| Author | Content |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
August 22, 2009
07:33 PM Post #6977220
| This has popped up in several of my planters, and I'm not sure if it is a volunteer tomatoe of some sort, or a mis-labeled seed packet, because I have googled all the types of seed I've planted, and I can't find anything similiar. But I have only planted tomatoes once, last year, and don't see how that could have been so wide spread through my compost?!
Grateful for any tips and advice,
Julia
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ladygardener1
Near Lake Erie, NW, PA
(Zone 5a)
August 22, 2009
07:35 PM Post #6977225
| Tomato |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
August 22, 2009
07:39 PM Post #6977237
| Wow, that was quick! Thanks, I'll see if it actually grows one, or if it is ...infertile? Not sure on the word for that, but I suspect it's predecessor was an hybrid. Time will tell, though. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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LTilton
Glen Ellyn, IL
(Zone 5b)
August 22, 2009
07:43 PM Post #6977248
| If it was a hybrid it should still be fertile - you just don't know what the fruits will be like. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
August 22, 2009
07:45 PM Post #6977254
| Thanks, I'll just have to be patient:>) |
ladygardener1
Near Lake Erie, NW, PA
(Zone 5a)
August 22, 2009
07:47 PM Post #6977263
| Well, it looks like a healthy one and in bloom too. No reason way it should not give you a tomato or 2. Not sure of the growing season for tomatoes in your area. Sadly mine are coming to the end of the season. |
cando1
Ozone, AR
(Zone 6a)
August 22, 2009
08:56 PM Post #6977464
| That was a beautiful picture of a tomato plant. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
August 23, 2009
12:31 AM Post #6978139
| Thanks cando1, I'm learning to enjoy taking pics...of everything! The dog, the kitten, that rock...there is beauty everywhere!
ladygardener1-I'm expecting about 2 more months of heat around here. We usually get our first cold snap right around Halloween, so there's lots of time to find out what that tomato is. Hopefully it won't look like the one I saw on the Homesteading forum!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1029622/
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tucsonjill
Tucson, AZ
(Zone 9a)
August 23, 2009
12:42 AM Post #6978158
| Just so you know for the future, home composting kills many things--but NOT tomato seeds! One year my DH threw a bunch of overripe tomatoes into our compost--the next spring we had volunteers all over the place!
I also get various kinds of squash & cucumbers coming up from compost. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
August 23, 2009
10:47 AM Post #6979035
| I am just amazed at how thoroughly that one little tomato plant has infiltrated the whole batch! I got a tomato plant in my carrots, in my pole beans and in my herb planter! It hasn't missed a planter yet!. On the plus side, I know I won't have any difficulty growing tomatoes if I want to! |
tucsonjill
Tucson, AZ
(Zone 9a)
August 23, 2009
05:18 PM Post #6980312
| I've also had some fun years where the ground squirrels made off with tomatoes--I'd get them in places I never would have imagined! |
HoneybeeNC
Charlotte, NC
(Zone 7b)
August 24, 2009
12:04 PM Post #6982958
| gardenza - I had volunteer tomatoes pop up this year, too. I transplanted them all to one 8' x 4' bed and they are just starting to color - except for the cherry ones - they are almost finished. They were very sweet, and I assume they were volunteers from the "Sweet Baby Girl" seeds I set last year.
It's kinda fun to wait for something unexpected to ripen - maybe one will be sooooo delicious I'll want to save seed for next year. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
August 24, 2009
06:16 PM Post #6984228
| tusconjill-With all the strange places squirrell's like to hide stuff, you've probably had some funny surprises! Where's the weirdest place you've found an out-of-place volunteer?
HoneeybeeNC-you had enough volunteers to fill an 8' x 4' bed?! I thought getting four plants was bad! It's funny that you got both regular and cherry, too. I can't remember how long it takes for tomatoes to ripen, maybe a month from flower to eatin'? |
HoneybeeNC
Charlotte, NC
(Zone 7b)
August 25, 2009
12:47 PM Post #6986786
| gardenza - an Arugula grew under my oak tree - heavy clay soil that I had thrown some leaves on. Sure looked pretty when it flowered. I think the birds "moved" the seed. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
August 26, 2009
03:20 PM Post #6991180
| Arugula-I had to look that up, I couldn't remember what it was!
I can sure relate to that hard clay soil problem, isn't it a pain to work with:>(
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gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 14, 2009
06:38 PM Post #7064326
| Here they are: still no idea what kind, but at least they are growing! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 15, 2009
01:47 PM Post #7067313
| I got a monster cantalope in my compost this year. One single plant covered twenty square feet. First cantalope weighed about fifteen pounds. Didn't intend to plant any fall cucumbers but got a bunch up in the compost pile. Now have fall cucumbers running up the wire of my raised bed. Have no idea what they will be like as it came from a hybrid plant. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 15, 2009
03:43 PM Post #7067665
| I can't even imagine a 15 lb cantaloupe! Was it sweet?
This is all definitely fun! Kind of like free veggies, with a sense of suspense thrown in:>) I was given a bag of old eggplants and I'm going to toss them into the worm bin. I've never grown eggplant myself, but I suspect next year I'm going to have lots! I'll just pull out the plants that won't work in any particular area. |
Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 15, 2009
05:33 PM Post #7068013
| It wasn't quite as good as the Ambrosia it came from, but definitely had a good taste. I have no idea what it reverted back to. Did you look at the picture? It measured nine inchs across there. It was still green and growing. If I have it I'll post a picture of the vine. Couldn't believe all that came from one little plant. It made about fifteen or twenty cantalopes. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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HoneybeeNC
Charlotte, NC
(Zone 7b)
September 16, 2009
12:00 PM Post #7070401
| You gotta love those volunteers! Yesterday I picked a bag full of volunteer tomatoes for someone at work. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 16, 2009
05:41 PM Post #7071431
| It is a great argument for the value of compost!
There is a guy who raises and sells worms for compost bins who is experimenting with growing veggies in a worm bin. I guess he's had some volunteers spring up that gave him that idea. I might try it too. |
Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 16, 2009
09:59 PM Post #7072533
| Worm castings are the perfect fertilizer. Equivalent to 33.5 amonia nitrate, yet gentle enough that you can pot an African Violet in pure castings. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 16, 2009
11:03 PM Post #7072740
| Well, I just happen to have an African violet that hasn't bloomed in a year. Maybe if I dose it with some worm poo it will be happier? The leaves look ok, just no flowers.
I like the worm composting, but this fellow is REALLY into it!
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/
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Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 17, 2009
09:42 AM Post #7073647
| Raised worms commercially for 2 years. Liked to have worked myself to death. Was feeding 5 yards of cow manure a week. Come spring when you sell a lot of worms for fish bait, it flooded all spring. Fish didn't bite. Worms didn't sell. Dumped the lot. Wish I had some of them back now to feed my garden.
My mom was big into African Violets. She put egg shells in a quart jar of water and put in the frig for a week. Then used that to water her violets. Might give that a try. |
HoneybeeNC
Charlotte, NC
(Zone 7b)
September 17, 2009
11:49 AM Post #7074064
| Jim41 - I used to raise African violets and sold them on E-bay. My potting mix consisted of equal parts of perlite, vermiculite and worm castings, plus a few additives that I'd have to look up, 'cause I can't remember what they were!
gardenza - One reason Africn violets will not bloom is if they are in a pot that is too big. Even the largest violet needs a pot no bigger than 3" in diameter.
I used to have a web site that gave all the information for raising AV's, but AOL in all it's wisdom closed-down all their free web pages!
You'll get all the info you need on raising them from the African Violet Society of America - here's the link:
http://www.avsa.org/
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gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 17, 2009
04:20 PM Post #7074949
| Thanks, HoneyBee, for the link. I had heard that they like their roots to be cramped, but I didn't realize that could keep them from blooming. Maybe when I remove it to replace the soil I will put some small rocks in the pot to make them feel more 'cozy'.
Wow, Jim, you must have had a ton of worms, to need that much manure! What were you doing with all the castings? I bet you could have made more money from selling worm poo then worms:>) |
Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 17, 2009
11:39 PM Post #7076274
| If I had known then what I know now, I would have been in the casting business.
Years ago my mom raised African Violets. No one touched them but her. When we moved to Louisiana she moved them with her. I can remember them being around for a couple of years and then they just dissappeared. Being a kid, I didn't think anything about it or miss them. I've oftened wondered what she did with them. I guess the life of a farm wife was just to demanding to keep them. Back then it was cows to milk, and chickens to feed and kill, as well picking and canning a huge garden. All of that was in addition to running a household. We had a washer but it was the old clothes line to dry. She was a hand at raising those violets. To late to ask questions now. |
HoneybeeNC
Charlotte, NC
(Zone 7b)
September 18, 2009
11:32 AM Post #7077568
| Jim41 - now that I have a job, I don't have time for AV's either :(
One day I'll retire for a second time, then, perhaps I will get back into it. |
Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 18, 2009
02:11 PM Post #7078018
| Know what you mean. The only day I've been at home this week and it's raining. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 19, 2009
11:23 AM Post #7080995
| Jim41-All I want is to get on a farm/ranch and be self-sufficient. I never thought that it might mean giving up the pretty things. It seems so sad that your mom had to give up the AV's.
Have you been to the vermicompost forum at DG? With your experience you could give some good advice to those who are just beginning.
Well, after following up on all the advice and links here I've realized I'm lucky my little AV is still alive, so I'm going to repot it today, divide up the several crowns I suspect I have, put it in a smaller pot with some worm castings, and hope it gives me some flowers in a week or two.
Thanks again,
Julia |
Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 19, 2009
11:30 AM Post #7081013
| Do you guys ever root leaves? I remember my mom taking leaves that fell or got knocked off and putting them on top of the soil in a new little pot. In a few days she had another AV. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 20, 2009
12:49 AM Post #7083162
| Where did your mom learn so much about AV's? Was your Grandma into them too? |
Jim41
Delhi, LA
September 20, 2009
10:10 PM Post #7086105
| No, I never knew of my grandmother having a plant of any kind around. When I was small in Memphis, I just remember our windows being full of AV's. Don't have a clue of where she got her start or who taught her how to raise them. The only thing I'm sure of is that someone gave her a start, there wasn't any money to buy plants in those days. I also remember that no one was allowed to touch them but her. Strange what comes back to your mind. That was 58 years ago. Mom always had a lot of potted plants around her. She gave my wife and I her Century Plant. It got so big I couldn't move it and it got killed one winter. We had given my sister a cutting, but hers just sits and never grows. We took a cutting of it and it has grown like crazy. Not supposed to bloom for ten years and ours bloomed this year. Think of Mom everytime I see it. |
gardenza
Anza, CA
(Zone 8b)
September 21, 2009
04:19 PM Post #7088581
| Sounds like you have your mom's green thumb:>)
I repotted my AV, and found I had three crowns, so I separated them up and now have a small collection. I think they are going to not be too affected, they haven't wilted or turned brown yet.
Keeping them in bright but not direct light is hard, but so far so good. |
HoneybeeNC
Charlotte, NC
(Zone 7b)
September 22, 2009
11:48 AM Post #7091844
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| Quoted: | | Do you guys ever root leaves? |
The best leaves to root on African Violets are number seven and eight from the center. Just start in the middle, count out and around and pluck number seven and eight. Old leaves don't always root. |
