Hello from Jenks/Sapulpa

[leemillerjr]

Hey y’all.

I’m obviously new here. Just found out about this through the SSE. 

I’ve gardened on and off for about 20ish years. Started when I was about 13. A rich gardener in my church needed some old fashioned grunt work in his yard and he paid me and a friend to clear his backyard. I took a liking to it and continued to be employed by him for a couple of years until we moved away. I worked at the local greenhouse/flower shop in there too. Fast forward 23 years I decide to get back to this old hobby after facing burnout in my job and a heart attack with subsequent bypass surgery. 

I enjoy growing tomatoes, beans, and greens (collards and turnips).

Id like to get into herbs this coming year. Also growing pretty things not just food.

I saved tomato seeds for the first time this past year. 

I only have four varieties. 

black beauty

brads atomic grape

cherokee Purple

costoluto fiorentino

Im looking add more to my collection.

I know there is another place to put this out there but I’m looking for really any variety that has acclimated to our climate.

if you have anything you like to share I’d take whatever and I’d pay for postage or even just meet up.

looking forward to learning a lot here.

[macmex]

Lee, it's wonderful that you have joined us! I always watch the new sign ups and rejoice over likely new gardening friends and interactions. Sounds like you are making some good and healthy life changes.

I got into gardening because my father was really into it and I enjoyed the time we spent together. His enthusiasm was contagious.

I'm sure you can come up with some seeds here  . Also, an advantage of at least learning about varieties here is that many of our members live in much the same climate as do you. So, for instance, I can tell you for sure that Baker Family Heirloom and Heidi will blow the socks off of Cherokee Purple, in terms of production. Though Tahlequah be the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Cherokee Purple is far better suited for a milder environment.

Many of us love to experiment with what grows well here. Sometimes we experiment with making things grow that ordinarily wouldn't grow in our environment. 

Also, though of course we do talk about sweet potatoes here, there is also The Sweet Potato Network, which is a sister forum dedicated to sweet potatoes. My personal vision in that area is to see many more people growing and sharing (even selling) slips of different varieties of sweet potatoes.


George

[leemillerjr]

I am very excited to meet other gardeners and seed savers here. Perhaps I will try these tomato varieties in 2023 as I already have my varieties set up for this year.

[chrysanthemum]

Welcome!

[heavyhitterokra]

Lee, welcome to the forum.

You've certainly come to the right place; growing plants that are well suited for production in Northeastern Oklahoma is one of our main objectives. Though, I believe our #1 objective is really just to make friends and build a strong gardening community among like-minded people. We have members from across the whole world here; all good people whose acquaintance makes our collective gardening experiences richer, deeper, more savory, and many-faceted.

As George mentioned above, we have discovered quite a few cultivars and landrace varieties that do well in our unique climate. Heidi tomatoes are among the top in that list, though they are nothing special to look at, they are certainly well adapted to this region and climate and produce almost without fail. If you're looking for a pretty, medium-size tomato, you can't beat Baker Family Heirloom for its ability to stand up to our harsh conditions.

As for greens, Purple Top turnips do very well here as a rule, though the 2021- 22 Winter has proven to be their Nemesis with its repeated 50-degree mood swings, almost nothing planted here this Autumn has survived. Hank Ballard has a variety of cabbage that performed exceedingly well this winter, despite our crazy weather, providing his friends and family with more cabbage than we could possibly eat fresh; causing us to experiment with things like Kim-Chi, and homemade sauerkraut. For that, we are very grateful.

Old-Timey Cornfield pumpkins have proven to stand up well to our crazy insect problems locally, as well as standing up to our scorching hot Summers. It is a medium-sized, buff-colored pumpkin with meaty flesh, and stores so well that we have been successful in keeping them until planting time with very little loss in texture, flavor, or overall quality. Old-Timey Cornfield Pumpkin is my #1 choice as a pie pumpkin, having such a pleasant flavor that it can be enjoyed straight out of the oven at processing time, with no added seasoning.

In the realm of exotics, George has introduced us to Roselle, or Jamaica, as it is referred to in regions farther South of here. Roselle performs exceptionally well here, producing prolifically. Its bright red calyces dehydrate without fuss, providing a really rich source of vitamin C during the long Winter months.  It is also well suited for making jelly.

Our friend, Glen Hamner, from Panama has introduced us to Ajicito Peppers, a very mild, very good flavored pepper with deeper tones than any sweet pepper I've ever tried before. Ajicito produces so prolifically that a single plant would no doubt provide more than any sane person could ingest, but I grow a half dozen of them just because I enjoy seeing the boundless bounty.

Hank introduced us to five colored Chinese peppers, and Black Pearls, both exceedingly beautiful to look at, adding a host of colors and a variety of flavors to our garden's harvest.

If you enjoy growing okra, I've developed a strain that does very well locally, called, Heavy Hitter.

I'm sure I've left out quite a few other varieties well suited for growing in our region, but I'm sure someone here will help 'fill in the blanks' as this thread rolls along.

Once again, "Welcome to the forum." We are very happy to make your acquaintance.