A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum The Tomato Forum Anybody planted tomatoes yet?

It's way too early for my main crop yet, but I always plant a few seeds on January 1. I planted 6 varieties, but I managed to break the top off my one New Girl seedling, so now I have only 5. They are now about 6 inches tall with their second pair of true leave and are ready to transplant into 4 inch liners. They will be transplanted once more into 8 inch pots before being planted outside around March 31. I will immediately protect them with Wall o' Waters (and plastic tunnels if needed). I once had 5 of 6 plants survive a night with a low of 14 degrees with only Wall o' Waters for protection. My goal is to have a ripe tomato by Memorial Day. I've not succeeded in this the last few years as I reduced the fertilizer in the soil mix to try to keep the plants shorter. I am giving them the full allotment this year.

I have replanted my New Girls, but they will probably not repeat as my first ripe tomato. I also have Moscvich, Oregon spring, Sophie, Big Rainbow, and Brandywine OTV. Big Rainbow and Brandywine will most definately not be first. I just plant them early because they are 2 of my favorite tomatoes. I'm expecting Moscvich to be my first tomato of the year.

Good morning,


Yes, I just had the "itch" to get SOMETHING into the dirt and have 3 tomatoes that have come up. These are an old variety called "Winsall" that I have gotten from an elderly lady friend. I also planted some apple seeds as I was really feeling like Johnny Appleseed one day. Right now I have Fuji, Gala, and Winesap that have succesfully started and are about 1 inch high. Also started some grapefruit seeds and they too are about 1 inch high. Don't know if I will ever see a fruit off any of these things, but mainly just did it for fun and to see if anything would happen. Anybody else ever grow an apple seed into a tree?

Carol

I LOVE Wins All! That's one of my favorite tomatoes. I'll be planting it next month with the rest of my main crop tomatoes. I got my seed from Southern Exposure seed Exchange.

I've never planted any apple seeds, but I have a small asian pear tree that came from a seed that Tammy (TKHooper) sent me. It's about 2 feet tall and would be even taller except for the deer nibbling on it a couple of times. I have it protected now with a tomato cage and a plant tube.

What kind is your favorite tomato. Is it sweet or tart, determinate or indeterminate, is it large or small? Inquiring minds want to know lol.

I'm thrilled that the asian pear tree is growing. I think their flavor is great when you get a ripe one lol. The stores keep putting them out before they are ripe and I can never wait to try and eat them. That doesn't work all that well lol.

It was good to see your post.

Hi Tammy,

I prefer the larger, sweeter, low-acid, indeterminate type tomato. Preferably heirloom. Although, I also really like Orange Sungold and Red Grape tomatoes and Oregon spring which is determinate. I like OS because it's so early.

Progress so far:

1/16/08

Taffy and the tomatoes. She loves the heat mat!

2/2/08 (before transplanting)

I managed to decapitate the New Girl seedling so I had to replant.

2/2/08 (after transplanting)

I used to start mine this time of year using Jiffy Peat Pellets, and then would grow them indoors using 5-gallon buckets supplemented with grow-lights. You can grow tomatoes all year that way.

Now you're giving me ideas Thorny.

Here's the latest picture:

The two pots to the right are Santo cilantro and Italian Large Leaf basil.

Yep I planted an apple seed last year from a gala apple i was eating .. The tree is outside now and about 2 feet tall........
I had so many tomatoes ,flowers, trees and shrubs inside last year,Hubby said not this year you arent.. ha ha ha

I did plant peppers this week.

b

I'm planning to plant tomatoes in late spring or earlier. I always grow 'Roma VF' & beefsteak tomatoes. I'm going to try to plant 'Early Girl'.

Those are our 3 favorites..plus Rutgers select.......

I usually start them early ,, this time HD said no.They get too leggy..

So I wait and wait.......However my Norway spruce are up......I like the lil buggers.

Where do you buy your tomato seeds?

Any where.......dollar stores
Walmart
any store that isnt very expensive.......It is suicide ordering online and paying $8.00 postage....

I like a variety.. early ..medium and late days.

The less days the earlier they are in riping.

I love buying seeds at Wal-Mart,especially the 97 cent seeds. I'll order seeds online only if Wal-Mart doesn't carry a variety I'm looking for. I also buy plant food & other gardening supplies at Wal-Mart.It's cheap!

I do some.. However did you ever feel the bottom of the envelope and see how much seed is there? If I can get them for 10c at the dollar store, I skip w m

We have a local feed store which give us oodles of veggie seeds for a price.
like a poke full for .97c.

I'm going to try saving seeds from my tomatoes & squash this year.

When life gives you tomatoes, make tomato sauce.

you can if you wish.I dont..
b

Today I potted the tomatoes up from the 4 inch liners to 8 inch pots. As you can see, they're a lot shorter now. Some of them were so tall that I had to plant them with the rootballs upside down and curve the tomato stems 180 degrees around the rootballs so I could get as much of the stem as possible under ground.

Before:


After:

Do you know why they are so tall?

They arent getting enough light from that set up......I didnt start mine yet.. They got so tall an spindley I didnt like it .

They catch up fast.. I have 2 inch peppers now.

Yeah...give the seedlings what they want.

Actually, they were supposed to get that tall. I've been growing my earliest tomatoes like this for 15 years or so. It's time to plant them into the 8 inch pots when they reach 7 inches tall. The idea is to bury a lot of stem which will result in a strong root system. They'll probably be a foot tall or more again by the time I plant them out the end of next month.

Some of my peppers are approaching 2 inches also. A few are beginning to get their second set of leaves. When they do, I'll pot them up into larger pots.

The tomatoes I plant,I don't plant all the waqy to the bottom set of leaves.No wonder that after pulling them up in fall their roots appeared weak. I'll now plant my tomatoes deeper.

I've been itching to plant all week, but the itch leaves soon as I walk out the door, just too cold

My garden's drying out after some heavy rain during the weekend.I'll begin planting tomato seeds indoors this week.

Enrique, you don't have to stop at the bottom set of leaves. I pull off all the leaves except for the cluster at the very top. Then bury the plant up to just below the top cluster of leaves. Roots will then form along the entire length of buried stem.

If you have tall plants, you don't have to dig such a deep hole either, you can dig a shallow trench and lay the tomato plant sideways with the tip turned up. You fill the trench in leaving only the tip exposed.

My preference, though is to dig a deeper hole straight down. I feel deeper holes result in more uniform soil moisture and less chance of blossom end rot.

What tomato varieties do you like? My favorites are 'Roma VF'and'Beefsteak'.

My favorites are Brandywine OTV, Big Rainbow, Wins All, and Cherokee Purple. Oh, also Orange Sungold and Red Grape for cherry tomatoes.

The deeper you plant the roots.....The better the tomatoes.........

Git the shovel out after them.................

I'm glad to hear that Win All is a good tomato...I was given a few seeds this year. And Sungold, I finally got some seed this year...I've heard more people say they love that tomato than just about anything.
For early tomatoes, I love Bloody Butcher, but I've never tasted anything as good as a couple of the Brandywines...the standard pink variety and Sudduth's.
Terry, if'n you like a low acid, sweet tomato, have you tried Kellogg's Breakfast?

I planted mine ...got them in water bottles, good thing too it's rained all day they'd have washed away

Wow, suzy, you planted outdoors?

nope, got them in bottles, but the bottles are set outside

see

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I'm a buzybee

So are you one of Trudi's WinterSown gardener's?

well kinda sort of...see when these get tall as the bottles, they can go in the yard here,usually everyone here plants in the garden after good friday, it's warm by then, I've planted some stuff that I know will take over 20 days to come up since it's 20 days til spring

16 days till spring/

wow you're right I hadn't noticed...I'm ready come on spring

Anyone ever tried growing'HeatwaveII'tomatoes? Can someone tell me if they can set fruit in very hot weather???

what do you mean by set fruit?

after the flowers are pollinated,the tomato begins to grow.If the flower dries up,it means the weather's too hot for them

Wow those tomato plants are gorgeous!! i hope mine will look like that.

I've got some planted but they are not up yet

I have also already planted some. They are doing great! My grandmother always used to do it so I feel its kind of a tradition and do it every year.
I love the little yellow tomatos that are kind of oval - they look like those
They look sooo pretty in a salad!

Tomatoes well estabished zone 5. I expect some fruit about the first week of June.

http://chazaf.notlong.com/ 31 January 2008 Starting tomato seeds. Pictures of method. I use this procedure for all my seed starting and it appears to promote germination without further care until sprouted.

5 February 2008 The little plastic bags keep the humidity level high, and the pots need no watering. The other choice is to keep a high humidity level in a growing room, which is difficult in a living area.
http://aevail.notlong.com/ 6 February 2008 Seeding growth after 6 Days.

http://kaile.notlong.com/ 27 February 2008 Pictures indicating Growth

http://zeila.notlong.com/ 16 March 2008 Moved to greenhouse. It warmed up a bit.

Durgan,

Didnt you get any white fly on yours inside? It nearly whiped me last year inside. SO I am doing tomato later .. THey are up and getting more leaves now.

b

Durgan it's interesting to see what you're doing there, your seedling are looking great. I'll be doing mine next week...no green house for me till at least April 15th.

No white flies have ever been encountered. In fact, nothing attacks my tomatoes-touch wood. There are no gardens in my area, which probably helps. All my neighbors grow grass, and some of the properties are huge by most standards.

I do have bugs, but handle them using various methods, depending upon the infestation.

Sounds like a beautiful area.

Japanese beetles is another bugger here. Not on tomatoes.

So true. My misery is the European crane fly larvae. In 2003 we had a wet spring and I was getting them by the handful. The starlings eventually remove most, but last year I hade a few.
http://aelah.notlong.com/ Beetle on Grape Vine. Japanese Beetle Pest. (Popillia japonica).Up to this time I assumed the Japanese Beetle only attacked grass. They sure did a number on many leaves of the grape vines.

http://cranflyl.notlong.com/ 17 May 2007. European Crane Fly Larvae.

About 25 leatherjackets were picked from around this small plant within about 10 cm. of the stalk, many were clinging to the roots and probably sucking the juices. The plant was dying by degrees. Damage is both to the leaves, when the leatherjacket comes out at night, and to the roots. The birds (starlings) do a good job in controlling. Sometimes when the larvae are in quantity the yard will be full of birds. I observed one blackbird eating 15 in less than a minute digging from the grass. The damage these letherjacks inflict is colossal, when they are in quantity. They love a very wet time of the season usually early spring. They devastate morning glory seedlings amongst many other plants and grass.

The adult is a large mosquito type insect sometimes called a Texas Critter and Mosquito Hawk. Unfortunatley, they do not eat mosquitoes, so they is nothing beneficial to man about this insect.

Japanese beetles destroy any flower they can lay hands on. Also grape vines.
THe fatsos never leave. I have marigolds and 4 oclocks which are suppoed to help. Ha they didnt do a thing

my tomatoes are already setting fruit i know our seson in florida ur not really uspposed to plant until later int he year contrary to what other people say... it gets so hot down here that the best time to grow them is in the fall i think? but anywho im doing it my own way...

My enemy is hail every year 3 or 4 times in July and maybe 2 inches of it on the ground afterwards.

toposh

If it grows why worry in your climate.

I started mine later this year. And they are doing ok.. Earlier was way too much work indoors. Many losses also.
Good luck....Bet your family will be chasing to get the first one..

Re: Tomatoes planted yet?

I just started mine on Good Friday in the little mesh covered peat pots that you soak in water the night before and they swell up. We live in northeastern AL, USA, and always start them on Good Friday, and keep the water to them in a cold frame. That seasons the plants to being outside and they won't be so sensitive to temperature shock like they would be if started and grown indoors. They tend to be stronger and more pest and disease resistant if started on Good Friday, especially if grown without the use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides. What I call just good old fashioned composted "cow poopie" works great! Good Luck in your tomato growing endeavors!
sportmom

P.S.: What really works the best for the sweetest non acidic tomatoes is earthworm castings, if you can get them. GL!

Wish we could do that in zone 5 , coldframer in first friday. 3 inches of snow last nite.

I use cow manure, I am on a farm, and my advice is use that sparingly.. It will make massive leaf growth and less tomato..........

wow. that would be hard on all your veggies, especially tomatoes!

I've never met a tomato I didn't like. :wink:

I 2nd the motion

but they all hate me i can't eat them, i get puffy and polka dotted

I may be asking for trouble by saying this but I don't have a problem with pests in my garden. I do get beetles on 2 rose bushes that I have and june bugs get in the fig trees, but in the regular vegetable garden - no bugs. It's been that way since I've been here. I hope all this construction won't change things.

So folks are just born LUCKY>

I have around 60 peppers up and as of this morning around 40 tomatoes that just started peeking their little heads yesterday. Over the next few days that should increase to close to 300. So far looking good. I will have the grow lights busy for a while. Just turned the first set on Friday. I'm looking at a transplant date in the garden of May 10th to June 1st. I have started too early in the past and last year with as many plants as I have can't handle that many big ones. Was in one of my local nurseries checking things Friday and their tomatoes are bigger this year than last. Guess they started earlier. They seem to think an early spring. So I may be a little late we will see. Happy Easter to all. Jay

I'm not too sure if you're late elkhwc. Seems to me your target is right on, I'm about a week later and I expect to see my peppers and tomatoes peeking through any day now.

Your not late.. Lots are starting now.

my tomatoes are finally up. they are about finger nail high

This is the biggest tomato plant so far this year...

I have over 150 seedlings, I'll give lots away.

THAT DOESNT LOOK ANYTHING LIKE MY TOMATO PLANTS.. LEAVES ARE DIFFERENT.

Nice Kimberly plant Dave. I have around 200 up but none that big yet. The Kimberly plant in Dave's picture has potato leaves. I really like PL plants. The Brandy Boys are my most vigourous plants this year. Of course they usually are.

How's the taste of Brandyboy, elk?

Nice plant there Dave, mine just came up a few days ago.