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Sowed some tomato seeds

W

wordwiz

And I'm not from south of the Equator! I need to have ripe tomatoes starting in early October which is just a bit over 90 days away. My seeds of choice were both developed by Dr. Bagett (sp?) from Oregon St. - Siletz and Legend. Both are early, determinate and parthenocarpic. The Siletz, for sure, is very fleshy with few seeds and very little of that "white membrane" one sees in maters. But the one I tried earlier this season was very tasty. Legend is suppose to be similar, though a bit bigger and blight resistant.

If things go as planned (crossing fingers!) these will be my Greenhouse Tomatoes.

Plus, hopefully I'll be able to post pix of my ripe toms while the Aussies are!

Mike
 
hehe, nice one !
I have a few varieties for this season ... sent from a few members from here !
Parveketommaatti sweet yellow -is the latest !
But cant wait for my Aussie SUN GOLDS.... by far the best cherry tomato around IMO, and I have just ran out of my pasta sauce made with last years crop.
So I am really keen to get them in the ground....
Keep us updated...

CM
 
CM,

It will take me a while to figure out what is (are) the best plant(s) to grow. The idea is to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 plants growing at a time and they will produce about 3 pounds of toms per week.

Mike
 
CM,

I'm open to suggestions! Criteria, in order of importance:

1) Must be determinate or small enough to grow in a 6' tall greenhouse
2) Must set fruit in cooler temps - I may have trouble getting the GH up to 80 degrees in the dead of winter. That's one reason for picking the Pacific Northwest varieties. They set fruit in the 50s.
3) Must be 6-8 ounces or larger, as well as fleshy. A tom ideal for sandwiches.
4) Hopefully are parthenocarpic. If I have to I can pollinate the flowers but prefer ones that are totally self-pollinating. No bees here in winter time!
5) Decent production. Each plant should produce at least 1/2 bushel (~27 pounds) of fruit during its life.
6) Disease resistance, though it may need to rank higher. I've never grown more than a plant at a time inside - except obviously seedlings - so I'm not sure what to expect in a relatively closed environment, especially from mid-December until late February.

Mike
 
chilliman said:
hehe, nice one !
But cant wait for my Aussie SUN GOLDS.... by far the best cherry tomato around IMO, and I have just ran out of my pasta sauce made with last years crop.
Click to expand...

Gotta love the sungolds, I'm trying de-hybridized sungold type this season which I sure hope is as good as the original hybrid. Is there a difference in the Aussie sungolds?

Wordwiz, have you considered a "greenhouse forcing tomato" or "cold-house tomatoes" They're probably mostly hybrids but bred for greenhouse conditions
 
Potawie,

I found three varieties that look interesting: IT-06-313, Mira and Sacramento. One problem seems to be able to buy seeds in small quantities. A lot of places offer no less than 100 or 250 seeds with prices starting at $35. That's a steep price to pay just to try something that may or may not work.

Another concern I'm reading more about is the lower light level in winter (December through February). However, on a sunny day in January I'm getting about 70,000 lux on a clear day which should be more than enough for fruiting.

Mike
 
In my area, they sow greenhouse tomatoes between Jan 1st and 15th for spring crops, and June 1st-15th for fall crops
 
But what about winter crops? The Siletz and Legend are about 60-70 day plants. I was harvesting toms from the garden until about October 15, so I figure if I transplant good size seedlings by Aug. 1, I should not have any interruptions in production. If these seeds germinate and grow like the ones I sowed in February, they should be ready to transplant by the middle of July, especially since I will use only the best 15-16 seedlings. But I would like to start another batch in two weeks (I'm thinking four new plants a week is about right - that would give me an 8-week harvest period).

Mike
 
A member in The Garden Forums suggested some varieties - I ordered Cabernet, Prairie Fire and Florida 91 VFF. I'll probably end up trying as many as 20-30 different types in the coming year to see which ones not only produce the best but also sell.

Mike
 
POTAWIE said:
Gotta love the sungolds, I'm trying de-hybridized sungold type this season which I sure hope is as good as the original hybrid. Is there a difference in the Aussie sungolds?
Click to expand...

Not sure ?! But we could do comparison at end of year!...
Sungolds make the best pasta sauce in the world !
Bake in oven for 1/2 hour and stick through blender ! DONE!
Bit salt pepper, garlic YUUUMMMMMMYYYYYY!
I can wait now, they are truly one of a kind !

Good luck Wordwiz, keep us updated with the strains you try !
thanx
CM
 
CM,

I donned my AJ mask for a few moments, played the mandolin, then started a spreadsheet. Name and type of plant, number sown, germination date, first and last transplant date, days until first ripe fruit, pounds harvested.

Now if I was really AJ, I would have column for seed weight and rate of return based on harvest weight vs. seed weight multiplied by the cost per seed!

Sorry, AJ - but I do think your method of keeping track of production IS a fantastic idea.

Mike
 
I love data mining also.... ;)

I only done it for Germination rates form different suppliers!
But I do think it is warranted , and will have start a full spready` when I have the time...
CM
 
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