Every year around this time I like to write about tomatoes. I am fascinated by some of the interesting names, particularly of heirlooms—older varieties of tomatoes that I think have a superior taste to that of some of the more modern hybrids.

Many of you vegetable gardeners had mixed success with tomatoes last year because of the rather strange growing conditions. My all-time favorite "Brandywine" disappointed last year, as did the funkily named "Hillbilly," which appealed to me for personal reasons. One that did do well was a variety called "Ramapo," or the so-called New Jersey tomato, an older hybrid that has recently been reclaimed at the Rutgers Extension Research facility. Last year, I was the lucky recipient of two or three seedlings, a gift from a friend who had read a column I wrote about tomatoes. Ramapo performed very well and not too long after, the New York Times had an entire page about the newly rediscovered New Jersey Tomato!

It will soon be time to start vegetable seedlings inside and I plan to order Ramapo soon, so that I can get a good start before the last frost date for our growing zone, which is around the second week in May. I haven't found the seeds yet, but am for once planning ahead, which does NOT mean planning to run out to the garden center in early May to see what I can find.

Every year, however, I do indulge in a good-sized "Early Girl" tomato plant that already has little yellow blooms on it so that I can put it in the ground at the earliest possible moment, protect it from last minute weather changes and then brag to friends and family that I have a ripe tomato in June. I've been told that is cheating, but it sure is fun.

Since this is Old Abe's 200th birthday, I am also looking for seeds for a tomato named "Abe Lincoln", sometimes grown in the Plant-A-Row garden near Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital. Such a tomato would just have to perform well for us right here in Central Illinois. We recently came across a seed packet for an Heirloom tomato called "Tigerella" which promises to be an early-maturing indeterminate variety with a unique striped appearance and a tangy taste. I put a few little seeds in a pot last week just to see if it would germinate in three to eight days as promised, but so far no sign of green.

Speaking of "determinate" and indeterminate" I expect you know already that "determinate" plants reach their predetermined height all at once, and produce most of their fruit at one time. Indeterminate plants usually mature later, frequently need staking and continue to produce fruit until frost. Most "heirloom" plants fall in the indeterminate category. So if you enjoy starting plants from seed, or would like to try something new, look for unusual varieties on the seed racks and let us know how they thrive.

We do have lots to look forward to this spring. Those who signed up for the "Spring Into Gardening" Workshop can enjoy a half day at the new Life Span Center next weekend, and if you forgot to do that, Herb Fest is coming up in April. Registration for "Spring Into Gardening" was overwhelming and was closed earlier this week.

Signs of spring are all over. I saw the tops of daffodil foliage in a protected area of our garden; the Tri-Color Beech that looked as though it was dying all last summer has new buds on it, at least one robin has joined the cardinals and finches at our feeders and so has the squirrel family that finally settled in the walnut tree, along with a few undocumented immigrant cousins. I am sure they will all soon have new babies to feed.

Esther Lutz wrote a funny column last week with suggestions as to how to deal with the (unwanted) squirrel population. She recommended stringing old LP records on wires with the feeder in the middle, the idea being that the records would spin around and prevent the squirrels from reaching the feeders (really). I don't think that would work here; my spouse of 48 years would finally leave home along with his remaining jazz collection. Esther did say squirrels don't like safflower seeds but that most birds do, so I filled our main feeder with ten pounds of safflower seed four days ago. It is still full; the squirrels won't touch it, but I haven't seen any birds near it either. Meanwhile, Alphie the squirrel and his relatives are eating our corn, jumping on the finch feeder to make the seed fall to the ground and threatening to gnaw their way into our screened porch where I store the seed.

A friend sent me a very funny video of a catapult rigged up by a fellow squirrel hater, one that traps the squirrel when he gets too close to the bird seed and flings him (apparently unhurt) back into the yard. I guess the LPs are off limits, so I just may try that next.