My name is Spike and I am a tomatoholic

[slugworth]

Yale is doing a study to use Chantix on other addictions,maybe they should add ours to the list.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by slugworth

Yale is doing a study to use Chantix on other addictions,maybe they should add ours to the list.

You're assuming we want a cure...

[MissS]

Chantix user. Ceased smoking. Alcohol consumption went to nil. Number of tomato plants doubled in my garden. LOL .... So much for that theory.

[imp]

Originally Posted by slugworth

Yale is doing a study to use Chantix on other addictions,maybe they should add ours to the list.

Do they have a really nice green house there?

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

You're assuming we want a cure...

See below...

Originally Posted by MissS

Chantix user. Ceased smoking. Alcohol consumption went to nil. Number of tomato plants doubled in my garden. LOL .... So much for that theory.

Gotta do something with our hands that aren't holding that wine glass or cigarette!

Let's all storm the Yale study* chanting "More Maters!" at testing folk and they will think we all want Moms!


* only after garden chores are done, though.

[slugworth]

When I see distressed and neglected plants for sale in stores it's the same reaction as watching one of those ASPCA commercials with neglected pets.
One store let me use my ebt card to buy tomato plants instead of food for the family.
I had the shakes and couldn't help myself.

Originally Posted by Spike2

After my Old Uncles passed away I was floundering in my garden and joined Idig for help. Carolyn (YES it is all her fault that I am here) directed me here. At first I sort of felt that a lot of you had an unnatural love of tomatoes. I mean geez, you plant so many! What do you do with them all?

Yes Tomatoes are a sickness. I just planted 22 of them and that was cutting back what I wanted. In my defense all my Old Uncles would ever plant were seeds saved year to year of Red Oxheart. I never realized how many kinds there are! So it is official. I have joined the ranks of tomato lovers.

I thought I was going to cut back, but I planted 101 varieties again. Then I came to find that some of them were crosses (e.g. some of my Green Giant and Medovaya Kaplya tomatoes); so, add a few more to that list since I'm growing both those and the non-crossed ones). It turns out I actually have room for them all and everything else! But it's too late; I already planted lots of them as if I didn't have the space, but at least I put the determinates and wispy plants apart from the smotherers, this year, and the front and back plants have more room to grow outside the row. It looks like I can plant all my squash and cucumbers—and a whole bunch of corn, sorghum and Rattlesnake pole beans.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by shule1

I thought I was going to cut back, but I planted 101 varieties again. Then I came to find that some of them were crosses (e.g. some of my Green Giant and Medovaya Kaplya tomatoes); so, add a few more to that list since I'm growing both those and the non-crossed ones). It turns out I actually have room for them all and everything else! But it's too late; I already planted lots of them as if I didn't have the space, but at least I put the determinates and wispy plants apart from the smotherers, this year, and the front and back plants have more room to grow outside the row. It looks like I can plant all my squash and cucumbers—and a whole bunch of corn, sorghum and Rattlesnake pole beans.

ohhhhhhhh and I thought I had an excessive number of varieties at 50 or so. how many plants do you plant out?

[bower]

I'm just at that point in the season where I have to decide what to do with the "extras". Extras??? We don't know the meaning of the word.

[Gardeneer]

Next year I will cut back drastically, about 50% both in varieties and number of plants.
No joke, I have to do it. I need to be rehabilitated.

[GrowingCoastal]

Originally Posted by bower

I'm just at that point in the season where I have to decide what to do with the "extras". Extras??? We don't know the meaning of the word.

Right Bower but it does sometimes get too crowded!
When a friend dropped by and told me her tale of woe and lack due to what she calls her tomato jinx (too rich potting mix this time) I was able to offer her large plants already planted in pots. Even the two she took helped me space wise. One was a give back as she had given me seeds for Paul Robeson one of her ruined/set back varieties so now we each have one as I did give away my 'extra' extras.

We are talking about reducing our habits, next year. I think we had that conversation last year!

Ever notice how the addicts hang out together?

[Rockporter]

I still get a kick out of the title of this thread, lol.

Originally Posted by clkeiper

ohhhhhhhh and I thought I had an excessive number of varieties at 50 or so. how many plants do you plant out?

For most varieties I just do one plant. Well, I have lots of seedlings per cell, and then transplant them all. After they recover from the transplant, and grow some, I thin them down to one with scissors (I didn't do either of those things last year, though). It's nice having tufts of tomato plants, since they seem to support each other, and survive the transplant more easily (I can spray them full blast with my shower nozzle if I want to, and they're fine). Last year, I just separated one plant and tried to find homes for the rest.

I've got multiple plants for at least Sweetie (2, from different sources; so far, the ones from Marsha's seeds are remarkably taller than the ones I got from a friend off-site), Thessaloniki (4), Matina (~4), Missouri Pink Love Apple (2), North Dakota Earliana (2+), Sweet Orange Cherry (2), Early Girl F2 (3), one of my Husky Cherry Red F4s (2), Pruden's Purple (4), and Medovaya Kaplya (2, if you don't count the RL cross). I could still take more plants from those I haven't thinned, yet, but I don't know that I will.

[imp]

PPPPPpppssst, Spike- I got some seeds, wanna see 'em?!

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by shule1

For most varieties I just do one plant. Well, I have lots of seedlings per cell, and then transplant them all. After they recover from the transplant, and grow some, I thin them down to one with scissors (I didn't do either of those things last year, though). It's nice having tufts of tomato plants, since they seem to support each other, and survive the transplant more easily (I can spray them full blast with my shower nozzle if I want to, and they're fine). Last year, I just separated one plant and tried to find homes for the rest.

I've got multiple plants for at least Sweetie (2, from different sources; so far, the ones from Marsha's seeds are remarkably taller than the ones I got from a friend off-site), Thessaloniki (4), Matina (~4), Missouri Pink Love Apple (2), North Dakota Earliana (2+), Sweet Orange Cherry (2), Early Girl F2 (3), one of my Husky Cherry Red F4s (2), Pruden's Purple (4), and Medovaya Kaplya (2, if you don't count the RL cross). I could still take more plants from those I haven't thinned, yet, but I don't know that I will.

oh, thats not so bad then. I have rows of 35-70 of some of mine. I have a few empty spots yet, too. if I fill them and I am sure I will it will bump my garden to to a little over 250.

[Urbanheirlooms]

I totally deny I am a tomatoholic! When I moved to my house 9 years ago, I did plant about 12 tomato plants. My family liked my tomatoes, so the next year, I planted about 30, but it was only to make my relationship with my family better. The next year, I discovered heirlooms and had to make sure my family was happy and I added some more plants to my garden to see what I was missing. After a good year and happy family, I saw so many cool varieties, I had to expand my garden to 100+ plants, but the varmits were getting many of my tomatoes, so the next year I had to plant more tomatoes to help offset what the varmits got. After seeing the benefits of taking up more of my back field and realizing that it was an area that I now didn't have to mow, I expanded my garden further and added another 100+ plants. Then, I found someone who actually sold heirloom tomatoes, I sold some to them and realized I needed more plants to make it worth while, so I eventually ended up with 350+ plants this year. I had very good reasons to get to the point where I am now and do not have a problem!