Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary: Yellowing Spring Garlic 🧄 The Permanent Yellow: Once the lower leaves of a garlic plant turn yellow, they will never turn green again. If you applied fertilizer, look at the new growth coming from the center. If the new leaves are green, the fertilizer worked! 🥶 The Cold Factor: Garlic that sprouts … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Homegrown Onion Storage 🧅 The Shelf Life: Even if you harvest onions during a wet summer and have to peel them down to their white scales (removing the protective papery skin) due to thrips damage, they can still successfully store indoors from July all the way until May! 🌡️ Storage Conditions: You … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Planting Grocery Store Shallots 🧅 The Supermarket Hack: Planting grocery store shallots is a great way to save money, as actual shallot “sets” from seed catalogs can be very expensive. 👅 Why Are They Bitter? Extreme chemical bitterness in onions (not just spicy heat) is usually the result of commercial growing conditions, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Spring Garlic Transplants What is Spring Garlic? In cooler climates, this usually refers to softneck garlic varieties. Unlike fall-planted hardnecks, they don’t produce scapes, have a milder flavor, and boast a much longer storage life. The Transplant Hack: If your garden soil is too cold or soggy in early spring, you … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Treating Onion Thrips Without Chemicals ⚠️ The Greenhouse Risk: Onion thrips won’t immediately devour your greenhouse tomatoes or peppers, but they are notorious vectors for viral plant diseases. It’s risky to introduce them into a closed greenhouse environment. 🧅 Sets vs. Multipliers: Tiny store-bought onion sets are usually clean. Large bulbs … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Fighting Thrips on Stored & Green Onions 🌍 The Problem: Onion thrips (tiny, elongated black bugs) can survive the winter dormant in your stored onions. When you bring them out into the warmth or try to force them for fresh green onions (scallions), the thrips wake up and multiply. 🌿 Symptoms … Read more
Cold Tolerance for Onion & Cabbage Seedlings: Expert Q&A 📌 Quick Summary: Managing Cold & Stalling Growth 🧅 Onion Seedlings in the Cold: Older onion seedlings thrive in cool weather. Keeping them at 55°F (13°C) on an unheated balcony during the day is perfectly fine, but bring them indoors if the nights get freezing. ✂️ … Read more
Growing Onion & Brassica Seedlings: Trimming and Temperature Tips 📌 Quick Summary: Indoor Onion & Cabbage Seedlings 🧅 Should you separate onion seedlings? No! If you lack space, let them grow tightly crowded in a single container. When transplanting outside, you can plant them in “multi-sown clumps” of 3-4 onions per hole. ✂️ The “Combing” … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Growing Onions from Seed Pre-Sprouting & Varieties: Many growers pre-sprout seeds in damp paper towels or condiment cups to ensure viability. Popular varieties mentioned: Exhibition, Candy, Barito, Yalta, Banko, Carmen. Sowing Technique: The “boiling water method” is highly recommended. Pour near-boiling water directly over the potting soil to pasteurize and pre-heat the … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Onions from Seed 🧅 Leeks: Leek seeds are notoriously slow and uneven to germinate. Keep them consistently moist in a warm, bright spot and do not dig around in the dirt to check on them! They can take up to 3 weeks to fully emerge. 🧄 Shallots from Seed: Yes, you … Read more
📌 Thread Summary: Growing Giant Sweet Onions from Seed Topic: A masterclass on growing massive, sweet “Exhibition” onions from seed. Note for US Growers: This exact same method is the gold standard for growing giant sweet varieties like Walla Walla, Candy F1, Vidalia, and Ailsa Craig. The “Cold Treatment” Secret: The biggest mistake growers make … Read more
📌 Editor’s Note: Combating Root Flies 🌍 The Pests: The Onion Fly (Delia antiqua) and the Carrot Rust Fly (Psila rosae) are notorious pests that lay eggs near the base of your crops. Their larvae (maggots) burrow into the roots, ruining the harvest. 🛡️ Organic Controls: This article covers traditional Eastern European organic remedies, including … Read more