Tomato Seeds
Most likely this has been answered in a previous post, but I've gleaned through the messages without having found an answer, so here's the question. From Cincinnati Ohio. I love tomatoes and have decided to grow them in the ground instead of the topsy-turvy. I like them for sandwiches, for salads, for soups and stew, and for just plain picking and eating. I just love the summer-time taste of tomatoes and can't wait to get through winter so I can plant my little tomato seeds. My problem is, that I can't harvest tomatoes until early/mid-July. Better-Boy; Best-Boy; Big-Boy varieties, starting indoors with peat pots, direct lighting, warm bottoms, and direct lights. Usually I'm ready to move seedlings to pots by end of April and get them outside about the middle of May. I can get really tasty tomatoes with this method, but it takes soooo long. What can I do to hasten the process without making a greenhouse out of my living room?
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Welcome to the forum, GerriB! I'm another Cincinnati gardener. It's Cincinnati! We are just not going to have spring tomatoes!
I start my tomato seeds under lights in the basement right around Valentine's day. I grow some beefsteak like Better Boy or whatever and then I always grow a quick maturing variety like Early Girl. Matina is one I haven't tried yet, but is supposed to be quick ripening and more cold tolerant; likewise Oregon Spring.
I set my tomatoes out right around April 15... That is our 50% last frost date here. That means according to historical data, 50% of the time there is no frost after that date. However that's based on records going back over a 100 years. In these global warming times, it's actually less than 50% of the time there's a frost after that. But I cover the plants any time it's going down near freezing. The soil isn't real warm at that point and they don't do a whole lot, but they are putting down roots so that as soon as it does get warm they are already to take off. My tomato plants are always ahead of everyone else's this way.
I frequently lose a plant or two this way, but since I start them from seed, I can afford to, I just keep some back ups in the wings. It's worth it to me to get the earliest start I can.
But that means that I am eating ripe tomatoes mid to late June. Short of growing them in a heated greenhouse, I think that's the absolute earliest we can do in our climate.
I start my tomato seeds under lights in the basement right around Valentine's day. I grow some beefsteak like Better Boy or whatever and then I always grow a quick maturing variety like Early Girl. Matina is one I haven't tried yet, but is supposed to be quick ripening and more cold tolerant; likewise Oregon Spring.
I set my tomatoes out right around April 15... That is our 50% last frost date here. That means according to historical data, 50% of the time there is no frost after that date. However that's based on records going back over a 100 years. In these global warming times, it's actually less than 50% of the time there's a frost after that. But I cover the plants any time it's going down near freezing. The soil isn't real warm at that point and they don't do a whole lot, but they are putting down roots so that as soon as it does get warm they are already to take off. My tomato plants are always ahead of everyone else's this way.
I frequently lose a plant or two this way, but since I start them from seed, I can afford to, I just keep some back ups in the wings. It's worth it to me to get the earliest start I can.
But that means that I am eating ripe tomatoes mid to late June. Short of growing them in a heated greenhouse, I think that's the absolute earliest we can do in our climate.
Well, I'm a conservative type - not in politics of course. Ergo, I follow the plan. In Cincinnati Ohio, if the custom has been to not plant tomatoes outside until after Mother's Day (end of May), I might grow seeds and nurture scrawny seedlings in my basement from February; I'll wait till end of May to move the weaned off outside. However, perhaps... I should begin the transition in mid-April. Maybe I'll get home grown tomatoes sooner. Amazingly, tomatoes home grown in AZ or FL don't taste as good as the ones home grown in Cincinnati and neighboring Indiana and even Kentucky. Now, why is that?
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Probably the heat... tomatoes don't do well when ambient temps are above 90 degrees F. In AZ the heat plus lack of humidity.
Well, you keep following custom and I will do what I do and I will continue to eat ripe home grown tomatoes a few weeks before you!
You did ask the question how can you get tomatoes sooner. Why ask if you aren't willing to change anything?
If you aren't setting your tomatoes out sooner, the main thing you can do is be sure you are growing the quickest ripening variety and Early Girl pretty much does set the standard for that, amongst full sized varieties.
Well, you keep following custom and I will do what I do and I will continue to eat ripe home grown tomatoes a few weeks before you!
You did ask the question how can you get tomatoes sooner. Why ask if you aren't willing to change anything?
If you aren't setting your tomatoes out sooner, the main thing you can do is be sure you are growing the quickest ripening variety and Early Girl pretty much does set the standard for that, amongst full sized varieties.
I wouldn't try to start everything extra early. People do it but it takes alot of work. An easy way that can work with window light is to plant a couple of plants of an extra-early variety in February (under seedling lights if you can) and eventually move them up to large containers (1-2 gallon). Put them outside on warm days and bring them in at night. They should have some fruits (possibly ripe) by the last frost date, and will take off with fruit production when you put them in the ground. And then plant the bulk of your seeds at the normal time, 6-8 weeks before last frost date. That will give you eating tomatoes early in the season to hold off of your cravings, and then provide the best big tomatos for eating and preserving at the normal time.
There are some pretty good tasting extra-early varieties, (Stupice and Kimberley are many people's favorites) but they tend to be fairly small --but not quite cherry size. In almost every case the flavor of the extra-early varieties is not as good as the best mid-late varieties so In my experience it isn't worthwhile to plant them all at the same time because you will only eat the early ones for a couple of weeks before the better tomatoes ripen.
There are some pretty good tasting extra-early varieties, (Stupice and Kimberley are many people's favorites) but they tend to be fairly small --but not quite cherry size. In almost every case the flavor of the extra-early varieties is not as good as the best mid-late varieties so In my experience it isn't worthwhile to plant them all at the same time because you will only eat the early ones for a couple of weeks before the better tomatoes ripen.
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
No kidding!rainbowgardener wrote:...It's just all about having June tomatoes!
That is why I have few varieties planned for 2010 that are extra early and suitable for containers as TZ suggested - out during the day, home for the night. Hoping for an early spring, since we have very early winter in VA this year!
Regards,
D