What is the largest number of varieties you have grown?

[Hermitian]

Ok, I'm giving people a wide open opportunity to brag here! I know some of you have a lot of acreage, and others are commercial growers that grow countless varieties for plant sales, and others who grow for market sales, and still others just to test new varieties!! But come on, how many varieties have you grown in a single season for whatever reason?!!!

[Patihum]

This last year I had 84 varieties. Not a lot by some people's standards but just 4 years ago the number was only 10.

[FarmerShawn]

Year before last I grew about 140 varieties, but that was too many for me to tend to properly, so last year I cut it down to 150. I generally grow three plants per variety, unless I have low germination for a particular one, and a select few proven tried and true varieties have earned the right to have more. Sungold, for instance, as a proven seller, will have at least a dozen growing in the patch. Of course I start lots more because I sell seedlings at the market now, too. Mostly I am growing lots of varieties now for trial to see which ones do well here, and which ones I like. I now have saved seeds for a growing collection that likely will never see soil here again!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by FarmerShawn

Year before last I grew about 140 varieties, but that was too many for me to tend to properly, so last year I cut it down to 150.

Did anybody else catch this?

Worth

[taboule]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Did anybody else catch this?

Worth

Worth, this is what they call "new math."

[b54red]

Like Worth I used to plant way too many plants to keep up with them. One year I tried around 150 different varieties with many having multiple plantings. It was a nightmare. Now I try to keep the number of varieties down to around 30 but with spring, summer and fall plantings I sometimes get over that number. I started my first batch of seed for the spring on the first and used 29 varieties so I will probably end up with around 40 to 50 this year by the time fall planting is over.

Bill

[greenthumbomaha]

Great topic Richard. So much fun to vicariously garden with other TVILS.

My community garden of 2 years closed abruptly after the city council approved apartments for the land. In my community garden plot (25 X 50) I grew 70 plants, each a different variety. It turned into a tomato jungle and my identification system failed me, but I had a great time of it.

The garden closed last year and I paired up with a neighbor who had purchased an acreage nearby. I did the one per variety with about the same number of plants (70) but in various beds.
Again a mass jungle.
Four rows of 6 in the fenced area. Next year 3 per variety. We had enough for our use and he started to market grow. He was wildly successful in garlic as well. Red/pinks sold well. KBX is staying. Greens are out.

I also started my own backyard plot at a new construction suburban home that I shared with my cgarden partner. We got a late start. I had 2 rows , 24 per row, again 1 variety per. I grew every color size shape I got in the MMMM. My partner grew in a fenced square garden approx 30 X 25. He grew 1 row of my transplants and a second row that, as usual buys transplants from Burpee LOL.
My partner is phasing out. I'm starting an orchard in my two rows, and I'll be transitioning to the garden area for tomatoes and vegetables. Just put in 2 Lifetime raised beds in the 20 degree temps and filled them with leaves for peppers and whatever. I'll likely still have room between the trees for tomatoes for a year or two.

Interested in the grow lists that will be coming soon. Thanks for what will be a fun read.

- Lisa

[Fiishergurl]

I've grown for only two seasons... the 2014 Spring season and the 2014 Fall Season. I had 24 plants, but only 22 varieties. But considering I thought a tomato was a tomato in January 2014 that's a lot!... lol. At least my neighbors and family think so.

Ginny

[Fusion_power]

I have grown about 175 in a single year. Given that I am growing for seed, and usually grow from 1 to 3 plants per variety, that works out to about 500 plants. I put 10 rows of 48 across my garden and had a smaller row of cherry varieties separate from the main planting. Add in about 70 varieties of peppers and it was quite a bit of work. But then, I also had several rows of sweet corn, a row of okra, 3 or 4 rows of beans, some watermelons and cantaloupes, 3 rows of peanuts, cucumbers and pumpkins, and some cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. I must have missed something..... oh, yes, a 50 ft row of sweet potatoes.

[camochef]

The most I ever started was 850 tomato plants, (what was I thinking!). Many years saw between 250-350 tomatoes in the gardens.As I got older, I got a little wiser and the numbers diminished.
Last year, after having lost about 20 plants to severe wind storms, I ended up with just over 40 plants.
Promised myself that this coming season would see only ten plants...my top ten of my favorites. That was before I received seed from a dear friend. I've already tilled up a fresh patch for tomatoes this past fall and I'll fit in my 10 favorites plus some of those new to me varieties that I've been wanting to try for a few years now. (had been growing my best favorites for a couple years, lately). Still, will be less than twenty tomato plants this year as I'm concentrating on growing spinach, squash, beans and other veggies in the old tomato garden.
Having grown thousands of different varieties of tomatoes over the last 50 some odd years, I've reached that point in life where I don't have to try new varieties, (most are disappointing anyway), as I've got more favorites than anyone should be growing. Every once in a while I'll bring back an old favorite that had been eliminated over the years, and like last year, when I brought back Cherokee Purple, was pleasantly surprised at how much better it was than I remembered.
There are no magic numbers, grow what suits your needs. and don't get caught up in that old trap of having to grow everything available to try.
Enjoy!
Camo

[PaulF]

I started growing "real" tomatoes in 1998 with eight varieties and about 30 seedlings. Three years ago the varieties topped 45 and about 500 plants. That year there were three nurseries being supplied along with another 15 or so friends and family growing tomatoes grown out from the light tables in my dirt floor basement.

Over the years I figure that amounts to just over 300 total varieties. What a paltry number when compared to the hard core growers here at the 'ville.

[Father'sDaughter]

I realistically have the room (and the time) for 24 in ground plants, and the last few years I've grown 24 different varieties. I split them up into 17 pastes, six slicers, and one cherry. And I typically grow four to six dwarf project varieties and an early variety in five gallons grow bags.

While I hope to reach a point where I'll settle on two or three paste varieties, and maybe three or four favorite slicers, my secret dream is to have enough space and time to grow out all the new-to-me varieties I want.

[Fred Hempel]

Years ago, when I started out, I grew 120 varieties.

I grow about 600 distinct lines now, but most are my breeding lines and only about 10-20 are new-to-me each year (from other sources).

[AlittleSalt]

The most I've had growing at once was 27. Thirteen of those were volunteers. Before joining Tville this year, I had never bought a tomato seed pack because I had been told that growing from seed was too difficult and needed special equipment. After the volunteers started coming up, I realized that I had gotten bad info in the past about growing tomatoes from seed.

Through trades, Tville members sending me seeds, and when I receive my MMMM mailer - I figure I'm going to plant at the very least 30 varieties of 2-4 plants each. Everyone I grow for loves cherry tomatoes, and most of those people are still in the, "Tomatoes have to be red" mindset. It's going to be fun growing all the different colors and watching at least some of those people become true tomato lovers.

The most difficult thing is going to be choosing which varieties to grow this spring, which ones to try next fall, and which ones have to wait until 2016.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Before joining Tville this year, I had never bought a tomato seed pack because I had been told that growing from seed was too difficult and needed special equipment. After the volunteers started coming up, I realized that I had gotten bad info in the past about growing tomatoes from seed.

This comes from a society of instant gratification.
It seems as though a little work and a lot of waiting has become difficult.
On occasion I used to rust blue rifles and shotguns with nitric acid.
People said it was a lost art, took too long and too difficult.
I was the only person in the area that did it.
The amount of time and work to do it is about as much as it is to start and grow tomato seeds.
I think around 70 different verities is my limit.
I will never do it again, it encroached on the pleasure of gardening.
The only way I would do it again is if I sold the plants.

Worth