More Debriefing

As you know, I am enthralled with vegetable varieties. Why have 3 varieties of tomatoes when 12 will be better? Just one type of beet? Why bother?

I actually let my guard down this spring. I planted (at least) two varieties of tomatillos. Once called Verde that I had last year, and one called Everona Large. I got these because they grow well at Everona Dairy, and that is so near by. And I love their cheese. Turns out, I got so excited about the sturdy Everona tomatillo plants that I didn't have room for the Verdes. Now, over the past few years, regardless of weather, I have had tomatillos leaping out of the garden from June to frost. My freezer is full of tomatillo sauce. This year? Large sturdy plants with many blooms and almost no fruit. It was actually, worse than nothing. Several fruits at a time, with weeks between, so they basically all went to waste as there were never enough to do anything with.... I would have preferred a swift death by wilt as then I would have ripped the plants out and replaced them. Had I been my usual self, I would be able to compare the Verde and the Everona and I would know if it was the new variety or some oddity of the climate, soil, garden action, etc. I fertilized this year, and "they" say tomatillos like poor soil. It was unspeakably dry and hot. But one would think they would prefer such conditions as the tomatoes and peppers were fantastic.

This is EXACTLY the reason for multiple varieties.