Tomatoes: heirlooms versus hybrids | ghost peppers have arrived!

tel: 512-280-1192 Friday, Feb 17, 2012

Nursery Notes: Ghost peppers are here! 4 1/2" pot $3.99 1 gal.

$7.99. Hottest pepper in the world (1 million Scoville heat units).

Heirloom tomatoes have arrived. Last chance for corn gluten

$42.99 for a huge 40 lb bag to cover 4,000 sq. feet - the perfect

organic solution to weed control. | We have a big selection of

shrubs and vines, and the fruit trees are looking good too: apple,

apricot, peach, plum and pear: $29.99.

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SPRING 2012 LECTURE SERIES begins next Sunday at 2 p.m.

"All You Need to Know about Growing Tomatoes,” with experts

Kevin Callaway (soil prep, compost, fertilizers), Dwight Littleton

(raised beds), and Chris Winslow (weather and varietal choices -

see article below). Feb 26 (Free)

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[coming soon... March 4, 2 p.m. “How to Have a Lovely Garden…

and Eat It Too,” with former Statesman writer Renee Studebaker.]

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Lawnmowers & Tools: this is the time to get them ready for their

springtime workout. A useful video from the National Gardening

Association: lawn mower maintenance

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Central Texas Gardener (KLRU-TV): a visit to the amazing Sun-

shine Community Gardens, and an in-studio chat with Springdale

farmers Paula and Glenn Foore about transitions from winter to

summer crops. Sat. noon or 4 p.m. or Sun: 9 a.m. www.klru.org/ctg/

by Chris Winslow

This is the time of year for Austin's gardeners to come up with

strategies for creating their bumper tomato crops for 2012.

Texas A&M’s Agrilife calendar places mid-March as the kick-off

for tomato planting. March 15 also coincides with the average

last frost date.

There is a myriad of tomato varieties to choose from, and it works

best if you break it down into 2 main groups: heirlooms and hybrids.

Heirloom tomatoes are older, heritage varieties that are open poll-

inated and breed true to their variety. Their seed can be harvested,

saved, and grown from year to year.

The advantage of saving and re-growing seeds is that a particular

variety will get used to the local climate and garden conditions.

A disadvantage? Many of them don’t have built-in disease resistance.

Heirlooms come in a wide range of colors, shapes and sizes. Seed

catalogs and garden web sites list hundreds of varieties.

The most popular for this area are Brandywine, Cherokee Purple,

Black Krim, Arkansas Traveler, yellow and red pear, Mortgage

Lifter, Roma, and Bloody Butcher.

Hybrid tomato varieties are not open pollinated and their seed do

not breed true. Hybrids are selected crosses to promote traits such

as high yields, disease resistance, and high temperature fruit set.

Some popular hybrid varieties in this area: Phoenix, Tycoon, BHN

444, Solar Flare, Solar Fire, Valley Girl, Better Boy, Big Boy, Patio,

and Celebrity - the number one hybrid choice of central Texas

gardeners for over 25 years.

Rodeo 602 is new hybrid variety that’s just been released by BHN

seed company. This medium-sized, heat tolerant tomato has the

potential to produce up to 30-pound yields. It also has a great

disease resistant package including tomato spotted wilt virus.

In trying to plan out what to grow this spring, plant a few varieties

of both heirlooms and hybrids and keep records of your successes.

And don’t forget to plant some cherry tomatoes. They never fail.

Happy gardening everyone!

Visit the website: www.itsaboutthyme.com

Visit the nursery:11726 Manchaca Road, Austin 78748

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