I wanted to share what I do for my successful market garden in the city of Emporia, KS. (bet. 25,000 and 50,000 folks I guess) If anyone is interested, here's my top sellers, and qty I plant them in. (I have 17 50' X 4' "beds" on my two acre property)

#1 tomatoes tomatoes tomates!! Here, the bigger and tastier the better. (they don't want store type tomatoes, so my funny looking old germans and brandywines do fine, along with mortage lifter, and and an ever changing group of determinate early tomatoes like siberian and early girl) I plant 30 - 50

-- Marty Puckett (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), December 31, 2000

Answers

I agree it's mostly tomatoes.I also do well with cherry tomatoes,cucumbers,summer squash and specialty cantaloupes.

-- JT in nw Fl (gone2seed@hotmail.com), December 31, 2000.

I started using the "japanese tomato rings" for some of mine. The yeild was terrific.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 31, 2000.

Jay, two queations please; 1) What the sam hill is a "japanese tomato ring"?? 2) Is the FBI aware of your involvement in the smuggling of japanese tomatoes ?? (grin)

-- Steven in NC (ThicketyRowFarm@Aol.com), December 31, 2000.

Good to see you posting again, Marty! How soon do you start your tomato plants? Do you have and use a greenhouse? Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), December 31, 2000.

I didn't think my message had been posted, the computer said there was an error! :-) I never finished...

I start the early varities of tomatoes 8 weeks before planting in small stryafoam cups. (As they need bigger pots I tear off the old cup, and plant them into something deeper. Poke 2 or 3 holes in the bottom though) The old long season varities (Germans, Brandywines, Giant Italian oxhearts, and the like) I start 10 weeks early, so that they are more likely to bloom earlier if not stressed. It's very importent to be prepared to repot these varities several times, so the roots don't get bunched up. I moved them 4 to a big shallow cardboard box filled with dirt, sand, broken styrafoam (helps roots get air) and very old manure or compost, then plant them from there. The determinate varities get started at 6 weeks, becasue they do badly after more time in the pots. I guess it's something with determinate vs. indeterminate. The indt. tomatoes grow up 8 foot bamboo poles, 4 plants per 4' X 4' square. (4 square feet per plant) I trim the tomatoes back (indt.) if they are getting to broad or overgrown, becasue the more green, the less red. Det. varities only get a short stake or a cage if they seem to need it. The biggest key for me getting people to pull into my drive is having BIG RED TOMATOES visable! They buy other stuff, but they recognize the big tomatoes from the street and come.

I also sell lots of 6" zuccini and habenaro, hungarian wax, chili, and sweet green and PURPLE peppers. In my part of town, I have many hispanic and oriental neighbors, so hot peppers go over good, but only certain varities. I've only had luck selling one type of watermelon, and that black diamond. They pull right off the street when they see those below the giant tomatoes.

I always sell beets becasue somebody wants to pickle them. I usually have out 10 lbs, and sell them in two batches. I also have luck with onions. Well, this is too long, so I'll stop! LOL.

-- Marty Puckett (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), January 01, 2001.

Don't stop, Marty!! This is interesting!! It helps others to know what to plant, or how to select what they are going to plant, if they live in a different kind of area with a different market.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), January 01, 2001.