16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

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

I have posted in several places this year that Fouth of July Hybrid came through our Summer, fruiting. My plant is Still alive under my patio cover, and still putting out fruit. My heat would have been at least as bad as yours, likely worse.

I'm trying Super Sioux this year. Cannot report results yet but it's advertised as heat tolerant and this variety is mentioned a few times in the link provided above by digdirt. I could send you a few seeds to try if you like. email me with your address if you are interested.

This post was edited by marymcp on Fri, Jan 4, 13 at 7:55

I guess it is also called 1/4" galvanized aircraft cable. 7x19 construction. The breaking strength on this cable is 7,000 pounds.

As to your original question, yes, if you want to do all the required pruning then growing tomato plants up a string (regardless of the wire used to hold the strings) is a fairly common method. All that pruning to a single stem costs you production of course but some prefer the ease of access and appearance over production.

As for planting things underneath the plants - that all depends on the tomato plant spacing you use. Often string growers use that method so they can plant more plants in a confined space, often as close as 16-18" apart. Consequently there isn't room to plant anything under the plants.

If you are going to use 3-4' spacing then there would be room for inter-planting but keep in mind the different nutrient and water needs of many of the plants you list. Anything you plant in between will be competing with the tomatoes for sunlight, water and nutrients - when those needs are so different neither crop does well.

Best results is to have a tomato area and a separate areas for each of the other crops. That way you can deal with each crop's individual nutrient and water needs, planting times, harvesting times, and needed sun exposure.

Dave

Agree with CTed. A soil test is in order to include PH. If your friend is going to use tomato transplants again next year
tell her to dust the roots with endomycorrhiza prior to planting. The Myco's will unlock the unavailable phosphorus that already exists in the soil and make it available to the plant and will also help the plant during drought conditions. Ami

I think the soil is the problem. A soil test would be good but I think it may be the texture of your soil that makes you more successful. I haul in rotted cow manure and hay every year and it doesn't make the nitrogen too high. What kind of manure was it? Cow manure would be OK if it didn't have herbicide in it. Horse manure often comes with with wood chips which I don't think are good. Chicken manure would be high in nitrogen.

Heather,
I received mine this weekend. Thank you so much for another great assortment of seeds!
Alana

Heather, I'm so sorry but I realized that I forgot to post that I received my seeds (around December 18th)! I thought I had posted, but must have gotten side-tracked with something else....Thank you so much for the awesome assortment! As always, you do a fabulous job. Thank you for doing the swap.

Oh no!!! I totally was obsessed with wanting to try OM tomatoes last season so I completely thought that was what I was growing this season.

I actually travelled to the US for a couple of months starting at the end of September so I had the housemaids plant the seeds for me. I thought it was an OM seed packet I gave them.

I looked at my old thread asking about the OM flowering early and the leaves are completely different.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0307191831074.html

I just went through all of my tomato seeds and one that is missing is Brandywine Sudduth so it could possibly be that variety. But I am not sure so I guess this will be a surprise tomato plant for me!

carolyn137 he he he in fact you are the one that gave me advice in that previous thread :D

I am sad it's not OM now... but I guess I had a good reason for giving the house maids a different variety seed packet... I just don't remember why LOL

Gunnar was so correct in that my former computer scorched a transitor. My computer man, and friend, told me last Fall that that might happen and I ignored him.

So here I am with a new computer and it's so different in many ways, but I'm learning.

Gunnar is quite correct that I introduced all three to the SSE Yearbooks.

Joe Bratka had found seeds in glass jars, already named, as bred by his father, couldn't germinate them and sent them to me to try.

I was able to revive;

Box Car Willie
Red Barn
Great Divide
Mule Team
Pasture, a red cherry

There's not that much difference between Mule Team and Box Car Willie as grown by me and I think Red Barn has been overlooked and might be the best tasting and performing of all of them listed above.

Seeds for Indian Stripe were sent to me by a good friend from TX who found the fruits in a garden of a neighbor of her relatives whom she was visiting when in Arkansas.

For all the history you can get it at Tania's wonderful data base. There are many now who prefer IS to Cherokee Purple and Craig LeHoullier, who named CP, agrees with me that IS is probably related to CP in some way.

Su much so that there's a PL version of CP,actually three of them, and a PL version of IS, and now a heart versions of both. I'll be offering the IS heart one very soon and the heart version of CP will also be along soon,I didn'thave a hand in that one but do know of it.

It's hard for me to select just one from that list so why not grow just one of them this next season, then, well you know what I'm suggesting.

I think I'd start with IS, then Red barn, then Box Car Willie and if you have the room all three in one season.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

Cool! I have grown both Red Barn and Box Car Willie, and would grow both again (with a slight nod to Red Barn I think if push came to shove.) Now, apparently, I need to give this Indian Stripe variety a try. It's been a while since I grew something entirely new, so I'm pretty excited to give it a try.