Merry Month of May Mater Sale at the Library

This year there were more than 35 open-pollinated varieties available in the course of about three weeks - the organically-raised seedlings sold for $1.50 each or 4 for $5.00 this year. 

Many of the new varieties were heat and drought tolerant: Thessaloniki, Legend, Homestead, Royal Chico, Martino's Roma, Livingston's Beauty, Peacevine Cherry, Costoluto Genovese, Floradade, Hazelfield Farm, and Green Zebra were some of the varieties reputedly able to bear fruit in 90+ degree heat. 

Of these, the only two varieties I've grown to maturity and can vouch for are Peacevine Cherry and Livingston's Beauty, or just plain Beauty. The latter I give five gold stars for all-round production, sturdiness, disease- and pest-resistance, cold tolerance and heat tolerance as well as very good canning and fresh eating qualities. It's no surprise that Alexander Livingston was selling 2.5 tons of Beauty seed in the early 1900s.

I did have a gentleman request seedlings of Cherokee Green Pear and Old Virginia, which he reported being well pleased with last year. Unfortunately, I didn't have starts of either one - and I'm very curious about both of them. I'll have to order some seed this year to remind myself to start them for 2014.

Andes and Polish Linguisa seedlings resting in one of the blue rockers overlooking the Front Farm.

Although trusty truck Esmerilla is no more, Burt the Scion is always happy to lend a hand on the Front Farm. Here he is packed with seven trays of maters ready for the Library sale. Burt can carry at least nine trays - almost as many as Esmerilla - and he has the advantage of keeping the mater babies safe from wind and sun damage in transit. 

 

 

 

 

 

Full tables in the Library vestibule. In the last two weeks of May more than a table per day sold out. Lots of folks requesting Cherokee Purple and Black Cherry. We do sell Cherokee and Green Zebra, but we generally don't sell the same varieties our favorite local growers  - like Al's Garden Center, Joe & Debbie Barnes, and other such greenhouse-owning friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seedlings are transplanted into 4" pots for sale. It's more expensive to raise the plants in larger single containers, but the extra space is vital for the productivity of many varieties, especially oxhearts and the elongated paste tomatoes that are so easily subject to blossom-end rot. The extra room  gives the roots a little boost that helps fight off BER and ups overall fruit production.