16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Thanks Kathy,
My problem is that I received a TON of tomato seeds in the recent swap and I want to grow most of them, but I only have room for 18 plants so, if I can grow any of them in containers, then they can be "extras".
Sorry to hear that Chadwick was like the blob that ate the garden (LOL). Maybe I can tame it by confining it. Ha ha!
I'll take a look though Remy's site for more ideas.
Thanks,
Linda
Plant data regarding size/height is not an exact science but it is relevant. An indeterminat is always taller and bigger than a determinat and that is bigger than a dwarf in the same garden. Some indeterminats are know for their aggressive growth habit. When it comes to height, we are not talking about sprawling plant. Then, of course, the plant growth (any plant) in part will depend on soil condition, fertility, climate, amount sun, etc. But when you grow a number of plant in the same garden, their relative growth and size can be predicted , base on the plant data that has been compiled and averaged out.
JMO
I found a couple references, somewhere, that growers of the PL felt that there was better performance and taste from it, although, as Carolyn says, one would have to grow both side-by-side to be sure.
Also, the Indian Stripe in general is felt to be superior to Cherokee Purple because it is both earlier and more productive, in addition to tasting better (among some palates). That would be especially important for me, because our season is so short.
-Bruce
Thanks Carolyn. If you want to add any recommendations, you know I always appreciate your input and will save the post for next year. I remember one recent year when Brandywine was the first to ripen for me, lol, so I do know what you mean. But I am sure I didn't plant any real early ones that year.
I ended up ordering:
Earliana
Anna Banana
Moravsky Div
Pruden's Purple
As well as some that are not early, including Indian Stripe, which you recommended and I have been meaning to try for a while, and more Fish Lake Oxheart, Cherokee Purple Heart, Orange Minsk, and Black Cherry.
I like Pale Perfect Purple. It is a medium sized pink, tastes good and is productive here. It is similar to Eva Purple Ball in size, shape and color. I like Eva too. I have planted it every year since I bought Carolyn's book. Other varieties have come and gone but that one I must have every year.
Tania's description shows it cracking. In rainy weather, I have much more trouble with the black ones cracking and rotting. PPP holds up well here.
Here is a link that might be useful: Pale Perfect Purple
If you think it's not a hybrid, you could save seeds from the current fruit and plant them. See the FAQs linked on the Growing Tomatoes Forum page for how to save tomato seeds.
You could also go to the big box stores in your area and look at the seeds they're selling this year. Maybe the same envelope that looked enticing last winter will catch your eye this year.
Or you could continue to plant cuttings.
Good points. I think I have 3 plants with these cuttings...
Once I figure out the yield I'll see if it is worth saving. RIght now they're in a colder than wanted (65-67 during day) basement, and they've taken nearly 90 days to give 10-15 tomatoes... with about 30 more on the plant now. Seems slow.
Cupid - early @ 66 day, red, grape hybrid, indeterminate with claimed resistance to Fusarium Race 1, Alternaria Stem Canker, and Stemphylium. Brix rating of 8.2.
A heirloom sub for all that? No. Close (maybe) Red Grape (mid-season). See link below. Sprite, early but it is determinate and much lower brix rating.
I assume you know that growing "organic" doesn't limit you to growing heirlooms only?
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Tatiana's - Red Grape
Gertrude, the link below is from the FAQ's at the top of this first page and I think it's an excellent discussion and should answer most of your questions.
How pure you want your seeds and for what purpose, home use, sharing with others, trading, which I don't do, listing with SSE, are situations only you can decide.
You'll see in the article that saving seeds by distance is not used by many.
Please read the section on when insects do their pollinating, since in some areas they are most active early in the season, in other areas late in the season. I saved seeds only from ripe fruits late in the season since insect activity where lived was early so the earliest of ripe fruits were more apt to have some X pollinated seed..
I can give you another link from SESE ( Southern Explosure Seed Exchange), written by Dr. Jeff McCormack, which is much more detailed on X pollination or you can Google SESE yourself..
So first, decide what you're going to do with the seeds and then either leave them alone, which I do since my crossing rate where I live is only about 5% meaning that of seed saved from 100 varieties about 5 will have some fruits that might be be cross pollinated.
And that's because, as also discussed in the link, most of the time blossoms are pollinated before they ever open up.
Hope that helps,
Carolyn, who also notes there are some other excellent articles in the FAQ section.
Here is a link that might be useful: Cross Pollination
My homemade seed start mix is 1 part perlite, 2 parts worm castings, 2 parts peat moss. Mix well, then steam sterilize. Since I am working with bulk quantities, I mix 10 gallons of perlite, 20 gallons of worm castings, and 20 gallons of peat moss. Put the mix in a modified 55 gallon drum that has a sheet of perforated metal in the bottom with about 5 gallons of water, then place on a turkey fryer and steam the water through the mix to sterilize it. This makes enough mix to fill up 80 to 90 standard nursery trays.
I tried this mix without sterilizing last year and lost several thousand seedlings. After steam sterilizing, I produced the prettiest seedlings I've ever grown.
A google search will turn up several worm casting suppliers.
Seysonn,
Good point - I think vermiculite works better for a seedling planting medium (when added to soil for 2" & 4" pots) with it's moisture retention abilities where perlite works better in raised beds/containers where compaction and drainage issues become important. Plus, I don't know about your area but perlite in my market area is almost 1/2 the cost of vermiculite! That is a huge difference! Even though I didn't mention that in my container/raised bed formula above - I do use perlite in all mixtures except seedlings where I still use vermiculite (that is in 2" & 4" pots - I don't use either in 3/4" seed starting cubes).
When we built our GH and raised beds 5 years ago we only used vermiculite in all of our soil mixtures and haven't changed our formula descriptions. Since then - we have discovered what you already knew - that perlite is much cheaper and better suited for drainage and aeration - IMO.
We have not had a sterilization problem in our small GH seedling soil mixture quantities as Fusion_power has experienced. We have a very high % of germination success. I can definitely see the need for a sterilization program in a large or commercial setting though!
I've tried keeping my plants going over the winter, but I
think I'm too close to the San Gabriel mountains and it
gets below 55 deg quite regularly. When it gets that
cool (being from Chicago, that's not cold), there's no fruit
set.
If you drive north from my house about a mile, there's no
more roads, just mountains. In fact, the Colby fire a week
and a half ago, was right above my house a couple of miles.
Just personal opinion of course but with all the wonderful tomato varieties out there and if I could grow only 4 plants I wouldn't waste the space on either of them.
But if I had to pick one of those two it would be Solar Flare if for no other reason than it will outproduce both the brandywines 10:1 in my experience with them. Especially in a zone 9 climate.
Dave
Wow. I can't remember where I heard or read that but it I remember it was a source that was reputable enough that I never questioned it. It might have been in some old canning guide when I first started canning. Good to know. That opens things up a bit!
If space limitation and wanting early fruits, I am with you iin the same boat. I have already bought seeds for the following:
Bloody Butcher
Bush Beefsteak
Matina
Early Treat
Legend
Siberia
Silets
I bough the seeds from the big box stores. They have indicated DTM of 50 to 70.
There are DET or small INDET. and are very suitable for container growing. I will plant some in containers myself.
Since wild tomatoes apparently originated in or around the Andes mountains in South America, I think it quite likely that they will do well at high altitudes.
I think the MAIN effect of high altitude on tomatoes is to shorten the growing season, since from a climate point of view, going UP is very comparable to going NORTH
Talking about BETTER BOY, I grew it some years ago. As I remember it was productive, early AND it was not very huge plant like some indterminants. Fruits size was about 2", as I recall. If the big boxes carry it this year . I will get one.
Saving whole tomato as frozen, requires TOO MUCH storage volume. But if you convert it into sauce you will reduce its volume by more than half. There is no advantage in freezing tomato as whole or as smashed. When you lightly smash it, you get the juice out quickly. Then freeze the remainder in zip bag.
But as somebody mentioned, freezing them whole is easiest and the quickest way to deal with it. Call it comfort factor.
Here's an example of the use of two rows of cattle panels to "sandwich" a row of tomatoes.
If you have access to galvanized field fencing with large spaces between the wires like cattle panels, you can also use that, along with the T-posts. I've only seen it in 300 foot rolls, though. Cattle panels are more rigid than the fencing.
Here is a link that might be useful: Double cattle panel tomato trellis
This post was edited by carolync1 on Fri, Jan 31, 14 at 1:05
When using cattle panels, you really don't have to tie many plants. I find that just sticking them through the holes works at least 95% of the time. I had something like 50 plants last year, and I didn't have to tie but a few that grew sort of wild.
Here's a pic of my setup about 2 months into the growing season:
And yes, you've actually been helpful. So thank you. I think I get what you're saying I think. Maxifort Rootstock grown as an isolated plant isn't known for being so tasty but I'm guessing when you frankenstein the thing it could become tasty if done correctly.
when you frankenstein the thing it could become tasty if done correctly.
Once you frankenstein the thing then you aren't growing Maxifort. It ceases to be Maxifort and becomes whatever variety you graft onto it - Brandywine, Big Beef, Kosovo, Cherokee Purple, etc. Whatever. And they are just like the fruit you'd get from that variety without the grafting. But the plant now has greater resistance to any of the soil borne pathogens it wouldn't have otherwise. :)
Dave