New to growing your own tomatoes? This is the forum to learn the successful techniques used by seasoned tomato growers. Questions are welcome, too.
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December 30, 2011 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a
Posts: 510
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PNW, when do you guys start?
Hey everyone, anyone who lives in the pacific north west and has similar last frost dates to me, when do you start your seeds?
For my hoophouse, I will start them in February sometime, and for outside I will start them in March. How about you? Thanks, Taryn |
December 30, 2011 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: University Place, WA
Posts: 481
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I start Tomato seeds in an upstairs bedroom in February. Other plants mostly beans and squash I start outside in April.
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Jim |
December 30, 2011 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,553
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January..onions, leeks and shallotts,in trays for pricking out later or in modules 3 seeds to a cell.
February (in cold greenhouse) broad beans in starter pots or trays,,early peas in guttering,tomatoes, eggplant (inside) Early carrotts and radishes under cloches in raised beds if it iis reasonably mild. March,spinach, and chard with protection,celery (inside) chitted potatoes,fall Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, salad greens .peppers and chillies inside April,winter cabbage, broccolli,late Brussel sprouts, green beans in pots in greenhouse,corn in pots,and squash in pots. May, later peas direct in garden,lima beans in pots,more carrotts, beets etc etc After then I top up carrotts, beets, lettuce etc and start planting potted stuff out, then have a bit of a break till fall planting. Last year was a disaster to my usual plans due to the terrible rain but the above has served me good in most years here. XX Jeannine |
December 30, 2011 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Anmore, BC, Canada
Posts: 3,970
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late December - January: peppers, lettuce, onion, some dwarf tomatoes
February- early March: tomatoes, eggplants, tomatillo March-April: cukes, melons, beans, squash I start all these inside and bring the plants out into cold frames on warm sunny days.
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Tatiana's TOMATObase |
December 31, 2011 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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More than 5 year old tomato seeds or seeds that failed to sprout
last year, I start in mid-February on moist coffee filters in open plastic sandwich bags. (They may take a few weeks to sprout.) Newer tomato seeds and ground cherry seeds, around the first of March to middle of March. Perennials (not veggies) I put out in late fall, "wintersown style", and let them come up whenever they feel like it. If it is still before last frost, I move them to where they will not freeze and pot them up into 3" pots when they get big enough. Zucchini I wait until mid-April to first of May and sprout them on moist coffee filters. (I want to transplant them into their final locations in the garden before the taproot bottoms out in a pot.) Peas, beans, etc, I just follow the instructions on the packet. (Ed Hume packets usually have appropriate timings for Pacific NW plantings.)
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December 31, 2011 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: West Coast, Canada
Posts: 961
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D. |
December 31, 2011 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,553
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Oh I forgot, parsnips are started in early February too. I start them in cardboard toilet tissue tubes filled with mix as they germinate better inside , then when they are little plants they go out, tubes and all and they do very well like that.The tubes allow the long tap root to get going before they go out so they are undisturbed.
West Coast is a very good source..but..ignore it when it comes to parsnips, totally too late!! XX Jeannine |
February 22, 2012 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a
Posts: 510
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Well, I guess tonight I'll start my container tomato seeds! Exciting, exciting. I'll post pics of the seedlings in a week or two.
Here's what I'm sowing: Black Cherry Flamme Gardeners Delight Green Zebra Grub’s Mystery Green Isis Candy Kimberly Large Barred Boar Lime Green Salad Moravsky Div Orange Russian 117 Pink Berkely Tie Dye Stupice Super sweet 100 Taryn |
February 23, 2012 | #9 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington
Posts: 97
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Quote:
Have you grown Orange Russion 117 before? If so I'd love to know how it performed for you. My better half requires me to plant Pineapple. It is good but late and not terribly productive so I am on the lookout for a substitute. This year I plan to grow several bicolors to trial to see if any will be earlier, more productive, comparable in flavor. I grew Northern Lights last year and it produced a ripe tomato 2 or maybe 3 weeks before the Pineapple and it was good. But that was the only ripe tomato from NL the entire season. There were several more greenies that wouldn't ripen and Pineapple ended up being more productive (but still low). I am trying NL again since last year was a horrible year. I plan to try Gold Medal, Golden Cherokee, Little Lucky, Northern Lights (again) and Rhodes Heirloom. I won't get my hopes up but I am hoping that they will all be as good as Pineapple and maybe a little earlier and more productive. |
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February 23, 2012 | #10 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a
Posts: 510
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Quote:
The bicolors I'm growing this year are: Isis Candy (cherry, so I don't know if it counts or not) Large Barred Boar Old German (have you tried Old German? I heard from someone in Seattle that it grows well here, so I assume it is an earlier bicolor. You might want to try it!) Pink Berkely Tie Dye Virginia Sweets Taryn |
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February 23, 2012 | #11 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington
Posts: 97
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Quote:
I have also grown Yellow Brimmer the last two years. I purchase starts at the Farmer's Market. The lady that sells them just loves them but both years I have yet to get a ripe tomato. Last year she even gave me the plant for free. Maybe that was a sign. It may be a wonderful variety but not in my garden the past two years. Another grower at the Farmer's Market sells the Old German starts. (Where I got mine). They must do fairly well around here. He had alot of them and sold them all. I think Territorial Seed sells Old German seeds/plants so it must do fairly well in the PNW. I certainly hope Old German performs well for you this year. |
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February 22, 2012 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Near Reno, NV
Posts: 1,621
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I will start SOME tomatoes and all my sweet and hot peppers in early March, and those will go out into Walls O'Water in early May.
I will start the rest of the tomatoes in April for planting out directly in the garden in early to mid-June (depending on the weather). The last two years, we've gotten snow in early June. For pole beans, I direct sow them in late May. I start potatoes from seed tonight. I got them late, so we'll see what happens. I suspect that I am too late with these. Squash and melons will be started in pots in May to plant out in the garden in June. I already have lettuce, chard, spinach, broccoli Raab and kohlrabi going in a cold frame. We're having such nice weather (65 degrees today!) I think I'll start some dwarf tomatoes tonight too and put them in pots on the porch so that they can come inside at night. Night temperatures are still in the 20s for a while. Sigh. |
February 22, 2012 | #13 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a
Posts: 510
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Quote:
Taryn |
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February 22, 2012 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5
Posts: 931
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OK, Taryn, You're on, girl. I'll plant some of the same ones in the morning, and we'll see.
(grumble, grumble, I gotta go find the bleach and wash out some pots, and go get the non-soil mix out of the car, and I gotta find the seeds, and I gotta go .....grumble..... |
February 22, 2012 | #15 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a
Posts: 510
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Quote:
I'm excited to grow seedlings at the same time as you, Jane! Now we can compare our seedlings and their growth rate. I've always thought that my tomato seedlings grow very slowly... maybe it seems like it because I check on them so often. Taryn |
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