Starting Tomatoes Season ... 2016
Seysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years ago
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8 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Late Season Tomatoes - Lighting for Early Start
Comments (6)There are other season extension strategies but keep in mind that many of these later season indeterminate varieties start out with vigorous plant growth, some more than the early fruiting varieties. Simply starting them earlier inside may give you results that you can't deal with. One of the easiest practices to warm the soil and speed growth is to lay black plastic on the soil where you intend to plant a few days prior to intended planting date. Also, for many years I would just fit a clear garbage bag over the cylindrical tomato cages,seal along the ground with soil and cut a few slits in the top to let hot air out. A method somewhat like the Wall-o-Water idea is to invert the tomato cage, insert the bottom of a larger clear plastic bag onto the ground spikes of the inverted cage, then set it over a plant, double the bag to the ground and back to the top, dump ~5 gal. of water into the bag fold (holds it against the ground and also buffers temperature swings), and then loosely tie the bag opening on top again. You will need to watch these, usually opening the bag tops each mid-morning and closing late in each day. If you already have tomato cages the cost is about 25 cents for a clear 55 gal drum liner per plant. You could also setup a temporary Low tunnel or some makeshift support to allow you to protect your early transplanted plants on cool nights. For a few years I used windows, set over the plant row in "A"-frame style. With a 4'window pair I would stradle two tomato plants in a row, then skip two, continuing down the whole row. On cool nights I covered everything with a sheet of plastic. But what I noticed was that the plants under the glass grew faster and produced like clockwork two weeks earlier, even though the sides were open as the windows joined on top to form the "A"-frame. I'm relating all these as a progressive learning experience that led me to high tunnels, the technology that you don't want to experience. I'll just say that this is the first year that I didn't grow any tomatoes outside and I don't regret it. My tomato harvest season extends from early June til late November(some supplemental heat required). In zone 3 you might expect a month less at each end. Why not give it a try if you are serious about growing tomatoes?...See MoreThe 2016 Tomato GH Season Begins !!
Comments (32)Bellasky - IMO 2.5 gallon is too small and will restrict your Sweet 100's ability to grow and produce. I would think it will need at least a 10 gallon container. Sweet 100 is an indeterminate variety and requires support. I plant it every year in our GH but never grow Sweet 100 in a container. If you are looking for a tomato plant for your 2.5 gallon container - I would recommend a Micro Dwarf. http://heritageseedmarket.com/index.php/product-category/dwarf-tomatoes/micro-dwarf-tomatoes/ Or Tiny Tim (yellow or red) Dwarf Tomato plants and Tumbling Tom Tomato. http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_tiny-tim.html I grow Dwarf varieties like New Big Dwarf and Dwarf Golden Gypsy in a 10 gallon container. They do well in our GH with supports but require water almost daily and more frequent fertilization....See MoreEarly to Start Tomato Seeds (3/3/2016 for Zone 6)?
Comments (5)Agree with Peter. Window light isn't an effective light source for seedlings. Even a full blown greenhouse uses supplemental lighting for seedlings. Sunlight this time of year lacks the needed spectrum and degree of intensity needed and the windows reduce it even more. Plus there aren't enough hours of sunlight. So your plants start out with 1 strike against them. A simple fluorescent shop light 1.5-2" above the plants for 16 hours a day solves that problem. Check out the FAQs about lightening on the Growing from Seed forum here. Second, homemade seed starting mixes seldom work well. Not because of the lack of nutrients - young seedlings have all they need until after they develop a couple sets of true leaves - but because the drain poorly and the young roots rot. Buy a bag of commercial seed starting mix that are already pH balanced and made to drain well. Eliminate those two problems and your odds of success will improve greatly. Dave...See MoreGarlic Season 2016 Update II
Comments (23)Inulover - those bulbs should be good for planting. Did you take the bulb wrappers off the Glazed PS and the German White after harvest or did they lose their wrappers before harvest? I have no experience with vernalizing prior to planting in warm climates so I will let someone else comment on that. MrChip - Can you give us you location so we can better advise on when to harvest. There really is not a foolproof method to determine when to harvest. Basically when 40-50% of the green foliage has browned is recommended. I tend to error on the side of early rather than late and the weather forecast plays a big role for me. I do not like to harvest the garlic when it is muddy as I believe it makes it more difficult to cure the bulbs. As far as where to cure, a tent or canopy would work in a pinch but I would keep the garlic up off the ground at least. As long as you keep it dry, out of the sun, and provide good air flow it should be OK. Do you have a friend or relative that has a shed or outbuilding that you could use for a few weeks? I prefer to hang my garlic in bundles of 6-8 plants as it cures. I pulled the trigger on harvesting my Estonia Red yesterday. Only 15 planted and 15 harvested. This type was my worst last year for getting neck rot but no neck rot this year. I planted every clove from the only 3 bulbs that were still in good shape at planting time so a few of the seed cloves were rather small. Of the 15 harvested, 11 were over 2", 5 of those were over 2.5" with the largest at about 2 7/8". 2 appear to be rounds or small differentiate bulbs about 3/4". We are going to have mostly highs in the 90s starting in a few days which should hasten the garlic along and no rain in the forecast until June 13 so I may be harvesting more in the next week....See MoreUser
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