Ok..it's time

[TomK]

Haha..it hit me this week...i am pouring over my seed catalogs trying to figure what to plant this year..i have my favourites of course but i am a sucker to try new varieties...especially tomatoes and beans...I save seeds every year..beans, tomatoes, various squash, cukes, ..I am more than willing to share..and would love some interaction along those lines with the gardeners in you folks...and suggestions..please...I dont grow hybrids, just heritage varieties..hybrids can be fun but you can't save the seeds...I owe Linda a parcel and would be willing to mail out some seeds to folks...tell me what you are planting.
What works, what didn't....i am pumped..

[labradors]

Tom, I thought you had forgotten me :). No problems as I am not at home.

For beans, I love the bush bean, Provider. Purple Peacock pole bean is pretty and prolific, although I think the taste could be better. Last year I grew the Lima bean, Christmas. Our season is a tad short for them so I started 6 of them a month early in newspaper pots and got a good harvest. I have to watch how many I grow as hubby doesn't want to eat nothing but beans when they are in season .

Linda

[WLLady]

@TomK i just moved this into the gardening section....

provider beans....beans to feed an army! those are what i grow too! they're definitely tastier when they are smaller but they freeze well. i'm curious to see if my fortna pumpkin seed comes back true this year. that one was amazing! 10 pumpkins off 1 plant. and they are the perfect size for a couple pumpkin pies!
of course i want to grow EVERYTHING. lol

[labradors]

Green Fingers F1 cukes. (An Open Pollinated variety called Beit Alpha is very similar). These are fabulous little cukes which I usually allow to reach 6" or slightly more before picking. They are extremely productive, mild and tasty, and I was so happy to share with the chickens and the dogs - until the cucumber beetles found them. They were so bad last year that now I have to figure out a way to grow them under cover......

[TomK]

Tom, I thought you had forgotten me :). No problems as I am not at home.

Linda

Linda...lol..i forget little...i may not be fast but i am slow

[TomK]

Kathy ...i would love to try that pumpkin....hope you saved the seeds

[WLLady]

yes i did save seed, and i still have some of those pumpkins stored, they store amazingly well! and they make awesome pies i did try to test sprout and about 50% of the seeds sprouted so i'll put some together for you @TomK. Anyone else out there so i can send to tom and he can distribute??

one thing i have been looking for is a GOOD heirloom field tomato that is blight (early AND late) resistant. we have too many veg farms around and the blight is ridiculous, no matter what we do, i try to only plant resistant varieties.

[labradors]

WLLady. It is unfortunate that blight and Septoria blow in on the wind. I too have that problem most years. To increase air flow around my plants, I mulch with black plastic and I try to remove the lower leaves early to prevent splashback, even though it breaks my heart to rip off healthy green leaves. If I don't, the "nasties" take hold and I end up having to remove them later anyway. Leaving lots of space between plants and pruning to one or two main stems also helps, although I'm not good at either of those things.

As to disease-resistant plants, they are mostly hybrids, and some aren't even that good by all accounts. I have heard that Iron Lady was a failure, but that Mountain Magic and Plum Regal are better (at least in the southern states).

If you are into currant tomatoes, Matt's Wild Cherry is open pollinated and said to be resistant. I haven't tried it yet, but I did grow Sarah's Galapagos, another wild currant. I was amazed to see it get hit by Septoria and to completely grow out of it! Too bad that currants are such a pain to pick, but they do produce LOTS of fruit.

[Killerbunny]

@TomK & @labradors I have to check but I have some poblano pepper seeds & Santa Fe. Chadwick Cherry seems to be resistant for me as is Grappolli d'Inverno. My Costoluto Genovese hung in there well in 2018! I also have some seeds from zinnia varieties which the migrating butterflies and bees love. I leave them in and then the birds get the seeds. @WLLady tasted the toms along with Abu Rawan.

[TomK]

I am up for swapping as you know...talking seeds..lol....anyway, PM for address if interested...

If anyone has ever grown "Lakota" squash and has a line to seeds, I would truly enjoy getting a few....Baker Creek carries the seed but it would be the only purchase i would make from them this year so its a bit of a bother...havent found a canadian source for that particular variety...

Cheers..