merced seeds

cactus184

16 years ago

does anyone know where I can buy or trade for merced tomato seeds

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (18)

gonefishin
16 years ago
I will be watching and interested in this thread too since Merced is one of my favorite hybrids. Watch for plants from Bonnie's Plants at your local nurseries and box stores. Even though I have been hearing that it has been discontinued for several years now, I suspect that Bonnie's must have had a substantial stash of the seed in reserve. Recon that they could be coerced into parting with some of them??? If so, I sure would like to buy some.

I have been saving seed and have some F-2 and F-3 I guess that it would be. In other words, seed that I saved from the plants that I bought and again seed from the tomatoes that those plants from those seed produced. Thus far, I have not noticed any remarkable difference in the appearance or quality of the fruit from those but will continue to look for plants each spring and save seed.

If you are not sucessful in finding any plants or seed later, email me and send a SASE and I will share a few seed with you.
Bill P.
cactus184
Original Author
16 years ago
gonefishing I would be greatfull if you could spare a few merced seeds. I am new to computers so I have not been able to fine your email add.
Related Discussions
Looking for Merced Tomato Seeds
Q
Comments (0)
Folks I am trying to find some Merced tomato seeds and wonder if anone on the forum can tell me where I can acquire some. Thanks, Paul
...See More
Need some opinions...I'm confused...
Q
Comments (36)
Here's the question: In your opinion..do I really need to fertilize these plants in these conditions? Or would it be sufficient to feel the tomatoes (which I realize are heavy feeders) with a solution of compost or manure tea? I see so many points of information here and elsewhere that I admit I'm thoroughly confused. I realize the question I am quoting is from March 2006 and the thread has long since diverged into another (interesting) discussion, but I think the question posed is well worth spending a bit of time on. The question, as I read it is this: Do I need to fertilize (name the plant here) if I grow it in (fill in the growing medium here). The answer is, the plant will tell you. Unfortunately the plant won't tell you in a timely manner. It will tell you only after you notice the effects of the plant getting too much or too little of something. There really is no shortcut to experience and don't be in any rush to have perfect growing results from day one. There is always the farmer's market or grocery when the garden plants fail ;-) It simply takes time to learn what conditions a given plant does best in and all the guides in the world are, at best, approximations and often they are simply inaccurate or only accurate in the writer's growing conditions. As an example, srburk said in his OP that he realizes tomatos are heavy feeders. Now, where did s/he get that idea from? No criticism of srburk intended at all, it is a common misperception propagated by many sources. Tomatos are not heavy feeders, they are moderate feeders. This is an example of the kind of misinformation involved in gardening that is spread by many otherwise helpful and knowlegable sources. How on earth can the newbie seperate the wheat from the chaff? It can't really be done. Nothing short cuts experience with a plant. Whether or not a plant requires supplemental fertilization or not can really only be determined by the grower after observing the plant. If you know you are growing in a nutrient poor condition (like growing in containers) then you can pretty much be assured that supplementation will be required, but when growing in soil amended with organic matter, the plants simply have to be observed. There is no short cut.
...See More
Can I start from seed in my garage??
Q
Comments (36)
I also start my seeds in an unheated (but insulated, finished) garage, but I find the heat from the house and the sun coming through the windows on the garage door keep the garage at a cool but safe temperature. I has gotten down to the teens the last two nights here and according to the thermometer I have set up in the garage, it is still about 48 degrees this morning when I left for work. Maybe if we had a lasting cold spell, I would worry about it dropping too low, but it is not too common for the temp to drop below 20 around these parts.
...See More
Establishing a good worm population
Q
Comments (23)
Equinox, just curious as to why you would towards not on the silica powder? As far as the comfrey patch location, well that looked just like everywhere else out here when they were planted. The whole area there got a few inches of manure and few more of fresh wood chips not too long ago. Comfrey loves nitrogen and will take straight fresh chicken manure which is a feat for most plants. It will grow in poor soils though too and that makes it attractive here. When we plant them I dig a hole 2 feet deep and put a cubic foot of steer in the hole to give it a good start sending down its deep roots. This plant will root from 8 to 12 feet deep I am told. Once established they accumulate minerals and nutrients from deep down and bring it up to the surface. A couple other amazing things about comfrey is that they fix nitrogen through mycorhizal relationships and among all the nutrients they produce is B12 which I understand is quite uncommon for terrestrial plants. A drawback is though this variety does not reproduce through seed it will from small root fragments and once established it seems is quite difficult to remove, like crabgrass tilling just spreads it and I would be hesitant to garden much around it as working the ground would likely encourage its spread. I do plan however to try a wide bed with a row of comfrey down the middle. This will be a strict no till, start from seed and remove at the surface to keep from disturbing that roots and try and keep it behaving. I love the idea of having it so handy for chop and drop mulching. Francoise, yes we are looking at many different trees and shrubs. Some beneficial others more ornamental, our plan there is try everything and keep what works :D We have dozens of different types of seeds that are going in the fridge soon for their stratification period so spring is going to be quite interesting this year. You are also absolutely correct on the many strategies note. Much like a compost pile, the more variety the better. I am of the mind of the forest garden and intend to really push companion planting and interplanting throughout the garden and property rather than traditional row crop gardening though that will surely see its place too. Yes Pete, a pony or mule might be nice. We do have quite a few horse folks around though so I am going to make a point of seeing what might be available there and cut out the whole nother mouth to feed at least until we have better ground to do something like that on. Have to say I think of all I have read on rearing worms I relate to your style closest. Benign neglect is my kind of style for sure. The way i see it te more of what I do that is simple and somewhat self sustaining the more I can do and keep going. Otis, see above for probably more than you want to know about comfrey. There are other things like its fantastic ability to produce green material that breaks down quite quickly. A bucket stuffed full and capped for a few weeks will end up a black sludge that can be diluted and used in the garden. Lawrence Hill developed these Bocking sterile varieties and yields of 100+ tons an acre have been written about. With favorable conditions the entire plant can be cut to the ground giving up 5 to 8lbs of leave only to be regrown in weeks allowing for 5 to 8 cuttings a year. Thats 25 to 64lbs of nutrient rich leaves per plant per year. If we use an average of 40lbs every 50 plants will produce a ton of material that can be used in the compost pile, fed to the animals (worms included), made into liquid fertilizer or directly placed in the garden as mulch or compost. The last growth should be allowed to overwinter as they are a great shelter for many beneficial insects and spiders. I have read as many as 250 spiders might winter over under a single plant. That last foliage also helps support and shelter the plants own roots. Understand all of the above is from what I have gleaned as this is our first year with these plants. I will say though that from what I have seen so far I have little doubt in the validity of the information out there regarding comfreys use in the garden. About water, we have a very good well. Our water is about 100' and when it was drilled was measured at 100+ GPM. Our pump is 25GPM used to fill a 10K gallon tank. It cost about $0.35 1K gallons to get it into the tank and about the same to put it under pressure 40 to 60PSI. The tank is close to 500' away and maybe 15 feet of head so i am thinking about putting in a second line as a gravity line for irrigation cutting the cost of already cheap water in half. The one issue we do have with our water is that is is hard. i need to get a test done (we did years ago but honestly I dont remember the results as we mainly were testing to make sure it was safe) to see if there is anything we can do for it. Soaker hoses clog in a few months and many types of drippers suffer the same fate. Other than that drawback though water should not be any issue especially if we can get the material into the soil to hold the water where it needs to be for plants to flourish.
...See More
aclum
16 years ago
Hi,

Please post if you're able to locate some seeds! I too, would very much like to have a few Merced seeds. We just moved to Merced so I think it would be most appropriate to have at least one plant of this variety in my garden. Gonefish, I may just be e-mailing you if you still have some seeds to share.

Anne
carolyn137
16 years ago
I think it's best to note, in case you missed it, that Bill has a few F2 and F3 seeds.

That is not the same as the original Merced which it's my understanding was taken out of seed production a few years ago.

Carolyn
aclum
16 years ago
Hi Carolyn,

Yes, I did note that. Lacking the original hybrid, I'd be happy to try the F2 or F3, particularly as gonefishin said that he has "not noticed any remarkable difference in the appearance or quality of the fruit from those." From reading the posts on creating an OP from a hybrid, I gathered (but could be wrong), that a certain % will basically breed true to the original. Again, not sure if I'm using the correct terminology.

Any idea of the original Merced "parentage?"

Thanks!
Anne
carolyn137
16 years ago
Merced (NVH 4461) - Breeder and vendor: Northrup King. Characteristics: extremely smooth, large, deep globe shaped fruit, typically has smooth blossom end and shoulders, fruit stems are jointed. Resistance: verticillium wilt race 1, fusarium wilt races 1 and 2, tobacco mosaic virus, gray leaf spot. Similar: Sunny, Jackpot. 1991

*****
Anne, above is the listing for Merced from the NCSU Cultivar list.

No parentage is given and I wouldn't expect to see one b'c it was a fairly recent hybrid and hybridizers consider parentage to be proprietary information.

Carolyn
aclum
16 years ago
Hi Carolyn,

THANKS for the info!

While I've got you "online," so to speak, can you explain to me what the BHN in the BHN Hybrid series refers to? It's always been a mystery to me!

Thanks again,
Anne
vall3fam
16 years ago
Hi Anne,
Welcome to Merced! I'm a fellow Mercedian too. Home Depot had Merced in the Bonny Plants last year, but I didn't put one in. Maybe they will have them again this year.

Elaine
aclum
16 years ago
Hi Elaine,

Thanks for the welcome to Merced!! I'll give Home Depot a call and see what they might have this year. If you'd like some heirloom seedlings I'll probably have quite a few to give away in about a month (varieties are listed in a post I did to the 2008 tomato list thread). I planted 3 seeds each of 22 varieties about a month ago and have a total of about 50-55 seedlings going strong (I'm hardening them off now - but will probably keep them out in a cold frame situation for a while before actually planting them). I only plan to keep 22 (one of each variety) for myself and will give the rest away to friends and neighbors. Let me know if you might be interested!

Anne
gonefishin
16 years ago
Email me if you want to Anne, I do not find your email address on your page or a way to email you.

Do look for the plants as suggested above.

Bill P.
aclum
16 years ago
Hi Bill,

I'll try to update my page right now.

Anne
aclum
16 years ago
Hi,

I went to the Bonnie Plants website and they're still apparently carrying Merced! Scroll down about halfway on
the following link:

http://www.bonnieplants.com/Vegetables/Tomatoes/DeterminateTomatoes/tabid/371/Default.aspx

So I imagine anyone who sells Bonnie Plants could add some Merced tomatoes to their order (assuming that the minimum isn't too high for them).

Bill, I still have't figured out how to update "my page" with my e-mail address - but I'll work on it. Not sure if I'll need the seeds from you if I can get the plant locally - but we'll see. Thanks for offering to send me some though! I may yet take you up on it.

Anne
vall3fam
16 years ago
Hi Anne,

Thanks for the offer of plants. I grew NAR, Black Krim, Black Cherry and Kellogg's Breakfast last year and they all did wonderful, but you will be especially pleased with your NAR. I didn't care for the Kellogg's, but that is probably just me. I should give it another chance. I've also grown Mexico before and it had huge maters! But that was when I was trying the sprawl method and the bugs ate more than I did! Cages for me now!

I'm a little behind you in getting my plants started, but I'll have plants of Opalka, Stupice, NAR, Mortgage Lifter, San Marzano, Heidi, Santa Clara Canner and a couple more, so maybe we can supply each other with a couple of more!

What part of Merced are you located? I'm just west of town about a mile from Home Depot. I don't have the pure sand of Atwater, but not the sticky clay like in town. I'm blessed with sandy loam soil and love growing tomatoes. I'm glad to hear of another local gardener!

Elaine
aclum
16 years ago
Hi Elaine,

I guess you'd say we're sort of east central in Merced - a couple of blocks south of Bear Creek and east of G Street.
I'm afraid that we've got that clay soil you describe. I've built raised beds (lasagna garden style over cardboard and lawn) filled with county compost - which I may need to amend some before planting. Once I get the soil worked out, I'm looking forward to growing some great veggies!

We moved here from San Jose and I haven't figured out gardening in Merced yet, so I planted my seeds sort of early, hoping to get something going before the heat of summer shuts things down. I don't think I'll be planting anytime soon, but when I do transplant, the tomatoes should be pretty good size.

Great to meet you online! Maybe you can give me some Merced-specific tips on things as the season progresses and we can get together one of these days!

I called Home Depot today and the garden manager said that Bonnie Plants just sends them plants on their own schedule and HD doesn't have any control over what varieties are sent or when they'll be sent. They just arrive! I can live without growing Merced, but I think it would be fun.

I did write Bonnie Plants to see if they were sending out any Merced this year or if they might have a few extra seeds to sell or give away. Not really expecting a reply but doesn't hurt to ask!

Anne
vall3fam
16 years ago
Hey Anne,
We used to live right in that area, off ES Bear Creek and Glen! If you'll email me off my "my page" listing, I can share some great nurseries in Modesto that have a lot of heirloom tomatoes that might have the merced if you don't find it. I'd love to see your raised bed setup and how you'll dealing with the clay! Hated it!

Elaine
HoosierCheroKee
16 years ago
Not EVERYONE who sells Bonnie Plant Farms transplants will have Merced. Last spring I drove from Evansville, Indiana to Austin, Texas to visit my daughter. I stopped in three places in Arkansas and several places in Texas specifically to buy Merced transplants at Home Depot and Wal*Mart (two outlets who exclussively market Bonnie Plant Farms transplants). It wasn't until I arrived in Austin that I was able to find some Merced transplants at Wal*Mart (Home Depot had sold all of theirs). I think I remember HEB grocers also having a few.

BTW, GoneFishin' was the man who originally sold me on Merced, and I wasn't disappointed in the healthy, heavily productive, determinate vines with a concentrated set of meaty slicers. Too bad it's discontinued. Hopefully the F2 seeds will produce something close.

Bill(2)
aclum
16 years ago
Hi Bill(2),

Now I really want to try Merced! I heard from Bonnie Plants and they've forwarded my e-mail on to the nearest grower who is supposed to let me know if they'll be growing it this year. Seems like if they sell it anywhere, they ought to sell it in Merced, CA. But I guess there are other Merceds and I understand that the variety is part of a Texas series of tomatoes???

Anyway, I'll let you know if they'll be growing it out in our area this year. Fingers crossed!

Anne
aclum
16 years ago
Hi Bill(2),

I was thinking that if the Austin HD or Wal-Mart had the Merced's again this spring, maybe your daughter could pick some up for you and mail them to you. She might even call these stores in advance and have them put some on hold for her in the event they get them this year. I've shipped plants before (about 6 plants in 16 oz solo cups - total height about 12") and they somehow managed to survive. I don't consider myself an expert on this by a long shot, so I think I'll start a new thread on shipping plants and ask that someone knowledgable perhaps post a FAQ on the subject.

Anne

merced seeds

Comments (18)

gonefishin

cactus184
Original Author

Related Discussions

aclum

carolyn137

aclum

carolyn137

aclum

vall3fam

aclum

gonefishin

aclum

aclum

vall3fam

aclum

vall3fam

HoosierCheroKee

aclum

aclum

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

merced seeds

Comments (18)

cactus184Original Author

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

cactus184
Original Author