Tomato Plants In Wal-Mart in western North Texas

11 years ago

This is mostly a heads-up to folks along and near the Red River.

I found tomato plants at the Wal-Mart in Gainesville this morning. They must have just arrived because (a) they weren't there Sunday afternoon when I was there and (b) when we checked out, the cashier said she didn't know the tomato plants had arrived and was glad to see them. I expect she'll be buying hers this afternoon after she gets off work.

They had them this early in 2010, and then the February snow storm that arrived Super Bowl week froze them all because no one moved them indoors. That was true in every store I went to in Dallas-Fort Worth right after the Super Bowl. They all had let their early tomato plants freeze, and I couldn't find any for container planting for about another 3 weeks.

So, if you want a couple of early tomato plants and you live anywhere close to Gainesville, they have these varieties in the garden center today: Roma, Big Boy, Big Beef, Better Boy and Red Beefsteak. They are in 4" round peat pots and the plants themselves are only about 5 or 6" tall, but they are disease-free and pest-free and look pretty good.

I bought one each of Big Boy, Big Beef, Better Boy and Red Beefsteak and will pot them up into larger pots sometime in the next few days and will keep them in the greenhouse until the weather warms up a bit more.

These plants are less than half the size of the larger ones I usually buy in Dallas-Fort Worth in 5 or 6" peat pots in mid-February, but is is only late January so these naturally would be smaller.

The pressure is off now in terms of feeling like I "need" to find a few tomato plants to put in pots for earliest tomatoes. Now I can relax and wait for my own tomato seeds to sprout and grow.

Dawn

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Comments (6)

luvabasil
11 years ago
I am really glad you have the tomatoes for the early container. I am not stalking you or anything, but I was quietly following your plan for April tomatoes and I was really afraid I was on my own!
I have three plants now, 6 inches tall, pencil size diameter. I am going to put them in the next size pot tonight,so they will only be 5 inches tall tomorrow. I will keep them under the lights until it is time to pot them in the early containers (the containers are patiently waiting in the wagons).
I noticed the temps in Feb are averaging High 50's.
At what temperature do you begin to take the containers outside and bring them in at night?
Did this question make any sense?
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
11 years ago
Of course it made sense.

I usually put them outside whenever the temperatures are 50 degrees or above, day or night.

I have to be really careful about not forgetting and letting them stay outside at night. Sometimes we have these amazingly hot winter and early spring days that still are followed by cold nights.

Remember when you first take them outside, if they have been raised indoors they must be hardened off first or sunburn and windburn can kill them in one day. I harden off indoor seedings for 1 hour the first day, 2 the second day, etc.

The plants I bought at Wal-Mart today look nice and hardened-off already, so I'll keep them outside as much as I possibly can so they don't lose the ability to tolerate the sun and wind. I have them on the sun porch right now where they are enjoying watching it rain. If we're warm enough tomorrow, I'll put them out in the sun.

The first tomato of the year is so wonderful, and I love it even more when I'm picking it and we're eating it in April instead of June.

Last year it warmed up so fast in February that I planted four of the early tomato plants in a large, round stock tank 4' in diameter that was too big to carry indoors. It was a leap of faith to do that, but it paid off and those plants gave us ripe fruit from April through August or September. I don't know if I'll be that brave two years in a row, though.
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slowpoke_gardener
11 years ago
The past two years I have bought small plants early at Atwoods. They have cost 4 for $.69, I expect they will cost more this year. I was in the Ft. Smith Atwoods a little over a week ago and they did not have any plant or potatoes.
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
11 years ago
Maybe the stores there will start getting the plants soon, Larry. You're still quite a bit further north than we are.

The stores here are just going bonkers. Gardening stuff is popping up all over. It makes it feel more like early spring instead of mid-winter.

I like having a few early plants to keep me from planting the main crop too early and then having to deal with occasional freezing nights.
oldokie
11 years ago
I make trips to the southern part of state and found tomatoes that I bought there first before any around here I think i got the around broken bow watching the feed stores
chrholme
11 years ago
Has anyone spotted tomatoes yet around OKC?