Tomatoes
It’s Time ! If you’ve been following my posts for long, you probably know that I have well over 300 tomato plants in my garden. This spring I planted 20 + varieties, and had over 600 plants in the greenhouse. I selected the best growing plants, and moved them out to the soil with quite a bit of help. On the second day of tomato planting, with five helpers, we managed to plant 180 in one hour.
The tomatoes in my garden should be as varied as the people in time square. I have red, yellow, purple, pink, and white tomato plants. There are canning varieties, stuffing, plum, and sandwich sizes.
Now comes the hard part. What to do with thousands of tomatoes, all starting to ripen at the same time. I better finish that produce stand !
Saving Seeds
For now though, as I wait for the massive onslaught, I’m saving the seeds from the largest of the early tomatoes. This will encourage future plants to grow larger fruit, at a quicker pace. Above I’ve saved Amish Paste, Garden Peach and Yellow Brandywine. I hope to save more of my own seeds, not just to save money, but more to the point: I want to get a set of seeds that are particularly suited for the environment in valley where I grow them. Plants that grow well in the garden, are more likely to set fruit containing seeds which will grow well next year. It’s really a long term investment of sorts.
Saving Seeds is simple. Find any garden produce that you like. Next, a napkin or paper towel should be placed on a table or counter. Cut open the ripe tomato, cucumber or whatever you’ve selected. Place the seeds on the paper, and leave them there to dry. It may take several days, but ensure the seeds are completely dry. It may help to place them in a well lit area. When they are dry, label an envelope with the variety, and place the seeds inside for next year.
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