Just in case you want a chuckle....me on the local news! (NOT about politics!)

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/11356136/#/vid11356136

[WCGreen]

1. Cool Beans...

Or rather cool tomatoes.

That guy from the station could really take the TV accent down about 100 knotches...

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. funny part is he didn't even do the interview....just the over-talking.

he is always a bit over the top.....wish they didn't use the Tomatopalooza pic from last year (don't like that one)...but they never give you the chance to edit!

[JHB]

68. Never underestimate the compulsion in local news to...

...put a "look at the freaks" spin in a story about people doing something out of what they think of as ordinary.

It's like a craving, they can't help themselves, even when the coverage is basically positive like your case.

[a kennedy]

81. Yah, hated the "newsman" for his....what do you call it.....oh yah his "attitude about tomatoes.....

Ugh.... but Loved the whole idea of your garden....A W E S O M E. Congratulations for making the news, and thank you for saving the tomato!!!

[RedRocco]

179. you mean this one?

[img][/img]

that's the face of a happy man

[demwing]

42. The Tomato Maaaan!

Great spot! Congrats

But I agree w/ WCGreens, the VO announcer sounded awful.

[dionysus]

2. neat! i only have 8 plants...

[yellerpup]

3. You will be THE rockstar of Tomatopalooza!

How I wish I could have tapped you for my heritage tomato salad at last week's fundraiser. Good job preserving our past. Your work may save lives in the future.

[spockeye]

4. Beautiful!

Thanks for the link, Tomato Man! Beautiful heirlooms. Wish I could grow them.

[russspeakeasy]

6. Cool. A nice break from politics...Nice job..

[awoke_in_2003]

175. +1000. nt

[hwmnbn]

7. LOL, very cool

[cbayer]

8. Boo hoo! I can't watch it because of my connection.

I was, however, able to see the hilarious picture of the "Tomato Man".

[kentuck]

9. I love tomatoes !

I have to kick this!

[MissMarple]

10. Great looking tomatoes!

[barbtries]

11. way to go!

i hope it grows your business nicely.

[NRaleighLiberal]

14. thank, Barb - never about the business for me, about saving the old varieties and meeting good

people! This spot is also helpful for getting me ready for after the book comes out (should be signing a contract any day...then will have a year to write it - with my daughter as co-author!)

[barbtries]

21. that is extremely cool.

i'm really going to try to get out to EFLAND on saturday! how early can i go, because the heat just destroys me?

[NRaleighLiberal]

22. starts at 1 PM - it is always cooler there, lots of shade - just a superb place! Do come!

you will get to meet my two daughters....they and my wife will be helping to organize things there.

[gateley]

181. Would that be your daughter, the lovely Saradipity?

I REALLY enjoyed watching this! So wonderful to be able to, as you say, walk out your door and do something you love all day.

[NRaleighLiberal]

190. yes, Sara will be there...she is going to co-author my book with me

Caitlin will be there also - I named a tomato Caitlin's Lucky Stripe.

[spanone]

12. fantastic!!!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. How much fun is that??? A lot!

Loved it!

[RebelOne]

15. You are hereby crowned as DU's Tomato King.

Send me a bushel, please.

[awoke_in_2003]

176. Or a sampler pack...

Of course with his variety, that might come out to more than a bushel

[southernyankeebelle]

16. OMG Mater man I just love, love, love tomatoes. All kinds of tomatoes. OMG OMG delicious looking

I'm so jealous. I wish I could grow tomatoes again. But can't cause of my health. Do you store any for winter?

[Whisp]

17. very nice!

what is the biggest tomato you ever grew - either a freak that shouldn't have grown that large or a variety that is known for it's size. I just usually grow a beefsteak or two because I like a slice as big as a piece of bread for a nice thick sandwich with Miracle whip and lots of pepper.

[NRaleighLiberal]

20. probably a 2.5-3 pound one called Tennessee Britches - picked a 2 lb Brandywine yesterday.

Amazing to see tomatoes that big on plants grown in a 10 gallon pot...but there it is!

[Whisp]

24. I'm seeing 3 pounds of butter and the size they are and woah

that's a big tomachee! love the name Tennesse Britches.

[Aerows]

33. What's your favorite tasting tomato?

I'm curious which you like best

[NRaleighLiberal]

100. I have a top 10 list that changes now and then...but those that are always on it -

Brandywine
Green Giant
Cherokee Green
Cherokee Chocolate
Cherokee Purple
Lucky Cross
Lillian's Yellow Heirloom
Nepal
Polish
Amish Dester

all of the above were just knockouts this year....and Sungold hybrid cherry tomato, of course!

[glinda]

197. Wow! No GMOs??? Yea!!!!!!!!!!! How can we buy seeds?

[NRaleighLiberal]

199. as long as I don't get overwhelmed...I am happy to share a few of this and that!

PM me your mailing address and what you'd like to try - will be a few weeks before I can get to it...way behind!

[glinda]

215. OOOOO! Thanks! I grew all organic/non-GMO this year

and I have saved flowers, etc... from old old gardens.

[JDPriestly]

59. Where do you get 10-gallon pots?

I garden in pots but mostly find smaller ones. Some of mine are 12-15 gallons, but for the most part, 5 gallons is the maximum.

Another question: Do you throw out your old soil and get new every year? How do you make sure the soil is not depleted or affected by some disease or condition common to tomatoes?

[NRaleighLiberal]

101. I use whatever - discarded black plastic pots that shrubs and trees come in...

some that look like terra cotta but are plastic - we've had them for years. Even less expensive and great to use are black plastic grow bags - come in lots of sizes, they can be reused (we bleach them each year before filling them) - I get them from Peaceful Valley in California.

Yes, I toss the soil each year into a big pile which we use on the "other" veggie garden to enrich it (beans, beets, squash, etc). The pots get bleached and filled with new stuff - I figure there is 600.00 worth of stakes, pots, dirt, etc - but if I harvest a ton of veggies (possible with all of the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant) - that's a pretty good price per pound.

[Blanks]

167. I use empty (horse and chicken) feed bags...

For my containers. It is surprising how little dirt it takes to grow food. I usually fill the bags up about 4 inches and put seedlings in them.

I am nowhere nearly as serious about the craft as you are, but it is good to see someone else doing so much growing in containers.

I have watermelons that have grown out of the bags that weigh considerably more than the dirt they grew out of. Strawberries grow out of the bags onto the ground and I pick up the bag and all of the 'runners' and relocate them until it is time to put the runner in a bag of its own.

It's good to see a serious gardener get some attention. Congrats.

[Aerows]

18. Oh God

a salsa contest at Tomatopalooza. That sounds like heaven to me. Made out of heirloom tomatoes, no less?

Excuse me while I just sit here and drool.

[laundry_queen]

158. I know.

wiping the slobber from my mouth as we speak. I haven't been able to grow tomatoes in a few years, but just bought my own place so NEXT year I can start. Nothing quite like salsa made with garden tomatoes. *drool*

[awoke_in_2003]

172. Salsa should be its own food group...

or maybe I have live in Texas too long

[KurtNYC]

19. Really nice segment

I have my first black krims going this year.

[msanthrope]

23. Tomato Man!!!! nt

[Blue_In_AK]

25. I wish we could grow tomatoes like that.

I've got one plant in my greenhouse with some little tomatoes on it, but I'll be lucky if they ripen up before it's too cold.

[pinboy3niner]

26. NC Tomato Man rocks!

I enjoyed that--thankyou.

[frogmarch]

27. Wonderful! K&R

[DirkGently]

28. Cool! Don't think the reporter knew what "beefsteak" meant though.

Assume you were referring to the variety of tomato. Sounded like he thought your tomato actually tasted like meat.

They all look delicious. It's almost impossible to find a decent tomato in a grocery store here. We have one, called "Ugly Ripe" that actually smells and tastes like a tomato, but I think it's illegal to sell them outside of the state.

[NRaleighLiberal]

102. yes - that made us laugh, as did the odd shot of the "tree face" and his frequent use of "driveway!!

[ejpoeta]

164. i found that annoying. Yes, in the driveway. get over it.

I wish I could grow tomatoes like that. We had a couple plants last year and loved going out and getting fresh tomatoes for our salad or sandwich or whatever. I love tomatoes. So does my almost 3 year old. She would just take one off and eat it like an apple. Next year I am going to do a garden! Been reading up on things about gardening so maybe we'll get a better one. The tomatoes were pretty much the only thing last year that grew and we bought the plants at the store.

[CatWoman]

29. great job

how do you find the time to post on DU??

[Tikki]

99. You did grand...off to HGTV with you...

Tikki

[Texasgal]

30. COOL!

You toms look beautiful!!!

[kayakjohnny]

31. Not a chuckle so much as a 'hats off to you' kind of response.

I'm envious of your green thumb.

Great to see the face and hear the voice of a very familiar part of DU.

Glad you posted this.

That was quite inspiring!

Love the face on the tree.

The voice-over dude was a caricature, huh?

[RedStateLiberal]

32. Congrats Tomato Man!

Over 3000 varieties...WOW!

Love your enthusiasm!

[Voice for Peace]

34. ahaha tomato man

I completely understand being excited about finding
a tomato!!!

thanks for sharing the clip, & your enthusiasm.

[DCBob]

35. This is great. Funny I was eating a delicious tomato just few minutes ago.

BTW, are you a retired agriculture scientist?

I used to work in Ag Chem doing field research.

[NRaleighLiberal]

103. no, PhD organic chemistry - the whole gardening thing is just self taught, lots of reading,

even more just trying things, using logic, etc.....I wish I had a hort degree...but this is more fun!

[DCBob]

160. Actually at the "root", gardening is all about organic chemistry.. as Im sure you know.

I live in an apartment now and I have a "garden in pots" on my patio. Mostly peppers, tomatoes, herbs. It is great fun and nice to have fresh stuff to eat. One of my challenges is keeping the plants watered when Im travelling. I have rigged up an auto-waterer thing but its not too reliable. Still trying to find the best solution for this.

Cheers and wish you continued success with your tomatoes!

[proud patriot]

36. very cool

my nieghbor is our tomato guy he starts hundreds of plants to give out . i'm going to share this vid w/ him

[Turbineguy]

37. Nice!

Thanks!

[nolabear]

38. You would be a GOD to my husband.

Really good story. My hubby spends hours fussing over his tomato plants. Unfortunately they're planted in a rooftop planter garden in the Pacific Northwest and getting enough heat here to make good tomatoes is a joke. But he tries.

Btw he's a NC boy and we're going to be there in August. I'll think of you when I eat a really good heirloom.

[Stinky The Clown]

39. Well lookitchew!

Great story!

[Siwsan]

40. Wow - I am beyond impressed

I thought I had a nice variety of plants, but damn! I am always looking for an interesting new variety but I'm certainly not clever enough to create one!

[graywarrior]

41. Well well well, aren't you as cute as a pea sized tomato!

[NRaleighLiberal]

104. .

[nc4bo]

43. Way cool - how did I miss this epi. of the traveler?!! Summertime gold

Now that's one beautiful 'mater!! Beautiful plants, yard - everything!

Congrats neighbor you did great!

[NRaleighLiberal]

105. Long story of how we are breeding these new Dwarf varieties....

http://nctomatoman.weebly.com/dwarf-tomato-project-introduction-and-information.html

[nc4bo]

135. Wonderful resource and Thank-you!! nt

[lamp_shade]

44. How cool are yew!!! Wow!

[malaise]

45. Lovely

I could see myself tasting all those varieties. We love tomatoes -those look delish.

[MelissaB]

46. What a great story!

Congrats!

[april]

47. thank you so much

[handmade34]

48. yaaa!!

so cool!!! that is great!!

[Curmudgeoness]

49. I am so impressed.

I have seen the posted photos of your driveway before, but this is just wild! I love it. Some of those plants are huge---above your head, and you don't look short! I hope that is the variety and not just an indictment of my black thumb....I have fruit, but my plants are not close to the size of yours. Great advertisement for you too.

[calimary]

50. This is GREAT, NRaleighLiberal! Congrats!

So many different kinds of tomatoes! Who knew? My mom grew tomatoes every year. Just the plain entry-level kind. And she'd make green tomato pickles that I nicknamed "heartburn pickles" 'cause of the heavy, piercing tang they had. Damn. LOVED 'em. Couldn't get enough of 'em.

I had no idea we had such distinguished members - your garden and all the work you've done in it are seriously impressive!!!

[ailsagirl]

51. HEY, THAT'S GREAT!!!

Thanks for posting, Dr. Lehoullier!! I can't believe all those varieties of tomatoes!!

[beveeheart]

52. To-may-toes, To-mah-toes, you've got 'em

I have 6 plants this year that are going crazy, never had as many ripe already or abundant! But nothing like your crop - such an inspiration you are.

[Gore1FL]

53. Cool story!

Really wanted to kill the voice-over guy, though!

[JDPriestly]

54. Great story. Amazing tomatoes.

[OregonBlue]

55. I love tomatoes and you've got them all. I love to eat them and the plants are so

beautiful. Wonderful.

[blm]

56. LOVED IT!!!

Let me know when you want to get married. ; )

[NRaleighLiberal]

106. will let you know when my wife gets tired of the smell of fermenting tomato pulp!

[blm]

173. heheheh....hope the two of you have fun at your event...

.

[hedgehog]

57. Bad move - we're all going to be hitting you up for seeds, now!

I have a tomato question: my husband is allergic to raw tomatoes, but not to cooked tomatoes. Is there a protein or enzyme or sugar that is modified/destroyed by heat?

[NRaleighLiberal]

108. just found this....

http://www.livestrong.com/article/533055-fresh-tomato-allergies/

[hedgehog]

166. Wow! Thank you I have never seen confirmation of our

observations/speculations before!

[greatauntoftriplets]

58. My mouth is watering....

Can't wait for my brother-in-law's tomatoes to ripen. He planted late this year.

[DrewFlorida]

60. Very cool!

Hey Craig;
I think what you do is quite interesting. I am a big fan of heirloom tomatoes, I buy them at the various weekend produce sales and pair them up with a fresh mozzarella.

Great video, congrats.

[valerief]

61. Very cool! You were the hottest tomato there! nt

[NRaleighLiberal]

113. .

where is that blush smilie?

[gkhouston]

62. Somehow, I knew it was about tomatoes...

[greiner3]

63. "In his driveway!"

That's a great looking driveway. You are a very meticulous person.

I, on the other hand, went for quantity. In my 'starter home' backyard, I devoted nearly all my 1500 ft2 to my garden this year. I have 27 Roma, 7 Better Boy and 8 Big Girl. I also LOVE hot foods. I planted 36 jalapeno plants.

Last year I harvested enough jalapeños, after gorging on them for late summer to October, to cut and freeze 20 gallon bags. I am on the last one and this crop is just turning red.

I also cooked up enough spaghetti sauce to fill 45 qt freezer bags.

I have already cooked up 20 quarts of sauce and probably have enough ripe ones for another batch.

I also have Peas, huge zucchini, Brussel Sprouts, squash, green pepper and some veggie I can't remember what it is because I threw away the seed container.

On a whim I purchased 3 watermelon plants and they are going great. I have a feeling my yard will be taken over by the vines.

My goal prior to the watermelon purchase was to get a ton of produce. Each melon is supposed to weigh 30 pounds and I've counted over 30 melon buds.

Looks like I'll have to double my original estimate.

BTW, are any of the seeds you produce for sale? I was going to start my plants from seed purchased from the Heirloom Seed Company, of some sort, but time got away from me and I went with plants.

Have you ever heard of the 'Tomato Festival' they throw every fall in Reynoldsburg? That's a suburb of Columbus OH. The town and story, if you haven't heard of it is the man who defied death and publicly ate a tomato way back when. Being related to the nightshade it was 'common knowledge' that to eat a tomato was a death sentence. Some way this is a tall tale but the festival still has a pretty good turnout.

Sorry to ramble.

[NRaleighLiberal]

112. I'll get back to this and add more later...lots of stuff to comment on!

I share seeds for free; we sell seedlings locally for a few weeks each spring - really just enough to make back what we put into it - the goal is to get people growing great varieties - and educate/teach....if I do my job well, I will put myself out of business!

Yes, the tomato festival - I have heard of it big time!

You know, I guess I am meticulous to some degree but it is really working out of my natural box (MBTI talk - as an ENFP my preference is to be totally unplanned/spontaneous!). But in a way the whole garden/seed saving thing is like mental calisthenics for me....it is fun, but takes its toll! Right now, I am looking past Tomatopalooza as when things calm down again! (yeah, right...)

[NJCher]

205. I enjoyed the ramble

Do you have any pics of your garden, greiner3? You should post them at our gardening forum.

Which speaking of, I would like to invite all of you who are planning or who already have a garden to come visit and post. Our esteemed tomato man here is very generous with his tips over there and in fact, he made my day when he told me this tip earlier in the week: that peppers and eggplants yield way better in black 5-gallon pots than when planted in the ground.

I was ecstatic because I had lots of seedlings left over and plenty of black plastic pots. Oh and since I am from NJ, I guess it goes without saying that I have plenty of asphalt.

I really enjoyed this clip and in fact, am going to watch it a second time, not to mention sending it to all my gardener friends.


Cher

[Hissyspit]

64. I have a yellow pear cherry plant

this year.

They have NO flavor, but boy do they grow.

[NRaleighLiberal]

114. it is a very old variety - back to the 1700s....I agree, no flavor!

but you would be amazed how many seedlings of it people want from me....although as I convince people to try other things, sales of Yellow Pear are dropping off (for which I am happy!).

[ejbr]

65. Cool! Actually you could tie this to politics:

Democrats say tomayto, Republicans say tomahto!

[NRaleighLiberal]

115. Funny story there - I have to keep them separate....

although with my DU and Obama sticker-ed truck, I've had some interesting discussions while selling seedlings at the farmer's market! I do think I've lost some customers with my left-wing Tweets!

[ejbr]

132. Their loss! Good for you with your hobby!!

[efhmc]

187. Probably gained some also.

Wish you would do an in depth video of your work. That would be a great learning/teaching tool.

[NRaleighLiberal]

189. I am expecting to sign a book contract any day....and...

got lots of vid clips on my nctomatoman YouTube channel.

[efhmc]

212. Would you please supply the links? Thanks.

[NRaleighLiberal]

213. let's see if this works for you - you can scroll down through my various

amateur, crudely produced vids!

http://www.youtube.com/user/nctomatoman?feature=mhee

[RainDog]

66. tomatoes are better than politics n/t

[rucky]

67. I could go for a Mexico Midget right about now

[awoke_in_2003]

180. off topic...

but your sig pic has me giggling like crazy.

[shireen]

196. love those tomatoes!

I grew MMs in a hydroponic set-up outside my apartment one summer. Those are very tasty little tomatoes.

[Smilo]

69. Lovely,

great job on keeping tomatoes' heritage alive.

Wished I lived near you

[RagAss]

70. Cool Beans!.....uhhh I mean Tomatoes !

[virginia mountainman]

71. WOW!

Very interesting! And delicious!

[indivisibleman]

72. Inspiring

Makes me want to grow some unusual tomatoes next year.

[fredamae]

73. I Love Tomatoes and That was very cool

I want some Great job on the interview...and good luck!

[FiveGoodMen]

74. Terribly cool!

What fun to spend your time on something you enjoy so much!

[bleever]

75. Awesome.

Man, I could go for a good BLT right now.

[randr]

76. Thanks for sharing

I hope to post some of my heritage varieties as they ripen.

[TomClash]

77. Better than watching the Sox

A lot better.

Sox fan forever.

[NRaleighLiberal]

116. yes, I've suffered greatly with this version of the team!

[Mojorabbit]

78. Do you hand pollinate to keep

the strain pure? I really like how you have them set up in pots. The older I get, wielding the hoe gets harder in the garden.

[silverweb]

98. That's what I was wondering.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]GMO corn is pollinating and contaminating non-GMO corn miles away, so how do you keep different varieties of tomato plants from cross pollinating when they're sitting right next to each other?

[NRaleighLiberal]

119. check my post above - answered this - the first person to ask about seed saving/purity.

[silverweb]

143. Thank you!

[NRaleighLiberal]

118. Pretty easy solution to this...see below. (teaching time!)

Tomato flowers are perfect - as the flower opens, the male parts brush pollen onto the female parts (OOOHHH...tomatoes and sex!) - and 95% of the time, everything is fine - the variety self pollinates. I say 95%, because bees can get in early and mess things up - but some of my best new varieties are from chance cross pollinations - and the fun of growing out the surprises, then selecting over the next few seasons to get it stable.

SO - what I do is save seed from just the early set, first truss fruit....before the bees are abundant, busy and travelling plant to plant.

How I test my success is with germinating potato leaf varieties (recessive trait) - of which I grow far less than regular leaf (all about looking at the margin of the leaf - potato leaf varieties have smooth margins, regular leaf - dominant - is toothed). Typically I will have no more than 1-2% of regular leaf varieties in a planting of potato leaf from saved seed - so that means of every 100 or so plants of a particular variety, 1-2 will possibly be crossed.

Make sense? With corn, the male and female parts are separate, and wind is needed to do the plant sex.

[Mojorabbit]

129. Thanks for the lesson!

I keep bees so it might be a problem for me. I have packets of probably twenty varieties of tomatoes I have received in seed swaps that I want to plant. I might just do it anyway.

[NRaleighLiberal]

130. honey bees can't cross tomatoes, as a rule - and don't visit them either - so you may be just fine!

the other thing you can do is just get very light spun fabric (reemay) and cut squares - create a very loose bag around an unopened blossom cluster. Once the flowers open and small tomatoes form, remove the fabric - all tomatoes that form will be fine.

[Mojorabbit]

214. Thanks! nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

79. Wow!!!

I can't eat tomatoes, they are too acid and I am allergic to them. But i am a gardener too. Pretty neat.

[Skinner]

80. That was great!

Love it! Great job!

[NRaleighLiberal]

125. Thanks, Skinner - I really appreciate it.

[bayareaboy]

82. Excellent Garden ...

really a nice big tomato patch.

I would ask friends and family about what variety they wanted, everyone wanted something different. So now I just do roma tomatoes.

[hue]

83. Wow! Thanks for sharing!! Makes my mouth water!! K&R

[JitterbugPerfume]

84. YOU are one cool DUer!

[Kaleva]

85. 3,000 varieties of tomatoes!

You do have an interesting and quite unique hobby!

[IDemo]

86. Any chance of scoring some Summertime Gold seed? :)

That's a beautiful looking tomato.

edit - found a source for these -> http://heritagetomatoseed.com/heirloom-and-op-tomato-seeds/summertime-gold/

[NRaleighLiberal]

121. Actually, don't order it from them only because our initial release is not what it should be....

I am trying to save lots of seed from a preferred selection this season (the one in the video) - PM me and I can get you a small starter seed sample once the processing is done.

[SaveAmerica]

87. Brandywine Tomatoes are my favorite, I 'branched out' to

other kinds this year; German Johnson, Cherokee Purples, Black Russians etc, so I can have a rainbow tomato salad.

mmmmm mater sammich!

[grantcart]

88. Very nice and what a set of tomatoes you have!

That sounds oddly errogenous.

[NRaleighLiberal]

122. .

[mike dub]

89. That Summertime-Gold is my favorite!!!

Wow, and I thought 20 minutes to water our 'maters, okra, peppers and cucs (and everything else) was a chore!!!

Nice story, Craig!

(from a fellow North Carolinian!)

[Ikonoklast]

90. You aren't fooling me for one second.

I know you "sciency" types.

"Pure research!" you say.

"Betterment for all Mankind!" you cry.

"Amazing new advancement!" you trumpet.


I'm on to you.

Weird genetic modifications...cross-species gene splicing...


You're growing Killer Tomatoes.





And I bet they taste good.

[Vadem]

91. You did great! I wanted one of those heirloom tomatoes you were showing!

[Courtesy Flush]

92. I'm glad you're a DUer

Thanks for sharing this.

[rhiannon55]

93. Very cool! Heirloom tomatoes are wonderful.

I would love to live next door to you. Your garden is beautiful, and I would volunteer to be a taster, free of charge.

I did want to strangle the VO guy.

[Shankapotomus]

94. I, for one, find it reassuring there are scientists on DU

Thank you for your service to your country.

[SaveAmerica]

95. I found a blog if anyone has questions about his 'maters

I was searching for details on Tomatopalooza and found a blog (I hope it's ok to link to it, NRaleighLiberal). If anyone would like to donate to help with the research and other costs, he has a link there.

I love the heirlooms, thanks for keeping them alive!!

http://nctomatoman.weebly.com/1/post/2012/07/sunday-menu-water-radio-pick-ripe-veggies-tomatopalooza-planning.html

[NRaleighLiberal]

123. Sure - I daily blog pretty much - happy to have people read it/ask questions.

[SaveAmerica]

126. Thanks! I'm researching using epsom salts as fertilizer.

Bet you didn't know that DU was this crazy for tomatoes?

[flying_wahini]

131. I use Epsom Salts every year with my 'mators

small handful and the bottom of the freshly dug hole and another small handful
across the soil around the stem 2 weeks later OR after it gets it's first bloom. Water in well.
Slow release nitrogen. works great and cheap.

[SaveAmerica]

169. Thank you!

[RiffRandell]

96. That's awesome!

Nice place you have. Thanks for sharing!

[cally]

97. Awesome... I love some of the varieties you've

developed. Some of the heirlooms are my favorite especially the "cherokee ____' I'm focusing on smaller types this year but I did plant a few cherokee..... ones. (I forgot the full name.)

[NRaleighLiberal]

144. Yeah, Cherokee Purple...got lucky with that one!

J D Green of Sevierville TN sent that to me back in 1990 - "here is an unnamed purple tomato the Cherokee Indians gave my neighbors 100 years ago - hope you like it". Grew it - it was purple and delicious! - named it and sent to a seed company (Southern Exposure in VA) - the owner, Jeff, told me "it is kind of ugly, don't know if people will like it, but we will offer it".

People like it! From that I found Cherokee Chocolate in 1995 (as a mutation of purple - skin went clear to yellow) - then in 1997, found a Chocolate plant that mutated to green flesh - and Cherokee Green was born.

Just got lucky!

[SaveAmerica]

170. No way! It's because of you that I have a Cherokee Purple plant

in my garden? How cool is that!! Do you have a Facebook page?

[NRaleighLiberal]

191. not really (there in cognito...long story!)

I left FB in 2008 during the election - saw so much awful stuff/hatred being posted by some family, but esp. friends....decided I'd had enough.

At this point, I tweet and daily blog - maybe after my book comes out I will jump back on FB. Issue is the collision of worlds - my political world with the gardening world - quite an interesting collision!

[SaveAmerica]

193. I think an account for your NCTomatoMan would be drama free

I believe if it is set up not as a personal account but more geared for a business (even if you are not a business) you won't see other unnecessary posts but your info will be shared with many who are interested. (Someone will correct me if I'm wrong!).

[NRaleighLiberal]

194. that's not a bad thing to consider -thanks (will address once things calm down...)

(all about Tomatopalooza last minute planning/prep for the next few days!)

[sarchasm]

107. I love NC!

Raleigh's a great place.

[redwitch]

109. I want a tomato sandwich. RIGHT NOW!

And your top ten list? I have never had a single one of those to my knowledge. I now have a tomato bucket list! Thanks for saving the heirlooms!

[sarcasmo]

110. Great piece, I'M thinking slow news weekend :) .

[chowder66]

111. serendipity or sara-ndipity?

Love that you named one after your daughter.

That got an awwwww out of me.

[NRaleighLiberal]

124. Yes - the color pattern is Serendipity, my daughter is Sara - so the tomato is Sarandipity!

He should have mentioned the new one I named for my wife - Dwarf Sweet Sue - wonderful variety, it will be in a seed catalog to be determined this fall.

[chowder66]

204. Love the names!

I will have to let a friend of mine know about this. He grows the ugliest tomatoes he can find so the neighbors don't steal them. : )

Keep up the great work!

[Lint Head]

117. Wow! My neighbor has a big garden and gives us tomatoes. I'm turning red.

That is fantastic. You are so lucky to have the relationship with your Grandfather and Dad like that.

[FourScore]

120. Beautiful!!! Thank you so much for posting this!

Aside from the great clip, it's always nice to put a face to a DU name!

[NRaleighLiberal]

127. I actually found it hard to watch - wondering when my hair got so gray and un-plentiful!

whole thing is kind of a weird experience...and my New England accent was showing!

[Kalidurga]

128. Yum tomatoes are my favorite fruit.

I would be so bummed if I got an allergy to them.

[nclib]

133. Very cool!

Since I wasn't home I dvr'd it to watch later. Nice to have a link. Oh, and you did a great job!!

How different do the different tomatoes taste?

What do you do with them all? The first year we grew tomatoes we had 12 plants because I didn't know how much they would produce. We had a ton of tomatoes.

[NRaleighLiberal]

134. hey friend! oh, do they taste different...

it is like tasting wines, or any other food or beverage with lots of nuances and characteristics - sweet, mild...tart...fruity, intense, bland, full, musty, tropically fruity - add the texture and the colors...it's fun stuff!

Ah, what do we do....we can, make sauce and can that, make lots of salsa, soups - because it is 210 different varieties, single plants of each, seed saving is paramount. For about 3 weeks, dealing with them is pretty much a full time job!

[nclib]

138. I made a chocolate cake with some

since we had so many. It wasn't bad. Have you tried something like that? Now with the internet I probably could have found many more recipes. We ended up giving a lot away. And the squirrels were pretty happy.

It's amazing that tomatoes can taste so many different ways.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

209. Green tomato cake is awesome.. tastes like plum

Here in OR we have to be creative with the green tomatoes since they out-number the ripe ones 3-1.

[Tx4obama]

136. Awesome :) n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

137. thanks for the retweet!

[cyberswede]

139. Fantastic piece!

That was totally fun to watch - and I'm impressed!

I also must say that the editing/production was really good, too - it made the clip even more fun to watch!

[NRaleighLiberal]

141. howdy, my MIRT team friend -thanks!

[NYC_SKP]

140. YOU!

You did a great job!

I hope this has been posted elsewhere, noodge!

[NRaleighLiberal]

142. hello, buddy!

[NYC_SKP]

146. I loved seeing that!

I hope everyone in your circle gets to watch, like on Facebook or wherever you post such things!

[NRaleighLiberal]

145. Thanks, everyone, you wonderful DUers! You all gave me a smile....

I was pretty nervous knowing this was coming....the best part was "meeting" so many of you through this thread.

off to bed.....good night, all - and thanks again.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

147. Non political????

With all that speech ammo?

[Tsiyu]

148. Way to go!

I planted early - just six plants for myself and to share a few - but I put them in a different location and they ended up to close to the horses. Who ate them.

But got a sack of super-ripe tomaters tonight from a friend's garden and made a salad with my fresh basil and kale and friends' tomato and sweet banana pepper and it was unbelievable with raspberry vin as dressing. Nothing like a homegrown mater and fresh greens.

Yeehaw

You da' Mater Man. Thanks for sharing

[OnyxCollie]

149. Thanks for telling us about your tomatoes.

It was cool.

[Cali_Democrat]

150. Very cool!!

[Paka]

151. Great spot.

Thank you Mr. Tomato man. I too love tomatoes and grew them, among other tasty tidbits, with my father when I was growing up.

[Rhiannon12866]

152. K&R!!! This is wonderful! Love it!

What a great profile and I learned something, too! And to think I can say I knew you when, LOL! BTW, love WRAL, too. When I was first dealing with the TV listings, before I worked with the networks, I dealt with the channels and WRAL was one of mine. Is it still an ABC affiliate? You came off so well and they did a really great job! Congratulations!

[UnrepentantLiberal]

153. That's really cool.

[LostinRed]

154. awesome!

I love tomatos. If I'm ever in NC, I have to stop by and try a few.

[Generic Other]

155. I wish I lived close enough to taste some of those tomatoes!

I have never seen such interesting varieties.

[MADem]

156. You are a GOD!!!!!!! I wish I lived next door to you!!! nt

[susanna]

157. Love. :)

I'm a seed saver myself. But you pretty much knock me out of the park!

[MrScorpio]

159. Your tomatoes look delish, Bro

All the tastes, all the varieties, all the tomatoes.

[Scuba]

161. Mmmmmmmmmmmm 'matos.

[OneGrassRoot]

162. Go, neighbor!

Very nice!

[HappyMe]

163. k&r

Wow, good deal!

[Highway61]

165. That is awesome!

Wow....I wish mine looked 1/3 as good as yours. You have the touch. Good for you!

[Patiod]

168. Thank you for your good work on behalf of the beleaguered tomato

We used to get the BEST New Jersey tomatoes, but now even the ones you buy in roadside stands on the way to the Jersey shore taste like....nothing. Sometimes out in California, you'll get food with tomatoes in it that actually taste like tomatoes, but most places, they're all just sort-of red and hard and smell-less.

If it doesn't actually smell like a tomato, who wants to buy it or eat it?

So thank you for cultivating and promoting tomato diversity!

There is nothing better than a warm and fresh from the vine heirloom tomato with a little salt on it!

[ProfessionalLeftist]

171. I saw a Republican tomato there...

...traitor!!!

[awoke_in_2003]

174. I thought it was good...

yeah, the voice over dude had a fake voice, but I think you come through as the man to talk tomatoes with. I must visit, bearing corn chips

[treestar]

177. wonderful!

sounds fascinating! I've never grown anything - I really admire those who can!

[deutsey]

178. That was very nice

Thanks for sharing!

[Sheepshank]

182. How cool is all of that????

Wondering, why is it that you use your driveway rather than putting the pots onto a dirt patch? BTW, I never would have guessed that the plants could do so well kept pots rather than transplanting into a garden. You have my imagination going ready for next season!!

[aintitfunny]

183. That was great - happy tomato farming! (n/t)

[life long demo]

184. Thanks, the tomatoes look delish, great job

I love a tasty tomato in the summer. And a tomato sandwich is to die for in the summer.

[Zorra]

185. Awesome! I LOVE tomatoes! Question for Tomato Man -

Do you know a good heirloom variety that might be my best bet for growing in the desert SW?

Thanks!

[NRaleighLiberal]

203. Wow....good question. here's what I would do -

you can join Tomatoville (tomatoville.com) for free - great discussion site - tomato enthusiasts from the world over - and lots of people from different regions in the US - perfect place for your question. If you join, PM me and let me know your name there (I am nctomatoman)

[lark]

186. Hmm, a scientiest being a liberal?

Who would have thought? (sarcasm)

[PotatoChip]

188. Wow! Very impressive garden!

Thanks for sharing this.

[FSogol]

192. Now I'm jealous. I thought my 5 varieties were doing great.

[shireen]

195. wonderful!

Thanks for sharing that segment, and thanks for your work in conserving rare cultivars. What you're doing is fantastic!

[abelenkpe]

198. Love it!

Now I want a tomato....

[Pithlet]

200. That is so cool

I could relate to the part where you're so excited about seeing the tomatoes. I grew my first plants ever two years ago. When I saw my very first tomato, I was so thrilled I took a picture of it and posted it on Facebook

[loudsue]

201. You live in my area!! Great piece on WRAL.

Whose was that weird little voice calling you the "tomato man"?

[NRaleighLiberal]

202. must have been Scott Mason. He did the "unusual" voiceover.

had my wife in stitches!

[beemer27]

206. Thanks !!

That was not funny- it was interesting. All of the tomatoes looked delicious, and your passion for them came thru. I am happy that you have such an interesting hobby, and that you shared it with us.

[BeHereNow]

207. WONDERFUL! However, I wanted to smack the voice over guy...

It would have been a MUCH better clip if they had eliminated the interruptions and
just just let YOU talk!

GREAT garden, Tomato Man!



Ya DU us proud brother!

BHN

[jtuck004]

208. Very cool. I can see this in my garlic future...started with a few cloves two

years ago, now 5 varieties, soon to be 7, adding beds...the driveway is not too far away.

But growing (and eating) heirlooms is one thing that takes support away from the corporations. Enough support gone, they will fall on their own, eh?

Thank you for your work.

[NRaleighLiberal]

210. Link to the blog where I show the tomatoes I am bringing to Tomatopalooza....

http://nctomatoman.weebly.com/1/post/2012/07/list-of-varieties-that-i-hope-to-bring-to-tomatopalooza-on-saturday.html

[KoKo]

211. Kudo's to YOU! The Video is fascinating watch and

CONGRATS on the book signing deal which, hopefully, will give much info to the rest of us as to how to "Grow Some Great Tomatoes!"

Thanks for sharing. The video is really good...even with the Jeannie Moos (CNN Pretender VO)

It was very cool!

You are an example of "how to move ahead, do your own interest and survive ...but, still inspire people in these difficult times.

It's GOOD!

[senseandsensibility]

216. Which variety is the sweetest?

Even the homegrown ones around here seem to be flavorless. It's been so long since I tasted a really good tomato that I've almost forgotten what they're supposed to taste like.

Thanks for the great thread, and I'm impressed!

[Le Taz Hot]

217. Ah, my go-to guy for all things

involving container gardening. NRaleighLiberal OWNS the Gardening group, as he should.

[Adsos Letter]

218. Most excellent! We love tomatoes. And your home is lovely.

We took a 2-week road trip through your area in May. What a beautiful part of the country!