I was surprised to realize I haven't posted here for a while. I suppose I got used to just posting about falling off the ladder and healing from it. Well, I'm about as healed as I will ever be, so there wasn't much to say about that. I'm walking, driving, shopping, doing household chores about like before. The collarbone ain't ever gonna be re-attached to the shoulder bone though. An operation is bad enough; the recovery requirements are worse.
But I DID get back to gardening yesterday and today. I got tomatoes and peppers started indoors (yes, I'm late by a month). I have 2 groups of tomatoes planted. Some are planted normally for direct transplanting outside in 6 weeks.
But some are planted 2 to a larger pot. Those have an heirloom tomato and a special rootstock tomato for grafting. I am (so far) a complete failure at grafting tomatoes but I keep trying. The idea is that a vigorous rootstock tomato (that on its own produces poor fruits) can be topped with a less vigorous heirloom tomato with great fruits.
The rootstock makes a larger root system, is disease resistant, and absorbs more nutrients to send up the heirloom stem. There are 2 basic grafting methods. One cuts off the tops of both seedlings and you clip the heirloom top to the rootstock bottom.
![[Tomato Dirt] Grafted Tomatoes: What Are They and Why Grow ...](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomatodirt.com%2Fimages%2Fxgrafted-tomatoes.jpg.pagespeed.ic.AuW1VbOeXS.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
The other has you shave both stems slightly and clip the shaved areas together. That leaves both seedlings with roots for nutrients while the graft heals. Then later, you cut the bottom of the heirloom and the top of the rootstock off, leaving one grafted plant.
Someday I will manage to get that to work. Other people do. I've watched youtube videos of it and they show the routine success. They get a lot more true heirloom fruits than usual. You can even buy them (I have 2 grafted Brandywine tomatoes on order for delivery in a couple weeks. But they aren't cheap ($10 per plant), but they really do produce better so I REALLY want to learn how to do it myself.
I also late-planted a bunch of flowers indoors. Some are standard ones like zinnias, marigolds, and salvia. Others are more unusual but are tall cottage-garden "self-sowers" so if I can get them established outside they might spread and shade out weeds for many years.
I have to confess that my lovely indoor lettuce garden failed while I was injured. But that is for another post!
3 comments:
Glad you are able to do most of the things you love to do.
I did not know you could even graft tomatoes, I thought that was for trees and other woody plants. Wow. Hope it works for you...eventually!
Since our season starts later for veggies, etc, I will try to get my seeds planted this week...if I can find some time.LOL! I am just going to try s few, as I only have a very limited space to hold the seed trays. I might just sow directly into the pots/planters for most of the others when it warms up. They are perennials, and a few annuals that are fast growing.
I may need to become the chief lawn mower here...a 3 to 6 hour job, depending how much of the one acre we need to mow with our self propelled walk behind mower...the ground is very uneven and there are not a few mole runs, which makes walking hard for hubby with his already unsteady gait and other mobility issues...he is healed from his surgery, but there is long lasting nerve damage...sigh...
Or we may need to hire someone to do it for us...yikes! Maybe our sons will help us out...for a free dinner and some good cold beer!! LOL!
Hey - good to have you back Mark. And I'm always interested to hear about your vegetable gardening. Good luck!
Megan
Sydney, Australia
Fingers crossed the grafting goes well.
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