Hi Heidi, I sent you an email about your round robin, I have some extra tumbler tomato and some tiny tim that might be suitable for you, I will include them in the env. for the round robin if you like. Cheryl

Way to early to start seedlings here in NH (Zone 5) We usually start our tomato plants approximately 8 weeks before our last frost date and by then they are at least 8"-12" and stocky. We do not sell in any type of "paks", that is no 4-paks, 6-paks, etc. Instead we sell by the individual plant. That way people can mix and match and choose whatever number they want in a individual variety. Most of the tomatoes we grow are heirlooms and choice hybrids. Many people do not know the varieties and don't want to "risk" buying a six pack of something they are not sure of. But once they try our plants they come back and want the same, plus others. It's getting over the fear of trying something new. We purchase liners from WH Milokowski and get liners that have perferated edges that can be detached without cutting. They are approx. 2-1/2 x 3-1/4 in size, giving the plants plenty of room to grow to sellable size. We also grow "jumbo" tomato plants for $5/ea. They are usually at least 2' and bushy when we sell them. (We do start those a little earlier) Last year we had 40 trays of 32/per tray of tomato plants. We have pre-orders with other people coming to shop. We open Mothers' Day (June 14?) and by the first week of June we are sold out of all tomatoes, most vegetables, and annual/perennial flowers. I believe we had about 4,000 seedlings last year. We don't have time to fool around with various size pots, most people love the size we sell. More importantly the plants are grown properly, are healthy and usually everyone is happy with the results.

Start from seed? That will all depend on if you can find local transplants of the right varieties or not. Around here I don't find many but that could be totally different with whatever grower resources you might have. Size of container - hanging baskets come in standard sizes - 10-12-14-16-18". The bigger the better and I's use the 16-18 and wouldn't go smaller than 14. Again, local resources will likely determine what is available to you unless you have access to a wholesale nursery supplier. But keep in mind that the bigger the container - and bigger will always be better - will mean weight that has to be suspended and it really becomes a matter of practicality. That will also determine if you can get self-watering or not - most readily available ones are not. And truth be told most of the SWC hangers are excessively expensive don't hold enough water to make all that much difference anyway IMO. They still require at least daily watering and in your zone likely 2-3x a day just like here. So success in a container that small is problematic unless you stick with the very small plants. Soil mix - same as for any container. A quality soil-less mix. No dirt, no potting 'soil'. Feeding? At least weekly as the nutrients leach out every time you water. If using an organic then likely more often - some use a diluted organic liquid fert every time they water - as there will be no beneficial soil bacteria in the mix to digest and convert the organic nutrients to a form useable by the plants. Organic growing in a container is very different ballgame from organic growing in ground. Varieties - any that are specifically bred for small container growing. But no, you won't be doing indeterminate varieties. Their name will often include things like dwarf or bush or container or tiny as part of the name. EX: Tiny Tim. Tumbling Tom, Totem, Baxter's Early Bush, Husky Red, Patio, New Big Dwarf, etc. Some of the smaller determinate varieties will work with the bigger baskets - Halley, Sprite, Grape for example. There are several discussions here about best varieties for containers and I'll see if I can pull some of them up for you but keep in mind that many of them are about much bigger containers than you are talking about. Dave This post was edited by digdirt on Sat, Feb 15, 14 at 15:14

Someone on one of the forums said they needed more germination time & also more growing to maturity time. =========================================================================================== Actually that's not the case. The bucket is up in the air and can quickly get to the air (ambient) temperature. This is always warmer than the ground and means the roots are in summer mode quickly. Being in a bucket has nothing to do with germination. It does, however, affect fruit ripening - again due to the higher "soil" temperature. I would recommend filling the bucket to about 3/4 full. This leaves room for watering from the top. I would also recommend cutting a couple holes in the sides and putting the plants there (works just like one of those terracotta strawberry pots). Be prepared to not miss a day of watering, especially after the plant gets a full load of foliage on. Also be ready to feed it about every two to three weeds with no better than "Half Strength" fertilizer - such as Miracle Grow for Tomatoes. It's a novelty or conversation piece, but you can get a lot of cherry or salad-sized fruits. It's just a lot of work. Ted