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Durgan
My Garden Journal
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| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008 - 08:15 pm EST : |   
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Tomatoes 2008
http://chazaf.notlong.com/ 31 January 2008 Starting tomato seeds. Pictures of method.
Two plants of each of the following varities were chosen: Cherokee purple, Mortgage lifter, Better boy, Burpee big boy, Black krim, Black prince, Pilgrim, Japanese momomato, Better boy, Pink girl, Green zebra, Japanese black treffle, Marglobe supreme, and one plant of Sweet million.
Three seeds were placed in each pot, and the stronger will be chosen when they germinate. The other two will be cut off at soil level. A total of 27 plants.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Cindym
 Supporting Member
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008 - 10:13 pm EST : |
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Durgan, what do you use for soil? It looks heavier than most seed starting mixes.
My seeds germinated last week and they're in the cold frame now. I'll probably start potting up in another week.
Cindym
- Louisiana,
Zone "8b"
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Durgan
My Garden Journal
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| | Posted on Friday, February 01, 2008 - 01:53 am EST : |
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I make my own soil during the summer and put it in 5 gallon pails for use the following year. It is compost, some garden soil, peat moss, and sand. This is essentially the same as what the plants will encounter in the garden- maybe a little lighter. It has good drainage, and moisture retention properties, plus a reasonable amount of necessary nutrients. Nature at its best or so I believe. It has never failed me so far.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Oldiebutgoodie
| | Posted on Friday, February 01, 2008 - 08:34 pm EST : |
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Have you ever started canteloupes, James? I think I need to start mine soon. I was about 2 weeks late starting them last year, and I didn't make note of the date. They produced, but there were a lot that weren't ripe enough for picking when the frost hit.
Oldiebutgoodie
- Ontario,
Zone "5b"
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Durgan
My Garden Journal
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| | Posted on Friday, February 01, 2008 - 09:10 pm EST : |
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Yes, I have started canteloupes. Probably the best time is about the 10th of April for placement about 24 May. The plants should be healthy and not into the runner stage to make for easy transplanting. Six weeks is probably ideal, but his can vary depending upon growth rate, controlled by heat and sun.
I might add I do the same with cucumbers, about three to a pot and plant the whole pot in one hill, again a pre-start time of about six weeks at the most.
I have found they can take a lot of heat,and germinate quickly if wet and hot.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Oldiebutgoodie
| | Posted on Friday, February 01, 2008 - 09:23 pm EST : |
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I have always sowed my cukes directly into the garden. We grow a lot of them. I try to put down about 50 quarts of pickles every summer.
For the last two years, however, they've been decimated by those wretched striped cucumber beetles. We've traditionally avoided pesticided, but I'm afraid I'll have to break down and use some sort of control this year. It's entirely likely that the eggs or larvae have wintered over.
Oldiebutgoodie
- Ontario,
Zone "5b"
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Stephie
| | Posted on Saturday, February 02, 2008 - 12:00 am EST : |
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Here on the coast of B.C., I plant my cukes and squashes directly in the garden. Oddly, with no explanation, when I start them inside and they are big beautiful seedlings, somebody else thinks so too....slugs! They mow them down. But not as easily as when I directly plant them outside. My only consideration is possible plant toxins formed as soon as slugs nibble seedlings....the advanced ones don't have it and are very delicious at that stage and therefore mowed down. Well....like to think that anyway. All I know is it works.
DURGAN: I love white tomatoes both big and cherry..and they actually have a blue tomatoe too altho it's more grey looking than blue. Supposed to be good. E-seeds.com has "rainbow" cherry tomatoes that are awesome! And Hawaiian Pineapple is lovely.
Stephie |
Oldiebutgoodie
| | Posted on Saturday, February 02, 2008 - 12:24 am EST : |
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Oops! I forgot to suggest that you pour a little sharp sand around your tomato seedlings, Stephie. Slugs don't like to cross it.
Oldiebutgoodie
- Ontario,
Zone "5b"
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Stephie
| | Posted on Saturday, February 02, 2008 - 08:01 pm EST : |
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We have crypton slugs here. I put ground glass around my ligularia to stop them...well, they'd cross razorblades to get to that...then I had the uneviable job of gathering up the glass. I even watched one "hump" across copper tape! In my veggie garden I have sacrificial crops planted around the edges...yummy slug stuff like lettuces I am not too fond of myself (ie) iceburg...they love it enough to pretty much stay away. Until they find my indoor-started squash plants. Sometimes, I have to resort to slug bait..Safer's so it won't harm other critters...just to stave off the hords at night! The coast grows great things, not the least of which are thugs, slugs and bugs!
Stephie |
Durgan
My Garden Journal
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| | Posted on Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 08:03 pm EST : |
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http://chazaf.notlong.com/
The little plastic bags keep the humidity level high, and the pots need no watering. The other choice is to keep a high humidity level in a growing room, which is difficult in a living area.
Probably humidity does more to encourage germination than soil moisture, and since the seeds are close to the soil surface, the seeds tend to dry out rather quickly if not in a high humidity environment. The top of the clear plastic covers are opened when the seedlings are about one or two inches high.
I use this procedure for all my seed starting and it appears to promote germination without further care until sprouted.
All the tomato seeds have now sprouted, except for mortgage lifter-first time grown. Some plants are an inch high. This is four days from planting to germination. This is evidence that the little miniature plastic bag greenhouses really work. Seeds planted on 31 Jan and all up on 4 Feb.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Loretta
Supporting Member
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 08:32 pm EST : |
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Stephie, I suppose you've tried beer in sunken dishes? They say it just attracts more but it worked for me once.
James, Japanese Trifele Black has been my favorite dark tomato I've tried so far. Not a big tomato but very pretty and tasted like Cherokee Chocolate and Cherokee Purple.
Loretta
- NJ,
Zone "6"
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Durgan
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| | Posted on Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 09:58 pm EST : |
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Nice to hear. This is my first year for the Japanese black trifele tomato. We generally prefer the dark tomatoes to all others.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Mimi
Supporting Member
My Weather
| | Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 02:18 am EST : |
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Careful this year! ;-)
http://www.gardenbuddies.com/forum/messages/4309/1252524.html
Mimi
- Wisconsin,
Zone "4b"
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Bluewillow
My Favorite Photo
| | Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 09:54 am EST : |
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True Mimi....Durgan's experience, is the main reason why I won't be starting the Toms earlier than April
Bluewillow
- London UK, Now Canada,
Zone " 5b"
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Durgan
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| | Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 12:45 am EST : |
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Thanks for the reminder. Not that I needed it. This year should be great-that is what I say every year. It is very cold here yet, so even the greenhouse is not suitable even during the day.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Durgan
My Garden Journal
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| | Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 02:56 pm EST : |
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http://kaile.notlong.com/ 27 February 2008 Pictures indicating growth of tomato seedlings.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Oldiebutgoodie
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 03:26 pm EST : |
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They're really coming along, James. Now if we could just get rid of some of this snow!!
Over the past several years, I've taken to transplanting my seedlings 'sideways'. I pick off all the lower leaves, leaving only the growing tip and a few surrounding leaves. Then I dig a fairly shallow trough, scarify the roots slightly and lay the seedling on its side into the trough. When I cover the roots and most of the bare stem, I bend the growing tip up and tamp the earth around it firmly. I've found that the tomatoes develop a much better root ball and are better able to withstand dry periods. Have you tried this method? If so, what do you think of the results?
Oldiebutgoodie
- Ontario,
Zone "5b"
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Calendula
My Weather
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| | Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 03:35 pm EST : |
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Hi, I am new to GB and am delighted that there is a forum solely for edibles, in specific, Tomatoes.
Hello Durgan (from neighbor to neighbor.) I live about 5 hours South/East (Ontario) from you. We have a 7 acre parcel of land, Wood, Wetland and Meadow. We live in the Canadian Shield which means many huge rocks. Whenever we wanted to plant something we first had to remove giant rocks. We found one ideal spot though and after we ripped out all the ground covering Cedars we dug it over and purchased a big truckload of soil. This is my Tomato field now. We amend it with manure mix every fall and dig it in. To grow Tomatoes in a forested area represents a challenge though but we keep on fighting.
I don't seed my Tomatoes until April 01 because they get too spindly if one cant set them out in time. I seed mine in individual pots 5-6 in an oblong little greenhouse with a plastic dome cover. I like your set up it shows a lot of care and looks great.
Thank you for showing your way of raising Tomato plants, I will be watching as time goes on, trying to learn from you. Thank you.
Calendula
- Ontario,
Zone "5b"
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Durgan
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| | Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 04:37 pm EST : |
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Yes, I have used that exact method. It works better if the plants are not too large when planted. The last few years my plants have had fruit when I plant them, so I didn't lay them horizontal. From my experience the horizontal method is probably the best way to plant. It means the soil is warm where required particularly in early summer.Often the soil at root depth is too cold when the tomato plants are first put out.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Durgan
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| | Posted on Sunday, March 16, 2008 - 02:50 pm EST : |
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http://zeila.notlong.com/ 16 March 2008 Moved to Greenhouse.
The outside temperature warmed up, but I still have to monitor the night temperature closely, and move the plants indoors at night sometimes. Not all have been placed in large pots yet.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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Durgan
My Garden Journal
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| | Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008 - 03:31 pm EST : |
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http://uisohb.notlong.com 28 March 2008 Tomato Growth in Greenhouse after 56 Days.
Durgan
- Ontario,
Zone "5B"
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