It sounds like you all have it figured out and all the advice is excellent as far as I can tell. I just couldn't help but agree that it absolutely looks like clopyralid or amiopyralid damage. I had a bad bout with it 3-4 years ago when all my homemade potting soil got contaminated by well composted alpaca manure. It took over a month to figure it out and I lost a bundle of valuable crops in the process. Clopyralid based herbicides have been banned in Oregon except for use on golf courses but then Dow chemical just comes out with Milestone which is amiopyralid instead. It's the same exact problem just with another chemical. To the OP, i'm afraid there really isn't anything you can do for the plants. If the cause is the manure, at least you're not contaminated forever. In the soil the chemicals do break down in a few months. But if left above ground the herbicide can last for years and damage sensitive plants (mostly tomato, potato, legumes) at tiny amounts (parts per million). Oh, I looked into a soil test for herbicide and it was extremely expensive. It's not an average soil test. Seeding some beans or peas is an excellent idea to determine if there's residue. -Mark This post was edited by madroneb on Tue, Jun 25, 13 at 23:20

Sorry that I didn't get back to this thread...I've been very busy selling! I sold so much, I wore myself out. The WS tomatoes turned out to be a huge hit...I could have sold many more. I never adverstised, just put a big sign out that said tomato plants. The maters looked so healthy and nice...and they got so many for their $6 bucks, I even had a guy buy 3!! Kek19...you asked about selling seedlings. I think I mentioned above that I did sell two baptesia that were just seedlings, but the ones who purchased seemed very plant savvy and they seemed happy to "raise the baby". Most people probably aren't interested in something like that. Since I won't need more Baptesia myself, I plan to pot up my seedlings (they are in sytrofoam coffee cups now) and sell them next year when they've filled in a bit and have survived a winter here in WI. Pretty much anything that I grow this year from seed, I won't sell until next year now. I really didn't do annuals, just perennial plants from my garden plus the Wintersown tomatoes.

Regarding We-Du Natives (Meadowbrook Nursery), I just wanted to add some commentary regarding my most recent experience with this nursery with the hope that it's of some help here. I had never dealt with this on-line operation prior to ordering a 2 gallon Hamamelis virginiana 'Mohonk Red'. It arrived incredibly well-packed and in excellent health. Immediately after planting, it has taken off. This prompted me to cancel an order I had with another on-line nursery for some other items and a 'Diane" witch hazel in order to place another order with Meadowbrook for a 'Sunburst' witch hazel and a raspberry mountain laurel. I received tracking numbers from Meadowbrook immediately after my orders shipped. As further testament to their outstanding customer service, I telephoned Jamie with a question while waiting for the Sunburst and mountain laurel. Even as busy as they must be with Mother's Day coming up, Jamie, pleasant as could be, was more than happy to field my queries. After he remembered my name from my previous orders, he informed me that he had shipped me a 'Diane' by mistake instead of the Sunburst I had ordered with the mountain laurel, but that it was my lucky day, as he told me that he had caught the error and immediately shipped me a Sunburst on them! The Sunburst will arrive the day after the Diane and my planting will carry on without a blip! I couldn't recommend this nursery more.

Hope you have found some good heirlooms to try this year. You had a pretty good selection last year. Cherokee Purple is one of my favorites. Sun Gold is the only hybrid I grow. A really neat cherry is Black Cherry. Looks like a mini Cherokee Purple and more prolific for me than Sun Gold. Black Cherry is not an heirloom, but an open pollinated variety. You can save seed from it. It will grow true. For future reference, look at Sandhill Preservation, a family run seed catalogue in Iowa. They are on-line. Don't remember their exact url, but you won't have trouble finding it. Huge tomato section, including some very rare and interesting ones. Do not let anyone tell you we can't grow delicious tomatoes here. We can, but it takes some planning. You need to start your own seed. I start mine in February or March. But I have a mini greenhouse to put them in later in the spring, and not everyone does. Choose the sunniest spots in your garden for the plants. I have large trees around me, so I have to plant in the same places yearly. By all means experiment with walls of water, hoop houses, cloches, wrapping tomato cages with clear plastic, planting near walls or driveways or in pots and hanging baskets. All can be effective. And one of the most important ways to get a big and delicious tomato is to grow one that consistently grows big and delicious. I've traded for some terrific ones in the tomato seed exchange forum here on garden web. Neves Azorean Red grows huge and yummy tomatoes, but I don't think too many catalogues have it yet. This is the latest grower in my collection. Probably over 90 days from transplant. Even with my limited sunshine, my biggest tomato grew over 2 pounds. One that is easier to find and grows around a pound and more for me is Aker's West Virginia. And the stems are huge on this one. Very sturdy plant. You've already tried Cherokee Purple. I have grown it for years because of the taste. A really nifty book with excellent tomato info is Dr. Carolyn J. Male's, "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden." She is also a valued contributor here on garden web, mostly in the tomato forum, but sometimes elsewhere. The book has terrific pictures and history of the tomato variety when known. Although I love and appreciate Territorial and Nichol's, I do not rely on them for interesting tomato varieties. I did buy the Beaverlodge Series and Orange King from Territorial this year, just to try them, but they don't have that many interesting tomatoes. That said, I love them for most other seeds and their excellent growers info. Tomato Growers is excellent and so is Baker Heirloom Seeds. I did not care for Siletz and I have not grown Willamette. Most folks in the northwest seem to be under the impression that we can't grow delicious tomatoes, but must grow only the boring earlies. Untrue! (Although it's a lot harder around Seattle and the Pudget sound area.) If I recall correctly, the Delta Farms folks retired. All the best to you for your 2006 garden. Mary