Unintentional winter sowing

16 years ago

Our house is under contract in Nashville and I have been gone several weeks to Greensboro, NC to be with my husband. When I returned the garden had gone to weed. I then abandoned my idea of keeping up the garden for the new owners as we don't close until the first of July and they don't move in until the middle of August and I'll be in NC for June. It would be nothing but a weed patch for them. My plan was to return and put black plastic over everything except the herbs and asparagus to keep the weeds down until I return for closing. Much to my surprise I have a garden full of not only weeds but tomato plants! Hundreds of very healthy plants! They all grew from the fallen tomatoes from last fall that I didn't clean up. (Unintentional Winter Sowing?) I can pretty much pin point the varieties as each was in a certain section. The OP varieties I know will be true (unless they crossed, which could very easily have happened). What I don't know are what the plants from Super Sonic will turn out to be as they are a hybrid. I didn't plan on a garden in NC this year, but think I may pot up some of these tomatoes for myself (and some for the new owners) and have "mystery" tomatoes this year. Any background on Super Sonic variety would be very helpful to know what by chance they may turn out like.

Thanks for you help,

Jennie

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Comments (5)

trudi_d
16 years ago
Well, if the seeds are viable and they don't all get eaten and digested, and they're in a safe location that won't washout or be trampled, and the seeds stay moist during the actual germination process and don't dry out at any crucual time, then they will reseed. It is quite likely that your volunteer tomatoes will produce admirabl&Y.

Good luck with the house sale.

T
Jennie Sims
Original Author
16 years ago
Trudi,

Staying moist during germination was not a problem here in Nashville!!!

Jennie
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taz6122
16 years ago
I've got several volunteers also but I kept the garden fairly picked up. Leaving rotten fruit on the ground is inviting pests and disease. I'm surprised I have any volunteers. Must have been seeds that fell from damaged fruit.
trudi_d
16 years ago
Jennie,

Staying moist wasn't a problem here either this year but I think you've been moister than us, that's for sure.

Taz, the fruits are food and quite often the seeds will be ingested by critters and not digested and out they come, landing wherever the critter 'goes'. I've had toms show up in the far corners of the garden and the only explanation has been ingestion/excretion--which is one of Ma Nature's favorite forms of seed dispersal. That and Mr. Squirrel who sometimes steals fruits and I suppose the seeds dribble out where he dines. Anyway, I always think that reseeding reflects an active, fertile garden.

T--who is looking outside at another drizzly, rainy day.
catman529
16 years ago
Oh yeah we've definitely been moister here around Nashville! I live in Franklin about 15 miles south of nashville. Lots of our area got flooded recently and then all our water drained into Nashville and flooded it too (I think a lot of people know that by now!). Some seeds of mine in the community garden (popcorn and beans) survived the flood and sprouted anyway. But I still had to re-plant obviously since most of the seeds were washed away by the current (the garden is right by the river). Very glad I waited to plant out the maters, otherwise they would have been flooded and ruined.