Volunteer tomato seedlings sprouting

Today I was out scratching around the garden and found dozens of tomato seedlings scattered through the garden where last years "leftovers" bit the dust. We will most likely have more cold weather and a few frosts before the weather settles but it's a hopeful sign to see them. I'm not going to save any.

Someone told me those are usually cherry tomatoes, just curious if you know what they are. And they may make it and be very hardy, that happens sometimes. If there were a lot, I would boil them to make a pesticide spray (wish I had extra tomato leaves, sniff).

I don't know what they are. They aren't even near where I had my tomatoes last year, but from the year before. They certainly could be cherry tomato seedlings but I only grew two of those no where near where these seedlings are coming up, so it makes me think they are something else. No way to tell without growing them out. They aren't even showing their first true leaves yet, so it's hardly enough to make a pest spray at this point, is it? Actually I was going to put my potatoes where they are coming up, so we'll see what happens. Happy Easter!

Best of luck with your tomatoes and potatoes!

Thanks Tamara!

Best wishes for the gardening season. Tomato volunteers drive me nuts. I can't bear to just kill them yet know I can't possibly use all of them. Last year volunteers were my best bearers and best tasting too. I know they were hybrids of every tomato grown in that bed the year before.

tamara faye - how do you make a pestidide spray out of tomato leaves? thanks

I'm letting them grow for now, have no idea what they might be since I don't remember what var. I planted last year.

If i remember correctly, 1 quart of tomato leaves, boiled in 1 quart of water till ??? (Haven't tried it yet). Then strain and put in sprayer. Spray on all your plants. It is supposed to repel some bugs and confuse others. I can't wiat to have enough extra leaves to give this a try.

How did these make out? What did they turn to be?

I was wrong. Sorry to say they all turned out not to be tomatoes at all. The first cotyledons looked just like tomatoe cotyledons but turned out to be white datura seedlings that come up like weeds in my garden. I let a few grow and I should go out there and and harvest all the seed pods to stop millions more from doing the same thing next spring. Oh well, it was a nice dream to think it would be that easy to get tomato starts. ( Actually, there are quite a few out there now growing right out of some rotted dropped fruits, so I know they're tomatoes, but I'm planning on ignoring them.)

LOL! The few times I've had volunteers (Juliet Grape Tomatoes and Sweet Ornamental Cherry Peppers) they were great. The Juliets are on their third season, and it has been fun to watch their progression. they are hybrids and have been slowly reverting. We started with a nice inch - inch and a half oval. The second year they were slightly larger and just as sweet. Last year they were quite a bit larger a a bit meatier - still very sweet. This year they are more like plum tomatoes! Still sweet, but not at all the tomato we started with. My boss decided to pip everything up this year, and NOT save seeds. I will buy him a couple of the Juliet Grape Seedlings next Spring and we can start all over again! I'm also going to insist he try the MS-5 - I LOVE that tomato. I've never really like cherry tomatoes before, but I now have 3 keepers for the gardens - MS-5, Black Cherry and Dr. Carolyn!

Happy gardening. Do you get to grow year round?

Very interesting Sequee. Your tomato adventures sound interesting. I hope you and your boss can successfully follow the adventures of some Juliet grape tomatoes for years. Even though I read Carolyn 's book it didn't register that plants reverted back to their beginnings in such a short time.
My garden seems to end up in a mass of waist high crab grass every year and then I try to scratch out a few small areas to put in some fall crops. I had to laugh when you asked if I am able to grow all year here. No, this is a temperate climate, here in the Appalachian mountains, with temps not all that different from the lower Hudson Valley. Maybe a few fewer blizzards in winter and slightly warmer daytime temperatures, but that's about it.

Aw, then you must be suffering from the "I can't believe it's all over blues", too! I'm convinced this was the shortest growing season we've ever had. Cool, wet, windy, miserable spring, straight into summer, now very cold temps already in Sept. I tucked a few plants into the portable greenhouse in hopes of prolonging the season a bit, but still have alot of tomatoes on the in-gounds. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can keep the frost at bay until I get some more ripe ones. It's a risky game, as I do like Fried Green Tomatoes and I'd hate to lose the 40 or so tomatoes still out there, but I like the ripe ones even more - especially when I know it's going to be a long dry spell. Peppers grow nicely indoors, but tomatoes are a little tougher - I am however, going to try a Cobra and one or 2 others. We'll see what happens as the outdoor crop fades.

Are you still good for a few transplants of Hosta? I pulled a few for you and have them ready to pack and ship on MOnday. Are looking for any seeds? I have tons of everything - tomatoes, root veggies, beans, peppers, and on and on. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to include in the box!

Sequee, you must be further up the Hudson Valley than I realized. As I mentioned in the past, my sister lives on the river in Nyack and she and I shared a very hot summer, but in different locations. It seems in the lower Hudson Valley it was even hotter than it was here, even though we had a very wet summer until September arrived.
I for one am relieved that summer is gone and the garden is wrapping up. I will miss the fresh food and the tomatoes but I am relieved to have the cooler temps and no need for air conditioning.
Is it me you're asking about Hostas? If you have any you're giving away, that would be nice but I don't recall setting up any trades. (But I don't remember much anymore about anything!) If it is indeed me you're referring to, sure throw in a few seeds. I don't really grow root crops because of rocky soil and burrowing rodents. A waste of time. Best wishes and thanks.

You mentioned in an e-mail that if we weren't so far apart, you'd like to trade some phlox for some Hosta. Since I'm really trying to cut back some of my Hosta Beds, I pulled a few for you - no trade - just a gift to fellow Hudson River Dreamer/Gardener!

I hate mailing a package that's not crammed full, so I was hoping I could share some seeds with you. Wanna give me some hints???

Ok, you're on. How about some tomato seeds. Full size varieties if you have any, and some pepper and bean seeds. I'll dig a few phlox plants and seeds too and get them to you soon. How very kind you are. Thank you!

I think it's too late to plant the phlox for this season - so just hold off 'til Spring. Unless you think I could over-winter them indoors?? I'd hate to kill it off!

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This message was edited Oct 2, 2005 11:57 AM