Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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February 9, 2011 | #16 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: LA (Lower Alabama)
Posts: 354
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I also think Bloody Butcher was a fine early mater.
Happy Matering, Paul |
February 10, 2011 | #17 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: CT Zone 5
Posts: 186
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I'll second Kimberly, (My fav extra early for taste and earliness) super fast at 105 days from seed. Moskvich (More of a mid season at 132 days from seed) but flavor was good. Stupice and Uralskiy Ranniy pulled a tie at 110 days from seed both were tasty for early season. I found Manitoba to be rather bland and not so early, more like a mid season. Siberia was bland as well and slower than the above mentioned. Then Cherokee Purple was kind with just 122 days from seed for some tasty treats. But to really answer you question the best early tomatoe for market is what grows fastest in your given area, soil, conditions and hopefully there is a demand for being the first to offer it. I had extremely good luck with Black Price at 115 days from seed and Henderson's Pink Ponderosa at 116 day from seed.
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February 10, 2011 | #18 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 660
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February 10, 2011 | #19 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Montréal, Canada
Posts: 347
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Earl,
I looked at your link and am interested to know when did you get your first fruit from the April 30th planting and which one was it. I read it twice and couldn't find the info but it could also be me. |
February 10, 2011 | #20 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 660
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July 24th...Park's Whopper and Harnas but mind you....we were gone for two weeks to New Mexico with no one to mind the garden.
Harnas was the first from seed to transplant to ripe...sun ripened. |
February 10, 2011 | #21 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b
Posts: 1,439
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One year I grew Bloody Butcher and Kimberly side by side. They are almost identical except BB is a little bigger, but still small, and more productive. Even in the North Country I consistently get my first BB 49-50 days after transplant.
I tried a bunch of earlies together one year including Manitoba, Early Wonder, Bush Beefsteak, Superbec, Mountain Princess and a couple others. All were at least a week after Bloody Butcher. Early Wonder had the best flavor and Manitoba was the largest. |
February 10, 2011 | #22 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 660
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Thanks for posting. |
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February 10, 2011 | #23 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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February 14, 2011 | #24 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Montréal, Canada
Posts: 347
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I saw that info in your link but didn't think it was the first ones. From April 30th that's about 84 days. Even if you take a week off that because you were away it's still puts it at 77 days. That surprised me a bit. But then I saw that you lost some of the super early ones you had planted. I'm not trying to be a smarty pants. I am growing in Canada for the first time this year and am still trying to figure out my tactic in dealing with my new environment. So based on your experience would you say that unless you use something to warm up the soil (as well as plant protection from frost) end of April planting didn't do much in terms of getting something earlier? |
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February 14, 2011 | #25 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: California Central Valley
Posts: 2,543
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I planted a bunch of earlies last year, but it was so cold last spring that it took many of them a few weeks to germinate in the cold frames, they grew very slowly, and I got them all in the ground a couple months later than usual, in late June -- with walls-o-water. And then I had hardly any time to spend on the garden after that. On the other hand, the whole summer was cool, so I have no idea how they'd do in warm weather. I even had to replace a couple plants because they died in the cold in late June! (Usually I buy a plant or two in Feb-Mar to get tomatoes in June, plant my seed-grown varieties in April, and can remove walls-o-water by mid to late May.) Some of the compact/ indeterminate ones were in 5g containers (c), which didn't get extra water or fertilizer or attention.
most planted june 20-25; date of first tomato aug26: Moravsky Div[red] aug30: Bloody Butcher (3-8 oz. strain from Marko)[red]; Pozhar[red], Medovaya Kaplya[yellow] sep6: Pervaya Lyubov[pink], Kimberly(c)[red] sep9: Crnkovic[pink], Clear Pink Early(c)[pink] sep13: Super Snow White [white], Kazachka[black] sep20: Lida Ukrainian(c)[red], ARGG Cherry[green], Sophie's Choice (c)[red] (also grew 25+ other varieties) So for me, the clear winner for large and early was Bloody Butcher. Moravsky Div did pretty well, too. Some of the later-producing container plants were in a little more shade, perhaps accounting for the lateness of Sophie's and Lida. By the time enough of them were ripe so that I could compare them, it was Sept., and even my favorite larger varieties that were still producing well started tasting just average by then. In August, Moravsky Div tasted better than Bloody Butcher, but in Sept., the reverse. When I compared them all in Sept., Kazachka was the best of the bunch. CPE had some sweetness, Kimberly was not bad, SSW and ARGGC had good flavor (but cherries are usually more reliable than larger varieties here), and Pervaya Lyubov had a nice flavor. Medovaya Kaplya kept producing until I picked them all in late Nov. just before the first frost, and I ate the last of those in mid January. Last edited by habitat_gardener; February 14, 2011 at 08:54 PM. Reason: added colors |
February 14, 2011 | #26 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 660
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