You choose six varieties of tomatoes and you also choose four defaults. You send a two-stamp SASE and I send you back the seeds in about a couple of weeks.

Please use the link below for to view the list of tomato selections; the instructions and address are also there.

Dee

JG

You are just TOO sweet! Will be sending a SASE for some new and unique types. Looks like the garden will be about 15 times this year's size...Oh isn't that exciting?

I read on your website that you'd like extra seed...I will have some extra seed shortly, so if you would like it, I'll pass it along your way.

Katie, the very best teacher is the your own eyes, I just describe what I have seen. Simple steps that makes sense are going to work for us all, and if they're cheap then all the better ;-)

I, too, have to 'sing your praises'! lol You've been an amazing inspiration thru your advice that's to be found all throughout GW. Thanks so much! I'd love to try some new varieties as I get ready for winter-sowing this coming season!

Thanks so much!
~Wendy

That's a good question, I'm glad you brought it up because maybe other people are thinking it too. There's always wisdom in forethought.

Tomatoes can all be grown in containers, however it's important to choose the right tomato for the right container.

DET means Determinate--the plant grows to an expected height and sets its flowers and fruits. Usually DETs make a flush of ripe fruits for three or four weeks, after that the production is so low that you can (without guilt) yank them and give the ground over to growing some cold-season veggies or herbs.

IND means Indeterminate--the plants produce stems that continue to grow from their tips. They continually flower and produce fruit until they're knocked down at the end of season by frost.

All plants listed as DET are certainly well suited for container culture because they're not huge wonking plants--some tomato plants become enormous, Yellow Pear is one that comes to mind for having the capacity to become a huge plant.

So, the differences in mature plants sizes (DET vs IND) are going to play a vital role in the containers you choose. A DET should be grown in at least a five gallon bucket. An IND is going to need a larger container because its soil mass can hold more water and provide more area for root growth.

Tomatoes are waterhogs, they suck up all the moisture and it wicks away through their leaves. They have a lot of leaves. A DET in a five gallon bucket will require at least a gallon of water daily, if it's sunny and windy it will require more water. To keep from going nuts with watering chores I laid soaker hoses across a row of containers, the hoses are hooked up to a timer on the water spigot--this is more than a big time saver, it reduces the plant stress because of adequate watering, and it reduces my stress too because I don't have to worry about it. In August I went to Boston for a week--it was quite hot here but I went on vacation without a concern for my plants because of the water timer and hoses. I came back to a thriving garden and all the container tomatoes were looking great.

Choosing a container is very important too. If you are in a hot climate then you need bigger containers because of evaporation factors. The color of the container is important. Black or very dark containers are heat magnets, the soil in the container can get quite roasty-toasty and severly damage new root growth thus hindering the plant's ability to take up water and nutrients. If you're in a hot region and recycling used commercial pots or half-barrels for tomato containers you should paint them a white or light tone so they don't absorb so much heat.

T

In the hotter months ie:July-September here, when is the best time of day to water the tomatoes? In the morning or evening? I've heard many thoughts on this and many say evening so the plants have time to absorb the water, where others say morning so that the plants aren't dry during the heat of the day. Or, would it be best to water with the timer, half morning and half evening?

We also used soaker hoses...LOVE THEM! But we also have a slope to the garden. The plants on the low end were nearly twice the size of the plants on the high end. I currently have a Lg Red Cherry that is STILL Growing and is still blossoming and is still putting out fruit. The plant is almost 7.5 feet tall. It's the last plant on the low end of the slope lol.

Obviously, if a plant is feinting at midday from the heat you need to immediately give it a good drink; it should be recovering by the afternoon. Afterwards, I would add some mulch to cover the ground over the roots and perhaps set up some sort of temporary sun shield like a lawn chair placed to provide filtered sun for a few days until the plant seems to no longer be stressed.

If you're establishing transplants they will require a little extra TLC for a few weeks--some watering at midday could help, but once they're established and growing vigorously you need to change over from seedling care to plant care and tone down the extra coddling.

I've got a four spigot timer and if I run them all the hoses at the same time it gives me dribbles. Two hoses that go to a full sun section run three times a day with sprinklers, the other two hoses go to a tomato garden with some part shade and those soaker hoses run only twice a day. The timers overlap and for about an hour a day there isn't enough pressure for the sprinklers to go back and forth very quickly or in a large area ;-(

It sounds like the cherry tomato is benefiting from the extra water and fertilizer runoff from the slope. Years back in the first season of a lasagna bed I planted Yellow Pear. This variety is already legendary for growing quickly, but juiced up and superfed from nutrients in the lasagna bed it became the tomato that wanted to take over the world. I actually pruned it with electric hedge clippers and it was unfazed because a week later it was bigger than before. Amazing.

Cherry tomatoes are generally great croppers, they put out an insane amount of tomatoes. Some tomatoes might respond by puting out lots and lots of stems but few flowers because of the nitrogen levels. The positition that the tomato is in now will also be a great place for heavy feeders like zucchini or giant pumpkins ;-)

T

My envi will be going today!

Thanks Again!!
Vicky

My family will be moving to a cold, short-season climate sometime in 2009. We will probably be in an apt. or condo, and have to grow our tomatoes in pots on a balcony or patio. Therefore, I would like the following DET varieties:

Cold Set
Clear Pink Early
Vis
Bursztyn
Arbuus
Campbells 1327

Backup/Default picks in case the above run out:
New Yorker
Manitoba
Persey
Volvograd

My SASE will be in the mail to you today!

Regards,
Grovespirit

One of the 3 is the Hawaiian Wild Cherry tomato. It resists numerous tropical diseases and grows wild all over the islands, including in high salt areas like beach parks. (IND, remarkably similar to 'Peacevine'.)

All 3 varieties donated are warm-climate, small fruited cherry/grape types which did well for me here in Zone11. You might want to send them to Southern growers, if you don't grow them yourself. :)

I grew up on LI but spent the early years of my marriage living in the Upper Catskills (zone 4). The first winter I always felt chilled to the bone, there were not enough layers I could wear--the cold just went right through me. The next winter a friend suggested that I get an electric bed sack--it's like an elecrtic blanket but it fits over the mattress and you cover it with the bottom sheet. Once I got the bedsack I stopped feeling so darn cold. I wish you all the luck in your new northern home, inbetween now and then keep an eye out for sales on electric bedsacks.

T

PS--Turtle Fur is good stuff too.

I picked - for salsa and sauce:
Heinz 1439
New Yorker
Oregon Star
VIS

and for eating:
Giant Oxheart
Red Pear

I hope I made good selections, I do plant on starting them indoors early.

Thanks Again,
Vicky

It's true that it's not neccesary to post your list, but for some that's fun and makes for good commraderie, and If someone has a question about any tomato they can ask that and I will do my best to answer.

BTW, with all sets of seeds I also send a little brochure with info and pictures on new way to save tomato seeds ;-)

Where did you see the list you selected from? Many of them are no longer available and haven't been available for years from me.

I'll paste in a link below to the current list, please reselect from there.

Kindly,

T

Tomato seeds are always needed, bless you. I will look forward to sharing those seeds.

T

I'm going to try a few in buckets and a few in the ground.
I'm in TN with lots of clay. I do ammend the soil and have done lasagna beds etc., but do you recommend any particular soil prep that will help the tomatoes in the ground to have better results?

Thanks,
Pam

I love lasagna beds, they work great but their first year might prove to much nitrogen for tomatoes and you'll have bigger plants and fewer flowers.

I do very simple things like digging in fallen leaves in autumn and turning in compost and fresh cut grass clippings in spring--I stop turning material in about three weeks before I plant my tomatoes.

=====================

Medo,

If you want tomatoes for fresh eating and sauce maing I think half your varieties should be types recommended for sauce and canning, and the others you can mix up for colors and shapes.

T

Thank you for letting me know that you liked the new way to save tomato seeds! I've been doing this for many years and I much prefer it to anything else.
===================

FYI to all: Each SASE that leaves here also includes info for a way to simply save tomato seeds using a sanitizing cleanser like powdered Ajax or Comet. This info is shown in photos at the website and can be downloaded in pdf form. I'll paste in a link below to the web version. Click on the 'Scrub Girl' to advance to the next photo.

rcvd my seeds in good order. appreciate the " bonus "seeds. how did u know i wanted to have a go with cantaloupes next year and had not seed 1 ? :)

thanks for sending me your seed saving pamphlet. things go well in my gardening world , i shall save some seeds and send you some next season.

i was tickled when my envelope arrived. such a small envelope brought a big grin.

thanks and regards,

wildlifeman

This morning I added a few more tomatoes to the list including 'Sub-Arctic Plenty' which sets small two-ounce red fruits in cool temps. I love its name--I put a puffin on the label ;-)

Thank you for your kindness!

T

T

well thats just odd! you would think they would link your site so they can see all of it not just the freebies

Tumbling Tom
Black Cherry
Stupice
Vis
Sub-Arctic Plenty
Clear Pink Early

and these alternates:
Gold Nugget
George Curtiss Spoon Tomato
Manitoba
Persey

But I haven't done a SASE before. Do you somehow fold the #10 envelope into another #10 envelope or should I get something bigger?

Thanks Trudi, for all your good work!

There was just another thread in regards to that on the conversation side of this forum. Just so you know, you are touching several of us and helping to make gardening and wintersowing a passion for people that it wouldn't have been a passion for otherwise. I, for one, WILL pass this kind of generosity forward.... Everyone, please, appreciate these offers and offerers as they do not HAVE to be generous... NOONE wants to be taken for granted...

Blessings,
Angela

Yes, just fold the SASE as you like so it fits inside the envy that you mail it in. Excellent list for zone five!
======================

I found that thread Angela and made a reply.

T

I have just sent off a request for the following:

Super Sioux-- This is the very best tomato I have ever eaten, and it seems well-suited to our high desert variety

Black Krim-- I was looking for Black from Tula but everybody seems to rave about the taste of these, so I will be very happy to try them.

Berkley Tie Dye -- I haven't seen too many first hand accunts of these, but what I've read indicates that they are tasty. I can't wait to see them in living color.

Chico III -- This one promises to do well in a hot and arid environment.

Costoluto Genovese If this one has southern Italian Genes and not northern ones, it should be happy and productive here.

Tumbling Tom. These may taste like a commercial salad bar tomato but I love the happy way they look in all the pictures, falling over the edges of their containers the way they do. Their ability to grow in a small container is a big plus, too.

I revised the alternate list several times, but I think these are the alternates I selected.

Purple Russian
Russian Persimmon
Chudo Rinka
Gold Nugget

I have a few varieties I can share in return, but some of them are from commercial hybrid packs. Do you want them, too? Do you want the shared seeds counted and packaged a certain way? Am I asking questions that will all be answered when I get your flyer?

Thank you, again, for all that you do to help spread the joy of tomato gardening.

j.

Thank you very much for offering to share your seeds. All types of toms are wonderful--hybrids, OPs, heirlooms--I can use any of them in bulk or small packets with a count between ten and twenty seeds. I see you selected Chico III which is an OP commercial tomato from Italy--it's a fine tasting mater and a heavy cropper too.

Berkely Tie-Dye is a tasty tomato, I tried it at a MAGTAG event--it has the old fashioned tomato flavor with a touch of tang (YUM!). It is a rainbow of colors ;-) Very unsual.

I pasted in a link below for some info for sharing your seeds with WinterSown--it should cover everything.

With your seeds I send a pamphlet that has color photos and instructions on how to save tomato seeds wthout fermentation.

T

Just sent off my requests :) Can't wait! Anyway, I did a bunch of dehydrating tomatoes and took most seeds out of the tomatoes that I dried. I have an abundance of mixed Early Girl, Better Boy and Bonnie Best. Sorry they aren't separated, but would these be useful for your organization?

Also will be sending a number of seeds that ARE separated and will label all of them, but if these others won't be of use to you, I won't bother sending them. Just let me know :)

Take care

I wasn't sure if the tomato guidelines were the same as those for the other seeds. I have lots of flower seeds that I can include, too.

j.

Dirtdiggin, I put mixed seeds into something called "The Blend" which has tomatoes of different sizes, shapes and colors but always has a base of the classic *3R croppers like Early Girl, Better Girl and Marglobe.

Bless you too DD.

T

*3R ~ Round, Red and Reliable

j.

i was wondering on the seed count to send seeds in:) i didnt see the seed count listed. thats a big help so you dont have to unpack n repack seeds. ill be sending you in some seeds, ill put the seed count on envys so you'll know:)

Chrizty don't worry about it, I've got lotsa envies ;-)

T

T

I'll send an envelope along tomorrow.

Thanks for your continued generosity, Trudi, you are truly a graceful spirit.

Kim

T

I have extras of a couple of types of seeds--I'll send them later this week. Is there a time when it's too cold to send seeds?

Thank you again!!

Thank you for your geneorsity.

I have never had a requirement that anyone send in seeds, beside that would be an odd lopsided trade as you're paying postage both ways ;-O

I have a webpage with some info about how to share your seeds.

Let me know and I will send you the list.

Thanks,
NCGG

T

That said I would love to give a few a try.
Golden Jubliee
Tumbling tom
White Beauty
Texas Star
Phenomenal
Orange russian

or Moskvich
Moon Yellow
* Coyote
Chocloate Cherry
Thanks again and I will get my SASE off tommorrow. Thanks again, Brandy

I have lots of a dark plum colored hollyhock seeds I can send for you to share with others, just need to sit down and get the chaff separated. I may be able to collect some sweet, little, yellow Sun Gold tomaoto seeds for ya. I'll check to see if there are any more out there. :-)

:-) Pam

Thanks for making winter sowing possible, can't wait to see the little tomato seedlings growing in late March. However my DW isn't too happy with all the milk jugs in the back yard. Guess I'll have to make a pretty barrier around the Jugs to hide them from view. LOL

George

Alt
Italian Market Wonder
Super Sioux
Russian Persimmon
Green grape
I am sending out the envelopes.
Sondra

I would love to try some of those tomato varieties - thanks so much for the offer! I'd like to try:
Black Cherry, Black Sea Man, Super Sioux, Isis Candy,
Juane Flamme, and Gilbertie. For the alternates, how about Early Kus Ali, Marglobe, Sheyenne, and Fabulous? Wow - that was a tough process; you've got a great selection! Thanks again for the offer.
Sandra

T

Rhoades Heirloom
Tennessee Britches
Brad's Black Heart
Gilbertie
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Black Sea Man

Alternates would be:
Slavianskii Shedevr
Verja's Paradajz
Goji Faranji
Georgia Stream

Great list and thank you so much.
Sam

I update the list a few times a week so it is always up to date.

T

What a generous offer! I hope I am not too late to get in on it. I will be putting my list and envelope in the mail tomorrow. Thanks in advance and BLESS YOU!!!

I will have my list in the mail tomorrow as well! I hope its not too late for everything on my wishlist! I really want to try the tomatoes you got from the USDA!

- Benny

Sue...an admitted tomatoholic, and an assistant enabler here You rock Trudi!

Once this post hits 150 I will post it again!

All I ask is a two-stamp long envelope with a list of your first choice six varieties and a default list of four other choices. This list changes frequently as varieties are exhausted and new ones added to replace them. The four defaults are really important; I don't want anyone to feel disappointed if any of their first six have been exhausted between the time the SASE is mailed and it arrives.

On my end I will send back the seeds padded with bubble wrap enclosed in a brochure with info on how everyone can quickly save their own tomato seeds without fermentation in a manner that will help prevent the spread of exterior, seed-borne tomato diseases. Fermentation is a process that takes several days--with this new method you are over and done with it in 35 minutes AND you get a half hour break in there too! You will need a bowl, water, Ajax or Comet, a sieve and the bulb of a turkey baster--most of us already have that in our kitchens so it's not going to cost a nickel.

The tomato list has all manner of sizes, shapes and colors and a few blends. Because the list is long (over a hundred choices) it can be overwhelming to make selections--especially if you're new to growing toms from seed.

I will be happy to make appropriate selections (my choice) for anyone who wants/needs that; simply send the two-stamp long SASE without a seed list and I will automatically know to select tomatoes for you.

T

PS...

Please do not send a bubble/padded mailer. Send a two stamp long envelope. I will provide the padding on this end.

Please do not use metered postage, it can only be mailed from the issuing zip code.

To see the brochure info please use the link below and click on the 'Scrub Girl' to advance the pages.

Please do NOT send bubble mailers, instead use a long SASE with two first class stamps attached.

Trudi

Thank you so much! I got my seeds, and was like a kid at Christmas!

Renee

Thanks,

Trudi

Trudi,

What a wonderful person you are to share your tomatoes. I looked at your list and it is too much for me to pick from. I am hoping to take you up on the offer for you to choose for me :) Anything you wish to send to me will be ok. I will address and mail the envelope this morning!

thank you so much!!
If you ever need some seeds I will be happy to send to you as well. I will try to harvest my tomatoes this year.

Karen
GW name: karendee

So if you get an envie with no note inside it is from me. I live in IL.

thanks!
Karen/ karendee

Karen

Trudi

Dad’s barber’s paste
Black Sea Man
Isis Candy cherry
Rose de Berne
Caspian pink
Russian Persimmon
alts
Speckled Roman
Goji faranji
Morgage lifter
San Marzano

Please look at the list again and replace those three--otherwise you're going to receive more replacements that you expect ;-)

~Iris

It's not needed to post here.

I dropped about fifty of these into the mailbox last night--all tomato SASEs that came through the week are filled and mailed.

Your seeds are on the way!

Thanks for the offer. I am wondering if there are any still available? thanks!

dawn