I always have hopes of getting the lettuce and other greens into the garden really early.  As usual, the hopes don't pan out and the garden gets planted with greens in early April. Part of this is the intensity of preparing seedlings for the market, and part is not wishing to run the deer sprinklers when it can still frost. Therefore, the salad and greens lover in us celebrates these cool, wet stretches as a good way to extend the lettuce harvest (which actually is just beginning for us). 

Caitlin was nice enough to dig my tomato holes in the big garden - which was fortunate. The big rains of the past few days resulted in a few of the tomato holes filling to the brim with water, indicative of very poor drainage. Now that I know where that will happen, I can adjust my planting technique for those areas accordingly, aiming to plant higher, rather than in the bowl of water, so that the plants won't drown. 

This reminds me to tell you to ensure that wherever you plant your tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings, be sure you have good drainage. A plant that wilts despite adequate watering is a sure sign that the plant is suffocating due to poor drainage. This should not be a problem if you are using containers with nice, fluffy soilless mix or compost, and have drainage holes at the bottom. 

Of course, the flip side to this cool weather is that it will slow down the growth of the heat lovers such as peppers and eggplant. But no worries - it is a long growing season, and a summer of more moderate temperatures may delay harvest a bit, but also cut down on blossom drop and diseases. The most typical fungal diseases we experience, such as Early Blight and Fusarium wilt, really kick in when it heats up, especially when it is also humid. And we don't need that to ruin our 2013 gardens.

My current garden status:  All beets and greens are planted, lettuce harvest begins, garden is prepared for tomatoes and basil and beans (but I won't plant for a few days yet), and my tomatoes, peppers and eggplant have been selected for the containers and garden.  We may have one more week at the market, and two weeks with an ample supply of seedlings. Work on the book continues, and the book photography is about half done. All is proceeding to plan!

I can tell it is Sunday morning in late April because I am exhausted (despite 9 hours of sleep and a nice breakfast of Belgian Waffles with Farmers Market strawberries).  First, thanks to everyone who stopped by our humble booth on Friday and Saturday.  I loved our chats, and hope that our seedling babies excel for you this year. It was a wonderful mix of passers-by who found us and engaged in some tomato talk, fairly new regulars who came back because they enjoyed what our plants did for them in recent years, and a healthy contingent of our true stalwarts - those who go back to our Dixie Cup days, up to 15 years ago!

Hence my exhaustion....all that talking runs the batteries of even this self-professed extrovert down to where a few days of relative, restorative silence is needed. So it is out to unpack the car and truck, re-alphabetize things and take stock of where things are. Hence a jump to item three - next weekend. I am undecided....do we call it quits for this season at the market, or embark on one more Friday/Saturday instance? It is a complicated decision that includes the prospect of getting a space (that is not up in the Craft area.....that is just asking for a very quiet couple of days that isn't worth the time), the  condition of the replants, and the interest level. I will decide as the week wears on.

Now on to a topic that some of you asked me about....grafted tomato plants - the advantages, and whether I will ever carry them. Grafted tomato plants are essentially the physical combination of a specific variety "top" combined with a disease resistant "bottom", or rootstock. They need to be carried out individually; the root stock variety must be grown out, then the top removed, and the desired variety grafted on, and the hope that the graft "takes". The premise is that, since many tomato diseases enter through the root system from infected soil (particularly the fungal diseases such as Fusarium and the tiny worm that imparts Nematode damage), a root stock that has genetic resistance prevents infection of the plant, thus helping to promote a better chance at healthy growth throughout the season, which of course means a better harvest.

The reason I've not offered (or carried out) grafts is simply due to the size of our operation - meaning, me! I've not the time to add that to my repertoire, especially since the labor (time) effort significantly increases. Which varieties would I choose to graft? It would make things far more complex. The other factor that comes to mind is the chance of entry of disease from the top of the plant from infected critters chewing or infected soil splashing. The grafted plant would have no advantage at all over ungrafted plants in those cases, which is very common around here.

Hope that helps!

Quite a few of  you had a special request or to - to replace a damaged plant, or to supply a variety I didn't have with me. Be sure to email me so we can work those out. Also, I have PLENTY of most things remaining, so keep those orders coming, because home pickup here at our N Raleigh house works very well for us!

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone, and thanks again for your support and friendship. Sue and I (and Sara and Caitlin) value each and every one of you!

Though it was a brisk morning, it was a delightful day at the market - steady, not crazy busy, and we were very happy to see many familiar faces...in fact, this week we've chatted with many customers who have been with us since near the beginning (when we were known at the market as the Dixie Cup tomato plant people!).  Hard to believe but that was 15 years ago...we feel so fortunate that our plants have been a part of so many gardens for so many years.

We hope to see you on Saturday near the bakery tent in space 4 - I will get there at 8 AM or so, and will have a slew of special orders with me.  There is a nice selection of hot and sweet peppers and eggplant (finally!). And tomatoes, of course...though we are starting to run low on a few varieties, and are totally out of a few.  And the Mexico Midget and Coyote tomato varieties are not big enough....next week for those.

So, what was good at the market?  we came home with some nice looking cucumbers, scallions, strawberries, kale, collards, asparagus (we love the purple variety), and Sue found a big bunch of beautiful beets. This haul of fresh produce inspired me to whip up a nice spring spaghetti dish using the scallions and beet greens we purchased today. Additional ingredients were garlic, olive oil, sweet onion, sweet pepper and zucchini, seasoned with salt, pepper, basil and hot pepper flakes....essentially a quick saute that we mixed with some cooked whole wheat spaghetti. Yum....we like beets, but just love the beet greens!

See you Saturday!

News flash!  We are all set up in space 4; if you enter at the bakery end, it is just two spaces down on the left.  So last week we were among plants, and this week we will be among strawberries, veggies and other goodies!

Yesterday was a perfect morning for photography - so hours were spent documenting the following:  preparing the garden bed, digging holes, planting a few seedlings, staking, caging, preparing containers, filling and planting. We've already completed pictures of seed starting and transplanting. All that remains (all?) are the mid season progress shots (growing methods, pruning, tying, maintenance, and issues such as disease and critter damage) scheduled for sometime late May, and the big one in July - whole ripe fruit on and off the vine, sliced fruit, use in recipes and preservation and seed saving.  That will be a fun photoshoot!  Oh yes...there is that pesky final 20K words or so that need to be written over the coming month!

And so we are at another Thursday. Today is all about more transplanting, labeling, watering, packing the truck and setting up at the market. Once I get set up this evening I will update this blog entry with my location. It is prime time - the plants are perfect planting size, the weather is the perfect planting weather. It is time!

Each year something gives me headaches - this season it has been the slow growth of some eggplant varieties. I think that the issue is early herbicide drift from a neighbor's lawn treatment. The varieties Antigua, Batu and New York Improved seem the most troubled. If you got any eggplant from me and it is doing poorly, contact me for a refund or replacement plants.

The last two days have been all about transplanting to fill in the holes left by the weekend at the market, planning my own garden - and, tomorrow, another day of photography for the book. Stephen is coming over for the day and I am going to plant in the garden and in containers. Should be fun!

A few of you are interested in having some seedlings shipped. This is not something we are going to do on a widespread basis, but if I've discussed it with you, next week is when the plants may be ready.....watch for an email from me if you are expecting shipped seedlings.

Brrrrr.....it's good to be back home, a pork wrap from Cafe Capistrano sitting nicely in the belly and a Foothills People's Porter long gone.  But it was quite a day. A really good day, that, as always on Saturdays during our plant sales, is a bit of a blur.  Some impressions, in no particular order:

To the nice young couple to whom my wife sold six plants, including Stump of the World and Lillian's Yellow - apologies for what Sue thinks is an incident of bad math due to cold, resulting in overcharging! Please email and either get more plants or a refund! (sometimes plants and math don't mix....)

The delight of selling next to what must be one of the nicest people anywhere, Mr. E. L. Wheeler, he of really nice perennials and a lovely demeanor.

Reuniting, unexpectedly, with old friends from my former life (when working in the Pharma Industry). Tom and Deana, and TIm - it was so nice seeing you again.

Visits from tomato buddies, long time customers, new customers - it is always so nice to recognize you and see your smiling faces and catch up on what life has thrown at us all over the year.

Realizing how life throws us delights and struggles, and learning of health challenges of some of our good friends and customers. Your stories touched us deeply and you will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Introducing some very new customers to the wonderful world of heirloom tomatoes. Each year we realize we've lost some customers to age, relocation, or just a switch in hobbies (or frustration with critters or plant diseases) - but we also are fortunate to replenish with new people with their own stories and gardens and favorites to share.

When it comes down to it, each year we are reminded that what we do, what we share, what we grow isn't about the money - it really isn't so much about the tomatoes - it is about life, good conversations, and making the most out of it all. 

We sincerely appreciate each and every one of you.  Thanks for your business, support, and friendship.

Today was really enjoyable - lots of our great annual seedling friends coming to sample our veggie seedlings, lots of garden talk, a nice breeze blowing through the market. Thanks to everyone who came by!  The weather was very curious and reminiscent of two years ago when the tornado outbreak occurred close by. 

When I got home, we decided that it would be wise to move some things into the garage and quickly fill the truck and Sue's car with whatever was big enough to bring tomorrow. So tomorrow's tomato selection will be not quite as complete as we would like, but does represent the largest of our seedlings. Sunday, it will be back to transplanting!  I will be able to take stock of where we are with varieties following this weekend. I am sure a few things will be running low, but we will be in good shape with the various colored Cherokees and with Sungold throughout.  Unfortunately, we will have very few peppers or eggplant tomorrow. They just aren't the size needed for them to leave home yet!

Today my helper was my daughter, Sara....tomorrow, it will be my wife, Susan. So come on out - asparagus is now being sold here and there, and a few strawberries (but not nearly as many as typical for this time of year).  Let's talk tomatoes!

Don't forget - Space 47, next to Mr. E L Wheeler, a few spaces to the right of the central restrooms.

We are all set up in space 47, which is  on the sunny side - near the center restrooms, on the Lake Wheeler Road side (not the seafood restaurant side), more toward the plants, not the vegetable vendors. This weekend is going to be about tomatoes!  They look great (finally), and the selection is pretty much complete (except Mexico Midget - they are still coming along, but tiny!). I have but a few trays of eggplant, hot peppers, sweet peppers and Cossack Pineapples - next weekend will be better for those.

See you tomorrow or Saturday - at space 47!

Wednesday just vanished. My main task was to go through emails from those of you who sent me special seedling requests and put them in a notebook and start to pull the orders together....and I thought that along with that, I'd roast coffee, mow the lawn, and get lots of transplanting done.  Nope.....I spent the day on writing in the notebook and assembling and filling orders - had some great chats with those of you who stopped by.  At least we managed to walk the dogs!

So Thursday I will do a bit more of the same, hopefully accomplish some of what went undone today. If all goes well I will load up the truck and head for the Farmers Market Thursday after dinner to set up...then update the From The Vine seedling site with my location. Friday and Saturday, between 8-3 or 4, I will be at the market.  I look forward to seeing some of you stop by our little booth!

As far as my own garden - the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant - I am going to get that moving along next week.  I can't wait!

This will be short and sweet....

Following two wonderful, productive days working with my book editor, it is time to turn my attention back to the tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings.  Starting tomorrow - nearly today, actually (Wednesday, April 17), feel free to schedule a time to come by and get your seedlings.  I am around all day Wednesday, Thursday until 4 PM, then again starting Sunday and throughout next Thursday.  Of course, you will find us at the Market Fri and Sat for the next two weeks at least.  

I've got many orders that you emailed to me that I will begin to set aside tomorrow.  As always, for the larger orders (more than half a dozen plants), picking them up from our home really helps us out - that way we can bring the maximum selection and number to the Market for the browsers on our Fridays and Saturdays.

Email reaches me more easily than phone calls - nctomatoman@gmail.com - hope to hear from you...and see you...soon!

By the way - most varieties are at least of reasonable size, except some slower growing (heat craving) peppers and eggplant, and the late to the party but now up and growing Mexico Midget tomatoes.