New mystery tomato thread!

We had an open thread for mystery tomatoes but I couldn't find it when I performed a search.

I have some new ones which should be interesting to watch.

I turned my compost pile over for the first time in a couple of years. It probably has five years of assorted tomato seed in it from cleaning my garden each fall. Yep, I have mystery tomato plants popping up all over my compost pile. Some are RL and some are PL, but I have no idea which varieties they are. They are beautiful, healthy plants which I will allow to grow and produce where they germinated. I will simply water the compost pile occasionally. I hope the pile doesn't produce excessive heat which will kill the plants. I really like the fact that all of the mystery plants have their tap roots intact meaning they can extend really deep into the compost for moisture and nutrients. It should be interesting to see what results.

Ted

[VC Scott]

Last year a Brandywine Red popped up in my rose garden. It outproduced every other tomato plant. I think volunteers have some advantage because they don't have the shock of being potted up, hardened off and transplanted.

This year I have a PL in the rose garden, so it is not another Brandywine Red. Based on last year's plants it could be Brandywine Cowlicks, Hillbilly PL, Indian Stripe PL or Italian Tree. I hope it turns out to be Indian Stripe PL.

[clkingtx]

That sounds cool, hope your compost maters produce a lot! It is really exciting to have something volunteer, like a gift, almost.

I have a couple of mystery tomatoes this year. When eating at CiCi's pizza three or four years ago, I was really enjoying their(grape or pear shaped, can't remember)salad tomatoes. They seemed extra good, so I saved a bunch of seeds. This is the first year I have been able to garden since then, so I set out two of them in my tomato row. I am looking forward to seeing what they produce!
Carrie

[Deborah]

What fun, Ted ! Like a grab bag !

[habitat_gardener]

I still have 5 unidentified healthy tomato plants that I pulled out of a nursery dumpster and potted up into 1-gallon pots. I haven't prepared a place to plant them yet, but if the free space at the community garden is still there, I will make time to plant them this weekend.

[Patihum]

I had 12 plants that were supposed to be Delicious all come up PL. Planted 6 twice when the first showed up PL. They were seeds I bought this year from Baker Creek. 2 of them I went ahead and planted - the others I gave away. So far all I can tell is that they're indeterminate and late. They're just now setting tomatoes.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I still have 5 unidentified healthy tomato plants that I pulled out of a nursery dumpster and potted up into 1-gallon pots. I haven't prepared a place to plant them yet, but if the free space at the community garden is still there, I will make time to plant them this weekend.

I thought I heard it all, after many years here at T'ville.

But, nursery dumpster diving?
I have to draw the line somewhere.

So, there will not be a Nursery Dumpster Diving category in the Mostly Mystery 'Mater Mailing seed swap.


























...unless you come up with nine other traders who have your zeal for abandoned tomato plants.

Dr. Lve Apple

[Rideau Rambler]

I am willing to bet there are 90, not 9, other traders who have abandoned/dumpster plants. Hysterical category name, lol! Now it just remains to be seen who will admit to it!....... I have this tomato growing in my garden this year - I "acquired" the seeds from a tomato in a community garden under the cover of darkness....so that's two for the "dumpster diving/sneaky stealth acquired" category

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by Tormato

I thought I heard it all, after many years here at T'ville.

But, nursery dumpster diving?
I have to draw the line somewhere.

Ahem. It's the fine art of Dumpster Dipping. No diving.

Often someone else is at the nursery dumpster when I ride by, and only once have I seen someone jump in. Other people come prepared with something to stand on and something to reach with.

It's in a convenient location, and the stuff is organized into 3 dumpsters: recycling, compost, and garbage.

I'm heading off to a plant exchange with a carload of extra containers (from the recycling dumpster) as well as plants (most of which I propagated).

[Tormato]

Well, two of you, with eight more to go.

I'd like to be #3, but my "acquired" plant, from several years ago, never made it to seed stage. I'll also admit that I'm much farther gone than either of you, in plant rescues. I'm a sidewalk crack addict.

My plant was pulled up from the crack of a sidewalk. It was close enough to a building where it didn't get trampled on. The plant was larger than my seedlings at home, but it likely got an earlier start.

I'm not alone in my sidewalk crack addiction. I know of one other like me, half way around the world in Australia. There's an old thread here at T'ville that I might try to find, and reminisce about. (sniff, sniff)

Gary

[Garf]

If you can include generic supermarket tomato, count me in. Add seed from Burger King tomato and we are set.

[Tormato]

www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16104

It looks like Tessa's rescue didn't work out either.

Any others who'd like to admit to be "crack" addicts?

Gary

[habitat_gardener]

I remember that sidewalk-crack tomato plant!

Getting off topic here...
I rescued some goji berry branches yesterday. A neighbor had pruned her shrub and I asked if I could have the branches to propagate. So now I have a container full of potential goji berry plants.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by Garf

If you can include generic supermarket tomato, count me in. Add seed from Burger King tomato and we are set.

Generic supermarket tomato is a no.

Burger King tomato depends on how acquired. Non-accidental direct seed saving from purchased meal is a no, unless seed found in non-tomato source, such as milkshake or fries. Dumpster "dipping" from another's meal is OK. My one time Burger King acquisition was by accident. One seed somehow squirted out of a (99 cent) Whopper, and hitched a ride home on my shirtsleeve, unbeknowced (is that a word?) to me. The plant produce large, hard, red, near- tasteless tomatoes.

If you can get seed directly off that costumed Burger King psycho-dude in those old commercials, you'd be most welcome to join the category.

Can you tell it's been a long rainy day in the garden, for me?

Gary

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I remember that sidewalk-crack tomato plant!

Getting off topic here...
I rescued some goji berry branches yesterday. A neighbor had pruned her shrub and I asked if I could have the branches to propagate. So now I have a container full of potential goji berry plants.

Do you buy rooting hormone in a 55-gallon drum?

Sidewalk-crack tomato... I was a bit envious until I found my own.

Gary