I understand the sentiment, Glib. I'm a low-input gardener myself. However... I speak as a gardener who is, at this very moment, growing short-season varieties of tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and corn out in the open, in our native soil - something you're saying is impossible. I don't own a greenhouse. I don't use row covers. I don't use high or low tunnels. The only things I have outside are some cold frames for transitioning starts in the spring. I have a handful of ordinary 4' fluorescents that I use to start a handful of things indoors, but most of my crops are still direct-sown. Just because you "don't see tomatoes ripening in 50F temperatures" doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It does. They do. The original poster knows exactly what they're doing asking about the best varieties for cold, northern climates. The varieties we grow *are* indeed different. You can't keep making such grand assumptions. You don't garden here. That said, maybe I shouldn't have responded either, given that I don't garden in Iceland. (Slimy_Okra is right - our summers at least have *some* heat to them for a little while.) How many GardenWebers do, though? Which reminds me... thanks for chiming in, tigrikt. Good stuff to know! I think florauk has great advice... "You might look at seed catalogues from the UK with cultivars suited to N. Scotland." Lots of life-long gardeners over in the UK if my extended family is anything to judge by. :) I'm sure their cold-hardy varieties would be better suited for you than even ours here in Canada. All the best!

In sandy soil (as I've got as well) nutrients can leach out into the ground when it rains and when you water. So keep adding more of what you're already putting in. Those organic amendments will increase the health, nutrient and water retention of the soil. As far as "washing away", the best way to prevent that is with a good layer (at least 3") of mulch. (Shredded leaves, grass clippings, newspapers - no glossies; weed free straw or hay.) Not only will that supress weeds, but more importantly, hold in the amended soil and cut down on watering needs. Remember to keep the nitrogen low. That will only promote leafy growth at the expense of fruiting. Add more calcium in the form of bonemeal or crushed eggshells (although these take at least a season to break down and offer up enough calcium) and some kelp/seaweed. The last thing I 'd suggest (and actually the first thing you should really do) is to contact the agricultural extension agency in your city/town or check the yellow pages for some vegetable (especially tomato) growers in the area and ask either or both how to get more fruit from your tomato plants. Most folks in these fields are more than glad to share their success stories or offer up information. Good luck. :)

Thanks, all, but I am quite determined to limit myself to 24 plants. No volunteers this year, no extra seedlings, nothing. This should prove more than ample for 1.25 tomato eaters (me and SomeOne who likes 'a slice' on 'a sandwich' - incomprehensible) and I am much more interested in getting a handle on my festering cesspool of disease so that they are healthier. But no one seems to think I should sacrifice my variety for science - thanks for the enabling there! I'm going to be dizzy with 24 different varieties to taste and keep track of. Dave and smithmal, thanks for the suggestions on varieties to cut. You're right, Long Keeper is at the top of the list to go (was more prone to ordering novelties in my gardening youth 4 years ago). Anna I'm surprised to hear since I thought she was generally well regarded, but she hasn't ever done much for me compared to Cour Di Bue, so she can go. Delicious might have to stay in just because it was a freebie 4-5 years ago and I haven't ever grown it because it's always been high on the cut list. I don't store my seeds for longevity so I might be running out of time on that one. Lucky Cross I have grown before but I don't think it did well - I don't seem to have a recollection of it -so it might need to stay in to get properly evaluated. So between new varieties I want to try, freebies I really should try, and returning players who fill a specific position, I might be down to Sungold or possibly Jersey Giant for my last cut. I've grown and liked both, but haven't come even close to consuming the Sungolds other than for some snacks in the garden, so they just make a mess. Jersey Giant has a sweetness that I enjoy, but has been rather low production and I have all my other 'Jerseys'.

Well given your list of things here is what I would do. 1) I don't think you'll have enough of the potting mix to fill all your pots even though they are relatively small and personally I don't care to use compost in containers as it doesn't drain as well. But I guess you'll have to in order to stretch the mix. So mix the MG and the compost together well and fill up to 1" from the top as many of the pots as you can. You may only have enough to fill 4 pots. Wet it well, compress it gently, and add more mix if needed. Mix into each pot 1 cup of the EB Stone SureStart fertilizer. Mix it in well and plant 1 plant in each pot. Plant it deeply. 2) You don't mention the variety names so I don't know if they are indet. or det. varieties so you will just have to add stakes or support for them as needed. For that size pot I hope they are determinate varieties. 3) I don't see a liquid fertilizer - at least none I recognize - on your list except for the fish oil but some is needed so use that. Once a week when you water the plants include a 1/2 strength dose of it. Nutrients leach out of the pot every time you water so they have to be replaced regularly. 4) AVOID OVER-WATERING. Get used to sticking your finger deep into the soil to see if it is cool and damp. If it is don't water. As the plants grow and the weather gets hotter they wlll need increased watering, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day in such small containers, but the tendency is to water too much so take care. 5) Use the Thuricide (BT-K) for any hornworms or caterpillars you see on the plants but only IF you see them. Use the Capt. Jacks per label directions for any other pests. But FIRST make sure they really are a pest. Just because you see a bug on the plant doesn't automatically mean you have to spray something. Watch it, see if it is alone or has friends, is it just passing through or staying to eat, and what is it eating the leaves, the fruit or the bad bugs. :) 6) Use the FungOil and or the Seranade for any fungus diseases IF they develop. At first sign use it regularly as neither works well as a preventative but will slow it down. If you avoid hosing down the plant (water at the soil level only) and make sure it has good air circulation around it you can reduce the odds of getting Early Blight or Septoria the 2 most common. 7) After the plant sets its first fruit do a side dressing using the Master Nursery Tomato/Vegetable Food 5-10-10 or the Tomato Tone. Lay a 2" wide band of it (about 1 cup full) in a circle around the inside rim of the pot and work it gently into the top 3-4" of the soil. Repeat that 6 weeks later. After that the weekly dose of fish oil should be enough. Please know up front that this is far from ideal but based on the info you have provided it should work fairly well IMO. Dave