You might want to think of burying the kitchen scraps in the sand and putting other forms of organic matter on the sand, but that would work. Whether that soil would be ready for planting next spring that way is somewhat debatable, though.

I lost my seedlings while on vacation for Spring break. This has never happened before. I watered them well and left them inside for the week. Same as I've always done. For some reason this year, I came back to find them all dead or dying. I am miserable to say the least. I started seeds for the following, but would be happy to receive others: New Big Dwarf, Neves Azorean Red, Mortgage Lifter, Eva's Purple Ball, Cuostralee, Big Beef, Earl's Faux, White Queen, Speckled Roman and Goose Creek. I am planning to replant but would really like something to plant now. These are going to be so late in the season. Hope to get at least some maters before Fall. I have lots of seeds to trade, most from reliable traders here on the tomato forum. All of the ones listed above, I have in small quantities. Please email me to let me know what you're looking for. Also check my trade list (last updated this winter). I will ofcourse pay postage, USPS $4.95 priority mail. Thanks in advance, April

For good tomatoes in the fall. (Well if you wish to call the crap shoot of a time from when it is sweltering hot, till when the frost hits a fall here.) Is to plant in the time frame of July, till August at the latest. The latter of the two being an early type with 60 or so days to maturity. If planting then it would be advised to go with the largest transplant you can get into the ground. (I use 3 Gal. planter for those. Also it is advised to have some kind of a way to cover the plant for the first few frosty days. If the fruit has grown to full sized by the time the plant dies then you can wrap the tomatoes in newspaper as I stated before. My Grampa called them winter tomatoes. As were were eating them in the winter as they ripened. Note I just came in from pulling 4 plants. I took cuttings from one of them. I have them in a shaded spot in moist potting mix. By the time they start to get slightly root bound it will be time to put them in the ground. The cuttings saved are early producers so I have a chance of getting some off of them before the freezes kill them off for the winter. If not then I will have a green tomato fry. As to the cherry tomatoes. I keep mine in the ground as they seem to set fruit even when the others have shut down to point. Husky Cherry Red has done great for such a compact plant. Sweet 100 is starting to set fruit like crazy as well. So far from the small area that I have to grow in I have harvested more then me, my wife, my dad, and step mom, and everyone I have been giving tomatoes to can eat. I have been harvested over 300 large toms, and I am getting a gallon container full a day easy. Most times it is overflowing. I am attaching a pic of my Yellow Pear cherry tomato plant. I will keep it alive as it is still setting fruit. If it still looks healthy as the heat sets in I will keep it alive. Any that start to look bad I take cuttings from to make new plants.

Sounds like you will do well with this...thinking ahead and coming in with prior growing experience is huge. I've grown in my back yard and also at a plot that I visited once a week or so. The management is different but very doable if you plan differently for each location. You will need to arrive each weekend mentally and physically prepared to deal with any problems that you discover came up in the previous week. Don't waste time being overly upset by "bad" things that may have happened while you were away. Maybe you will need to spend a lot of the time dealing with pests, maybe watering, maybe fence failure, maybe storm/wind damage when you first arrive each week. You just never know what will greet you, but don't let it get you down, most is fixable. And often most everything will be fine and you'll be amazed at the changes a week brings. And many problems can often be avoided by upfront planning and a little work...ie. using row covers, mulch, well planned and well constructed fencing, and possibly automated irrigation depending on your climate/weather. Crop selection is also different. Veggies needing timely harvest may be out, but that still leaves lots of things to grow. I've found I can adjust my harvesting ideas and still grow many crops others rule out because they think they must have frequent harvesting. You can pick tomatoes at breaker stage along with the vine ripened ones and a week later the plants and fruit should be fine for a repeat picking. Pick any beans over an inch long and a week later you will return to many perfectly sized ones, some overgrown ones okay for soup, and some tiny ones. Pick any cucumbers you see, again even 1 inch ones, and a weekend later you should have a nice harvest again. Following the same method, zucchini, summer squash, etc. can all work out....some of the baby veggies will be fussy to cook with and some of the larger ones may sometimes be best in the compost, but it can work if you adjust your thinking and your eating and cooking methods. It took me awhile to get over having to throw out a few overripe items and worrying about which tiny veggies to pick and which to leave. But now I love knowing I can go away if I want and still have some beans and cucumbers. Potatoes, beets, carrots, dry beans,onions, winter squash, etc., etc., etc., all do fine with weekly check ups...even less often if mulch is keeping weeds out and water in the plot. Enjoy the land, expect challenges and enjoy learning from them.