Quote:
Originally Posted by barkeater
Tom,
Looks like youare going all out with a big garden at your new place in VA. It's an area I always thought I'd like to live: Roanoke, Asheville, Johnson City, etc. I wish you lots of luck!
I am curious as I also grew up on the Jersey shore how the tomato flavor compares. I've grown the same varieties in a few different places and never found the same flavor anywhere else comparable to Jersey.
But back to onions. You must be close to the border of long day vs. short day varieties. Does elevation play a role in the choice or is it all latitude? Thanks.
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Thanks Barkeater! My new farm is located in Floyd, Va, right in the middle of Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern VA and just 30 miles from the NC border (as the crow flies). So yes I am near the border of long day and intermediate day onions. For the most part I chose onion varieties that Dixondale indicated were suitable for both zones. The reason I am growing so many varieties is to see how they do relative to each other in this location, and then I will reduce my list in the future to those that yielded best. I'll report my results here in the summer. My garden is at 2,600 ft elevation, but I don't believe that should affect the onion performance, at least not compared to day length, sunshine, climate, soil, fertility, and water.
Likewise with tomatoes - I am planting 13 varieties (60 plants total) and will compare results at season's end. Since most of my tomatoes get cooked and canned I am most concerned with yield, but about 10% do get eaten fresh so taste is also important. Having grown tomatoes in NJ for some 39 years it will be interesting to see how taste compares in this very different location and soil.
As a scientist I love experimenting!
TomNJ/VA