So this is where y'all went! After 16 years of daily visits at that "ville" place I had enough. Low traffic, high drama, and now apparently dead air sent me looking for where my old friends chose to gather, and here you are! Swapped my bookmark from TV to TJ!

So not much new here. I'm still in Floyd, VA with my 50' x 50' veggie garden overlooking the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. In the ground are 360 garlics, 270 onions, potatoes (10') and snap peas (7'). Seedlings under lights are broccoli (12), cauliflower (12), and beets (8). Next to go under lights will be hot peppers (12), sweet peppers (6), eggplant (6), tomatoes (30), Brussels sprouts (6), and basil (8). Direct seeding in May will be corn (88), beans (12'), cucumbers (6'), winter squash (4) and thyme (4). The garden in zone 6b is 50' x 50' and also has perennial beds of oregano (15') and asparagus (10').

After 50 years of growing dozens of tomato varieties I have settled on Kosovo as my primary tomato - a very productive heart, large, tasty, meaty, and early, it satisfies all of my lustful desires (well most), but I usually include one new variety each year just for experimentation. This year it's Amish Paste - just a few plants to check it out. Most tomatoes are canned as salsa, sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and chopped, although some roasted marinara is also frozen. The rest go in tomato/bacon/mayo sandwiches (oh my!) and Caprese salad throughout the summer.

Happy to have found the Junction and looking forward to many more years of mater talk!

TomNJ (although not in NJ anymore)

Welcome to the Junction @TomNJ! Be sure to add a picture or two of your garden as things get going. Yes, things had slowed way down at the 'ville', especially since Carolyn passed. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. There are quite a few of us checking in on a daily basis and are willing to help.

Hi Tom!

Welcome to the friendly forum. I recognize your name from TV. Looks as if that has gone now.......

Welcome from America's Dairyland! I have in-laws in Afton, VA.

TomNJ wrote: ↑Sun Mar 30, 2025 8:17 amThis year it's Amish Paste -

A WESconsin developed variety!

TomNJ wrote: ↑Sun Mar 30, 2025 8:17 am The rest go in tomato/bacon/mayo sandwiches (oh my!)

Do drop by the 2025-21st Century Silver Jubilee Year Of The BLT! thread (viewtopic.php?t=5948)...next installment tomorrow's Monday Morning BLT Brunch.

The Gotch

It's Tom, holy cow.
It's like in a story where someone is gone for years and one day they come walking up the driveway.

Welcome! Was never able to be a TV member but I spent a lot of time reading there. Happy you found your way over to TJ!

~Sam

Are you the same Tom as of Tom's Yellow Wonder, or has my old brain mixed you up with another Tom?

In any case, warm welcome to you! Glad you are here.

A big Hello @TomNJ. I'm glad that you finally have found us over here. So many times I have wanted to tell people where we all went but the mention of this forum was forbidden and the word 'Junction' was blocked. It was impossible to tell people without having their email. Anywho, welcome and jump right in. The water is warm here.

Glad you made your way over! I don't think we ever chatted but I for sure know your username from back then.

hi tom,
welcome to the junction.

hope to see more familiar names, and faces from the ville.
a forum like a garden needs to be constantly tended, and nurtured.
infusion of new life is essential for the garden/forum to continue to thrive.
the ville became neglected, and stagnant, and now abruptly its gone, for good
or no. we don't know. i miss the old vibrant ville, but not the one that was here
a few weeks ago. it was a shell of its old self.


keith

Welcome to the forum!

Tom, what took you so long?

Welcome to the Junction from Down Under @TomNJ. Glad to see you finally made it. Like @MissS I have been frustrated at times by my inability to tell people to head on over at TV.

pondgardener wrote: ↑Sun Mar 30, 2025 8:27 am Welcome to the Junction @TomNJ! Be sure to add a picture or two of your garden as things get going.

Here are a few photos from the recent past.

Garden is in lower right corner here:

worth1 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 30, 2025 9:04 am It's Tom, holy cow.
It's like in a story where someone is gone for years and one day they come walking up the driveway.

Hey Worth, so glad to see you are alive and well! I wondered and worried what became of you. Happy you found a home to share your immense knowledge in gardening.

Tom

ddsack wrote: ↑Sun Mar 30, 2025 9:34 am Are you the same Tom as of Tom's Yellow Wonder, or has my old brain mixed you up with another Tom?

Must be another Tom - there are many of us and we get around!

@TomNJ You have a beautiful homestead! Thanks for sharing!

Nice to have you on the Junction ! I remember you from the “ville”.

We had such a great garlic group on TV, I really enjoyed it, and then when we moved here we started a new one, but, a couple of old friends were missing! I've thought about you every season TomNJ, just missing seeing your beautiful garden (not to mention the colossal bulbs!! ) Just delighted to see you come aboard here.
Amish Paste - couple years ago I was given some very old seeds to start for the farm, and they all sprouted but I didn't get one myself, another friend also grew them and the general verdict was a nice tomato with a really good yield. If they do well for you, we may have to try Kosovo next.

Welcome from Alaska!! I pop in every now and then to see what’s shaking good luck this season