Rainy Afternoon Spent Potting Up

Today it is finally raining. Our area has had below normal precipitation since our February thaw so it is nice to see a whole day of rain. They are forecasting 20mm (3/4") of rain today and scattered showers for Tues & Weds as well. I am one happy gardener.

Being that cold rain is not the best to garden in I spent the late afternoon potting up my tomatoes. Most of them have grown rather large and need more root room as well as foliage space.

Above we have the patients, they are as follows:

The Big:

• Hillbilly Potato Loaf, Suddath's Strain Brandywine, Giant Belgium, Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye, Beauty King, Variegated, Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple

The Small but healthy:

• Black Zebra, Purple Calabash, Chocolate Strips

The Weak:

• 3 Jersey Devil's
  

I potted up everything but the three small plants. The small plants I will let grow in their current pots until they are larger. I frankly wish all my plant were the size of the smaller ones, they take up much less room.

I always pot up the tomatoes once before planting out. I making sure it is done about 30 days before they will be transplanted outdoors so they can root into their new pot. I seed them in 2x2x3 square pots and they grow in those pots until the become top heavy or start drying out to fast. Then I pot them into the 4" deep square pots. I also remove the bottom leaves and pot them as deep as possible.

Here they are potted up and looking a little floppy after their ordeal.

I will end with the Varigated Tomato from Veggie Patch Re-imagined.
It is the best formed tomato and is rather cool looking. I can't wait
to taste its stripped fruit.