my tomatoes this year

kevinrs · March 9, 2011

just counted up and I have 17 varieties, 4 each of most of them, this picture was from the 5th, showing everything I had seed I figured had good chances of germinating 2011-03-05 11.50.07.jpg there are 4 spots for each variety there, and 2 types each of eggplant and tomatillos. more has sprouted since, didn't get a new picture since then.
I also have some tomatoes, that I was doing germination testing on, that I transferred to cups or another flat. They are the ones with mention of age in the list.

Baxter's Bush Cherry 1990 100% germination 10/10 with a standard papertowel germ test, no presoak or anything 21 year old seed envelope opened 21 years ago. Growing 2
Black Krim 3/4 cells up
Camp Joy
Chiquita(pink grape)
Chocolate cherry
Cuostralee
Debaro(plum)
DK brand unknown several years old 9/10 growing 2
Eva Purple Ball
Galinas
Marglobe 1991 4/10 sprouted so far in germ test, growing 1
Olpalka
red Grape
Red Pear
Redfield beauty
Roma VF 1995 8/10 in test growing 2
Rutgers old? 1/10 sprouted in test growing 1 so far
Summer Salsa
yellow pear

kevinrs · March 10, 2011

So, I'm up to 19 varieties now, I planted 2 seeds per cell, and with tomatoes, only have one empty cell, one of my black krims. so, I currently have 13 varieties x4, 1 x3, and 2x2 and 2x1 for 61 plants. Now, once I get the area at the second garden tilled thursday, and the load of compost that's being delivered friday moved into it and tilled again, I've got to work out just how much space each one really needs. Last year I just went with a 4x4 space for each, it worked out for most, but pruning got away from me and some got too bulky to fit in a cage.

These burpee seed starting flats I got such a good deal on last year at target, while they were clearing out their garden department forever, seem to be hard to manage on watering. Some cells end up soaked while others are drying out. With this flat, having seed problems with the expanding pellets of mix, I exanded them out of the flat, broke them up and filled the flat with the loose mix, as the pepper flat has air spaces because they are hard to break up in the cells.

Next year I'm planning to do soil blocks, then there's no problems trying to plant a few seeds one week, and others the next, or planting slow and fast growers in the same flat, then removing the fast ones weeks before the slow etc. Also likeing the idea of starting single seeds in 3/4 inch blocks, then popping those into 2" blocks relatively quickly. Could start everything I wanted on a small heat mat, and move them as they sprout, etc.
I was going to do newspaper pots for the tomatoes when I move them out of the flat, but I'm just too slow at it, would take days just to make them for 61 plants.

shlacm · March 14, 2011

Very nice!!! Doesn't it make you feel like a proud parent!?!?!?

kevinrs · March 15, 2011

Right now I'm looking at them already getting crowded in there, going to have to transplant them up real soon. So making newspaper pots as fast as I can, think I've got the technique worked out much better than before, using a metal water bottle for a form, and 2 pieces of cheap masking tape, I'm making them of a size that's tall and 21 fit in a flat.
Got to figure out how much space I have and how much I need, and then what if anything I've got to give away.

March 15, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinrs

just counted up and I have 17 varieties, 4 each of most of them, this picture was from the 5th, showing everything I had seed I .snip

Awesome Kevin. I'm happy for you and your new family. Break out the proverbial cigars.

kevinrs · March 17, 2011

alright, now I've got to figure out where I'm going to put them all, as I've discovered I somehow don't have the space I thought I had measured. Any recommendations on spacing for any on this list in particular? Are any smaller or larger plants, and how much space do the rest need?
Next year I'm just going to have to double the garden space at home and buy a truckload of compost and a bunch more drip irrigation supplies.

kevinrs · April 7, 2011

I was going to plant a few of them out any time I got the chance for the past week or so, as I have extra, looks like it's good I didn't, as the 4 major weather sites seem to agree that between tonight and tomorrow night, there will be 1-2 nights of below freezing weather, they've been outside all day and night for almost a week now... Looks like I should be able to plant sunday though, and starting in a week, there's a solid week of highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 50s, which takes me past the 30% chance date for 32 degrees I was calculating by, and to the 20% date.
So, I've got to move them all inside this evening, and try to get them out again as early as I can tomorrow, and back in tomorrow night, and out again saturday, hopefully not to see the indoors again.

March 9, 2011	#1
kevinrs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Littlerock, CA Posts: 218	my tomatoes this year just counted up and I have 17 varieties, 4 each of most of them, this picture was from the 5th, showing everything I had seed I figured had good chances of germinating 2011-03-05 11.50.07.jpg there are 4 spots for each variety there, and 2 types each of eggplant and tomatillos. more has sprouted since, didn't get a new picture since then. I also have some tomatoes, that I was doing germination testing on, that I transferred to cups or another flat. They are the ones with mention of age in the list. Baxter's Bush Cherry 1990 100% germination 10/10 with a standard papertowel germ test, no presoak or anything 21 year old seed envelope opened 21 years ago. Growing 2 Black Krim 3/4 cells up Camp Joy Chiquita(pink grape) Chocolate cherry Cuostralee Debaro(plum) DK brand unknown several years old 9/10 growing 2 Eva Purple Ball Galinas Marglobe 1991 4/10 sprouted so far in germ test, growing 1 Olpalka red Grape Red Pear Redfield beauty Roma VF 1995 8/10 in test growing 2 Rutgers old? 1/10 sprouted in test growing 1 so far Summer Salsa yellow pear Last edited by kevinrs; March 10, 2011 at 04:30 AM. Reason: miscalculated years by 10, that's a 21 year old envelope, adding more info on germ tests and numbers sprouted

March 14, 2011	#3
shlacm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Central VA Posts: 436	Very nice!!! Doesn't it make you feel like a proud parent!?!?!?

March 15, 2011	#4
kevinrs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Littlerock, CA Posts: 218	Right now I'm looking at them already getting crowded in there, going to have to transplant them up real soon. So making newspaper pots as fast as I can, think I've got the technique worked out much better than before, using a metal water bottle for a form, and 2 pieces of cheap masking tape, I'm making them of a size that's tall and 21 fit in a flat. Got to figure out how much space I have and how much I need, and then what if anything I've got to give away.

March 17, 2011	#6
kevinrs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Littlerock, CA Posts: 218	alright, now I've got to figure out where I'm going to put them all, as I've discovered I somehow don't have the space I thought I had measured. Any recommendations on spacing for any on this list in particular? Are any smaller or larger plants, and how much space do the rest need? Next year I'm just going to have to double the garden space at home and buy a truckload of compost and a bunch more drip irrigation supplies.

April 7, 2011	#7
kevinrs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Littlerock, CA Posts: 218	I was going to plant a few of them out any time I got the chance for the past week or so, as I have extra, looks like it's good I didn't, as the 4 major weather sites seem to agree that between tonight and tomorrow night, there will be 1-2 nights of below freezing weather, they've been outside all day and night for almost a week now... Looks like I should be able to plant sunday though, and starting in a week, there's a solid week of highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 50s, which takes me past the 30% chance date for 32 degrees I was calculating by, and to the 20% date. So, I've got to move them all inside this evening, and try to get them out again as early as I can tomorrow, and back in tomorrow night, and out again saturday, hopefully not to see the indoors again.