Hi Deb,
I'm still wintersowing tomatoes here in Wisconsin. I did just buy some other tomatoes to get an early start, but the vast majority, I'm sowing. At first they can seem slow, but they catch up quickly with others by about mid June when the warmer temps hit. Then, it also pays off in the fall, as the wintersown tomato plants often produce later into the cold than the ones not wintersown. Why not trying both at this point and see how it works out?

Its too early to call out "woulda shoulda coulda didnt".

Just get out there and DO IT!!!

I just had one sprout and the rest are still waiting things out. Youstill have time.

I sowed all my tomatoes back in late March, and as of today, they are all up. But I've also sown tomatoes as late as the end of May - they were up in 4-5 days and grew fast! Why not try adding some spring-sown tomatoes to your store-bought transplants?

Plus, there might still be some future tomato volunteers in that bed of yours ...

PV

OK, you've all inspired me. Now I have to go get some seed! :) I did buy 6 plants this morning of mixed varieties but there's room for several more. I'm of the opinion that you can never have too many 'maters!

Every year I cover the paths in my food garden with a layer of cardboard and mulch to keep the weeds out. I spent the morning taking the top 3 inches of last year's almost broken-down mulch and the gorgeous soil below it, and filling a couple of my beds to the brim --- including the tomato bed. Maybe some volunteers will be able to sprout through all that.

Thanks for the inspiration! I really enjoy having varieties other than the same ol', same ol', and seed allows me to do that where store-bought plants don't.

Deb

I agree go for it Deb! I have some WS tom sprouts but I still have a few packets of Tom seeds. So I am not done sowing them.

I usually have volunteers also. I bet you still might get some anyway. if not you can always let me know and I can mail you some :) Last year I threw tomatoes in the garden cause they were overripe. (we could not eat or giveaway the amount of tomatoes we had) I decided I would throw them there to encourage volunteers. I hope it worked. if it did I should have lots of them.

good luck!
Karen

Here's a question folks: I have a ton of volunteer toms, too, in the raised beds. I only grew one variety last year so my initial thought was that these were all "Better Bush."

Duh.

I've been composting all year and certainly have thrown tom scraps (from everywhere--grocery store, friends, neighbors, etc) and rotten ones in the composter. Got some great black gold and mixed that in the beds a few weeks ago.

So... are the chances good that the composted toms made it through that cooking process and are now appearing along with the volunteers? In other words, I'll have no clue what they are?

Prof

Now just go out and see the price of tomato seedlngs in your area and what varietys are avaiable you may be in sticker shock.

Very glad sowed alot of them but in amiddle of a heat wave in NJ .

ML

Most of my winter sown ones got zapped by the last freeze we had so, I just ds in the rows and put the jug tops over them. They are looking great and getting their true leaves. I have taken tops off half to see witch works best but, have noticed the uncovered ones have been nibbled on some. Still all an experiment. I have always bought starts. This is my first year growing all my veggies from seed.
Pattie

Prof: Yes, the tomato seeds survive composting, unless you get all the stuff above some pretty high temp--not just the center.

Although I usually can count on MANY volunteers in my garden from last year, I sowed some this weekend. I went by Fran's instructions in the thread, and since she's just south of me, I figure I was ok with timing; I'm only a week off her schedule.
So I put out 14 little cups, and hopefully I'll get good germination from them. If not, I'll be looking for volunteers to transplant into the tomato space :)

I really don't want to have to buy them.

...maybe I should put out a few more...you know...just in case.

I sowed my tomatoes this past Thursday so don't feel bad, get your jugs out and plant, plant , plant!!

Oh, if only you lived nearby....I guess I didn't really expect the germination rates to be so high, and really who can plant just ONE seed in a milk jug?

As of this morning's tally I have 78 heirloom tomatoes of various shapes and sizes that have sprouted. I'm coordinating a major adoption program among friends and family.

Thanks, Stage_Rat: Now I have all these tom babies that are probably cloned with cows or pigs or something coming up all over the beds. They look good, though. Robust. Like steer and swine.

Heck, I'm a carnivore. What difference does it make if the toms have a little bovine or porcine quality? I'll never let on to the guests. ;-)

Prof