16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Production varies with each type of tomato, the soil and climate its grown in, availabile sunlight, and nutrients available. Looking at your list, I have grown San Marzano, Mortgage lifter, Cherokee purple, Black krim, Amish paste
Brandywine and Roma's. From that list San marzano, cherokee purple, Amsih paste and the romas were the most productive. Mortgage lifter and black krim were less productive, and depending on conditions, Brandywine is least productive. My results should be evaluated in the context of my growing conditions. I live in Northern Utah, and have slightly alkali sandy soils. Our nights are cool and our days are hot. I have noticed some inverse correlation to productivity and taste, that is the less productive the better the taste. However, that is not always true. Good luck growing. Kevin
Hi, My Black Krim last year was not as productive as some of my others, but I am putting in more of them this year because they are so delicious. My Brandywine went gangbusters, until we had about a week of 100 degree days and then nothing. It really does depend on so many variables
Yes that particular system gets regularly panned over on the Growing from Seed forum here for just the reason you mention - keeps the plants too wet which can lead to root rot and stunted growth. The system is good for germination, reports say, but no so much for growing on. How much of a problem it is depends in part on which mix you use in the cells.
The recommended solution seems to be to remove the wicking cloth from the water tray once they are watered and let them dry out more before letting it water them again.
Personally when I gave the system a try several years back I found it better to just transplant them out of the APS into normal pots or cups with a good soil-less potting mix in them. The plants took right off again.
Dave
Below is one link to commercial production of F1 hybrids, but there's several points that need to be made.
Yes, you start with two inbred lines to make the first cross and all that, but there are usually two lines that are used, let's call them A and B.
Within each line certain genes are introduced for uniform ripening, high solids and genes for tolerance to certain diseases, etc.
There can be up to four parental inputs in each line. Then they take the last one in line A and cross it with the last one in line B and that gives the F1 hybrid seeds.
Much commercial F1 seed is produced in countries where labor is cheap so yes, they still have to go through emasculation of the blossoms. But starting many years ago increasingly male steriles are used so you dont have to do the emasculation.
The info about the exherted stigma being found with potato leaf varieties is not correct as many of us who have grown hundreds of PL varieties have found. But it's info that has been in the literature almost forever and just gets repeated as does the info about lack of Ca++ in the soil, with two exceptions, being the cause of Blossom End Rot.
I'm sure there are other links for the info given below but this is the one I happen to have in my faves and does illustrate bulk production of F1 seed.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Hybrids
In my opinion you wouldn't want to though... Tiny tim isn't nearly as good of a plant as red robin in production or taste, and red robin is almost as small. And they get big tomatoes for the size plants they are, like 1" diameter and larger if you take good care of them.
Here is a previous thread with pics that may help. IME with them they are like dickie said - BIG and TALL. Google Images has many different pics of them.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: San Marzano Redorta
How close together?
I planted Polbig last year and again this year. It produced lots of tasty tomatoes. It never got about 3 feet tall. I did prune the lower leaves, to bring it up off the ground, but that is it.
Last year we had a very cool spring and many of the tomatoes were "pointed". This is a trait that other saw too. We will see what happens this year.
Jay
Tomato seedlings do benefit from being transplanted (potted up) at least once before planting out. This stimulates roots, especially if you plant them more deeply (up to the first set of true leaves). If you don't want to buy larger pots, you can use 16 ounce cups like they sell at fast food places or even cut off half gallon milk/juice cartoons, with drainage of course. At the rate they are growing, they could be 18 inches tall in another three weeks. Generally you want the soil to be made of larger particles than seedling mix, so it drains very well. I prefer a mix that doesn't have fertilizer or moisture control in it. You want to let it dry out more between waterings and you want to be able to feed it with a balanced fertilizer at half strength or less.
Right on Ohiofem. Also, Brett, don't worry about higher nitrogen on younger plants. 3-1-2 is best for vegetative growth, the time nitrogen is used the most. Once fruiting starts, reducing nitrogen input causes energy generated by existing leaves to support the fruit rather then more leaves.
rhizo: My comment was kind of terse, but the soil deserves the bad comments it gets. Thanks for explaining why it is so bad. The water retention and fine structure make this a very bad soil to work with. It is too water retentive, attracts pests and diseases. Some people have made it work by watering in sips, but this causes other issues including salt build up. The best soils are the custom mixes made at home as most commercial mixes which are suboptimal. People have incorrectly learned to use and buy peat dominant mixes when they have better and cheaper options. Peat based mixes make gardening much harder then it really has to be. It's amazing how much better less experienced gardeners (and experienced ones) can grow when using a superior fast draining mix. The overwatering issue so common in peat based soils is no longer a factor in superior mixes such as bark based.
I don't think it's that uncommon b'c when I googled it I found it on quite a few trade lists and grow out lists.
But the only description I found for it is a person who lists it in the 2012 SSE YEarbook who said:
65-70 days, indet, regualr leaf, golden orange fruit, pearl shaped, high yields, sweet and fruity, very good plus flavor.
I know this person and know what adjectives he uses, and very good is below excellent and superb in his list of adjectives.
So give it a try and let us know what you think of it.
My only hesitation is if it's truly that small, as in pearl shaped, I wonder if it might be a currant variety.
Carolyn
Carolyn
I've only grown pineapple tomatoes for one season so far, but I found that they were super late to set (and one of my plants didn't even flower at all). They did finally begin to set fruit as it got VERY hot last summer, so that part of the description does seem to be correct. In the end, my one plant that did produce tomatoes turned out great and I was happy with the yield. They actually became my favorites because of their color & taste!
I can't really speak to dealing with frosts (my last remaining tomatoes of the season survived some very light frosts just fine, but so did all of them), but at least in drought, my pineapple tomato plant seemed to be fine.
You need to post this on the Exchanges forum please. It was created so that the discussion forum doesn't turn into a list of trades and exchanges. I linked it below for you.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Seed Exchanges
And when you post in the Seed exchange as Dave noted I do wish you'd clarify what you mean by Mexican Dwarfs.
There are indet and det, and semi-det varieties but true Dwarf varieties have rugose foliage and a very think main stem and I'd be surprised if there were any Mexican Dwarfs.
Just my opinion.
Carolyn
bj4l, that's beautiful!
I picked up the cardboard a couple days ago. It is mainly 48 x 50 inches, not feet... I was mistaken. This guy owns a shipping warehouse by the airport and has stacks upon stacks of the stuff to give away. If the rain stops today, I will finish my drip irrigation system, and then lay the cardboard on top of the soaker hoses. I will post pics once it is finished.