Tammy42
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Posts: 157
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:48 am
Location: Anchorage,Ak

Excited, transplanted tomatoes that were from seed!!!!

I am so happy today, I was finally able to transplant tomatoe plants I started from seed that have gotten to be about anywhere from to five to three inches long. It was time to transplant them!!!! When I planted from seed (me being a first time veggie gardener, I didn't know you are suppose to plant one seed at a time and I planted 3-4 seeds at a time. So I took some advice from the forums here about transplanting and seperating!!!! :D From that I got 12 seperate tomatoe plants growing!!! I planted them in 6 or 7 inch pots fed them some miracle grow liquid feed and will cross fingers and patiently wait to see how they do. wish me luck!!!!! :D Will keep them under the carport for now, side nearest sun and when some of the rain subsides 9hopefully the sun will come back) and take them out front!!!! :D Tammy

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Well I'm wishing you luck. But I replied a week or so ago about this. I'm very puzzled why in Alaska you are starting tomatoes now. I'm here in Ohio with average first frost date in mid October. I start my tomato seeds indoors mid February, transplant them in April and I've been eating ripe tomatoes for a month off of plants 6' tall. Your 50% of the time first frost date where you are is Sept 23 (interestingly enough only three weeks earlier than mine). And it looks like right now you are getting 20 hrs a day of sunlight (amazing!)... so presumably your tomato plants once they are out will grow really fast. Given that you should have some ripe tomatoes before frost sets in. But for next year think about having plants ready to set out in may... your 50% last frost date is May 8.

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Adding to Rainbow's advice to say, it's easier to protect them from the cold when they're smaller (in terms of structure) than when they're much bigger at the end of the season. :wink: I used wall-o-waters with great success this spring. The 4 tomato plants protected with them are way ahead of the other plants.

Also, I used to have Fish Emulsion fertilizer called "Alaska Fish" -- I suspect you could easily get organic seaweed and fishery by-product based fertilizers. Makes a heck of a lot more sense than me importing them all the way to NJ. :roll: I'm looking for more local sources now. :mrgreen:

DH and I went to Alaska ages ago, before we were married. Started from Anchorage, took a tour train trip up to Denali National Park for a few days. Went on a trail ride there -- horses drank from glacier fed creek... started to snow (in late May) during the ride. The guide told us they don't keep the horses up in the mountains in the Winter because it gets too cold at -80ºF :shock: They're kept in fields with open sheds for them to shelter in where it ONLY gets down to -40ºF :shock: :shock: Helicopter Tour above the glaciers and near the Denali mountain. Train back to Anchorage, then rented a car to drive down the Kenai Penninsula, stopped at Kenai River for DH2B to hook up with buddies and go Salmon fishing, then on to Homer for Halibut fishing for him and Wildlife Watching tour for me -- Sea Otters with babies right alongside the boat! :D ) Now waiting for kids to grow up a bit so we can go again! :D

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Duh_Vinci
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Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:58 pm
Location: Virginia

Good luck with your transplants!

Now watch them take off like mad - just show them some love, and feed them!

Regards,
D

Tammy42
Senior Member
Posts: 157
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:48 am
Location: Anchorage,Ak

I have a difference of opinion with you Rainbowgardener(also a fellow Ohioian). Alaska is totally different in growing seasons than Ohio. We have more daylight in summer and longer colder winters. We can not plant before Memorial Day here because we still have frost conditions, not the the 8th of May you point out. As for the tomato plants they are thriving- for your info. these were planted from seed, outside in small planting pots- from pure Alaskan Sun and weather. If God did not want them to come up he would have saw to it, there is a reason why they are here!!! :roll:

cynthia_h
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Location: El Cerrito, CA

Tammy42, I'm so happy for you that your plants are succeeding!

A lot of gardeners just canNOT wait for last frost, and a lot of plants can't wait, either. So, many gardeners begin their seeds indoors and tend them until the magic confluence of

Plant readiness + Soil warmth

takes place. Then the plants go into the ground and can produce more for the gardener, esp. in places with short growing seasons.

But we're kind of limited; we don't get that 22-hour daylight stuff down here in the Lower 48. :wink:

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9



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