- Author: Jan Rhoades
It's that time of year again, when seed catalogs show up in the mailbox and the evening activity becomes sitting by the fire dreaming and planning next year's garden. It is the next best thing to actually working in the garden. Anyway, there are always a multitude of pages devoted to tomatoes. So many to try, so little time. Such an amazing array of sizes, colors, growth habits and juicy flavor notes just make my mouth water. I always have to try a few new varieties along with the old standbys (not to mention the orphans I adopt). Needless to say, my garden will often sport a dozen tomato plants, so I become the neighborhood supplier. Sheesh!
This last season, I decided I had to plant the tomato named 'Mortgage Lifter.' Somehow the moniker and lore of that plant had turned into a kind of garden earworm—not to be confused with tomato worm. I am a little skeptical about large tomatoes, and I certainly don't buy into the hype that surrounds some of them. But, this one, I was willing to give a shot. After all, this is a Tomato With History.
Right off the bat, I will tell you that at this point in my gardening career, I buy tomato plants from a reputable seed company. I am too old to mess around with starting plants indoors. I order for a late May delivery and plant them deep in fertile soil. I usually put cutworm collars around the seedlings and use homemade tomato cages. So, last spring, along with a few others, my Mortgage Lifter was planted and I was wowed right away. It grew strong and sturdy and big! It was my first producer – even before my early bearing varieties, and the tomatoes were, indeed, sizeable! Most were about the size of softball and, I have to say, they gave meaty slices that, to me, tasted just the way I imagine a tomato should taste, especially in the depths of winter. They are certainly not in the same league as Cherokee Purples (sigh) – but they are definitely right up there. Finally, they pumped out pounds of yummy tomatoes all season, right up to the first frost. I was most certainly impressed – the hype is true!
So, on to the history. 'Mortgage Lifter' is one of the most famous heirloom tomatoes around. A few different stories exist relating how they were developed and who they were developed by. One source claims that the cultivar was developed by William Esther of Barboursville, West Virginia in 1922 and that Esther registered the name in 1932. However, the best-known and best-loved story involves M.C. Byles of Logan, West Virginia, who developed this tomato in the 1930's. He was known to all as "Radiator Charlie" because he ran a radiator repair business at his home, which was situated at the bottom of a steep hill. When logging or mining trucks laden with goods labored up the hill, their radiators often boiled over and they rolled back down to Charlie's house for repairs.
Mr. Byles had no formal education, having worked in the cotton fields since he was 4 years old; however, he loved to garden and grow vegetables, especially tomatoes. As it was the Depression, he worried about the mortgage on his house. He decided to develop a tomato that he could sell. He wanted a large, beefsteak type tomato, so he decided to crossbreed four of the largest-fruited tomatoes he could find. He chose a 'German Johnson' to plant, and in a circle around it, he planted 3 other varieties: another beefsteak, an Italian variety, and an English variety. He hand pollinated the 'German Johnson' with a baby's ear syringe, and after 6 years of trials, he had what he felt was a stable plant that produced large, tasty tomatoes. In a Living Earth interview with M.C. recorded in 1985, he says that he sold plants for $1.00 apiece (pretty pricey for Depression time) and that people came from as far away as 200 miles to buy the plants. In six years, he made enough money to pay off his $6,000 mortgage, so he called the tomato 'Mortgage Lifter,' but tomato-loving folks called it Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter.
Now if that story doesn't inspire you to give it a try, here are the particulars. 'Mortgage Lifter' is a fairly disease-resistant (VFN) Beefsteak type tomato. It is indeterminate and bears one to two pound fruit (Burpee says up to 4 pounds!). It is a very productive tomato, often described as pink or red, and is very meaty with few seeds and great tomato flavor. It is not unheard of for the plant to reach 9 feet! There is even one company called Beakman's that sells Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce. And, just to maintain the spirit of this legendary plant, they have an annual small farmer's competition in which payment of the farm mortgage is the grand prize. Seeds and plants for this variety can be found at just about every gardening source.
Just remember, though his mortgage was paid off, there's just two things that money can't buy: true love and homegrown tomatoes.
A bit of an aside. If you love vegetable history and lore, I came across this book, Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time, which won the Garden Writers' Association Gold Award in 2016. It includes information about selecting and growing heirloom tomatoes as well as some of his favorite heirloom tomato stories. The central message of the author, Craig LeHoullier, is “Heirlooms are living things, and, unless they are grown and saved and shared and relished, they'll go extinct.” LeHoullier co-leads a tomato-breeding project that has succeeded in putting 70 new compact growing varieties in various seed catalogs. This will be the topic of his next book, which he plans to self-publish in the fall. Each of the following companies carry seeds of all these varieties and some seeds of LeHoullier's full-size heirloom tomatoes.
- Victory Seeds
- The Tomato Growers Supply Company
- Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
- Sample Seed
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Seed Savers Exchange
Resources:
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Catalog
Gary Ibsen's Tomatofest Catalog
- Author: Bobbie Stryffeler
Ed. Note: Potatoes grow well in the Eastern Sierra. Usually we grow them in the ground, but some gardeners have alkaline soil or no soil at all! Gardeners like to try new things and this article has some fun ideas to try. You can find some UC info on potatoes here. Mention of products does not constitute endorsement. |
I told a friend I built a potato pen and they asked if I had a problem with my potatoes escaping the garden…well no, they don't escape but if they try I have it covered.
Truth is the potato is one of my favorite home grown vegetables, but over the years of gardening I hadn't given the process much thought. Last spring, moving my focus from tomatoes to potatoes, I decided to grow more, more variety, with hopes of plenty to enjoy throughout the winter months.
https://www.unwins.co.uk/growing-potatoes-in-potato-growing-bags-how-to-ggid53.html
https://preparednessmama.com/grow-potatoes/
With a little research I found that the potato possibilities are endless! Grown by the acre or container. A mound of dirt, potato sack, wooden spud box, recycled plant containers, a laundry basket, or your own invention, are all suitable options for growing a tasty crop of taters!
Some suggest planting directly in the laundry baskets or cages. In dry regions like the Owens Valley it might be better to line the inside of the basket, cage, or pen with straw or newspaper to maintain soil structure and also create a ventilated barrier that retains some moisture and keeps the tubers cool. It is also important to note that potatoes that are exposed to light rapidly become green and poisonous.
Some common characteristics of these containers are depth (no digging just filling), well-drained, and ventilation to reduce chance of rotting seed potatoes. The biggest challenge in container planting is keeping the soil cool where a garden bed or larger space can maintain a more constant cool temperature.
Meet my invention, the Potato Pen (left). I wanted a minimal investment and these materials were extras from my garden shed. I didn't want to worry about the weed covered surface so I lined the floor of the pen with newspapers and cardboard. The chicken wire sidewalls were lined with a thick layer of straw to retain some moisture and keep the tubers cool. The pen provided depth for growth, room to add soil as the plants grew, supplying the root system with room for an abundant crop.
I first let the potatoes sprout in an open egg carton, cutting the larger potatoes in half or more. This also allowed for the cut potatoes to dry, reducing the chance of rotting. This process is called “chitting” your potatoes. It is thought that this encourages faster growth and an increased crop.
The sprouted seed potatoes were then started in about four inches of soil with sprouts facing up. As the sprouts grew I added more soil. The straw was probably not the best idea as it became a mega condo project for every earwig in my yard. At night they devoured my potato plant leaves. I filled shallow plastic cups with water and a splash of fish oil and strategically placed them around the potato plants. I was amazed at the numbers filling the cups overnight.
Overall the potato pen worked well. At season-end it was filled with an abundant crop of potatoes. Originally, I had planned on removing the stakes, pulling down the sidewalls of chicken wire and straw and harvesting all the potatoes at once, but I soon realized there were too many potatoes. So many that I left the majority in the cool soil of the potato pen (root cellar).
As I said at the start, the potato possibilities are endless. So why not grow your own? It's recommended that you buy your seed potatoes from a reliable source as potatoes are susceptible to disease and virus. Follow a few basic steps and prepare to enjoy the best tasting potatoes yet.
Potatoes are a cool season crop. Plant two or three weeks before the last spring frost or sooner if you plan to protect the plants. They can survive freeze damage but will most often have a reduced crop. As noted above, let your seed potatoes develop some sprouts before planting. I'm thinking the round cages will be easy to protect against unexpected spring frost.
Regardless of what container or bed you decide to plant them in make sure you use fertile, sandy loam that is well drained. They will grow in most soils but a good soil mix will improve the yield.
The UC Vegetable Research and Information Center provides a great leaflet (Growing Potatoes) that covers varieties, soil preparation, fertilization, planting methods, irrigation, cultivation, pest control, and harvesting. http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/potato_growingpotatoes.pdf
If garden space is limited have some fun and try growing them in the laundry basket. It's cheap, lightweight, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. https://preparednessmama.com/grow-potatoes/
/table>
- Author: Carmen Kappos
On a recent trip to Ecuador I spent a wonderful afternoon at the Botanic Garden in the capital city of Quito. It is such a treat to walk through the orchid houses, past the display of medicinal plants, through the cactus and succulent garden; there are so many beautiful and interesting sections of the garden. Unexpected, though, was the lovely bonsai pavilion. In a dedicated space, near a Zen garden and a contemplation pond is a wonderful exhibition of bonsai.
After returning home, I found the following quote in my Sunset garden book “in bonsai the container plant transcends horticulture and becomes fine art.” We certainly felt that as we enjoyed the bonsai and sat in the shade of the bamboo pavilion. What a delightful surprise, in a botanic garden high in the mountains of the Andes. You might not expect to come across Japanese horticulture, but it is a reminder that bonsai is enjoyed the world over.
- Author: Susan Flaherty
A question from a Horticulture Quiz 101 might be, “What was the first subsidized agricultural crop in the United States?” Possible answers of corn, tobacco, cotton and hemp might be given, none of which is correct.
In the 1700s the British Empire's demand for blue dye outstripped its ability to process it. This is because most blue dye came from the indigo plant, Indigofera, native to the West Indies. There was simply too little of it to satisfy the demand.
English botanists soon discovered that the colonies across the ocean had a native plant, Baptisia (B. australis) that could be process quickly into a blue dye. Its quality was not as high as real indigo, so it became known as False Indigo.
In 1747, the first shipment of false indigo left for England, and within two decades more than a million pounds would be shipped each year, making the dye one of the colony's largest exports, second only to rice. Indigo production was extremely labor-intensive involving a multi-day process and was profitable only when done on a large scale using slave labor.
Indigo was referred to as “the blue gold of the South,” with Charleston, South Carolina as its growing and shipping hub.
Blue forms (B. australis), are the most common, but plants bearing yellow and white flowers (B. alba), are equally handsome. It is a very rewarding perennial plant that is long-lived and easy-to-grow once established, although it is hard to transplant because it has a long tap root. Plants produce clumps up to 4' wide, and from 3-6' tall. They tolerate sandy soils and can cope with some drought. Low maintenance and cold hardiness to USDA zone 4, make this a plant for every garden.
Now you also have a story to tell garden visitors also!
Adapted with permission from Of Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots by Allan M. Artimage
- Author: Dustin Blakey
As I was driving my kids to school recently, I noticed that a landscape on the way was irrigating its dormant turf. It had rained the night before. That seemed really unnecessary. Later that day I saw another landscape (with green grass) had a head spraying out into the street. I see irrigation problems almost every day but for some reason that memory stuck.
As a community, we tend to irrigate our landscapes poorly, but we can do better. Ideally we should apply just what our plants need plus maybe a little extra to make up for variability in our sprinkler system. It's not uncommon for a landscape in Bishop to use 2 or 3 times the water it needs. Assuming that water makes it on to the lawn. Last summer there was a small creek along the curb in my neighborhood every morning from someone's broken irrigation up the street. And to be fair, I have a head that often gets flipped backward and then waters the driveway.
Maybe in a future post we can cover how much water our lawns need and how often to run the system, but today I think a good place to start is how to make sure your system is working correctly. Rain Bird has a nice spring checklist, but the process should involve a bit more.
A good practice is to begin the season with an irrigation audit. This is a process where we check to make sure everything is working as it should, and we check the output of our sprinklers to make sure they are uniform. Uniform application saves water since we don't have to over apply water to get the dry places wet enough.
All irrigation audits start by running the system and making sure sprinkler heads are working and pointing over grass. This is usually simple to address. You may need a small screwdriver to make some adjustments but that's about it.
From there you can choose how complicated you want to be. Commercial turf managers will audit their systems using at least 20 special catch cans to measure the system's output and variability. That's probably over-kill at home.
Oklahoma State Cooperative Extension has a very simple version of this test that will tell you each sprinkler zone's output in inches per hour using tuna or cat food cans. This will allow you to set your sprinkler system to water just the amount the lawn needs rather than "15 minutes every day" type scheduling. They even include a short video. SIMPLE AUDIT LINK.
If you use this system I'd recommend looking at each can to see if they are about the same level. If they vary a lot, you may need to consider some maintenance on the system. As a rule, most sprinklers are designed to have head-to-head coverage in their pattern. If your system does something else--that's common around Bishop--expect a lot more variability.
At the very least, run your system and watch it for a few minutes. Put a catch can or 2 of any type with straight sides on for one cycle to confirm how much water you're applying. Sticking a ruler in is a good way to measure. You may be applying more or less than you think!
If you are interested in figuring out out to properly schedule up your irrigation, the Master Gardeners can help with that, but we will need to know each zone's output in inches per hour. You can contact us at immg@ucanr.edu.