The
first fruits for this seaon's trials are ripe! Time to think about
filing reports, so future growers can know what tastes and grows
good! Gang members who need report forms will find them at the ITG
Potting Shed.
Sign me up! I always did want to
join a gang!
We'd love to have you. Our initiations are a lot less
complicated than your average street gang, and we tend not to end up in the pokey for our
antics. We don't have gang colors--yet. But would you believe we're working on an Official
ITG Gang member pin with a genuine synthetic ruby, engraved membership card, and unlimited
discounts on Ginsu tomato knives? (Hey, we've need something to do when it's too cold to dig
in the dirt!)
Since we haven't figured out a way to deliver seeds
by e-mail, we need your snail mail address. We also need a bit of information about your
garden experience, climate, soil, and anything else you think will help us pick the very
best seeds for you--your seeds will be selected by a fellow gardener, not a computer.
Reminder: Because
the trials are non-commercial and self-funding, first-time participants are
asked to pay $6.00 to cover the actual costs of seeds, postage (within
the United States), seed envelopes, and packing materials for the first
trial in which they participate. Seed will automatically be
provided at no cost beyond First Class postage for future trials as long
as the grower completes the current trial by filing reports and saving
seed to return to the trials (or by making a small cash donation to an
approved seed saving organization).
*Last Name
*First Name
*Street address
Address (cont.)
*City
*State/Province
*Zip/Postal code
*Country
*Home Phone
Work Phone
FAX
*E-mail
URL
Have you done this before?:
I am a new ITT grower; I have not participated in
the trials before.
I'm a returning grower (and I
just realized I am in the wrong place. I need to use the Reenlist
option to reap the perks of being an "old-timer".
How would you describe your gardening
experience?:
Digging in the dirt is a foreign concept, and
I'm not convinced that I want grungy knees and a sun-burned neck. But I really, really do
like tomatoes, so I will make the ultimate sacrifice: broken fingernails!
I like digging in the dirt and grow all my
veggies from transplants I buy at the garden centers.
I really like digging in the
dirt and grow many of my veggies from seeds.
I wallow in the dirt, grow all my veggies from
seeds, save seeds, and am considering creating my own Killer Tomato.
I have created my own Killer Tomato and
am just waiting for the right moment to unleash it on an unsuspecting world.
Where will you plant your ITT tomatoes?:
In pots. I don't have any dirt!
In pots and in the ground.
In raised beds using the Square Foot method of
intensive gardening.
I use the Square Foot
method but do not plant in raised beds.
In raised beds using conventional plant
spacing.
I plant my garden using rows and field spacing.
For whom do you grow tomatoes?
Me. Myself. and I. (I never did learn to
work and play well with other children.)
My family, friends, neighbors (if there are
more than 10 members in your immediate family, classify yourself as a market gardener!
My family and almost anybody else who is
willing to pay me! (I'm a market gardener.)
What's your zone?
Growing zones are somewhat arbitrary. They do not reflect the
characteristics of individual gardens such as microclimates and gardening
practices. Still, zone classification provides a guidepost for us in
selecting varieties likely to thrive in your area. So, let us know in which
zone you garden, according to one or more of the following zones.
USDA Zone
Sunset Zone (primarily for Western
USA)
American Horticulture Society Heat
Index
What's your garden's most troublesome feature?
Nobody gardens in Eden, and I've yet to meet anyone who thinks he or she
has "ideal garden soil". (I confess that I probably wouldn't much like anyone
who had reached this Holy Gardening Grail.) In a single sentence, describe
the worst challenge you face when it comes to growing tomatoes. It might be
your soil. Or the shade of trees that have matured along with your garden beds.
Boggy Swamp may be an apt descriptor of your garden area. Salt Flats might
sum it up, too. Whatever it is, confess: it will help us select seeds
capable of jumping tall buildings and garden migraines in a single sprint.
My garden's challenge:
On my honor
The trials are a non-commercial venture. There's no big company footing
the bill for seeds, web space, etc. Just a starving writer who has delusions
of being Joan Tomatoseed and thinks the Internet beats walking
cross-country (cross-globe, actually!) on foot to distribute seed. If Johnny
Appleseed had the Internet available you can be sure he would have jumped on
it!
My pledge to you is to do my best to make the trials fun and informative
for everyone. What I ask you to think about before you sign up is simple:
"Will I be able to make my best effort to grow out and report on the
seeds I receive? Will I give my word to send in reports on a timely
basis--even if the news isn't good? Will I support seed-saving
efforts, either by saving seed myself or making a small contribution to a
number of recognized non-profit seed-saver organizations? Will I respect the
privacy of my fellow "gang" members and not attempt to collect
information about them with the intent of using it to market garden-related
products in which I have a business interest. If you are in agreement, type
"Yes" into the box below to acknowledge your understanding and
acceptance.
You have
my word. I recognize that I am assuming real and on-going
responsibilities to the Trials and my fellow growers by registering.
Privacy
Policy: The information you provide in filling out this form--including name and
address--will not be sold, traded or otherwise distributed.
The
first fruits for this seaon's trials are ripe! Time to think about
filing reports, so future growers can know what tastes and grows
good! Gang members who need report forms will find them at the ITG
Potting Shed. 
Reminder: Because
the trials are non-commercial and self-funding, first-time participants are
asked to pay $6.00 to cover the actual costs of seeds, postage (within
the United States), seed envelopes, and packing materials for the first
trial in which they participate. Seed will automatically be
provided at no cost beyond First Class postage for future trials as long
as the grower completes the current trial by filing reports and saving
seed to return to the trials (or by making a small cash donation to an
approved seed saving organization).
Have you done this before?:
What's your zone?