I would like to say to all of my followers the following about the tomato under blacks called LN. I hear there are some out there that are saying it's a racist name and that maybe I should have improvised and used another name for it. I did not name the tomato. It is listed with the SSE under that name. That is the historically correct name for it. Most of you know me and know I'm a stickler for the correct names and histories of all heirlooms. The fact is, I am growing it because it is a very seldom if at all grown variety. It has nothing to do with racism. I gave it some thought before I put it on my growlist. I know in this day and age there is great sensitivity about that word. So..... for the record. I did not name the tomato. It was listed with the SSE under this name. I am not a racist.
I am willing to grow this variety out, save seed and re-list it with SSE under a new name. If you have suggestions as to an appropriate new name, please feel free to email me with it. I agree that it's time to change the name of this tomato. P.S.S. Apparently the original Russian name for this was Negrityonok.. Translated that means Black Child. It was mistranslated I believe by the seedsman that sent it to the U.S. I received my seed from an '07 SSE listing. I have been told that starting in '08, SSE has started listing it under the name Little Black. So.... Hopefully this clears it up and we can all go forward and grow our tomatoes.
Okay........I think I finally have my growlist complete. I have to force myself to quit messing with it. LOL.
Here it is....(drumroll)
2009 Growlist
Reds Aker’s West Virginia Frank’s Large Red Big Red Ramapo F1 Brandywine Len’s Garden Jewish Serdtse Buivola (Buffalo Heart) Brannar
Pinks Marlowe Charleston RL Marlowe Charleston PL Fritz Ackermann RL Earl’s Faux Dora Liz Bert Papa Vic’s Big Cheef Heatherington Pink Heart of Compassion
Yellow/Orange KBX Yellow Cookie Claude Brown’s Yellow Giant Golden Queen USDA Peg’s Round Orange Orange Minsk Dad’s Sunset
Blacks/Purples Carbon Spudakee Purple Kumato JD”s Special C-Tex Gary O’Sena Chocolate Stripes Brad’s Black Heart Negrityonok aka Little Black Cherokee Chocolate Tim’s Black Ruffles Mr. Brown
Greens Green Giant Green Velvet Max’s Large Green Malachite Box
Blushers/Bi-Colors Grandma Viney’s Yellow and Pink Pamplemousse du Grand Père. Holyland Yellow Spudayellow Strawberry Scabitha Spunky Lucky Cross Big Orange Stripe Striped German Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge Virginia Sweets
Whites Jack White Blanche de Fred
Cherries Champagne Cherry Nicholayev Yellow Cherry Marizol Gold Cherry Green Grape Black Cherry Sungold F1 Isis Candy Piccolo Black Zebra Cherry
Experimental Lincoln Adams Jack’s Paste (Canada) OSU Blue Fruit St. Fiacre Cherry Regina Yellow F1 X
I know it's getting to the time when everyone is thinking of starting their seed.
Here is a copy/paste from Botanical Interests for those who might be new at this.
Seed Starting 101 Why should you grow plants from seed? ` Witnessing a seed sprout and grow into a plant is a joy and wonder of nature! ` Starting plants from seed gives you control over growing conditions. ` It's less expensive than purchasing plants, especially if you want large numbers. ` Many unique or larger varieties are not available in garden centers as plants. ` All Botanical Interests seed varieties have been pre-tested for germination rate at an independent laboratory to give you the best chance for success. What do seeds need to succeed? A Comfy Container - Almost any empty container at home can be used to start seeds - clean milk, yogurt, or margarine containers, egg cartons, etc. Seed starting trays and small packs are also available at garden centers and are fairly inexpensive. Any container used must have drainage holes on the bottom. If you reuse containers each season, be sure to disinfect them with a 1:9 bleach solution to destroy any potential seedling pathogens. Good soil - For best results, always start your seeds in a high quality seed starting mix (available at most garden centers and nurseries). It will be light and fluffy to prevent compaction and will not have pathogens or pests like garden soil. Consistent moisture - Seedlings must be kept moist (but not soggy) at all times. If they dry out just once, they are "toast"! Conversely, you don't want to drown them. Soil that is too saturated is an invitation for fungal problems. Air Circulation - Indoors, providing good air circulation (similar to wind fluctuations outside) will help prevent damping off fungus (causes stems to get spindly and fall over) and increase the strength of each seedling's stem. To do this, you can place a small oscillating fan a few feet away from seedlings. Temperature - Most seeds will germinate just fine at room temperature.A heat mat is usually not necessary, but seeds that prefer very warm temperatures for germination (like tomatoes and peppers) may benefit from it. And most importantly ... Let there be light! When you start seeds indoors, do they get tall and skinny and fall over? The most common reason that seeds don't develop into healthy plants is lack of sufficient light. If you are starting them indoors, they must be in a sunny south-facing window that gets light most of the day or be under fluorescent light bulbs with 14 to 16 hours of light every day. (You should keep the lights 1-2 inches above the seedlings to prevent them from stretching towards it.) When to Plant: Before you plant, the most important thing to know is when the AVERAGE LAST FROST DATE occurs in your region in spring. (If you are interested in planting a fall garden, look up your AVERAGE FIRST FROST DATE.) You can contact your local county extension office for this information and more particulars about gardening in your area. To find your local office, click here: Local Extension Office For a general U.S. map of average last frost dates, click here:Average Last Frost Date Why is this important? So you will know how many weeks before the last frost to start seeds indoors or when it is safe to plant or transplant outdoors. Sowing indoors: What types of plants should be started indoors? Plants that require a long growing season to reach maturity Biennial or perennial flowers that you want to encourage to bloom in first season Plants grown for edible sprouts Some vegetables that are recommended for starting indoors include: Artichokes, celery, eggplant, endive, leeks, onions (bulbing), peppers, sprouts (alfalfa), sprouts (mung bean), sprouts (fenugreek), tomatillos, tomatoes, wheatgrass Herbs that are recommended for starting indoors include: Most herbs, but especially: fenugreek (for sprouts), marjoram, oregano, savory, thyme Some flowers that are recommended for starting indoors include: Flax, Impatiens, Lobelia, Marigolds, Nemesia, Ornamental Peppers, Ornamental Eggplant, Pansies (12 weeks before blooms desired), Salvia Blue Victoria, Statice, Violas (Also note that seedlings started indoors must be 'hardened off' gradually to allow them to adjust to outdoor weather conditions. Put them outside in a filtered sun/shade location away from harsh winds during the day for just a short time at first. Bring them in at night and gradually increase their time outdoors each day for a week.) Sowing outdoors: What types of plants should be started outdoors? Plants that don't transplant well (weakened by root disturbance) Plants that require very warm temperatures to sprout and get established Root crops (carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.) Vegetables that are recommended for starting outdoors include: Amaranth, arugula, beans, beets, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, edamame, gourds, mustard, onion (bunching), parsnips, peas, pumpkins, radishes, spinach, squash (summer), squash (winter), Swiss chard, turnips Herbs that are recommended for starting outdoors include: Borage, cilantro, Clary sage, dill, fenugreek, mitsuba Flowers that are recommended for starting outdoors include: All large packet flower mixes, Baby's Breath, Bachelor Button, Bishop's Flower, Black Eyed Susan Vine, Broom Corn, Cardinal Climber Vine, Castor Bean, Cat Grass, Chocolate Flower, Cleome, California poppies, Forget-Me-Not Spring & Summer, Four O'Clock, Godetia, Hyacinth Bean Vine, Love in a Mist, Money Plant, Nasturtiums, Poppies, Sunflowers, Virginian Stock, Zinnias Most Botanical Interest varieties not listed above can be started indoors or outdoors. Follow instructions on back or inside of packet. So now that you've taken Seed Starting 101, it's not too early to start choosing seed varieties for your spring garden if you haven't already. Remember that some plants like TOMATOES and PEPPERS require sowing indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting outside, and you will want to give them a good head start before spring to get the most fruit before fall frost.
Most tomato growers also grow peppers. They just belong together like salt and pepper. Seems I have neglected to give much attention to the peppers. I'm going to do better. I'm going to start with a little info on two of my favorite French peppers.
Piment D' Espelette--Piment d'Espelette literally means “pepper of Espelette” in French. It is a food product produced around the town of Espelette in Southern France, in the region sometimes known as Basque Country. This pepper is so famous that in 1999 AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee), was granted to Espelette peppers, or "Ezpeletako bipera" in Basque language, giving it the same protection as more famous names, such as Champagne and Roquefort . Only ten communities are allowed to use the name Espelette.Piment d’ Espelette is most commonly strung up to dry and ground into a powder and is often used as a substitute for black pepper in the Basque country and in common Basque dishes.Once harvested, they are threaded by hand and hung on the facades of buildings to dry in the sun -- this initial process takes about two months. After being dried a second time in wood-fired ovens, the peppers are ground into a fine powder. Every October, Espelette and surrounding villages hold a festival honoring the finished product -- a celebration complete with parades, dancing and cooking competitions. Espelette’s hotness falls between sweet bell pepper and Cayenne. It has a rich, round deep flavor with heat present, lifting flavor, but not intrusive.PIMENT d'Espelette is to French Basque cooking what curry is to Indian cuisine. Doux des Landes This is another pepper from France. It translates Long from Landes. Honestly, it is the longest pepper I have ever seen. It is a sweet pepper and turns from green to red. Also from the Basque region, it is sometimes called a Basque fryer. A delicious, sweet pepper, it is used in many basque recipes including piperade. Can also be eaten fresh or sautéed. Landes is in the South West of France also know as the home of Our Lady of Lourdes. I personally like to use this pepper as a fryer or diced up in my tomato salad.
Seed Tape If you notice a lot of seed vendors sell seed tape but at a very hefty price. You also have to stick with whatever varieties of seeds they have. It's very easy to make your own and you can use whatever seeds you like. Here's what you will need:
Newspaper, toilet tissue or pre-cut seed tape paper Elmer's Glue OR Glue Stick Seeds Ruler Waterproof Marker
If you do not want to mess with using newspaper or toilet tissue, you can order just the seed tape paper at: http://seed-tape.com/ You will want to cut your newspaper or TP into 2 in long strips.You will want to check the spacing requirements on the type of seed you are using. Using your ruler, mark off the correct intervals with a waterproof marker. Drop your glue on the designated spots or use your glue stick. Place seeds over glue spots. Allow to dry 24 hours Trust me, this makes planting flower and small seeds so easy in the spring.
You'll notice on the sidebar that my friend Maria Stenger from Blue Ribbon Tomatoes is the Tomato Rock Star of the week (Even though it usually goes longer than a week) I am doing a little copy paste from her blog at: Blueribbontomatoes.blogspot.com She is a wonderful tomato grower and I consider her a great source for Kentucky heirlooms.
Here is a bit about her:
Blue Ribbon Tomatoes specializes in Kentucky heirloom tomato seeds. We're located in a rural county in central Kentucky (zone 6), and actively search out newly discovered local heirlooms. Tomato varieties that have evolved here are the thoroughbreds of the tomato world. They tend to be large and sweet family jewels, grown for the simple reason that they taste good sliced on a plate.
Our growing season here is at least 160 days, with a limestone clay loam. In our county, tomatoes go into the ground on Derby Day, the first Saturday in May. Late summer can get really hot and dry, but with a little care, the plants come right through it, and some produce until October's first frost.
I use no chemicals in the garden. Permanent raised beds are kept covered with leaves, hay, and paper, with supplemental horse manure, and organic foliar sprays as needed: seaweed tea, colliodal silver, and molasses.
Herbs, annuals, berries, and other vegetables are included in a naturalistic style. The tomatoes are given proper spacing, and the rest is filled in by intuition. Earthworms, birds, snakes, toads, and butterflies are welcome residents.
Our farm is a 24 acre wildlife habitat on a windy hill. Walking paths wind around blackberries and raspberries, and the expanding orchard is an ongoing process. Here's a couple of pics of two of Maria's Ky Heirlooms.Also, there is a link to her site on the sidebar for those of you that would like to order seeds from her. Max's Large Green
I have found the ultimate companion to tomatoes...Although fresh Mozzarella has been the standard, there's a new kid in town. Not really new, just new to us. It's called Burrata. It means Buttered in Italian. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a unique soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. Burrata, once only packaged in leaves, is nowadays wrapped in a plastic sheet, sometimes printed with a leaves pattern on the outside. Even so, the tradition of having a wrapper of asphodel leaves is still followed, even if only covering outside the plastic. The leaves are indicators of the freshness of the Burrata; as long as the leaves are green, the cheese within is still fresh and ready to ooze out. Young Burrata is a magnificent cheese, and must be consumed fresh, no more than 48 hours after production. Its marvelous liquid center can be scooped up with slices of crusty bread, and is excellent when enjoyed in the company of a bottle of Montepulciano. Try tossing Burrata into pasta, such as drained penne or spaghetti. For a truly rich caprese salad, encircle fresh Burrata with slices of ripe red tomatoes and torn basil leaves, and drizzle with olive oil. Extremely hard to find because of its short shelf life, burrata must be flown in from Italy the day after it is made and quickly sold to consumers. Once a challenge to find in the US, burrata has recently become more widely available, as it is being distributed domestically by an Italian cheese producer in southern California. It has recently become a "hot"gourmet item in places like New York City and Beverly Hills.
Many recognize burrata as one of the best fresh cheeses in the world.
So... My goal is to find a source for Burrata before tomato season. Would love to hear from any materheads that have actually had it.
Well now comes the hard part... Narrowing down what you are growing for the season. Here is my tentative grow list. Of course it will be whittled on some more.
2009 GROWLIST
REDS AKER’S WEST VIRGINIA Indiana Red (heart) Big Red Ramapo F1 Brandywine Len’s Garden
PINKS MARLOWE CHARLESTON Fritz Ackermann Earl’s Faux Dora Liz Bert Kellogg’s Breakfast Pink KBX Pink
BLACK/PURPLE CARBON SPUDAKEE AKER’S WEST VIRGINIA BLACK Kumato Tennessee Black 1884 Purple JD’s Special C-Tex Gary O’Sena Chocolate Stripes Brad’s Blackheart Little Black Cherokee Chocolate Tim’s Black Ruffles Mr. Brown YELLOW/GOLD KBX Yellow Cookie Tangerine Orange Heirloom T.C. Jones Dr. Wyche’s Yellow Golden Queen USDA Brandywine Apricot Peg’s Round Orange Orange Minsk Dad’s Sunset
Greens Green Giant Aunt Ruby’s German Green Green Velvet Cherokee Green Max’s Large Green Malachite Box (Malakhitovaya Shkatulka)
Bi-Colors/Blushers Grandma Viney’s Yellow and Pink Spunky Holyland Yellow Scabitha Lucky Cross Big Orange Stripe Striped German Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge
Whites Jack White White Oxheart
Cherries Champagne Cherry Marizol Gold Cherry Brown Berry Cherry Black Cherry Sun Gold F1 Isis Candy Fruity Orange Piccolo Experimental Lincoln Adams Jack’s Paste (from Canada) Ya’ara (Israel) St. Fiacre Cherry OSU Blue Fruit
Here is the story of my miraculous little cherry tomato. My tomato garden is at the back of my property. Living on almost 3 acres that's quite a distance. In the front of my house is a long rose bed, heavily mulched every year. For the last 2 years, this random tomato plant sprouts up right next to my Princess Diana Rose. I always find it weird because I wonder how a tomato seed got down thru that mulch and comes up every year in the same spot. Well I'm pretty sure it's a white cherry. The odd part comes in that I have never grown a white tomato until this year and it wasn't a cherry. So being me, I sit and chew on this all of the time. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... So I decided this year that since that little plant was so determined to come back every year, I would taste it. It was very good. So I saved seeds for it and have named it after the Patron Saint of gardens and gardeners. St. Fiacre cherry. It's on my grow list for next year and will finally have it's proper place in the big garden. I am posting pics because I am wondering if it's a yellow or a white.Let me know what you think.
I have to brag about my friend Duane Perry. He is a greenhouse owner that lives south of me and is kind enough to allow me to keep my tomato seedlings there in the spring. Well........my friend just won the state record for the largest tomato ever grown in the state of Ohio. 4.48 lbs. I talked to him and told him that would be a tough record to break and so typical of him, he said he intends to break his own record next year. LOL. So, congrats to my friend that now has the bragging rights to growing the largest tomato on record ever in the great state of Ohio. By the way.........the tomato was a Church. Listed on my "waste of garden space" sidebar. lol... It is a spitter but for size, I've never seen 'em bigger. In the photo is his little girl Taylor...
OMG!!!! I can't even begin to explain how hot this pepper is. So hot that I don't even know how it could have a culinary purpose. Certified in 2006 by the Guiness World record keepers as the hottest pepper on the planet. From Northeastern India, it is called Naga Jolokia, or Bhut Jolokia. I believe that translates to "Ghost chili". Apparantly eating one can cause you to give up the ghost.
One of my best friends bit into one and got a blister on his lip. One of my chef's decided to make a hot sauce out of them and had to repeatedly leave the room because the fumes were burning his lungs and sinuses.
So...other than having the bragging rights of having the "hottest chili in the world" growing in your garden, I have no idea what to do with this.... It's just off the charts hot!!!!
I'm curious if anyone else grew it or anyone has any suggestions for uses of a pepper that could destroy your digestive track?
Every year I have tomatoes that are so good they go on my all-star list. Meaning they become a fixture in the garden every year. You'll see on the sidebar I have an "all-star" list and what I call the "waste of garden space" list. Here's this year's list makers:
Marlowe Charleston: What a great tomato!! I got the seed for this from my friend Maria in Ky. It's such a dark pink that it almost looks like it should be in the purple category. Very productive and somewhat disease resistant. Sweet beyond belief.
Champagne Cherry: The seed for this one was hard to find but it was worth the work. In the white category but turns yellowish when very ripe. It is larger than a currant tomato but smaller than most cherries. Grows in clusters like grapes. I have never eaten a sweeter cherry. It got rave reviews from every person that ate it.!! Jack White: This was my first year growing a white variety. I also grew Viva Lindsey's White Ky.Heirloom. It was interesting having two whites side by side to try. The Jack White was early, very disease resistant and so productive it was almost funny. Stayed very white even when ripe. The VLWKH was later, not as productive and turned more yellow as it ripened. Not nearly as good and smaller too. Jack White is an Alan Bishop tomato.
KBX: What a beauty!! It's true, it's better than the RL version. I won a tomato judging in Pittsburgh with a 2 lb. KBX. (pics soon).. Not a big fan of the yellows but this even hooked me.
Now for the losers: Beauty King: In all fairness, I might have to try this one again. It looked more like a striped variety than a blushing tomato and I believe BK is supposed to be a blusher or true bi-color. This one looked like a Big Zebra but rounder. It had a distinct melon taste and not one of my tasters liked it. I have a suspicion that the seed I received might not have been true so I am giving this a thumbs down with reservations. Whatever I grew labeled Beauty King was a real spitter. If anyone has a comment on this one, feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Giant Belgium: They were huge and they were beautiful but the taste was very sub-par. I kept trying them thinking they would get better but it never happened. Nice looker but very disappointing in the taste category. There are much better tasting big tomatoes. Very blight suseptable (more than any other variety in the garden).
As soon as possible I will try and post pics of these. I have to upload hundreds of pics I have taken while my pc was down.
Wisconsin 55 Gold 80 Days RL
Wisconsin 55 Yellow/Gold is a yellow mutant of Wisconsin 55 (This splendid cultivar represents some of the last focused open pollinated tomato breeding done at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1950's. by J.C. Walker, who was actually a plant pathologist. Shortly after that time, breeding efforts shifted to F1 hybrids and this was among the varieties that were nearly forgotten.) that Dr. Robert Raabe, professor emeritus UC Berkeley, found growing in a field of the original Wisconsin 55 growouts in 1953/54 when he was a student tending fields and picking fruit for processing. Raabe saved some seeds as a curiosity. He's grown them for them 50 years since because he likes them but never thought there would be widespread interest in such a thing until Alison Stewart got excited about it and asked him for seeds. Raabe gave Alison some seedlings from which she got a supply of seeds some of which she sent to Martin Longseth, a champion of Wisconsin 55. This tomato grows hardy plants under harsh conditions in shallow soil and makes thick walled, dense tomatoes suitable for canning and slicing. WI-55 Gold seems tolerant to disease, heat, heavy rain, and survives bug infestations while producing relatively blemish free fruit without cracks that ripen to a very pretty yellow/gold color that is not orange. (Variety info from IN JE B2)
This is one of my new whites I'm trying this year. It comes from Alan Bishop..
This is a beefsteak shape, thin skinned white usually 10 oz or more. It is a stabilized cross between Great White, White Beauty and White Tomesol. Very Productive. Said to have more flavor than most whites. Named after the lead singer of the rock band the White Stripes. Review will follow.
Sorry I haven't been posting much. Working on the tomato jungle most of the time. Here are some great shot's I got today. When you click the play button, on the bottom left of the screen you'll see a little quote box, if you click on it, it will show the captions.
This is about the tomatoes on my "I'm so excited to grow this one" list. I usually have one every year and it's funny how it plays out. Some of them end up being duds and some of the mater's that I'm "not excited" to grow, end up being great. So, here's the line up of the "Most Excited about" tomatoes.
Jack White--This is a tomato created by Alan Bishop.A large 12 ounce or more, beefsteak type, White/Cream colored tomato of excellent quality.Relatively thin skinned but holds up better than mostwhites.A stabilized cross and selection between Great White, White Beauty and White Tomesol .If you think whites don't have a taste try this one on for size, very productive. Named after the lead singer of the rock band The White Stripes. From what I have been reading, white tomatoes are a very good choice with seafood. Coeur De Poulain--A red heart from my friend Lucine in France. She received it from her neighbor who got it from a truck farmer in Lyons, France. It's a heart shape and she reports that it is very sweet and juicy. The name translates to "Heart of the Foal". Belmonte--A beautiful tomato I first heard about from the French peeps. Originally from Calabria, Italy. Pink Peach-- This is a matte, fuzzy skin pink tomato. Bright red inside when you cut it open. Only about 2 oz. but reported to be excellent! Sweet and juicy. Liguria-A fluted paste tomato.Stable variety originally from Albenga in the Province de Savone in the Region of Ligurie in Italy Champagne Cherry--A white cherry tomato that is very obscure. I love the name and hope it's a great one so I can share with my fellow mater-heads. Purple Dog Creek--Another Kentucky heirloom.Purple Dog Creek is a very rare family heirloom from the small community of Dog Creek near Munfordville Kentucky. I say it's very rare because very few have seeds for it outside of Dog Creek. The tomatoes were served as part of a "thank you" outside dinner served to a WV preacher and members of his congregation. They went to Dog Creek to do home improvements for the lowe income elderly of the area. The preacher liked the tomatoes so much he asked if anyone had seeds for them. One of the guys at the supper had grown and brought them. He went home and brought the preacher back some seeds. One of my friends in MartinsburgWV is a member of the preachers church. They got to talking about the trip to Dog Creek and the preacher offered some seeds to my friend. He grew them and loved them. He sent me some last year and I grew them this year. They are dark pink less than 1 pound although I've heard they grow to 18 oz. They are very good. Strong plant and fairly productive. Couiless Du Taureau--This translates "Balls of the Bull". Got these seeds from Roland Robins in France. He received the seeds from his Spanish neighbor. So the tomato is originally from Spain . Yellow 1884 Pinkheart--It was developed by Darrell Merrell (recently deceased) from a chance cross between "The 1884 Tomato" and an unknown yellow. He had been selecting seed for nine years and has it stabilized it to produce a light yellow skinned tomato with pink on the blossom end and pink striations in the meat and sometimes a pink splotch right in the middle of the meat. It has a creamy smooth, sweet flavor. The more pink, the sweeter the flavor. (Low acidity.) Prolific, and I mean prolific production. He said it was one of the best producing tomatoes of all that he grew. Early on the tomatoes are up to one pound and oblate in shape.The tomato man and daughter Kumato--I did a whole post about this one. If you go in the archives, you can read about it in detail. I small black that was never released in the U.S.. Said to be great at any stage of ripeness. T.C. Jones --A newly discovered heirloom from Kentucky. A big yellow beefsteak. My friend Gary acquired this one from one of his friends. Apparently, the friend said that it had been in his family for generations.
Every year I am asked to name my favorite tomato. My honest response — I don’t have one; I enjoy variety. Yet I think it’s fair to say that of all the “big reds” (as I call them), ‘Abraham Lincoln’ consistently ranks at the top. It is one of those heirloom varieties that faithfully produces huge crops of extra large, meaty fruit, and resists foliage diseases, making it ideal for organic growers like me. On top of that, it has a real summery tomato flavor that is largely missing in modern hybrids. I also like the fact that it produces heavily right up to the first killing frost and keeps me in pre-ripened green tomatoes for jams and chutneys all the way to Christmas. And on a sultry August day, there is nothing like a chilled glass of white wine and a light bruschetta made with fresh ‘Abraham Lincoln’ tomatoes.
Save money and connect with local gardeners by exchanging garden seeds through organized seed swaps...
‘Abraham Lincoln’ was introduced in 1923 by the W. H. Buckbee seed company of Rockford, Ill., which named the tomato in honor of the state’s favorite son. It was released without much fanfare, but over the years it has proved itself to be one of the great tomato classics that happily survived the big shift to hybrids during the 1940s. After the demise of the Buckbee firm, the tomato was continued by R. H. Shumway of Randolph, Wis.
Looking back on the tomato situation in the 1920s, there were a lot of other big reds competing for culinary attention: ‘John Baer,’ ‘Bonny Best,’ ‘Landreth’ and ‘Henderson’s Winsall’ (developed in 1924 in response to ‘Abraham Lincoln’), yet most of those are selections of one another and when placed side by side, it’s pretty difficult to tell them apart. ‘Abraham Lincoln’ stands out, perhaps because of its dark red color and bronzy-green leaves. Buckbee claimed that the average fruit weighed about a pound; I would say it’s closer to 8 ounces, though some fruits occasionally do get that large. You tend to get smaller fruits if you allow them to develop in clusters from six to nine tomatoes, and larger specimens if you pull off the small ones.
Today, there are two strains of ‘Abraham Lincoln.’ The original 1923 strain is considered a late-season tomato, maturing in 87 to 90 days. Because I plant tomatoes outdoors in mid-April, this means I will have harvest-ready tomatoes by mid-July or early August at the latest. Another strain of ‘Abraham Lincoln,’ which is offered by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, was introduced around 1975 as a more mid-season tomato that matures about two weeks earlier. This strain does not have the distinctive bronzy green leaves of the original, but it is identical in all other respects, even the same flavorful dark red fruit.
Rather than oblate (a flattened sphere) in shape like common beefsteak tomatoes, ‘Abraham Lincoln’ is round, solid and firm, which is why it’s such a good slicer. And unlike some heirlooms, ‘Abe Lincoln’ can tolerate rainy weather without splitting. In my garden, where I have a problem with tiny ants, splitting is an important issue because as soon as cracks develop on any of my tomatoes, the ants appear and the invaded fruit is quickly ruined. Last year, ‘Abe Lincoln’ won the war against the ants, so I didn’t have to resort to any remedial treatments (a real plus for organic gardeners).
Gardening by the moon is as old as time. Going back as far as Babylonian times. Unfortunately, most gardeners have cast it aside in modern times. Not only does the moon affect the tides, many scientist will tell you it affects human behavior, animal behavior and plant behavior. The practice, known as moon or lunar gardening, centers on the moon's gravitational effect on the flow of moisture in soil and plants.
The basic concept is:
Plant above ground crops during the "Waxing" or rising moon. This is a period of increasing light from the new moon to the full moon.
Plant root crops during the "Waning" or declining moon. This is from the full moon to the new moon when the moonlight is declining.
The moon moves through a complete cycle every 29 days. For moon gardening purposes, this cycle is divided into four quarters or phases.The first two quarters are waxing increasing) phases and the two latter quarters are waning (diminishing) phases. The term phase refers to the moon's apparent shape as viewed from earth during the month.The full moon as marked on a calendar is the demarcation between the two types of phases. To plant by the moon phases you will need an almanac or calendar that lists the exact time and date of the moon phases.
So how does this all relate to your garden? Well, in the waxing phase, the theory is that the water table rises and plants take up nutrients faster, making it an ideal time to plant.
The waning phase is much better for pruning and weeding as the water table is lower and things like tree sap run much slower. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that harvests are larger and plants don't go to seed as quickly if planted in the appropriate cycle.
Here are two sites that explain it in depth and are dedicated to the topic.
1. Church 2. Blaby 3. Tres Cantos 4. Giant Belgium 5. Zelyone 6. OSU Blue or P20 7. Yellow Cookie 8. Roger's Best Black 9. Mr. Snow Dwarf 10. Summertime Gold Dwarf 11. Summertime Green Dwarf 12. Wild Fred dwarf
Tomato All-Star List
1. Goose Creek 2. Green Giant 3. Absinthe 4. Carbon 5. KBX 6. Champagne cherry 7. Black Cherry 8. Liz Birt 9.Chocolate Stripes 10. Fritz Ackerman Rl 11. Marmande Garnier Rouge 12. Blackberry 13.. Honeydrop cherry
