Determinate seed life different?

[Boutique Tomatoes]

A quick search didn't show anything, so I thought I'd ask here. Is the seed life of determinate varieties different?

I usually get 90%+ germination on tomatoes, but this year I decided to try some early determinate varieties. It hasn't been so long I've given up on them, but so far only 2/3 of them are up, where the indeterminate varieties are at 91% germination so far this year.

I'm guessing since they aren't grown and traded as often the average seed age on the determinates is probably higher, but most of them were not marked as to the year saved so I can't be sure. I'm just trying to come up with a theory.

[coloken]

I wouldn't think so. I think you are chasing the wrong reason, but that is just my opinion.

[carolyn137]

No, the seed life is not different for det, indet, semi-det, Dwarfs, etc.

A seed is a seed and if you have seeds of the above of the same age they will germinate the same. If you look at the germination percentages being given in my seed offer thread, either this year or for past years, and are able to recognize which are the dets vs the indets I think you 'll see that quite clearly for seeds of the same age for both.

Hope that helps.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Hmmm, sounds like it has to be something else, just an anomaly since everything under my control is the same. Just hoping for an easy answer.
Perhaps I'll resow them after trying a presoak.

Thanks!

[Doug9345]

Are you saying you have 67% germination rate or are you saying 2 of 3 seeds came up. If it is the latter then you are dealing with a statistical problem.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Of the 18 determinate varieties sown, 6 of them have thus far failed to germinate any seeds at all. I'd have to check my counts, but of the 12 that have germinated I believe all or almost all seeds planted germinated.

I'm sure it's just an abberation. but I have 182 indeterminate varieties started with 16 no-shows so far which seems to be about average percentage wise for me, and with 18 determinate varieties I have 6 no shows.

Just than engineer brain kicking in, noticing a pattern in the data and looking for a cause. Who knows, they may all pop in a few more days and it was just their age, how they were saved or stored or yet some other factor.

[Doug9345]

Ok. From th eway it was worded I wasn't sure if you had just planted 3 seeds of one variety and 10 seeds of another and was wondering why one had a lower gern=mination rate than another. Are the determinate varieties all from one sourse. I hope they start poping for you. I'm going to start my tomatoes in the next couple of days. My peppers are mostly up except for some Habaneros and some I just planted.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Yes, I can see how the original wording was unclear. The varieties are from multiple sources.

It's almost 80 again here today. It sure feels like I should be putting out my tomatoes and peppers, I'm sure that's why I'm hovering over them.

[Doug9345]

Me too. I almost carried some of my peppers out for awhile but I then I thought that I'd better not. Instead I've been pulling grass from the rhubarb bed.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

I settled for spading in more compost, weeding the asparagus, uncovering the strawberries and putting in some onions. I actually need it to cool down to normal, my peppers and tomatoes are going to get leggy as I refuse to turn on the AC in March.

The rest of the week looks to be more of the same, so I don't know that I'll make it through the week without planting something else in the dirt. Normally we'd still be under snow cover here, so I'm very curious to see what the summer brings. Watch this year be the first time in years I could grow late season tomatoes here and I went with all early and mid-season varieties...

[raindrops27]

Marktutt,

Hi, what varieties of strawberries do you have planted? I am curious to know, as I am trying my hand at planting them again.. First time, about 3 years ago, got 50 Everbearing, & Ozark Beauty plants from Gurney's.. Can I just say, Epic Fail! Almost all met their end to root rot. I ripped them up, and pretty much had given up on strawberries until I read about this strawberry "Albion" I just had to have it, but I am looking for one other sweet variety to plant so, can you please suggest. Your source also? Thanks in advance.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

I have an unknown Junebearer that I bought locally from someone on Craigslist years ago and the new beds are a French variety named mara de bois. The mara de bois I purchased last year from Jung, this will be their first year in production, but I'm hoping they do well because they're supposed to be something very special.

The mara de bois are also extremely agressive runners, to the point that you can barely tell where the walkway between the rows was. I'm going to move those to fill and extend the rows this year, but if they do well here and are everything they're cracked up to be I hope to put in more rows from the runners this year.