16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Carolyn, I am taking your advice and I ordered some Sara's Galapagos to try. I will report on them later.

Carolyn, thanks so much for the information (and sorry for the delayed reply). I'm going to try Sara's Galapagos, and I'll make a note of Ted's Pink for the future.

I love your book, by the way. After reading it I grew Druzba and Eva Purple Ball this fall and they have both done very well for me.

Bill

Ted,

Thank you so much for your generosity! I greatly appreciate it! Laura

Could someone clarify what feature makes a tomato a cascading type?

I was under the impression all tomato are vines, incapable of growing upright without some form of support. If that's the case, if you grow any tomato in a suspended container or over a ledge, wouldn't they all cascade over the edge?

Daren

I am sure that soil nutrients also influence sugar production and other plant chemicals, which influence taste as well.

Kevin

Thanks to all who have responded. I'm starting to see that the subject is much, much more complicated than I ever imagined. I'm going to get a soil sample sent in at my state extension office, and go from there. This could get .... as Sgt. Schultz said .... veeeery interesting. :) jj

Thanks Kevin. I have done quite a bit of Googling on the topic but find that some of the expanations give here exceed what you get by Googling. As an example nobody mentions anywhere that if the plant is dry and the stomata close that no CO2 enters the plant and so photosynthesis stops as does plant growth.

Yeah, CO2 entering the stomata is where the plant gets the CO2 and oxygen to perform photosyntheis and respiration. Its one of the main functions of stomata. The other reason is water movement through the plant. I learned all this in my Utah State University plant physiology course, which was taught by Dr. Keith Mott, whose research focuses on stomata. So he may have provided us with some extra understanding of stomata. :)

Dave, yes, and I guess it isn't clear that I don't use only pastes, but I do like them to make a good bulk of the sauce. I'm a bit under the weather aand having trouble concentrating today. Sorry. Anyway, I just have run out of seed of paste tomatoes, still have good seed for other types, so that's what I'm focusing on. Thanks!

If you are not locked into the companies you normally order with here is one with a couple good varieties. One is Christopher Columbus which I have grown and is an excellent all around paste/canner (see photo). Another in the red section is Ludmilla's Red Plum another excellent all purpose plum tomato. Ami

Here is a link that might be useful: Christopher Columbus

Fussy heirlooms?

Not for me who has grown both hybrids and OP's, but since I have no idea which OP not heirlooms and which OP heirlooms you've grown it's impossible for me to comment more without input from you. ( smile)

And you're probably thinking that's a good thing, if you prefer F1's over OP's. LOL

Carolyn

Carolyn,
I know you are the tomato expert, but take note of my zone...there are some heirloom or OP tomatoes that never mature during my growing season - and I've tried quite a few. The only hybrids I grow are Big Beef and Sungold...these are incredibly prolific.

Someone on one of the forums said they needed more germination time & also more growing to maturity time. DIGDIRT-since my posting I have received seeds from 3 different sources and they all cautioned about being patient germinating as it can take from 2/4 weeks to sprout

Interesting. Of course it can all depend on the germination methods used but I never found that to be the case as they easily re-seed themselves from dropped fruit and grow rapidly.

Either way - enjoy.

Dave

Good idea or not?

==========================================================

You're doing fine. Thanks for the kind words.

Ted

Garf - TomatoTone is just not very strong anymore. If you are using in in well ammended soil I imagine it is fine. I grow in containers and Earthboxes and the last year I used it everything was struggling. I still have a 20LB bag left and I will apply it much more liberally.

#4 possum was a biter. He did a job on the bait tray. This was baited with catnip.

How big of a hanging pot are you talking about? The average 12" basket? No way either would make it.

As already mentioned both are big plants. I have grown both in 12 gallon containers and they have done ok, but even better in a 1/2 whiskey barrel.

Dave

Thanks for the answers. I'm thinking of turning my portable torn garage /shelter into a greenhouse (a lightbulb just came on over my head lol.) I can park my car in it over winter and grow plants all summer. Just need some 6 ,or 8 mil poly.

I trade the never grow again along with the ones I like. I don't explain why I won't grow them again because my reasons are usually related to issues that other people don't mind. I do think the year is important to include. I am like you with limited space, so I have a core of tomatoes that I grow each year and try a few new each year. At first, I grew only one or two plants of about 25 types to identify the ones I like. I never destroy seeds.

This post was edited by Kevinitis on Sat, Jan 5, 13 at 12:59

I think one must ask why they trade seeds in the first place. Personally, I want to get at least one plant that produces fruit and then I'll save all the seeds that I want. Should I expect every seed I get to germinate??? Absolutely not. That would be totally unrealistic.

And, I agree with Carolyn. Don't throw them away unless you know they are defective or not true to type or something catastrophic like that.

In trades, I like to swap about a dozen seeds. That gives me two or three plantings to make sure I get at least one viable plant. That's all I expect, no more, no less. As my seeds put on some age, I'll send more of them in a trade to try and ensure the recipient can get a couple of plants. You see, I don't think of it as trading "Seeds", I think of it as trading "Varieties".

Ted

Dwarf tomatoes are the best for indoor growing. They now have some that get good size tomatoes up to 8+ oz. That is if you have to use lights.

I found cherry tomatoes good for indoor growing. I have juliets and sun golds right now. I use a mix of lights and windows.

"I'm assuming that they are normally available at most of the bigger grocery stores?" Yep, Sam's and Costco carry them, too. FWIW, they seem to last a long time on the kitchen counter.

Just think - I decent BLT in the middle of winter! ;-)

Thanks ... our local store used to carry Kumato, which was also pretty tasty, but for some reason they quit carrying them (probably because other than me, there's only a handful of people in this area that know that a good tomato doesn't have to be round and red!!)

Edie

According to my list, Seeds By Design named a variety Mr. Stripey, unaware that Tigerella was also known as Mr. Stripey.

That is correct. At the time the person in charge at SBD knew practically nothing about anything other than hybrids, so when the Wayne Hilton who used to own TT and vt Bean, and seymours Seeds, etc, before they were sold to Jung's,sent seeds for a typical gold/red bicolor to SBD for seed production they named it Mr, Stripey, not knowing that Tigerella had already been unofficially called Mr. Stripey.

I don't like Tigerella but I do like the other two that came out of the original cross done by the Glass House Res, Inst in England, but those other two, Craigella and Tangella I do like.

I can't tell you how many times and at how many message sites, as well as sending e-mails to some seed places who showed wrong pictures and mixed up the two that I've done over the years.

Carolyn