Tomato / Sauce – Goldman’s Italian American[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]
Tomato / Sauce - Long Tom
Tomato / Sauce - Russian 117
Tomato / Sauce - Slankard's
Tomato / Sauce - Speckled Roman
[/SIZE] [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]
Tomato / Slicer - Berkeley Tie Dye
Tomato / Slicer - Berkeley Tie Dye Pink
Tomato / Slicer - Cuostralee
Tomato / Slicer - Dr. Lyle
[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3] Tomato / Slicer – Earl's Faux[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS]
[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Tomato / Slicer – JD's Special C Tex [/SIZE]
[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Tomato / Slicer – KBX
Tomato / Slicer - Mexico
[/SIZE] [/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Tomato / Slicer – Neves Azorean Red
Tomato / Slicer - Porkchop[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS]

[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Sweet Pepper – Ariane F1 Hybrid [/SIZE]
[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Sweet Pepper – Early Sunsation F1 Hybrid [/SIZE]
[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Sweet Pepper – Hershey F1 Hybrid [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]
Sweet Pepper - Peperoni di Senise
[/SIZE] [/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Sweet Pepper – Piquillo [/SIZE]
[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Sweet Pepper – Red Knight X3R F1 Hybrid [/SIZE]
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]
Hot Pepper - Etna
[/SIZE] [/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Hot Pepper – Georgia Flame
Hot Pepper - Piccante di Cayenna
[/SIZE] [/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=3]Hot Pepper – Piment d'Espelette Basque
Hot Pepper - Pimientos de Padron
Hot Pepper - Stromboli

We'll be canning sauce with all of the sauce tomatoes we produce as well as a full batch of sauce (18 quarts) of each of the slicer varieties to see which tomatoes ultimately make the best sauce. We'll be selling the bulk of our slicers at the local farmers markets. If Mother Nature is on our side next year <knock on wood>, we'll be canning 756 quarts (63 cases) of sauce.

Our tomatoes and peppers will be watered by means of a drip irrigation system and planted through black plastic in raised beds. Everything will be certified organic.

Anybody else on here obsess about this stuff this far in advance? Are you aware of any 12-step meetings to help us?

:twisted:

John[/SIZE][/FONT]

Well I'm not OCD, in fact pretty much the opposite. More of a roll with the dice type.

But I do like to TRY to make a few plans for the future.

I feel like all the plants I have out in the field right now are in a sence "for 2010" as I hope to have seed from as many of them as I possibly can so I will have new varieties for my seed sales and lots of new plants for my market customers next year. i made trades for over 100 varieties new to me this year.

We just finished planting out over 8,000 plants last week. Only about 10 days later than we should have finished. But we had weather issues and then a crew that didn't show up for a week. So unfortunately we finished up during some awful weather. 90s, windy and dry. We've been hauling tanks of water to try to keep them alive ever since. Hard to get other things done right now.

My hope for next year is to make trades this winter for what other members consider "must grows" that I don't already have. Or what members think are good varieties but have yet to show up in a seed catalog.

Just some thoughts about what I hope will happen the rest of this year and into next.

Carol

Carol:

You planted 8,000 tomatoes? Sweet Jesus, that's going to be a lot of fruit.

John

Actually about 25 - 75 each of at least 200+ varieties. I don't have the final count of varieties yet.

If the weather co-operates, yes it could be a lot. But around here the last few years, the weather hasn't been co-operative at all. Last year we didn't have a whole lot of selable tomatoes other than cherries. But I had a whole lot of cracked tomatoes that made about 10 lbs of seed.

I do hope to have more good tomatoes this year, but so far the weather has been hard. Too much rain early, now next to no rain for the last 3 weeks. Too hot, now too cold. Like a roller coaster.

Carol

reply
 

OK Not OCD about anything but raising tomatoes. I am going to grow about 8 of Atkinson; 8 of Pink Sweet; 5 of Brandywine suddeth; 3 of Bulgarian Triumph; 3 Sandul Moldavan; 2 Pineapple; about 10-12 of my wierd cross Pineapple X Italian Tomato Tree; 8-10 of the bicolor growout of BrandywineXTad; 4 Black Krim; 2 Black From Tula; and who knows what else. I have been really pleased how many brandywine suddeths and Pink Sweet I have gotten from 2-3 plants each. Atkinson and Pineapple X Italian tomato Tree have been a very big taste supprise.
Kat

Kat,

I'm curious what the fruit from your Pineapple x Italian Tree tomatoes look like. Do you have any photos you could post?


John

reply
 

Here you go John. It tasted as good as it looked. I took that pic inside so it was a little off on the coloring
Kat

Kat,

That's an intriguing looking tomato. How would you describe the taste profile? Into the direction of which parent would you say it leans?


John

reply
 

well I am not very experienced at descriptive tomato taste reports. I would say it is very meaty and handles a sandwich well. It is a balanced flavor not too tart or sweet. I like putting it in tomato sauce.
Kat

Kat:

You described it as "a very big taste supprise."

Clearly you enjoyed it. I was just curious what in particular was surprising to you about the taste.


John

Anyone else planning out their garden yet for 2010?


John

Well this will be the 2010 grow out starting seeds late February. The pathway in the backyard of our townhouse will have Dwarfs to reduce the jungle tunnel effect.

New Big Dwarf
German Extreme Dwarf Bush
Lucky Leprechaun
Sprite
Golden Dwarf Champion
Citron Comact

Returning from "09
Tom's Yellow Wonder
Cherokee Green
Opalka
KBX
NAR
Goose Creek
Indian Stripe

New for 2010
Spukakee
Lucky Cross
Northhern Lights
Busztyn
Manyel
Chapman
Cuostralee
Dr. Lyle
Donskoi
Cowlick Brandywine
Pink Sweet
Sibirskiy Skorospeiyi
Toedebush Pink
Yellow Submarine
Tomatoberry
Summer Cider
Early Ssubakus Aliana

Hybrids
Pink Brandymaster
Momotaro
Brandy Boy

George

Here's my list for 2010:

Sun Sugar, hyb.
Champion II, hyb.
Super Fantastic, hyb.
Jet Star, hyb.
Santa Sweets
Cuor di Bue
Anna Russian
Iraqishe Hertzformig
Earl's Faux
Brandywine-Sudduth
Eva Purple Ball
Kellogg's Breakfast
Stump of the World
a large red cherry..saved seeds from a 'mystery plant' that appeared in '09.

LarryD

Well I tried a whole bunch of new varaties last year an weeded alot of them out. This year im still putting out 400 plants just not 40 or 50 varities. Im sticking with KBX,Brandywine,Sungold,Black Cherry,Earls Faux,Rutgers,Better Boy and celebrity (the last three just for mass production and canning) Carbon,German Johnson and Stump of the World.

we're going to plant 125 standard tomatoes & 75 cherry for the market.
Early Rouge, KBX, Nebraska Wedding, Cherokee Purple, Carbon, Mule Team, Red Brandywine, Early Girl, Celebrity, Break O Day, Purple Russian, Pink Ice, Jaun Flammee--cherry tom's: Black Cherry, Dr. Carolyn, Amish Salad, Sun Gold, Sun Sugar & Sweet million. Of course, we always road test some new varaities to see if they do well here. dave