Very early determinante tomatoes

[bower]

Vladimir, these results give me hope.
This april is colder than normal here. We had snow again last night, and another night of -2 C in the forecast this week. I've been monitoring the greenhouse temperatures and night time lows have shifted from 30's into 40's F in spite of the cold weather. My greenhouse has been running just 10 degrees F above outdoor temperature reported at the weather station. Compared to last year's figures, with a lot of mass mainly soil in large containers, and some water buckets, low temperatures were closer to 20 F higher inside.
The soil for my containers won't be available for a couple of weeks. Still I think I will move my tomato plants out there as soon as I can. Not ready to transplant but at least to get as much light as possible and start adapting to cold nights. They are just about four weeks old now.

[MrBig46]

Originally Posted by korney19

What??? No Kimberley, Mountain Princess nor Sophie's Choice?!

Thanks for the tips. Kimberley is indeterminante- no. Next year maybe Mountain Princess (seeds I have) and Sophis´s Choice if I get seeds.
Vladimír

[MrBig46]

Winter is over with us. Last frosty morning was April 29, 2016. I measured that day the temperature in a cold frame.
minimum outside temperature - 2 ° C, in frame + 3 ° C,
the maximum outside temperature of +15 ° C, in the frame + 35 ° C
Some tomatoes this suit the fluctuating temperatures (most Sarayev tomatoes, etc.), others not (Latah, 0-33, etc.).
On the first of May, I removed the window and frame, to the plants I put a small stick and tied the plants, because they still blowing pretty strong wind.
Once the nicer weather, I browse through all the plants individually and do some detailed photos.
Vladimír
PS.:Written on May 3.

[Gardeneer]

Vlado,
with that kind of weather you are doing an amazing Job. I though I was pushing the season.
I started planting out on 5th of April , with lows around 3C and highs about 13C.
Now after a month some of my plant are almost 60 cm tall and flowering. There are people on this and other message sites that are skeptic of what I do. They say that to plant tomatoes outside you have to have temperature in 50F t0 70F (12C to 21C).
Here is a shot of my garden in late April.

[joebolin]

I live in zone 9B, so nothing like what you all are experiencing, but I decided to try Stupice this year in order to get early tomatoes. I had no idea that the tomatoes would be so early! It is May 10th, and I have one tomato that is orange, on its way to ripe and red. Several of the clusters on the plants should be ripe by Memorial Day. I will post about the taste of these early tomatoes soon.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/51eomzijrr..._3525.jpg?dl=0

[MrBig46]

May 8 I conducted inspection of determinate varieties, I did the some notes and pictures. some of them indicate here:¨
Best in the cold frame fared varieties Saraev except 0-33. Most already are blooming Shakarnyi- six flowers; Otbor 1- five flowers; I-2 - four flowers. Of the other still have a lot of open flowers Jagodka and Stupice- four flowers.
Some varieties well not coped alternating low and high temperatures under glass during the day (from 1 ° C to 40 ° C). They have burned and damaged leaves, the plants are weak.
They have damaged and burnt leaves, these plants are - Jagodka, 0-33, 42 days and the worst is Latah.
Vladimír

[bower]

Thank you Vladimir again for your insightful observations.
The trait of tolerating extremes under glass, is really important in our climate.
I noticed the same thing, that some plants that will do okay if you plant them later and outside, really can't tolerate the greenhouse extremes. Some kinds must be better to start later and put outdoors.
Even the plants that adapted well to low sunshine conditions here in the greenhouse in cloudy weeks, will nearly all wilt and scorch when there's a sudden change to sunny weather. After a few days of constant sun they also adapt to it and stop wilting, but the first day they are really shocked.
I have only one in my notes, that was especially tolerant of extreme changes, that is Yaponskiy Krab.

[NarnianGarden]

Pink Pearly Orange is a det. variety that's my first to bloom & set fruit. Of course, it was started early - in March -, but overall, the description at Tatiana's tomatobase calls it early, and it should be more popular in Northern climates.
It's rapidly grown several flowering branches while staying relatively compact. Definitely a keeper, if the taste is as good as described!

[MrBig46]

I am testing new supports for my determinate tomatoes. In the picture are Sarayevs: I-2, Otbor 1, Shtambovyi, Gruntovyi, Druzhnyi and M-22.
Vladimír

[NarnianGarden]

Pearly Pink Orange already has many green fruits on it, and many more blossoms. It has beat all other varieties in speed and productivity - even micro dwarfs grown indoors.
If all goes well, my first PPO fruits will be ready in a couple of weeks. The fruits are lovely color of uniform pale green, no green shoulders whatsoever (whereas red Robin seems to have them).

[MrBig46]

Where you grow that tomato Pearly Pink Orange?
Vladimír

[NarnianGarden]

Vladimir: It's on my balcony.
The seeds are from Tatiana - I did sow them in March, so it's a very quick development.

But Azoychka and Sophie's Choice (at my Mom's place) are not too far behind either: they also have some green fruits in them! Growing outdoors in containers...

[AKmark]

I attained the Saraev collection this year from Tatiana and am setting them out today. Last year I tried 0-33 and it did well, so the rest get a test in AK along with several other varieties.

[MrBig46]

On plants is only a few small green fruit yet, but flowers in my opinion too. This year I will not have to limit the flowers, but next year I will prune determinate tomatoes on three stalks as in the picture. I we would cut the harvest from one plant, but advance the maturation.
Vladimír


PS.:The image is from F.Homola article on breeding tomato for cultivation in hotbeds (1950)

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by MrBig46

Thanks for the tips. Kimberley is indeterminante- no. Next year maybe Mountain Princess (seeds I have) and Sophis´s Choice if I get seeds.
Vladimír

I can send you Sophie's Choice if you want some seed.