Tomato Varieties for 2009

I have settled on next seasons tomato varieties to try.

Tangerine Tomato - Seems the lycopene in this variety is better absorbed. Click the link to read the Science Daily article.

Tommy Toe - This is a cherry tomato. I'll be replacing the Chadwick Cherries with this variety this year. I just renewed my Chadwick Cherry seed supply last season so I can skip a season or two and still have viable seed.

San Marzano - This will be the sauce variety next season. I had some Romas and Amish Paste last season. I really didn't like the growth habits of the Amish Paste tomatoes, too weedy. It was a bad year for tomatoes here. Too much heat early then too cool. The flavor never developed.

Early Girls and Fouth of July will again be the early varieties.

And by April I'll usually find a few more tomato varieties to try. Then there's the extra plants donated by fellow gardeners.

Here's the link to Cornell's Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners resource too. You'll find rating on many garden vegetable and sources for seeds on the site. Very useful!

Gardening When It Counts

Winter is the perfect time to catch up on your reading. I know it's not officially winter yet. But the ground outside my window is covered with an inch or so of white fluff... so it's close enough.


I just finished reading Steve Solomon's "Gardening When It Counts". When I first picked it up I wasn't too sure it would be of any value to me. After all, I have been gardening for nearly a half century now. I quickly found out you can teach an old gardener new tricks.

Everything a beginner gardener needs to know is in "Gardening When It Counts". From preparing the soil to what to grow, and everything in between. Mr. Solomon lays it out simple and straightforward.

I can't wait till next growing season to assemble and try his natural fertilizer formula. And his technique for sowing tiny seeds is genius. I never would have thought to try that one.

Who is Steve Solomon? He started Territorial Seed Company years ago and made it a success. He knows what he is talking about and it shows in this book.

I give this gardening book "10 green thumbs up".

Here's a link to the book...

Resource for Vegetable Gardeners

Do you want to find new (and old) vegetable varieties to try? Looking for something different?

Cornell University has a great resource for home gardeners. The site is called Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners.

You can use it to find out about just about any vegetable. There are also links to the places to buy the seeds and plants.

Any serious gardener will bookmark this site.