Growing so many varieties

vagardener434 · February 25, 2011

I've noticed that a lot of folks have a huge list of tomatoes to grow this year. I've got about 25 - 30 in various stages right now. I've never had more than 3-4 in a given season. My question is, how many of each do you, or should you, grow? When I started the seeds, I was doing 5 per cell. And then I transplant them to a 3,4, or 5 inch pot, depending on the variety. If I get 100% germination, then I've got 5 of the same variety. And that happened quite a bit. I'm getting a little tight on space right now, but if space was not a factor, do most of you grow multiples of each variety, or just 1-2 of each. I want to give each variety a chance to show me what it can do, so I'm just wondering how other people proceed along these lines.

Bobby

Farmette · February 25, 2011

I always grow multiples of each variety that I want. I use Craig's Dense Planting method (see sticky under Seed Starting) and later pot them all up. I start more than I need in case something happens to some and I know that I'll be giving the extras away to friends. Like you, I like to try many different varieties and I want to make sure I have enough healthy seedlings.

kimpossible · February 25, 2011

I agree with Farmette - I always start extra seeds because germination percentages might be in question, and usually end up with more plants than I can use in my (currently) 50'x75' garden (& looking to expand, of course, LOL!
The town nearby that I grew up in has an awesome Creative Arts Centre (quilting, painting, pottery, woodcarving, etc.) and every spring they hold a "plant and trunk sale" - basically you can bring anything that you might donate to charity - clothing, household items ... garage sale stuff ... but also bring plants - extra indoor house plant starts, divisions from your perennials, etc...
I called and asked if I could bring garden starts ... and brought my extra tomato & pepper seedlings. They were an absolute hit!! Everyone LOVED the access to heirlooms that they never had the opportunity for! And I made about $700 in 2 hours - selling $2 to $3 seedlings.

sprtsguy76 · February 25, 2011

In my dinky Silicon Valley back yard there's just not enough space to grow multiples of everything. With as many varieties I started, I much rather have a taste of everything and have more variety. That being said if something really stands out taste wise and makes my 'must grow' list then I will grow multiples of that variety the next year, but even my must grow list stays pretty small.

Damon

Fusion_power · February 25, 2011

So I plan on growing between 500 and 1000 plants this year. Some of my plants will be Xplanted on 6 inch centers in an area dedicated to screening for septoria tolerance. I have no idea how well these seed will germinate so however many plants I get, will get set out. At least 500 plants will be in rows to produce seed.

DarJones

b54red · February 25, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by sprtsguy76

In my dinky Silicon Valley back yard there's just not enough space to grow multiples of everything. With as many varieties I started, I much rather have a taste of everything and have more variety. That being said if something really stands out taste wise and makes my 'must grow' list then I will grow multiples of that variety the next year, but even my must grow list stays pretty small.

Damon

I absolutely agree. My must grow list stays very small and gets multiples. Last year I tried growing multiples of all of my new ones and ended up wasting a lot of garden space on varieties I didn't care for or varieties that didn't perform well in our climate.

This year the only ones getting multiples in the plant out are the varieties that had outstanding taste for me. All the new ones will only get one spot. I can try them again next year if I want if they fail this year. It is better to have one fail than 5 or 6. The varieties that I like but don't love will get one spot if they are good producers. I'd rather have a few great tomatoes than a ton that I don't care for.

Another advantage to planting only one of each is it allows me to try so many more varieties. Have you ever looked at all the varieties listed on Tania's site? I know I'll never try even a small percentage of them but I'm trying as many as I can.

estilz · February 25, 2011

My experience: I have started with about 10 varieties, growing about 5 multiples of each. As I was interested in so much others as well, I added next year new ones instead of the less delicious old ones. In the meantime i'm at about 35 to 40 varieties, growing three to five of each. So, each year I add new ones and let go other ones. But sometimes I go back to one or the other variety I once had canceled, and sometimes with other weather conditions they grew better than before.

Last year I had more tha 170 plants but for more there would be no place. In the meantime, as wel,l I don't find often new varieties which beat my old favorites. Only: I' still curious and can't stopp me from trying.

fortyonenorth · February 25, 2011

Fusion -

What type of spacing do you use for seed production?

Rich

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

So I plan on growing between 500 and 1000 plants this year. Some of my plants will be Xplanted on 6 inch centers in an area dedicated to screening for septoria tolerance. I have no idea how well these seed will germinate so however many plants I get, will get set out. At least 500 plants will be in rows to produce seed.

DarJones

Farmer Matt · February 25, 2011

Last year I grew about 55 varieties, this year I am cutting back to about 32. I am just growing what works best in mt area.

Fusion_power · February 25, 2011

My rows are on 5 ft centers and 2.5 feet between plants It works out to 12 square feet per plant. There are some exceptions for dwarf varieties which are closer together in the row.

DarJones

kath · February 25, 2011

At this point, there are so many varieties I want to try that I only grow 1 or 2 of any variety because my space is fenced, so I bag to save seed. If not bagging, I think it's best to have several plants of each variety. I give my extra seedlings away. With so many varieties out there, and being in an ok region for growing tomatoes, a variety has to prove itself to me in the first year (at least taste-wise) or it won't be back.

vagardener434 · February 25, 2011

Thanks for the feedback folks. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy or something. It seems that 3-5 of each variety is not unusual, so I'll keep on going in that direction. I'll be growing a lot of these in the GH, and the rest will be in a new "pet" garden out back that I haven't built yet. I want to keep them close enough to where I can give them the proper attention, and also not have to worry about anybody picking some of the really huge maters. I'll be doing 300-500 of Rutgers, Marglobe, Goliath, etc for field production in the other gardens to be used for canning, and for giving away to folks in the community.

Also, for anybody in Southern VA that would like to save some money on plants, just come by here. I'll have plenty to give away and if you give me enough notice, I'll start some of whatever variety you'd like to plant. I know there's lots of folks who like to garden and just don't have the time or space for seedstarting, so I'll be glad to help out a bit.

And I look at Tania's site too, to have some idea of the growth habits of each variety. Thats an awesome place for mater info.

Bobby

newatthiskat · February 25, 2011

I plant 2-3 of old reliables. I grow 1-2 of new plants. Alot of times if a plant does not do well one year I might give it a try another year.
Kat

vagardener434 · February 25, 2011

Kat, thats pretty much the point that I'm trying to get to. I understand that tomatoes perform differently in various parts of the country because of different local weather conditions. So, I'm gonna grow all of these this year and try to find some real winners...something I can save seed from and count on each year to be good producers.

I also have to be aware of the difference between growing in the GH and growing outside. This means that I need to have a plant or 2 in each environment. I'm gonna put forth my best effort and try to give each one a fair chance to perform. As for giving them a second chance, I dunno. If they don't do well.... maybe I can borrow some of your PATIENCE !

February 25, 2011	#1
vagardener434 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Freeman, Virginia Posts: 90	Growing so many varieties I've noticed that a lot of folks have a huge list of tomatoes to grow this year. I've got about 25 - 30 in various stages right now. I've never had more than 3-4 in a given season. My question is, how many of each do you, or should you, grow? When I started the seeds, I was doing 5 per cell. And then I transplant them to a 3,4, or 5 inch pot, depending on the variety. If I get 100% germination, then I've got 5 of the same variety. And that happened quite a bit. I'm getting a little tight on space right now, but if space was not a factor, do most of you grow multiples of each variety, or just 1-2 of each. I want to give each variety a chance to show me what it can do, so I'm just wondering how other people proceed along these lines. Bobby

February 25, 2011	#3
kimpossible Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Z5b SW Ont Canada Posts: 767	I agree with Farmette - I always start extra seeds because germination percentages might be in question, and usually end up with more plants than I can use in my (currently) 50'x75' garden (& looking to expand, of course, LOL! The town nearby that I grew up in has an awesome Creative Arts Centre (quilting, painting, pottery, woodcarving, etc.) and every spring they hold a "plant and trunk sale" - basically you can bring anything that you might donate to charity - clothing, household items ... garage sale stuff ... but also bring plants - extra indoor house plant starts, divisions from your perennials, etc... I called and asked if I could bring garden starts ... and brought my extra tomato & pepper seedlings. They were an absolute hit!! Everyone LOVED the access to heirlooms that they never had the opportunity for! And I made about $700 in 2 hours - selling $2 to $3 seedlings. __________________ *So Many Tomatoes ... So Little Time*

February 25, 2011	#13
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	Reply I plant 2-3 of old reliables. I grow 1-2 of new plants. Alot of times if a plant does not do well one year I might give it a try another year. Kat

February 25, 2011	#2
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	I always grow multiples of each variety that I want. I use Craig's Dense Planting method (see sticky under Seed Starting) and later pot them all up. I start more than I need in case something happens to some and I know that I'll be giving the extras away to friends. Like you, I like to try many different varieties and I want to make sure I have enough healthy seedlings.

February 25, 2011	#4
sprtsguy76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Santa Clara CA Posts: 1,125	In my dinky Silicon Valley back yard there's just not enough space to grow multiples of everything. With as many varieties I started, I much rather have a taste of everything and have more variety. That being said if something really stands out taste wise and makes my 'must grow' list then I will grow multiples of that variety the next year, but even my must grow list stays pretty small. Damon

February 25, 2011	#5
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	So I plan on growing between 500 and 1000 plants this year. Some of my plants will be Xplanted on 6 inch centers in an area dedicated to screening for septoria tolerance. I have no idea how well these seed will germinate so however many plants I get, will get set out. At least 500 plants will be in rows to produce seed. DarJones

February 25, 2011	#7
estilz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 6	My experience: I have started with about 10 varieties, growing about 5 multiples of each. As I was interested in so much others as well, I added next year new ones instead of the less delicious old ones. In the meantime i'm at about 35 to 40 varieties, growing three to five of each. So, each year I add new ones and let go other ones. But sometimes I go back to one or the other variety I once had canceled, and sometimes with other weather conditions they grew better than before. Last year I had more tha 170 plants but for more there would be no place. In the meantime, as wel,l I don't find often new varieties which beat my old favorites. Only: I' still curious and can't stopp me from trying.

February 25, 2011	#9
Farmer Matt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Tracy, California Posts: 63	Last year I grew about 55 varieties, this year I am cutting back to about 32. I am just growing what works best in mt area.

February 25, 2011	#11
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	At this point, there are so many varieties I want to try that I only grow 1 or 2 of any variety because my space is fenced, so I bag to save seed. If not bagging, I think it's best to have several plants of each variety. I give my extra seedlings away. With so many varieties out there, and being in an ok region for growing tomatoes, a variety has to prove itself to me in the first year (at least taste-wise) or it won't be back.