I'm glad the Maryland leeks made it. Summer sowing doesn't give them much time. Next time you might want to try a fast variety like King Richard. About the 1 year thing. Not in any way to disrespect or doubt anyones experience, but I thought i'd offer my thoughts. I have about 3000 leeks in the ground around 6 months old (seeded early April). This is the second week harvesting for market and many of them are easily 2+ inch diameter. They're grown organically and fed only compost and water. Varieties are: Belton, Lexton, Kenton and Ashton....(Obviously all inbred by those crazy English breeders) Here's a photo of one of 2 beds, next to the cabbage. I don't have a better photo handy, but can try to remember to take one. Here is the tub of leeks harvested today, I think there's about 30 lbs. The flash messes up the photo, but you can get the idea.

Anita, sweetheart, I know how much goes into the planning and execution of a multi-day event like this (we have one for our greyhound nonprofit every November). Even though if it may feel to you at this point like you are out of control and the whole event is going to be a big mess, never let your guests see you sweat. We will love being with you in your beautiful cemetery garden, and we are there to hear your guests and learn from each other ... even if things run over and we're there till 1am, I doubt any of us are going to care. See you later this week!

1) Are there any Sungold or Sunsugar F8s or F9s out there? Sungold Select and Sungold Select II. 2) When do OP seed grown plants become *heirloom*...is there a number of years, or do they ever? Some say whenever an open pollinated (OP) tomato is passed from one generation to another within the same family, it becomes a "family heirloom" although you'll find that most "family heirlooms" came recently from overseas with minimal geneological data, or have a claim appended to them of "grown in her family for over 80 years," "reportedly grown by (insert a native American tribe)," or "grown in the area for as long as anyone alive can remember." Others say it takes 50 years for an OP to become an "heirloom" except: Some people feel a commercial OP tomato bred by professional or university breeders must have been stabilized and in common circulation before 1941 because the folks who determined the "commercial heirloom" category feel that was about the time that commercial hybrid tomatoes became available to home gardeners (even though the really famous and persistent two home garden hybrids weren't on the market until 1946 and 1948) :::smile::: OR If the tomato were an intentional cross with both parents known, and at least one being some sort of "heirloom" to begin with (sometimes this qualification is overlooked), and the gardener takes the time to stabilize the intentional cross, then some folks consider the stabilized cross to be a "created heirloom" (even though this procedure is exactly the same procedure as for hundreds of commercially produced OP tomato varieties which don't qualify as "commercial heirlooms" because they missed the 1941 cut-off date) :::shrug::: OR If the tomato was an accidental cross with one parent unknown and the other parent hopefully qualifying as one or another kind of "heirloom," and the gardener spent the time to stabilize the accidental cross, some folks consider the stabilized cross to be a "mystery heirloom" unless some sluethy tomato enthusiast can prove, or at least insinuate successfully, that the person claiming "bee pollination" in fact manufactured the cross or completely fabricated the story :::giggle::: (Hey, a guy has to have fun somehow in the afternoon!) 3)If you are growing heirloom or OP tomatoes, what are the chances of two different types being cross-pollinated? If the chances are high, how far apart should different varieties be grown to help insure no cross-pollination? Chances are very low unless you have native pollinators very active in your area. For example, in my area, I have only infrequently seen bumble bees visit tomato blossoms. As to how far apart one must separate tomato plants to ensure no cross pollination ... how far can an insect pollinator fly with pollen attached to its body parts and then land on another blossom? And why do some folks say 6 feet for tomatoes but 100 or 200 feet for peppers? This remains a mystery to me. 4) And lastly, how the heck do the hybridizers do it? For instance those who are producing the Sungold tomato seeds. I could certainly understand high prices on F1 hybrids if they actually manually hand pollinate flowers. And even then...how do you do that? Those little flowers are so tiny, and how do you keep them from fertilizing themselves. Are there any websites that show photos of this process? Click Here for hybrid seed production in tomatoes pdf. Click Here for the same thing as a slide show. Click Here for an easy to follow along demonstration and a Web site that has a wealth of tomato breeding info and links. Click Here for the North Carolina State University Cultivar Lists where some parents of older hybrids are named (like Avalanche = Mozark x Glamour, or MoCross Surprise (Missouri Surprise) = Mozark x Sioux) but where they won't name the parents of many proprietary hybrids or hybrids that are still under production. Bill

This: Baked Potato & Leek Soup with Cheddar & Bacon Recipe ngredients: * 2 medium russet potatoes (about 1/2 pound each) * 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter * 2 medium leeks (white and light green parts), sliced and rinsed well * 2 medium cloves garlic, minced * Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper * 2 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth * 4 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice * 1/2 cup milk * 1/2 cup sour cream * 1 cup (about 1/4 pound) grated sharp Cheddar (see Cook's Note) * 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens or chives Preparation: Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Scrub the potatoes, pat dry, and pierce several times with a fork. Set them directly on the oven rack and bake until very tender, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and 2 cups water. Simmer until the leeks are very tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Cut one of cooled potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh out in one piece from each half. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside. Coarsely chop the potato skin and the entire remaining potato and add to the pot with the leeks. Puree the contents of the pot in batches in a blender until very smooth. Return the soup to a clean pot and reheat over medium low. Whisk together the milk and sour cream and then whisk this into the soup, along with 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Stir in the diced potato. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the remaining Cheddar cheese, the bacon bits, and the scallions or chives. Yield: 6 cups, 4 servings Cook's Note: Sharp cheese works well in this soup because it melts smoothly. Extra sharp will give you a more pronounced flavor but because of the lower moisture content, the soup will be less smooth.