_TheZenMaster said:
Also, I am sure that this will come as a surprise to a few folks here but the recommendation from Craig LeHoullier that you passed along to me regarding the use of StaGreen mixed with cow manure has turned out to be superb.

StaGreen for sure needs mixing with something. Alone it's rotten stuff; no nutrients and FULL of sticks and big pieces of bark.

TomatoNut95 said: StaGreen for sure needs mixing with something. Alone it's rotten stuff; no nutrients and FULL of sticks and big pieces of bark.

I know that you do not like the stuff Miss Anne but I tossed a few of the larger sticks over the fence and it is working real good for me!

The StaGreen Plus Fertilizer that I purchased says it can feed plants up to 9-months. I am sure that is marketing but still, it does have some nutrients added.

Add the cow manure and my plants sure seem to love the stuff.

If you decide to give it a try again you can save the lumber for kindling!

@TomatoNut95
Miss Anne, i tryed rootin sum mator suckers like that several times an did'nt have one bit of luck. I wus talkin to my buddy in Tejas this mornin an he said he's gittin a good rain to.

Total for this day was 6 and 5/8" rain, lots of roads are temporary creeks, tomatoes did fine, tho I tied a few more branches up. I have zero problems putting tomato suckers in the ground and they grow fast and sturdy. I just don't need more tomato plants, chuckl. None of my plants are happy with the shredded wood and bagged composts- at least not until the 2nd year when they have aged a year more. I am using 1/3 the bagged stuff to my old mediums and having great luck with it.

My plants are loving the bagged StaGreen Hügelkultur lumber mix!

(3) Cherokee purple:






(2) Porter's Pride:

Usually soil with too much uncomposted wood in it uses nitrogen out of the soil to break down the wood, so it steals nitrogen from the plants. Using it the way you did, Zen, with the cow manure added would supply an extra boost of nitrogen to offset that factor.

I add an extra measure of alfalfa pellets to mine if I get a bag with too many chunks of wood in it. That seems to do the same - supply a little extra nitrogen so there's enough left for the plants.

dyzzypyxxy said: Usually soil with too much uncomposted wood in it uses nitrogen out of the soil to break down the wood, so it steals nitrogen from the plants. Using it the way you did, Zen, with the cow manure added would supply an extra boost of nitrogen to offset that factor.

I add an extra measure of alfalfa pellets to mine if I get a bag with too many chunks of wood in it. That seems to do the same - supply a little extra nitrogen so there's enough left for the plants.

All I know is that the plants are loving the stuff!

And this is the top that was decapitated from one of the Cherokee purple plants during the hail storm - all I did was trim off leaves till I could plant 6-inches of the stem into the old Happy Frog, and kept it watered - once it started showing signs of life I gave it some Dr. Earth!

Zeta7 said: @TomatoNut95
Miss Anne, i tryed rootin sum mator suckers like that several times an did'nt have one bit of luck. I wus talkin to my buddy in Tejas this mornin an he said he's gittin a good rain to.

I never have luck with cuttings either but I thought, what the heck. I'm keeping 3 outside and 1 inside.

I had hoped to plant more tomatoes today but ran out of steam and did not plant any. I really wanted to plant my sixpack of Early Girls.

I was weeding pots and adding potting mix and planting basil seedlings. I like to give friends basil with my tomatoes in the summer.

Your plants certainly look happy, ZM! I also had a plant that was accidentally "decapitated" I think I must have bumped it somehow - my plants are still indoors - and didn't notice it until the next day; stuck the top part in some water for a few days, then back into a pot, and it now looks perfectly fine. (of course, it was a variety that I only had one of...) Whew!

Weedwhacker said: Your plants certainly look happy, ZM! I also had a plant that was accidentally "decapitated" I think I must have bumped it somehow - my plants are still indoors - and didn't notice it until the next day; stuck the top part in some water for a few days, then back into a pot, and it now looks perfectly fine. (of course, it was a variety that I only had one of...) Whew!

I really am surprised how good that little guy is doing! I had no idea that a tomato clipping could be rooted, and all I did was stick in the soil and keep it watered.

I cannot recall who suggested that I stick it in the soil but many thanks indeed!

One year a few of my tomatoes got way too gangly before I was able to plant them out in the high tunnel and I deliberately lopped a few of them off and re-rooted the tops .

Anyone growing Extreme Bush or Stupice? I came across a post I bookmarked from
'dave' saying both are earlier than Early Girl, both OP, and the Extreme Bush is a great plant.

I was thinking about growing Extreme Bush this year but decided on New Big Dwarf instead... maybe next year, though!

@zenmaster Plant are looking good! I use whatever is on sale/cheap, and always from a bigger store to reduce threat of contamination.

This weekend I'll refresh my pots with the usual. Leftover potting soil, peat, vermiculite, a large bag of MG I got for 50'% off last fall and some balanced fertilizer (time released). I refresh the pots with a bit of new but mostly whatever is leftover from spring seeding.

It's different every time but always grows things really well.

I also purchased a manure compost mix I plan to place around all my vining plants. It sells out quick so happy I managed to grab a few bags.

Tomatoes spent their first night outside on the deck and they did good! Will be nice to get my house back.

"Tomatoes spent their first night outside on the deck and they did good! Will be nice to get my house back."

Until the harvesting starts...

@sallyg I grew Stupice last winter and the winter before. Very nice tomatoes, and definitely the first to bear of my 8 varieties this last year. I haven't grown Early Girl for years, so can't tell you any comparison there.

I've grown both 'Stupice' and 'Jaune Flamme' for early, small-medium sized tomatoes and really like them both. I learned about them in Carolyn Male's book, _100 Heirloom Tomtoes for the American Garden_. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761114009/

Be sure to let JF fully ripen -- there should be a good blush of pink on the bottom, enough to extend to the interior of the tomato (you may need to cut into a few while you learn when they are ripe enough to be delicious).

I worked some Dynamite Mater Magic into the soil in my containers and discovered the doodle dog likes it. I caught him digging in the pots! All plants survived although the tall skinny Patio Yellow Choice was bent over. I don't think it was broken and I added extra potting mix to hold it up. It could have been the stiff winds we had but probably the dog. Farmer's markets abound in this area, there are good ones nearby every day. Why do I keep driving myself crazy and pouring money down the drain to try and grow them myself? It is not like I have to rely on grocery store tomatoes (except in winter.) I can get delicious, organically grown toms for a fraction of what it costs to grow my own. Obviously I am a masochist.