Garden Journal: Tomatoes

I've planted quite a few things....lots of flower and herb starts growing and Sadie's strawberry from seed--and not to forget her sunflower, but so far most of the windowsill space has been given up to the tomatoes.  I started four kinds this year.  A beefsteak tomato & a yellow pear tomato from Eden Brothers (both organic heirloom) and a Japanese black tomato and Hillbilly tomato from Territorial (also both organic heirloom)

Unfortunately, the Japanese black and the beefsteaks kind of crapped out on me.  The beefsteak tomatoes were poor germinaters--only got one plant out of 4 seeds planted, and that one plant is struggling along.  It's tall, but it doesn't have many leaves, but I'm keeping it just to see what it does.  The JB tomatoes had a fantastic start, but either they caught some kind of blight, or they were very unhappy about the hot/cold conditions in our sun room, also the constant dampness on their leaves from an overzealous 2 year old and a spray bottle. (Yes, my tomatoes are all warming up by the wood stove in the pictures above because it is snowing...again.) Anyway, the stems started looking pinched at the bottoms and then the leaves started dropping off and eventually the whole plant died--the one pictured below is the only one that had any green left, but it is getting the same stem constriction that all the other ones had just before they kicked the bucket.  So I just pulled em all up (Loren thinks I'm ruthless) but I just can't dedicate any more precious space to the sickly tomatoes.  Maybe I'll try to germinate a second batch for a late crop, but it is getting pretty late for that. 

 at this point I'm just cutting my losses and moving on... because it is time to start squash and other fast growers that are going to need that extra space. The Hillbilly and Yellow Pear tomatoes are doing great though.  They are mostly 14+ inches tall and growing buds.  So here's hoping to a happy crop.

A lovely little flat here with some happy looking petunias, bells of Ireland, Sweet Williams, Echinacea and Chamomile.  Almost ready to head to their final destination...that is if it ever stops snowing and becomes spring!