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Re:SQFT: Open-pollination and tomatoes

At 10:28 AM 1/29/98 EST, BRITATHRT wrote:
>WARNING**** Brandywines  tase wonderful!!  BUT..they have little if ANY
>disease resistance!!!  That is a problem with the Heirloom varieties and the
>reason the hybrids were developed..  We [lanted Brandywines last year in our
>balcony and main garden areas..we lost all the ones on the balcony and
several
>in the garden.  But OHHH the taste of the ones we got.  Another
>point..Brandywines fruit later tahn many others and are NOT prolific
>bearers..even from the healthy plants we got 1/2 as much fruit as from the
>Better Boys and Early Girls.  You might want to try a couple of
>Brandywines..but plant other varieties for larger produce yields.
>  Margaret//zone 6ish--MD/DC area

I grew Brandywines last year too, for the first time.  The tomatoes I got
were HUGE, and made the best sauce I've ever tasted in my life.  Blight
came through at the end of the summer and attacked all of my tomatoes
indiscriminately.  I was still able to harvest a good amount of fruit as it
ripened anyway.  I think this blight was widespread- my neighbors had it,
my aunt 100 miles away had it, even the tomatoes on the Victory Garden had
it!  I don't think it mattered what strain was planted- they all got it.
It looked like someone had poured baking soda all over the leaves.  My
zucchini got it, but recovered somehow.  I noticed a lot of flowers had it
too.  I thought it was New England based- but it sounds like it was all over.

I like the old organic approach- the stronger/healthier the soil, the
stronger the plants, and the better they will be at fighting off pests and
disease.  I think, though, that the only disadvantage to sq.ft. method is
that with plants so close together, it's harder to keep disease from
spreading.  This is not enough to keep me from planting intensively, but
rather something I keep an eye on and try to plant things short and tall
interspersed.... to try to avoid the jungle effect.

Sarah
Boston, MA


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