Nice to see you check in treefrog and thanks again for the seeds,i have 2 of the goosecreeks growing now from seeds you sent and one brandyboy. Im surprised i havent read no where on this site or rthe other of anyone growing florida pink. These huge, 2 to 3 lb fruits are a gorgeous light pink. Extremely juicy, sweet and crack free, Florida Pink out-produces most plants in our garden. With very few seeds, huge production and great flavor, it is a favorite for cooking and fresh eating. Setting fruit well in hot areas, this beautiful tomato will be a fine addition to your garden. thats what laurel says about it. rowdy red is another i think will do well im growing. Named by Gary Ibsen, the seeds of this variety came to Gary from tomato breeder, Archie Millett, who crossed his favorite tomato varieties over many years to finally produce a disease resistant tomato with intense flavor. 'Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red,' is an open-pollinated tomato (78 days to maturity). The tall, indeterminate, plant produces lots of 2-inch (6-10 oz.), deep-red, round fruits with a subtle point on it's end. Fruit has robust, 'not for sissies,' bold, tomatoey flavors, with a firm, juicy flesh, that invites snacking in the garden, cooking, canning and seed-saving. Its fruity sweetness is perfectly balanced with plenty of acidity, earthy nuances and complexity. kirk Here is a link that might be useful: laurells tomato plants

Joanne - I am glad you asked before spraying! First you need to figure out what caused the dead buds, what bug you have, and from that you can figure out the least toxic solution if any solution is needed. The brown buds may be due to a late spell of cold weather that happened after the tree started pushing its buds. Many areas of New England had this issue this year, with unseasonably warm weather causing trees and shrubs to start opening buds, and then cold weather killing the swelling buds. This effected fruit trees (both ornamental like your cherry and in orchards) as well as other ornamental plants such as hydrangeas. The bugs may just be coincidence or even there to eat the already dead buds - not way to tell without an ID. Sevin is a short-term neuotoxin (inhibits mammal nerve and brain cells) if you or your pets are exposed to it, and it is broad spectrum, effecting all insects, other invertebrates such as spiders and crayfish, and fish. It will kill honeybees, and other beneficial insects such as praying mantis and ladybugs along with whatever pests are around, so you may end up with a bigger pest problem down the road if you've indiscriminately killed off the preditor insects along with the problem bugs. So before using something like that, I would be very sure that it is the only possible solution to a problem, and use it with protective gear (keep it off skin and out of eyes, mouth, and nose) as well as washing up well afterwards. Read the label and use only as directed. Alternatives: - You can take photos, and post on the Insect forum or here on the New England forum to see if you can get an ID. You could get a couple of samples and take them to a master gardener or your local extension office. Once you have an ID you may find that there are less toxic solutions such as Bt, a bacteria that only effects caterpillars, but not other larvae or other animals. - Since your tree is still small, you can brush all the tiny black worms into a container of soapy water - they will drown. However, know that all insects have larvae that look worm-like, and lady bugs are one of them with black, scary-looking larvae, so I would get an ID before doing this or anything else that will kill them. - This winter, read up on dormant oil sprays and use that before they leaf out if it turns out that your bugs are problem bugs, and now (if needed) you may be able to use a summer oil spray, either of which suffocates insects on contact but doesn't have a lasting effect on other insects. We periodically get folks here who have assumed that if a bug is on a plant that is in trouble that the bug must be causing the problem, but often, such as in the case of ladybug larvae, they are helping to solve the problem by eating the problem bugs that are there. So do take the time to ID your critters, and let us know how it goes. (PS - For the future, if you start your own thread on the main New England forum page instead of adding to an old one, the replies will get delivered to your mailbox, so you won't miss any.)

There are quite a few people here who have GE growing in their gardens. I bought two 3 years ago and have those two still growing nicely, must be my soil, light or whatever. I just bought two more cheaply. Here is some advice given by forum member 'dhaven' : "Some varieties are very picky about growing conditions, and unless they are planted in optimum conditions, they will either remain small, or fade away and die. The best example of this I know of is Great Expectations, which also happens to be my favorite hosta. A great many people have lost this one, sometimes more than once. I have three very large mature plants, and they are the prettiest thing in the garden. It took some experimentation, but there are three things that GE absolutely must have to thrive. First, and most importantly, plant it shallowly. It's going to be a very large plant, so the natural inclination is to plant it deeply, but this will kill it faster than anything else. Plant it so shallowly you are convinced that it will tip over, and you've got it right. Secondly, it likes a lot of light. Dappled shade is ideal, but it will take several hours of direct sun, either morning or afternoon. Third, it likes a lot of water. If you give a GE all three of these things, you will increase your chances of growing it into an absolutely stunning plant. If you want to try any of the hostas that have the reputation of being difficult, be prepared to try different locations and growing methods, and possibly go through several plants before you discover what works for that variety in your location. When you do find out what works, please share the information with the rest of us!" Bernd

I ended up with a cherry fort - not a maze. The signif other decided to downsize the whole deal... so I ended up with a 10 X 10 area. We were starting with lawn... So I planted a tomato every 6-8 inches. I know inches... I put in: Gajo De Melon Suncherry red star sungold green doctors zebra cherry black cherry snow white Riesentraube OSU Blue Oh heavens, I'll have to go home and check again... there were others... I got a lot of people who wanted to donate seed, so I took them up on them and added them to the 'fort'. I have to take recent pictures, but this is what it looked like early on. I haven't been gung-ho on documenting this because I didn't want to document a complete failure if it happened... :) Then I went back to the original farm (without my camera) this weekend and they have extended their tomato maze - lots more varieties and much bigger this year... I will bring the camera next time I go. Again they told the kids "come back with your basket and belly full." SO cute and SO gets them excited about gardening. I want that!!! I'll take pictures tonight and post them tonight or tomorrow.