I've been experimenting with pre-sprouting peas this year too. First I put the peas in a plastic container and then fill the container with warm water. I let the peas soak for about 12 hours. During this time they absorb lots of water and come out of dormancy. Then I drain off all the water and cover the container with plastic that has a few small holes poked in it. This allows some transpiration but keeps the seeds from drying out too fast. (I have a wood stove in my house so my humidity is very low and everything dries out rapidly.) Next I place the container somewhere warm. (In the room with the wood stove for me.) Given these conditions the seeds will visibly start to sprout in as little as 24 hours and can then be planted outside in the soil. If you need to hold them for several days just rinse and drain them twice a day to keep them hydrated. The following picture, taken 48 hours after the 12 hour soak, shows some peas I am presprouting. The next pictures show some leftover peas from a batch I started pre-sprouting on February 8th. (22 days ago) I planted most of this first batch on February 15th but once my raised bed was full I still had these left over. I still haven't gotten around to planting them but they look pretty healthy and are about to unfurl their first leaves. I think I'll plant them on Wednesday, after the current cold spell breaks, and treat them like seedling transplants (plant with leaves above ground) rather than mere pre-sprouted seeds. I never intended to sprout these leftovers for so long out of the soil but now that I have I kind of like the idea. It's kind of like raising seedlings for transplants but without all the mess of soil and pots. I keep rinsing them every day with tap water and they just keep growing apparently satisfied for now with the nutrients remaining in the seed. What do you think of that?

I too am trying to find tomatoes that weather our hot summers and blights. I ran across this info that may help in finding that tomato: Tomatoes for the South (from TanagerÂs Song Heirloom Seeds) ARKANSAS TRAVELER - Indeterminate - 90 days  Pink - Regular Leaf. This is a wonderfully flavored six ounce tomato. It is beautiful and blemish free and just glowed on the vine. Southern Heirloom from the Ozark Mountains known for its ability to produce in hot weather. EVA PURPLE BALL - Indeterminate - 83 days  Pink. Uniformly round, medium size, pinkish-purple fruit. Very productive, takes heat and humidity well, very sweet. 6-7 oz. MEXICAN (not Mexico)- Indeterminate - 85 days  Pink  Potato Leaf. It set a huge number of 8 oz. pink tomatoes that did very well in our heat and drought. Origin from Mexico (Seed Packet 10 Seeds) CREOLE - Indeterminate - 78 days - Red. Great for warm, humid climates. Smooth, medium-large, firm, juicy. From Louisiana. HOMESTEAD 24 - Determinate - 80 days - Red. Highly adaptable especially in hot conditions. Smooth, dark red, meaty, 8 oz. MANALUCIE - Indeterminate - 82 days - Red. Perfect for the heat of the south because of its ability to do well despite drought, humidity and all the other problems in the south. Large, deep globes, very smooth, firm, meaty, thick walled. MARION F - Determinate - 71 days, - Red. Smooth, slightly deep, 6 oz. Good especially for the southeast. VERY RED! MARMANDE - BEEFSTEAK - Determinate - 67 days -Red. Large, firm, round, lobed, high-ribbed shoulders. Bears well even in cool weather. 8 oz, meaty. Did wonderful in the drought and heat. French Heirloom. MULE TEAM - Indeterminate - 80-90 days - Red - Regular Leaf. Large plant, with excellent set of 8-12 oz red-orange globes, excellent taste, long season. Tolerates heat well. Great disease resistance. WAYAHEAD - Determinate- 76 days - Red. Flattened shape, 3.5" x 1.75" , above average yield. Wonderful producer despite the heat and the drought here in the south.

Thanks Terry. Here are the names in order of appearance: Sweet Caroline Moy Grande Lord Baltimore Raspberry Rose Ann Arundel (or Garden Pink?) I might be able to dig up pictures of other varieties if you wish to see some others. They all seem to start blooming the beginning of August until frost in zone 4 except Moy Grande. Moy Grande is about two weeks later and blooms on plants that reach up to between 6 and 7 feet high. Most are about 5 to 6 feet high, although Lord Baltimore and Raspberry Rose gets almost as tall as Moy Grande.

This is one of those years I'd just as soon forget....... Absolutely hammered by curly top virus all summer long, I keep pulling plants. Not just the tomatoes, but cucumbers and beans were wiped out. On the positive side, I planted quite a few, so even pulling 60-70%, I still have 20 healthy plants left. I tried several new varieties - one of interest is 'Cold Set' a determinant with slightly I was able to save seeds from J.D.'s Special Ox Heart before the virus got 'em all. Currently, the only Ox Heart going strong is "Ludwella's Ox heart", but only two out of 8 plants remain. Thessaloniki seems to have resisted the virus, and while I haven't been paying all that close attention on viral resistance, I do know that it has been my best producer the last 4 years running, so maybe I need to pay better attention. I still have 10 or so "OTV Brandywine" that are huge and doing what I would expect for a massive beefsteak. That part of the garden dodged the bullet re the virus. Eaten three now, and not bad at all.