Middle of February/ Time to start tomato seeds!

[macmex]

Folks, I just thought I'd mention that I think it's time to start tomatoes from seed now. Some years I'd wait a little longer. But this year, I have a feeling that it's time. I tend to plant my tomato seeds a bit later than some. Anyway, if you haven't thought of it, and you'd like to start some tomatoes from seed, now is a good time.

There is still time to order tomato seeds, if you're interested in a special variety.

Also, keep in mind that Seedy Saturday is coming up, in Tulsa, Saturday February 27. Check out the thread Gary started on it. It is a given that there will be plenty of tomato seeds "flying around" at this event!

seedsavingnetwork.proboards.com/thread/154/seedy-saturday-seed-swap-2016s


Also, on Sunday February 28th, we have a local meeting of Green Country Seed Savers. There will be seeds at this gathering too.

seedsavingnetwork.proboards.com/thread/151/february-green-country-seed-savers


George

[jaymatoes]

I have over 350 varieties, most of which are already in the ground, about 100 still to transplant. Hard work but looking forward to this year's new trials and our old favorites. This is twice as many tomatoes varieties as we normally plant, we also bulk started seeds for 35 top varieties for sale at Farmer's Markets and roadsides.

[heavyhitterokra]

Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like a mushy banana ... I need to fly, to get some tomato seeds started soon! 

Now, that it's officially half-past February; it's time to start dusting off those forlorn, seed starter trays, and start looking for those solitary tomato packets, 'cause it's nearly time to start some of those heirloom, 75-100-day varieties ...  Earlier maturing varieties could probably wait until mid-March, but as a rule, the heirlooms take a bit longer to work their magic, so it often behooves one to start them a bit earlier than the others. 

Just to be on the safe side, I like starting my seed trays in waves, about 10 days apart, just in case of a late Spring (or, in case of an early one)   This also really helps to avoid all 120 of my caged plants coming ripe on the same day. 

Having to Pack 200 pounds of boxed up tomatoes inside the processing kitchen to cool down on the same day, every time you pick, is not always a happy making thing.  It's usually a lot easier to sell them when they trickle in at about 50 to 100 pounds per picking.  Planting my trays nearly two weeks apart allows them to come on in 'waves' as one planting starts to play out, the next one takes up the slack that way.

I copied the following list of heirlooms with their approximate days to maturity, from www.thespruce.com/tips-for-growing-late-season-tomatoes-2539819  --- Written by Colleen Vanderlinden

Updated 10/21/19  

Colleen writes:

"In the race to get to that first ripe tomato of the gardening season, it's easy to put all of your eggs in the same, 'early season tomato basket'. But ensuring that you have a few late-season varieties in your garden means that not only will you have something different to look forward to later in the season, but that you can keep your garden productive, a little longer." Late season varieties are those that produce a harvest 80 to 100 days after planting. They provide a nice bit of overlap with your main season tomatoes and fill the void left when your determinate early-season tomatoes stop producing.

Tips for Late-Season Tomatoes

Many of these late-season varieties are ideal for those gardeners with a long growing season. Gardeners with a short season may end up with frost before they're able to get a harvest from some of these varieties, so keep your first frost date in mind when choosing varieties.

Late season varieties are planted at the beginning of the gardening season, right along with your main season tomatoes. They need plenty of time to mature.

Amana Orange

The large, one-pound deep orange tomatoes ripen about 85 days after planting. The flavor or this American heirloom is full, intense, and perfectly tomatoey. These look beautiful sliced up in a salad and are delicious on sandwiches.

Big Rainbow

These red and orange striped beefsteak tomatoes are large -- one to two pounds on average. Tomatoes ripen 85 days after planting. The plants are indeterminate and definitely need staking. This is another American heirloom, bred in Minnesota. The flavor tends toward sweet rather than tangy

Brandywine (Sudduth Strain)

The granddaddy of all heirlooms, Brandywine tomatoes are a wonderful choice for newer gardeners. The pink flesh and skin of Brandywine have great flavor, and the sprawling, indeterminate plants produce reliably from late summer until the first frost. The fruits are large, often up to a pound or more.

Bull's Heart

These indeterminate tomatoes ripen about 90 days after planting. They are quite large—one to two pounds, with pink flesh and skin. Bull's Heart is an oxheart-shaped Russian variety. If you're a fan of more flesh and fewer seeds in your tomatoes, this would be a good one to try!

Cherokee Purple

These beautiful tomatoes are red, but turn purplish-brown at the shoulders when ripe. The flavor is complex and slightly smoky—perfect eaten as-is or sliced into a salad. It's hard to predict exactly when this variety will produce, but it traditionally produces very well from late July through to frost.

Hillbilly

This variety is another gorgeous stripey tomato. The yellow and red streaks are quite striking, and the fruits are huge—often two pounds and sometimes even larger than that. 'Hillbilly' is another American heirloom, hailing from West Virginia. Expect to harvest hillbillies about 85 days after planting.

Hugh's

If you are a fan of yellow tomatoes, you really should give Hugh's a try. These beefsteak tomatoes have great, robust tomato flavor. The skin is tender and delicate, which is why you'll never find this variety in the grocery store. Hugh's produces a harvest of about 85 days after planting. It is indeterminate.

Japanese Black Trifele ​

If you're looking for something a bit different, you must try Japanese Black Trifele. These mahogany-shouldered fruits boast a complex, smoky flavor on a fairly well-behaved plant. You can even grow this one in containers if you are short on space, though they do better if you can give them a bit of staking.

Mortgage Lifter

Mortgage Lifter was so named because the man who developed this variety, so the story goes, was able to pay off his mortgage from selling his huge tomatoes. Whether that's true or not, this is definitely a variety you'll want to try in your garden. Perfect tomato flavor, large fruits, and a great story to go along with them.

Ponderosa Pink

Another pink tomato, Ponderosa is such a reliable producer that it's a great addition to your late-season tomato selections. The one-pound fruits are nearly seedless, with lots of delicious tomato flavor. Expect to harvest this variety approximately 80 days after planting.

Article written by, Colleen Vanderlinden, Updated 10-21-19  

[macmex]

Here's a link to a blog I did on a basic way to start tomatoes from seed.

Homesteading Edu: Starting tomatoes from seed

[heavyhitterokra]

It was a sunny, 70-degrees, here in Moodyville today!

There's nothing like a sunny day to put one in the mood to get busy on seed starter trays. Unfortunately, I was too busy helping a good friend build on his new house to get anything else done today.

I hurt soooo, bad! 

I'm getting too old for working construction all day long with the youngsters anymore.

I want to say, "It's a good kind of hurt because it feels so good to have accomplished so much in the company of really good folks." But it hurts so badly, that I might not be getting any sleep tonight and that kind of hurt is not so good at all.

I've got arthritis in so many of my joints that it's really hard to even type one-fingered right now ... Still, we sure did get a lot done, and that really feels a lot better than the alternative.

Maybe, I'll get some seeds started Monday.  I'll definitely be using my Sabbath Day for some much needed, quiet rest (after Church).  Thank you, God, for giving us such a good day!  Thank you, no one was seriously injured, only slightly crippled for a day or so until the soreness wears off.

[rdback]

Hope you're feeling better Ron. You might want to work on providing more sage advice and less elbow grease lol.

And are you guys really starting tomato seeds NOW? Man, my seedlings would be two feet tall before I can plant them out lol. Of course, you guys are a little further South than I am.

[macmex]

Among Oklahoma gardeners I tend to be the late one to plant. This year is an exception, though I'm sure there are some who started tomatoes in January. It seems to be warming up early this year. My sun porch is definitely warmer than usual for this time of year. So, I think I probably called it about right this year, except for the roselle... that's going to be awfully large by the time I can plant it outside. Roselle grows like lightening.

In a week or two I'll start my peppers. I always start peppers a few weeks later than tomatoes.

[vanalpaca]

Apr 14, 2016 14:44:04 GMT -6 jaymatoes said:

I have over 350 varieties, most of which are already in the ground, about 100 still to transplant. Hard work but looking forward to this year's new trials and our old favorites. This is twice as many tomatoes varieties as we normally plant, we also bulk started seeds for 35 top varieties for sale at Farmer's Markets and roadsides.

I'd be interested in seeing those two lists....35 top varieties …. I am trying to figure out what I want to grow this year and I have to narrow it down from the 250....I only got 30 in the ground last year before I wore out and I had another 30 that just lived in red solo cups after that. I 'think' I may be growing this handful....for certain. Have 6 more groups of seed to figure out...my garden is 30x60 and he wants to grow 10x20 of melons, too....I'm hoping to offer baskets of tomatoes at the end of the drive....not sure about Markets and how to do that.

Big Cheef
Candy Sweet Icicle
KARMA Apricot   Cherry
Long Tall Sally    
Margaret Curtain
Midnight Sun
Polaris
Red Lithium
Taiga              
Tundra
White Cherry Heart
Wild Thyme Bicolor
Ararat Flamed
Berkeley Pink Tie-Dye
Brave General
Creme Brulee
Eva's Pink PL
Fantome Du Laos "Ghost"
Goldman's Italian American
Hahnstown Yellow
Hege German Pink
Hurma or Khurma Ukraine
Madison County Pink
Martin's Amish
Mikado White
Nature's Riddle
Orange Russian 117
Paw Paw
Roughwood Golden Plum
Ukrainian Bear Claw
Vernissage Yellow
Vinson Watts
Yellow Fire Paste

[macmex]

Bonnie, 

    I think you have a bit of an advantage in your climate. The large fruited beef steaks, I mean the old German types, which are so impressive, tend to do very well in most of Ohio. You don't get the extreme heat that we get, here, in Oklahoma. 

It would be great if Jaymatoes would drop in and tell us more. I don't recall seeing him for quite some time. Later today, perhaps, I will get some photos of my tomatoes, getting started in the planter. I don't have a very impressive set up, but it gets the job done. 

[mountianj]

Do yall use starting mix(potting soil) or peat starting kits(little hockey pucks)and which works better for yall tomatoes starting?

[macmex]

I use seed starting mix and purchase a big bag of it each spring. I think we have some folk around here, on the forum, that do use the jiffy pots. I've heard good things about them. Some even kind of make their own "jiffy pots," by  packing toilet paper rolls with potting soil an growing them in a plastic tray. Welcome to the forum, mountainj (Jesse)! Take time to post and tell us a bit about yourself and your gardening interests. This is a friendly group!