I need some help! Maybe the 12 step with a support group.

foolcontrol - I'm not sure, but I think Carolyn said she didn't like Black Plum - and for what it's worth, I didn't like Sugary. The skin was tough and it wasn't very flavorful. Jelly Bean and Sungold were much better.

You must realize that I had a horrible tomato year in 2005. Maybe Sugary would have been better in another area. The ads would make you think that Sugary would melt in your mouth. I think it just hardened in my stomach!! LOL.

I have read a lot of good reviews from folks in our neck of the woods about the Merced tomatoes.

One of the few questions I have is about flavor and the toughness of the skin?

Can you provide some more detailed feedback about them?

I prefer indeterminates. However, I think I can fit in a few more determinates.

Thanks for the info Linda. The reviews I have been reading about Sugary have been average.

Fool, I think Saint grew Merced last year...maybe she will chime in about how she liked them. Sweet 100's are really yummy and do good in our climate. My parents said they would bear fruit all summer for them. They were my DH's fave so I am growing several of those too. DH ate them like they were candy.

I have not heard that Sungold doesn't do well in our heat. That is a bummer b/c I'm growing a bunch of the little guys.

I am also growing Sugary (seeds that Saint gave me). I hope they are good!! If not, oh well, do something different next year. but it will bum me out if Sungold doesn't bear well this summer.

Michelleb

Sungold
I have not read anything saying it will not do well in our heat. However, I have not read anything saying it will do well.

I found Merced a little thick skinned but it took the heat well and tasted pretty good. The Florida boys all grow Sungold I think and don't have problems with it so I'm taking my chances on how it will do. Not sure if my Sugary seedling made the cut or not, having one of those can't remember my own name days....

We are having terrible weather today so I moved as many of the boys under the small bit of porch we have to try and shield them from the 30mph wind, wasn't as concerned about the Black Krim and the Roma as much as some of the others that are a little taller and not as bushy. Wouldn't take much to snap them as I don't have them staked right now.

Saint

Kmom and Fool:

I can't go vertical in this particular room because the ceiling are angled. It's the bonus room at the top of the house which is our office. I tried to talk my wife into putting my racks in the great. She looked at me like I had 2 heads. LOL

$10 bucks for the lights Kmom.

foolcontrol
The Merced doesn't grow as tall as some of my other plants but it seems to handle the heat well. I haven't noticed the tough skin issue mentioned by some others. I wonder if the soil, which is not soil at all, but a product made and sold by Berger (pronounced bur-jay) which is sold as a "Potting Soil" could be the reason. Great stuff to grow tomatos or peppers in. Favor is great, not as good as the Ark. Traveler which was a tasty surprise last year... Jerry

Beare, Merced is a determinate (bush type).

OK, I decided I am not going to grow as many Rio Grande Paste (determinate) so I can have more room.

Here is what I ended up getting:
1 of Sweet Million - I (I did not see it yesterday.)
1 of Yellow Pear - I (I did not see this yesterday and was thrilled to find it.)
2 of Merced - D
1 Dr. Carolyn - I added to my order from Laurel.

Dr. Carolyn will be the only white I am growing. Yellow Pear is the only yellow I am growing. I am probably going to have to get a Sungold from MichelleB if I want to grow it.

They were completely out of Sungold. That helped with the decision.

A few of the plants I may have chosen were too big for their respective pots.

After inspecting the Black Krims, I determined that they did not look as healthy as I would have liked.

I listened to everyones advice on the Black Plum. It sounded good. However, my research led me to believe that it does not taste very good. I am growing Black from Tula. So I do have a black.

I don't have any green tomatoes this year. I was going to grow Green Grape but I didn't get the seeds in time. I will probably try it for the fall crop.

Alright. Looking through plant files. I got more information on Sweet Million and Yellow Pear.

Yellow Pear seems to grow very well but does not have the taste. Almost all reviews were either strongly positive or very negative.

Sweet Million has all positive reviews.

Hey Fool, you are definitely welcome to one of my Sungold. Most of them are about 3" now. They seem to be the most happy little fellows out of all my seedlings. Tplant said the sweet million is even better than sweet 100's. OH...yellow pear...well, I have to say my parents grew them last year and had TONS of them...but the taste was bland to me. They had a big bowl of Sweet 100s and Yellow Pear next to each other and the 100's were eaten and gone much faster than the YP. But they are very pretty!!

So with all your seedlings...you are actually buying plants from a nursery?! Tomato blasphemy!! LOL!! :)

Btw, what size should the seedlings be in order to begin the hardening off process?

I have some extra sungold seeds I think from TGS I can send for the fall just let me know...I'm really going to have to add 5 more EB's next year as I have several more maters that I want to try and grow and just don't have the space...*sigh* I'm going to have to swipe fool's list (btw save some of those Merced seeds as I'm having a hard time coming by them) and expand my list for next year...

Foolcontrol--looks like I got an extra Black Prince if you want to try that. Let me know and I'll run up on Barker Cypress so it gets a good home.

Debbie, you live close to Fool? My sister used to live in Cypress. Really nice little town. Where in Houston do you live btw? I used to live in Sugar Land as a kid. That would be so nice of you to take him your BP. Do you have an extra Sungold? If not, do you or anyone else know how I could successfully mail one of mine to Fool?

Saint, you crazy woman!! 5 more EBs? wow. I'm so jealous that I only have the one EB. I have got some big time tillin' to do this Saturday b/c I think my babies may be ready in a week or so. Hey...so I'm running a zillion errands today, but need to call you today.

Michelleb

I'll be running errands in the morning but if needed call me on the cell phone.

Saint

Debbie
I sent a dmail.

MichelleB
I am waiting until my plants get older to send you the plants we talked about. When I get my plants from Laurel, I will reuse her packaging to send the plants. You can then reuse them to send your SunGold, EPB and San Marzano to me.

Okay Fool. I have those three marked as yours.

Michelle--I'm west houston about 5 miles west of the farm and ranch club on north hwy 6. I'm probably about 15 minutes from Cypress.
Debbie

Debbie, Ah, well you and Fool are pretty darn close then!

All I can suggest is to keep trying the newer and crazier stuff. There seems to be a new discovery every year that promises yet another level of tomato ecstacy. There HAS to be a saturation point somewhere; isn't there?

I am well saturated. However, this sponge can hold a lot.

I just found out that Debbie and I are about 10 to 12 minutes apart.

I've also got a yellow pear you can have...sorry didn't read the complete thread before dmailing you. Golly gee got really hot down here today...actually was sweating while weeding...think it was about 85. Hat to think what August is gonna be like...lol

We hit 92 on Friday. THis does not bode well for my 4" plants that are 2 weeks away from being planted out. Thank goodness that Saint hooked me up with some seeds for heat resistant plants. It is well into the mid to high 80's today as it was yesterday. This time last year it was still in the 60's.

I am expanding my garden and got a pretty good sunburn yesterday. I actually ran the rental tiller for 4 straight hours. I have been moving a lot of dirt. I am in the process of moving my entire garden to a different part of the yard. It was behind the house. It is now going to be behind the garage. I am adding several more raised beds. Mostly to accomodate peppers, okra, squash, melons and a lot of tomatoes. My shoulders feel pretty good. Not really sore but it feels like I got a good workout.

I put the tomato seedlings outside for half of the day yesterday and all day today and they seem very happy.

There you go again - treating the tom seedlings better than yourself. :-)
The progress made must feel great, though... it snowed here this afternoon. I'm thinking MY seedlings want no part of the Great Outdoors yet :-(

Fool, good work friend. I want more space in the backyard but DH has already given me enough space for 16 plants...plus I have the EB and I'm going to do a topsy turvy. Not sure where I'm going to put the peppers and watermelon and herbs. We have a huge back bed but alas, DH loves ground cover..YUK. I hate ground cover...especially that viney stuff.

kmom, snow? what's that? Come visit us...upper 80's. Well, today at 4am a cool front came in..so upper 70's (my favorite weather).

Michelleb

I met Debbie last night and got the plants from her. It was pretty cool to talk to her about gardening for a while.

Hey Fool, well that is great. Is your sister still going to Houston this weekend? If so, I'd be happy to give her your plants to take down there to you.

I don't know. I will have to check on that.

Eric...glad to give you those three plants--now I'm done with the tomatoes. Got a Goliath and a Solar Set put in yesterday by the garlic. You might be able to just make them out for all the mulch...lol

And here's 2 hard rocks, a sun sugar, a black prince, and a goliath back behind a bunch of LA iris and daylillies....you can probably just make them out.

actaully I think this is the picture I meant to post.....too many pics, not enough unique names...lol

Now that the tomatoes are all planted; just need to get outside and deal with all these....

They are looking good. Your plants are quite a bit bigger than mine. It must be the bat guano.

My name is Audra and I am a tomato addict. It started with a simple cherry seed plant last year.....well, six of them.....OK, OK, EIGHT! They grew so fast and so well. I have *ahem* twenty different kinds of tomatoes that I plan to start inside this Saturday *hangs head in shame*

Audra - say 20 "Do you have any different tomato seeds?" in 20 more stores and you will either be healed or have even more kinds!!

Mine has grown more and more each yr, but apparently it has grown exponetially this year! Lord willing I will make it through this yr's digging - either with a mantis tiller or my back will hold up!

Good Luck! ~ Suzi :)

Suzi!!! I haven't spoken to you in a minute! I would LOVE to have my own tiller. But thankfully I have generous neighbors and we all garden, so they till my garden for me. I'm so excited because we had this huge tree removed from the backyard that was blocking sunlight from my garden!!!! Yippeeeeeeee!!!!!

Suzi, did you order your mantis?

Mine is here, but still packed up, I'm itching to get it out though!

I had two trees removed so I could grow more tomatoes.

Fool, you are too funny. Do you know when Paula is suppose to go down to Houston next? I'm still saving your four babies for her to take down to you.
Michelle