The best tomatoes to grow where you live........

[boggybranch]

.....from a Mother Earth News email:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Best-Tomatoes-To-Grow-By-Region.aspx

 

[ducks4you]

WOW! GREAT article!! Thanks --I like that the country is divided into 8 sections--that makes sense when you look at weather patterns.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Interesting article.

Thanks for sharing.

Carlos

 

[vfem]

Oh, I just listed a bunch of Mother Earth's suggestions off to someone here.... Whitewater maybe?

 

[sandyullom]

Great article and I'm excited that I actually have purchased seeds for some of the best in the Midwest - hope they're right!! One of the comments at the end of the article said to mulch, mulch, mulch tomatoes. What is the best kind of mulch to use for tomatoes?

 

[vfem]

Great article and I'm excited that I actually have purchased seeds for some of the best in the Midwest - hope they're right!! One of the comments at the end of the article said to mulch, mulch, mulch tomatoes. What is the best kind of mulch to use for tomatoes?

Long as it keep rain or watering from splashing up on the bottom of the leaves (blight blight blight) most anything is fine. Straw, black weed tarp, hardwood mulch, ect. I use hardwood and straw on most of my garden.

 

[mothergoose]

I liked the artical too. I also have already picked tomatos that they say grow good in the midwest.

I have a question? what is borage? We do not have a hornworm problem, but I don't want one either. Does borage prevent hornworms? How much of it do you have to plant?

Christie

 

[Ridgerunner]

As vfem said, you can use a lot of different things for mulch. I spread a couple of layers of newspaper on the ground and then use grass clippings, old wood chips, straw, whatever is handy, to hold it in place. I avoid cardboard and that shiny glossy newspaper next to the plants since it can cause the water to run off instead of soak through, especially if it dries out, but I will use that in between the rows where I walk. The cardboard I'm talkling about is the cereal box type, not he heavy brown packing box type.

I'm no mulch expert by a long shot but I want a mulch that keeps moisture in, keeps weeds suppressed, allows rain to soak through, breaks down in time to turn under for the next season (not necessarily totally turned to humus but well on the way), keeps rain or watering from knocking spores in the ground up on the plants, and is plentiful and cheap. Different people may have different criteria for many different reaons or may have plenty of something else cheap and readily available they can use, but this system works for me.

Borage is an herb used in certain types of cooking. I won't grow it as it is not one I would use much, if at all, and my chickens enjoy the few horned worms I find. I don't get that many horned worms anyway and they are easy for me to spot from their damage and droppings before they do serious damage. I'd rather use the gardening space for crops that I consider more useful. Others may find borage to be useful.

 

[wifezilla]

I accidentally picked stuff that is great for my area.

Black cherry tomato and Black Krim are the two I am most excited about

My plants are about 8" tall right now and I am running out of room under the lights. Come on Spring!!!

 

[boggybranch]

Borage is, reportedly, a good pollinator attractant. They plant it around gardens in the UK to attract bees. Gonna try it this year, myself.