No need for apologies!! I am only 45 min. away from Jim's so a trip to Dubuque is a nice way to spend an afternoon. Here's some Arboretum pics I took June 10th. Wish I had taken more, but there was alot of people there that day and I try to take garden shots without alot of people standing around....unless I know them lol. last pic is the Bob Kuk collection.

"Large crops of pink, 8-10 oz that have a full, old-fashioned tomato flavor. Smooth, blemish free fruit are borne in large numbers over a concentrated time period, making this variety a favorite in Southern states for canning and eating. Strong determinate. 80 days, #4515 (30 seeds) $2.55" [Tomato Growers Supply seed blurb] My opinion is that description comes from somewhere other than a grower of Bradley, if you get my drift. I mean it seems to ape other seed blurbs for Bradley rather than the results I've experienced over the past 4 years growing Bradley. First of all, I agree with the 80 days to maturity from transplant. But I don't think I ever got a 10-ounce tomato off a Bradley plant. Maybe 8 ounces with plenty of them running 6 - 7 ounces. "Full, old fashioned flavor" maybe in a hot, dry summer but I'd describe it more on the sweet side of old fashioned and down right bland and watery if the season goes overly wet. Tends also to get soft inside with skin splits in overly wet conditions. I had some excellent results in containers, though, where I did get truly blemish free, 8 ounce, tasty fresh slicers. Concentrated set? Not so much. And surely not like many determinate canners that set one huge crop with maybe a second wind smaller crop then peter out completely. The Bradleys I've grown started yielding at 80 days from transplant and continued with reasonably generous yields until cool, low light conditions in autumn tended to shut them down or render the fruit tasteless. Bradley definitely is a producer though, and does have genes that are useful for increasing yield and standardizing fruit size when crossed with an heirloom like Cherokee Purple. I did that in 2007 and in 2008 grew the F1 that yielded more tomatoes of a uniform size (about 6 - 8 ounces) than any other regular size tomato in the garden ... like 8 - 12 fully ripe tomatoes per picking with two or three pickings a week at the peak season. Awesome. And in no way was the F1 Bradley x CP semi-anything. It was robust indeterminate and grew as long or longer than JD's Special C-Tex and Cherokee Purple as next door neighbors. Out produced them both, too. See below: Bradley x CP, one vine, one day.

Thanks Jim!!!! I'm still really excited about it working!!! I have some news about my eyes. I went to the retinal specialist. They put 3 different types of drops in my eyes. I had to pry my eyes open so they could keep going with the drops. Blech. So he said that I have retinal deterioration. Do I have RP (retinitis pigmentosa - where you get tunnel vision and go blind). He said maybe. I asked if there's a chance I could go blind. He said that it isn't a matter of when, but that I'm probably legally blind ALREADY!!! So he's sending me (in a few months probably) for this procedure that's like an EKG for the eyes. If it shows that I'm legally blind, then I won't be able to drive anymore. This would be terrible, because I have trouble walking around where I live because of all of the inclines/declines - it's hard on my ankles, and I just got over having ankle tendinitis (a whole year of it). I love driving to the off-leash areas to take my dogs for a walk. It's so much fun. Anyways, the good news is that he said my vision will get gradually worse - but very slowly. So if I'm not legally blind yet, then I can probably drive for a few more years. Now, I'm asking for prayers that: a) I'm not legally blind b) that I can handle being legally blind if I am. Thanks everyone!! Carol

I deadhead right before bloom starts falling apart and it does look unattractive at that point... lol...If I see any [beneficial[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/thrip-question-for-jim-pa-and-others-dsvw-vd~5400930) insects I make sure they get out before I toss spent bloom into a plastic bag to trash...But yes never thought of it but you could toss spent bloom into a bucket of water...I deadhead everyday.... While doing this I also [scout[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/thrip-question-for-jim-pa-and-others-dsvw-vd~5400930) for JB's and other troubles... Most of the time there are more factors involved that even we are not aware of so its really hard to know whats really working in the organic control department...lol.....So I continue to do things as long as they are working... This year I did not plant any Marigolds in the backyard and our Rose Slugs are worse...But on the other hand the bright [yellow[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/thrip-question-for-jim-pa-and-others-dsvw-vd~5400930) Marigolds may of been [attracting[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/thrip-question-for-jim-pa-and-others-dsvw-vd~5400930) thrips...??? I did plant some ORANGE Marigolds at side of house to see what happens... I'm afraid fighting off bad insects will always be a ongoing thing...lol... I've been giving the rose slugs a break these days by letting them eat leaves on the [larger[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/thrip-question-for-jim-pa-and-others-dsvw-vd~5400930) roses but I do pick them off young roses... Took these pics last night at dusk...These guys can really eat...lol