16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Just to be clear, neither I nor Hatch claim that Costoluto was grown by Jefferson, just that it's grown at Monticello now. Having never tasted or even seen it I couldn't offer an opinion on its taste.

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Not a problem at all since I noted above that not all that's grown at Monticello now are heirlooms and should have added that I don't think that Jefferson grew it either,

I'd have to go back in thoe Jefferson garden books to check, but no way amI going to do that. LOL

Jefferson brought back many varieties from France and grew them, that I remember.

And yes, I've interacted with Peter Hatch before, sharing info about varieties of old.

Carolyn

Two more to look up, Kosovo and Tsar Kolokol. I'm not ordering any more until fall but are both on my short (hah!) list.

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You've made my day by mentioning two varieties that I was the first to SSE list and also spread them around for trial at the several seed places where I do send seeds for trial.

You must like pink heart varieties to chose those two, I'm a fan of hearts as well and have grown lots of different varieties.

Links for both of them from Tania's wonderful tomato data base, with basic traits,comments from others, and click on seed availablity to find which seed vendors list them. Tania herself sells seeds for over 600 varieties, and I almost forgot, pictures as well.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Kosovo

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Tsar-Kolokol

Carolyn

Several greenhouse suppliers offer hose-end misting nozzles, fine spray, sprinkle spray, etc.

Or you can just go to Walmart and buy a 5 in 1 hose nozzle (like the 8:1 in the pic) for $5-6

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Hose nozzles

I have numerous hose end nozzles on hand but it is difficult to get the gentle watering effect you need from them; at higher water line pressure you'll knock tender plants over; cut water pressure down and they usually just dribble a stream of water.

The Dramm sprinkle can I mentioned has a 17" neck (spout). If you can find any sprinkling can with a very long neck you'll mellow the water output yet maintain a uniform shower. An alternative is to turn trays an water more from the side of the plants than top.

Once your plants become more sturdy stemmed by hardening-off you can practically hit them with anything.

Another consideration is to followup a watering event with hand lifting of bent plants. This usually works best if you wait an hour after watering.

Filtered light will help the transition. I use shade cloth over my seedlings once I take them outside. I can't carry them in and out like I used to do, so once they go outside, they stay there.

Betsy

I usually move mine into an area that is shaded outside that gets about 2 hours sunlight and a slight breeze, the breeze will make their stems stronger over time. After about 2 weeks, I increase the sun exposure to 4 hours. Once they are about 8 inches tall, ready for planting.

Last year my favorites were Black from Tula and Green Zebra. This year trying all new ones.

I have all my toms wintersown, but so far no sprouts yet. Last year it worked great so I've got my fingers crossed that they'll peep any day now. here's what i've got started, and what i'll grow if they all work out (some will be in my home garden, some in my son's school garden, which is why the over selection of cherries):

Absinthe
Blondkopfchen
Cherokee Green Grape
Cherokee Purple
Choc Cherry
Gold Medal
Golden Dwarf Champion
Love Apple
Mexico Midget
Super Sweet 100

Picked up plants today from Lauel's. They look sturdy and healthy. All new varieties for me:
Legend
Sun Gold
Lime Green Salad
Sprite
Big Beef
Cherokee Purple
Sweet Baby Girl

I tried to find disease resistant plants along with some smaller ones for containers and sweet. Hope they will deliver.

I've found that the most significant growth acheived from the companion planting happens within the first 6-8 weeks of growing. After that the basil plants are so big that they just keep producing with continuous harvesting of the leaves. The experiment pictured above was a case where I started the tomatoes and basil right next to each other (4 inches away when seeding) in the same starter container. Then when I transplanted to the final spot in my garden, I moved the basil about a foot to a foot and a half away from the stem of the tomato plants. The tomatoes grow up a trellis and the basil sits happily right near the outside of the tomatoes.

Did you plant a control basil away from the tomatoes?

I have planted basil in the same spot for a couple of years, with and without tomatoes nearby, and have seen very little difference. This year, with tomatoes, it's even a little smaller than usual, but I think that's because it's been so cold and wet for us. Hard to be sure with such a small sample size, though.

However, if we're going by anecdotes, then I think that planting basil near tomatoes stunts the tomatoes. Because mine are healthy but certainly not jungle-like and I'm peeved!

Do any of you save Seeds at all from some of these bigger varieties ?

Definitely do..

Dave

Willing to share some seeds from this years maters?

Geeze...now there calling for 21* tonight w/wind. Nice.

Jay, I'm having a bit of picture trouble but let me try again:

This the simple way to connect a woodstove that I use in all 3 greenhouses. Framed up section with metal sheet inside & out; then just cut hole for flue pipe and support pipe on outside.

My husband went out to the desert today and looked for camel dung but only found a tiny bit so he didn't pick it up... but then again he wasn't out where too many camels are so hopefully in the next few weeks we can gather some :)

speediebean, I will look them up, thank you :)

I have a full Bokashi Bin. It can be picked up in Sharjah. Just bury the contents in any soil- even sand -and in a few weeks you'll have healthy organic compost for your garden. Or just plant a tree or other plants right on top.

nialialea - not twine, but that green stretchy garden tape.

I reuse those too every year. I have a big bag of them
just sitting there waiting.

nialialea - I knew I had a picture of a painted one somewhere. Just took a while to find it.

Yes they were out too long or weren't protected nearly enough. What you see is wind burn and sun scorch.

As missing said, no need to remove the leaves. They will either recover or shrivel and fall off on their own - assuming they don't get over-exposed again. :)

Dave

Thank you for the responses. That makes me feel better.

I grow Heirloom tomatoes, so the next year's volunteers are always terrific. Last year I had so many the garden became in impenetrable jungle. I must be hard hearted and remove more this year, but it seems a shame to remove such lovely babies.

Many thanks for the great responses!!!

I may end up lucky in terms of taste as even our grocery store tomatoes are relatively local (you can drive across the entire country from furthest tip to tip in under 6 hours) and taste garden-fresh in comparison to the veggies I've bought at the store when in the U.S. (totally tasteless horrible things).

My soil is slowly (way too slowly!!) improving via the compost I've been growing and adding and I've space in the 'improved' area for 4 tomato plants (ground that now bakes into something like a crumbly brick rather than solid cement in the sun). Perhaps I should try the volunteers in the cement-mimicking soil and see what happens?!

Pasco....:-)

grown, I'm not sure what you are asking. Scientists and plant breeders have been trying to come up with the 'perfect' tomato for many generations. We consumers want it all....great flavor, disease resistance, good storage ability, and many other qualities.

I used to work for a large commercial greenhouse tomato growing company that shipped 65 million pounds of tomatoes annually to supermarkets.

There is definitely something to be said about variety/type selection - and the impact it will have on taste.

However the impact of fertilizer and soil conditions will impact taste equally if not more.

Most people don't realize that BRIX levels (the amount of sugar/carbohydrates in a vegetable) are only one portion of the taste. As a commercial grower we maintained brix levels about 2 X higher than normal field grown tomatoes, but they still never tasted as good as home garden grown tomatoes with even lower brix levels.

This is because of the bitter after taste of chemical fertilizers and high inorganic salts.

Fish emulsion while "organic" if used in too high of rates will also create a poor taste (different).

Little is understood in regards to the symbiotic relationship of vegetable taste and soil microbes. Although since flavonoids (form of anti oxidant) are greatly increased when plants are grown in soil containing abundant soil microbes - and since flavonoids are what gives everything its "taste/flavor" - I think it can be argued that healthy natural soil that natural soil microbes (provided by compost) will grow much better tasting fruit and vegetables.

Don't worry about being too late. I started my seeds mid-March this year even though it's considered a little late for some people. But last year when it was my first year growing veggies, I got a little too excited with my spring veggie success mid-April that I decided to start tomatoes and peppers and I started them last week of April/first week of May, I got loads of chile verde peppers and lots of morning sun cherry tomatoes (which took forever to mature on vine) but still... it was possible. So don't worry!

You have a longer growing season than we do here in 5a but I sure don't think it is late at all to start tomatoes from seed. They grow so fast that in 4-5 weeks you will have plants large enough to transplant.

Have you checked over on the Tomato Seed Exchange forum here? That is where posts such as this should go so there may very well be someone there offering them.

Otherwise Google pulls up several seed vendors for them.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Seed Exchange

Thank you bunches for the links, and direction...

Carolyn

monet_g, I hadn't thought about rabbits. I grow in raised beds and apparently my rabbits can't jump that high, so I don't need so many inches of collar above ground.

I've had cut worm problem for 2-3 years. I've used plastic 'ring' cut out from water bottle or toilet paper roll but somehow the worm still found its way into the ring inside the soil. I think the ring/roll is too wide for the plant. I've also used crashed egg shell which was somewhat hit or missed.

The most economical and effective method I found are those thick plastic straws from the asian supermarket - those used at the bubble milk tea store. I think it was like $1.99 a pack. Cut it open to wrap around the base of the stem and nothing can ever get in since it's so tight with the stem. When the plant is as thick as the straw, it should be strong enough and you can just unwrap the straw.