Until recently, the plant sale usually featured tomatoes started by Barbara Shapley and me, but a couple of years ago we realized that while the perennials from Mary's garden and other plants usually sold out, or nearly so, there were nearly as many tomato seedlings left over as we had started with. It was not hard to figure out what the problem was. Tomatoes in our region are seldom planted before May 15, about three weeks after the Book Fair. Few people wanted to buy small seedlings and take care of them for the three weeks when, for not much more money, larger tomato starts could be purchased at Adams or other local garden centers in mid-May.
Barbara proposed the solution to this dilemma, which was tested successfully last year. We did not try to sell the tomatoes with the other plants at the Book Fair--instead we had a separate sale in the Library reading room at an appropriate time for tomato planting. The seedlings, larger than they were at the time of the Book Fair, quickly sold out. We plan to handle the tomatoes this way again (and there might be a few other plants for sale).
I am not sure exactly how Barbara's cherry tomatoes of several types are doing, although I think she started a week or two earlier than I did. I expect to have several disease-resistant varieties available, along with a couple of unusual Italian types and perhaps (not sure how this one is doing) a Russian black variety, the Black Krim. Leave some space in your garden.
1 comment:
I know from my own experience that tomatoes can be neglected indoors. Great idea to wait. I bet with recession garden becoming more popular you'll have more takers.
Good luck with the plant sale this year!
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