I am going back tomorrow and buy several more of the Marglobe tomatoes - if we have a wet summer, these will be the tomatoes I need for canning. They are determinate and produce in 73 days from when you set them out, so I should get a big crop all at once before it gets too hot (if it does again), and that is what you need when you are going to can your tomatoes.

I love nursery shopping this time of year.

I grow all my tomatoes and peppers from seed. Transplanted the last of them on Saturday. Cherokee Purple is a favorite along with Sun Gold cherries.

You're planting alyssum and I'm getting ready to pull mine. It's amazing the difference a couple zones makes.

I grew my Juliet and Roma Tomatoes, but didn't get around to getting the others started in time due to family issues. So, I had to buy the others this year.

I did get all my cucumbers and okra sown and they are all up and looking good. Will transplant them out into the garden soon.

I can save all the tomato & Zucchini seeds and use them next year, I guess. (Will start more Zuchs in late summer for the fall garden)

None of the pepper seeds grew. Too old I suppose :(

In the small veggie garden, I already have the Romas, Early Girl toms planted. Also the Jalapeno Peppers, Broccoli and Cabbages, Cilantro, and beets. I sowed the Italian Flat-leaf Parsley in there last Fall, so there are already several nice big plants and ready to start drying.

I just love the Cherokee Purple - slurpalicious!
Can't wait for that first juicy tomato!

You pull your Allysum? I just give mine a "haircut" and they revive and bloom again. Sometimes I even get new plants the following year from the seeds.

I was born and raised in Southern California and learned to garden there where it was semi-arid & sub-tropical. When I got married, I moved to Louisiana and lived there for ten years (where my children were born). Gardening there in the same zone was very similar, except that there was a LOT more rainfall, of course. When I moved up here to Oklahoma, in 1980, I had to re-learn how to garden all over AGAIN, as if I had never gardened before. This is NOT the ideal place to try to have a productive garden. It's a continuous battle against all the elements...believe me. And no two years are ever the same. Gads.

Cherokee Purples have to be my favorite tomato, I'm also growing Celebrity which is another favorite of mine. I'm trying Rinaldo, Ernesto and Provenzano for the first time. Cherries, Snow White, Cherrio and Black Cherry. I will be growing these on in the greenhouse until june, then they'll be planted out that is IF we have a decent summer. The last two years have been a bust here so they just may stay in the greenhouse.
I'll be growing a dozen or more heirloom bean varieties, Cherokee Trail of Tears will be my main (DH's favorite) plus Selma Zebra, Blue Shackamaxon, Barksdale, Kew Blue, Gigandes, Blue Greasy Grit, Grandma's Yugoslavian, Bosnian Pole, Comtesse de Chambord, Wood Mountain Crazy Beans, Bird Egg #3 and a few more. I love these old heirlooms can't beat them for flavor and tenderness. I'm also growing the new purple snow pea Shiraz from the UK.

Annette

I have learned what my limit is with tomatoes - about 50 plants is the most I can manage with all the tying in, nipping sideshoots and feeding. Had Cherokee Purple a couple of times but couldn't get on with the rampant proliferation and splitting - plus they were just too big. In previous years, I have grown over a dozen varieties from seed but limit myself to 5 or so. Always grow Ferline because it does have good blight resistance. Always grow matina - a FAST (55 days) potato leaf type. This year, I also have Craigella and Bloody Butcher...oh, and Sungold for the little ones. I don't do canning but I do make ketchup. Although the jamming asnd cordial season wears me out, one must have blackcurrants, strawbs, plums, redcurrants, raspberries and tayberries. Then there are citrus, apricots and nectarines. And, of course, the pear and apple cordons. Yep, fruit is my next best love, after roses. veggies, although I grow them, comes quite far down the list of garden delights, I'm afraid.

Down here alyssum is a cool weather annual. Love that sweet scent.

I'm trying Rinaldo, Ernesto and Provenzano for the first time.

Not familiar with any of those. New for me this year are Indian Stripe, Marianna's Peace, Jet Star, and Rutgers. In addition to Cherokee Purple and Sun Gold, regulars are Brandy Boy and Sweet Tangerine. I typically grow Viva Italia (plum), but decided not to this year.

Annette, I've never heard of those bean varieties. Gosh, you plant alot of beans. I don't have room and since I don't can I can't eat them enough before they dry up.

Christine, a lot of these beans I grow just for the seed, some of these varieties are very hard to find in fact some are near extinction so I save seed and pass them on to others who can grow them out in larger numbers.
Having a small garden this means I have to bag a lot of the flowers to make sure they don't cross pollinate, we only eat what I don't bag. One exception, this year we can eat all of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, DH is a happy camper.

This addiction to heirloom beans came about when I was trying to find information on an italian pole bean I've been growing for over 40 years. I started accumulating every italian pole bean with a description that sounded like mine, never did find one but by fluke I did find out what they were, they came to the Nanaimo area in 1911 from northern Italy. Then I started reading the histories of some of these other heirlooms, I was hooked or should I say addicted LOL.
They're a great bunch over on the bean forum, this is where a lot of the beans I've been growing came from. Also someone on the bean forum helped me find the elusive litte "Comtesse de Chambord" I had been looking for, finally found it in France, glad I bought some as they no longer sell it. I'm happy to say it's been spread around and now sold commercially once again this side of the pond. I now have over 100 varieties in my stash and they still keep coming in. I hope I have enough years to try them all at least once, when I croak some seed bank is going to inherit a pile of beans :).

Annette