One is a Pineapple, the other an Alberta Peach

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Pineapple I know well, and I know Peach Blow Sutton and Nectarine and Garden Peach but not Alberta Peach.

Elberta, not Alberta, is a well known peach variety.

Did something get messed up somewhere? ( smile)

I found one reference to an Alberta Peach tomato variety, linked to below, but with that Google search on the same page folks were referring to the peach variety Elberta as Alberta.

And there is an Elberta Peach tomato variety listed in the SSE 2007 Yearbook as originating with Gary Millwood, whom I know, of KY.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Alberta ( Elberta) Peach tomato

I'd love to hear about your experience with upside down tomato growing. I've never done it and just read here at the forums about others who have tried it and speak well of this method. Good luck with your two orphans you might get a harvest no harm in trying. :)

carolyn: yes, Elberta, not Alberta

sunsi,

i haven't tried the upside down either. i need to investigate further.

poor plants needed a home!

vegjoe Quote:
"poor plants needed a home!"

omg, you're as bad as me, lol I always end up planting many more than I can use because of these "poor orphans" ahh, well the local food pantry loves to get the overflow :)

I think the more you read about upside down planting the more convinced you'll get seems I read very good reviews so far.

LOL, I wonder if it's some kind of disease. I picked up a "poor orphan" Siberian at a local farmer's market on Saturday for 50 cents. There's been this nice lady (crack dealer) who has heirloom and hybrid seedlings for $1 at another farmer's market that's been feeding my addiction until this weekend. I've bought at least 7 from her, 2 Sungold, two Snow Berry, one Big Bite, on Persimmon, and one Marglobe.

I'm so bad that when I find random little tomato plants growing out of my compost under my "real" tomatoes and I have a bit of extra room they sometimes get transplanted. I have about 6 of these mystery plants in my garden, probably seeded from hybrids that won't breed true, but still growing like crazy.

Mike

Mike, hybrids can be stable ;-)

Mike, hybrids can be stable ;-)

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But with tomatoes that's very rarely seen Trudi.

The best example I know of stability with a proven hybrid is Santa F1 that was the impetus for the grape tomato fad.Of saved F2 seeds 99/100 on average come true, the offtype being round and lower in sugar concentration.

And with you, if I remember correctly, and a few others as exceptions, everyone else that I know of finds that Sungold F1 is not stable. Makes sense since one of the parental inputs is a currant tomato, which leads to that flat truss trait.

Whatever. ( smile)

Carolyn

If you're mainly itching for something to plant, why not root a few cuttings?

-Ed

I'm am experimenting with upside down this year, partly as a result of orphans needing a home, partly out of curiosity.

One in a standard hanging basket and I doubt it has enough soil but its handy for water, in a shady spot and has a cover crop of something I yanked from the wifes beds. Not very scientific but it's an orphan :-)

Did another yesterday in a 5 gal bkt. no cover crop yet.

Containers that size are heavy and for tall tomatoes need to be up high. I won't be harvesting what ever the cover crop is but shading the soil seems a good idea.

If it works out, this is what I'm thinking for next year.

Some 3/8 air craft cable between well set posts or trees and a few clothsline props ought to be OK.

Cable ties for spaced loops or just as stops and S hooks for hanging. I cut a 2" hole in the bottom of the bucket, placed dbl. strenght plastic with an X cut in it over that and carefully threaded the plant through all of that. Kinda cumbersome but with a hanger the right height, it was doable. Top it off with soil and hang.

The good,

No staking, no weeding, probably zero soil born problems and for taller plants that suffer blossom drop it may give more time for cooler temps to come.

The bad,

Since I want this set up mainly for the larger plants this thing will be high, will need a ladder for set up and take down and I'm thinkin a tube with a hook in it to reach for watering. Water does drip down over the plant and a fair amount of leaching would occour.

The ugly.

Squirrels and coons may think I built them a great edible toy. There is expense an even though buckets are cheaper than pots its hard to call them attractive though a compatible plant that would cover the bucket may be the trick.

The uknown,

The plants try to right themselves. Is there significant energy wasted doing this?

I have a mystery plant as well. It was growing under my Brandywine,on the inner side of the pot, but it is not a potato Leaf. Since I topped of my pots with some of last years potting soil I assume thats where the seed came from. The Mrs says keep it but I only have a small container and have no clue as to Tomato Type. The only Tomato I had last year that dropped into the Pot/potting soil was Green Grape,which I didn't like.

dave1mn2 Quote:
"If it works out, this is what I'm thinking for next year.
Some 3/8 air craft cable between well set posts or trees and a few clothsline props ought to be OK.
Cable ties for spaced loops or just as stops and S hooks for hanging. I cut a 2" hole in the bottom of the bucket, placed dbl. strenght plastic with an X cut in it over that and carefully threaded the plant through all of that. Kinda cumbersome but with a hanger the right height, it was doable. Top it off with soil and hang."

I was thinking along the same lines using a clothesline prop but you have just fleshed out the details. I too thought it would have to be very high up to accommodate larger varieties. To deal with this problem why not use that stretchy green gardening tape tied around the base of the plant and wrapped around the stem and then tied to the wire up above, sound good? Hopefully, the plants would climb the green tape with a little coaxing.

"Water does drip down over the plant and a fair amount of leaching would occour."

Put a coffee filter around the base of the stem might help?

"Squirrels and coons may think I built them a great edible toy."

As far as critters go maybe put some petro jelly on wires, lol just a thought :D

"I won't be harvesting what ever the cover crop is but shading the soil seems a good idea."

I like that idea too and why not plant something that can be harvested like lettuce (might be too hot for it though) or peas, peas might hang down and covor ugly pots and after peas pass by then something from your wifes flower garden :P

the orphans are in the ground. each had a rooted sucker, so 4 plants went in.

while i was out planting (and swatting those (&!$&$(@ mosquitos) i found a tomato starting to ripen!!!!

WOOOO HOOOOO!!!

You lucky so & so that's great! :D

Sunsi,

I don't think that tape would hold much over time nor be easy for the plants to climb but that doesn't mean that something couldn't be fashioned that would work.

~~~ Put a coffee filter around the base of the stem might help? ~~~

Yep, that would help with particulates. Saw that the ready mades have a foam gasket. Not sure that would work any better than a coffee filter lovingly jammed up there but nutrient leach would still occur.

If you want to harvest the cover crop you're gonna have to tie up the plants and make it easy to bring down. Block and tackle or a locking lever and pulley?

I'm seeing something free hanging that doesn't need fussing with except for set up and take down. Something you could mow under (sort of). I'm also seeing something the squirrels might consider rope swings with treats :-)

Course ya might get your very own gaurd bird nesting in the top of each bucket to eat the bugs off ???