For those who grow tomatoes in their garden.

[Uzi2]

Don't discard the volunteers that will eventually crop up in the garden next season. They survived the winter and will be very hardy.

I had about twenty "volunteer" tomato plants come up randomly in a spot that I grew tomatoes in last year and had tilled and amended with wood chip compost.
I let them grow until they were about ten inches with a couple of sets of leaves on them. Then I dug them and transplanted them after putting down a discarded Lowes lumber tarp. So far I've picked about two bushel boxes of excellent tomatoes from these plants. A couple of plants were beefsteaks(not my favorite but these did well), three cherry sweet 100's, a couple of Romas and the rest were Rutgers. Canned 24 quarts of them over last weekend.
Compared to all the other ones I planted, these did the best by far. I don't anticipate having to buy any more plants or start anymore seeds next spring, I'll just be watching for the volunteers to pop up and do the same thing.

Just put in two more 50ft rows of Roma green beans yesterday in some still warm, well rotted woodchip compost that I amended with some 19-19-19 and a little pelletized limestome. We got a couple of inches of rain last evening and it watered them in nicely. Should have beans sprouting up by Saturday morning and be picking them in mid Sept.

 

[The Edge Lab]

I have 3 plots,10x30 feet, that I use for tomatoes and peppers. Every year I let one rest. This last year I was studying for a promotion at work and let one of the plots go. I had tons of tomatoes that rotted on the vine and dropped. I decided to let that plot rest this year... however it is loaded with tomatoes this year. That plot is my best producer and it hasn’t had an ounce of fertilizer or water.

 

[Uzi2]

I have 3 plots,10x30 feet, that I use for tomatoes and peppers. Every year I let one rest. This last year I was studying for a promotion at work and let one of the plots go. I had tons of tomatoes that rotted on the vine and dropped. I decided to let that plot rest this year... however it is loaded with tomatoes this year. That plot is my best producer and it hasn’t had an ounce of fertilizer or water.

I've been to a commercial tomato grower before and thats how their fields were done also. They had lots of good tomatoes but plenty of spoilage that just went back to the soil and propagated next season.

I've not watered here for three months either, we've had plenty of well timed rain since mid April.

 

[Uzi2]

Just finishing up canning 14 more quarts of red ripe tomatoes.

Canned 24 pints of green tomato relish this morning and another batch will be done tomorrow.

 

[appraiser]

 

[Uzi2]

 

[Edek Kasica]

The volunteers that come up on their own make the best late tomatoes.

 

[Uzi2]

The volunteers that come up on their own make the best late tomatoes.

They are usually hardier than the others too.

 

[MFSP101]

It’s a great idea. But you don’t know what is going to grow the next year because of cross pollination. And if you had grown a hybrid it will revert back to the original type of tomato. I agree they will be hardier. Because they made it through the winter but might not be what you thought would grow. I like to grow some of them because you never know what you get.

 

[Uzi2]

It’s a great idea. But you don’t know what is going to grow the next year because of cross pollination. And if you had grown a hybrid it will revert back to the original type of tomato. I agree they will be hardier. Because they made it through the winter but might not be what you thought would grow. I like to grow some of them because you never know what you get.

Cross pollination in tomatoes is rare as they are a self pollinating species. Been gardening for about forty years so far and have never been suprised with a different type of tomato than what I was expecting.

I've grown hybrids and heirlooms right beside eachother as well as cherry and grape tomatoes and have yet to see any cross pollination effects in them.

Squashes are more prone to cross pollination and should be widely separated if possible.

 

[Edek Kasica]

Cross pollination in tomatoes is rare as they are a self pollinating species. Been gardening for about forty years so far and have never been suprised with a different type of tomato than what I was expecting.

I've grown hybrids and heirlooms right beside eachother as well as cherry and grape tomatoes and have yet to see any cross pollination effects in them.

Squashes are more prone to cross pollination and should be widely separated if possible.

I ended up with nice cherry tomatoes and a larger beefsteak type. i had no time last spring to plant because of family illnesses and these plants at least gave me some great freebies. this year i am putting my now healthy mom to work in the garden.