Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old January 28, 2020   #1
decherdt
Tomatovillian™
 
decherdt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 329
Default I'm in, who else? who's next?

When is it time? Planted 3 seeds each in 65 cells of sifted new MG seed starter in two half flats. Not being a practitioner of the dense sowing method, with my skewer in hand, ice cube tray of seeds, labeled sticks, etc, the Mrs. said I was just missing the mask and gloves to make it "surgical". Reordered five kinds that we ran out of (so I don't forget, again). This should let us plant 6 to 9 week old starts any weekend in March, with a 50% LFD of 03/15.
__________________
500 sq ft of raised rows zone 8a

Last edited by decherdt; January 28, 2020 at 09:30 AM.
decherdt is online now   Reply With Quote
Old January 28, 2020   #2
imp
Tomatovillian™
 
imp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Wichita Falls, Texas
Posts: 4,832
Default

Getting ready to start a bunch too, but I do do the dense method. And peas are needing to go in in the garden already. I am a tad bit concerned that we will be having a long hot summer this year, so want to get a crop of tomatoes in before it gets horrible for awhile.
__________________
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing.
imp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 28, 2020   #3
JohnJones
Tomatovillian™
 
JohnJones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 339
Default

I started loading up a 72 cell flat of peat pellets with densely planted tomatoes, peppers and eggplants last night. One variety per cell. I'll likely end up with WAY too many plants, but I like that "problem".

Just started using these flats last year when a local Wal-Mart had dozens on clearance for $3 each.
JohnJones is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 28, 2020   #4
BigVanVader
Tomatovillian™
 
BigVanVader's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 3,099
Default

I've already got baby coneflowers sprouted outside in milk jugs, and lots of other perennials that will likely germinate in the next few weeks.
BigVanVader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 28, 2020   #5
Tormato
Tomatovillian™
 
Tormato's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,958
Default

Just the opposite, here. I'm ready for my two month vacation from looking at tomato seeds.
Tormato is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 28, 2020   #6
taboule
Tomatovillian™
 
taboule's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MA
Posts: 903
Default

You southerners have it easy ;-) I started thinking about it last weekend, decided this coming one will be the day. Sat Feb 1st, will start my onions.

I'm betting on a shorter winter and earlier spring. We have no snow on the ground, and little/thin ice on lakes and ponds
taboule is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 28, 2020   #7
rxkeith
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Back in da U.P.
Posts: 1,839
Default

it's gonna be awhile.....................
__________________
don't abort. we'll adopt.
rxkeith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 28, 2020   #8
JRinPA
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SE PA
Posts: 961
Default

I'll be starting mine on Thursday. Thursday, April the 16th, that is...
JRinPA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 29, 2020   #9
GoDawgs
Tomatovillian™
 
GoDawgs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b
Posts: 1,685
Default

Peppers will be started March 3 and tomatoes on April 1. Hopefully they'll all go out to the garden on April 28.

But I do have a few things already up and under the lights. Those would be the first round of cabbage and broccoli, the kale and collards, the first round of scallions, a Red Robin and Whippersnapper tomato and one Feher Ozon pepper.

Next up will be the second round of cabbage/broccoli on Feb 5. Peas will go in Feb 14.
GoDawgs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 29, 2020   #10
BigVanVader
Tomatovillian™
 
BigVanVader's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Posts: 3,099
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoDawgs View Post
Peppers will be started March 3 and tomatoes on April 1. Hopefully they'll all go out to the garden on April 28.

But I do have a few things already up and under the lights. Those would be the first round of cabbage and broccoli, the kale and collards, the first round of scallions, a Red Robin and Whippersnapper tomato and one Feher Ozon pepper.

Next up will be the second round of cabbage/broccoli on Feb 5. Peas will go in Feb 14.
I was planning to do Spring Collards too. How long to you normally get to harvest them b4 bolting?
BigVanVader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 29, 2020   #11
GoDawgs
Tomatovillian™
 
GoDawgs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b
Posts: 1,685
Default

I checked my garden notes and fall kale and collards set out the first or second week of September have usually been pulled out in March. To be honest, the fall planting could probably stay in a bit longer but I usually need that bed for something else.

For the past two springs, kale and collards planted in January have been pulled out around mid June. The first cutting from them is usually in April so there's only about a one month gap in having edible kale and collards. I don't think I've ever had any that bolted. They just got to tasting "old" when the heat ramped up so out they came!

I used to grow about six plants of each but that's *way* too much for two people so I started cutting back until now I do only three of each. One can have too many greens! A friend three miles up the road will take excess collards but she and DH don't like kale.

Last edited by GoDawgs; January 29, 2020 at 03:54 PM.
GoDawgs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 29, 2020   #12
PaulF
Tomatovillian™
 
PaulF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Brownville, Ne
Posts: 3,276
Default

Sweet peppers are going to hit the soilless mix on Saturday. That is by far the earliest ever for me but I want to see if three weeks head start will have an effect on harvest time. Maybe a larger, healthier plant will reap benefits.
__________________
there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.
PaulF is online now   Reply With Quote
Old January 29, 2020   #13
JRinPA
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SE PA
Posts: 961
Default

My problem I have with starting the peppers early is I have no place to go with them. Last year it got so cold after I put them outside, nights down to 40, and before they went in the ground the peppers and eggplants got sickly and started dropping leaves. The peppers lost about three leaves from each plant middle; I planted deeply but they still looked pretty sad. They produced at the normal time, but I have to think a moderated/heated greenhouse would allow them to fair better during that in between period and maybe bump the production or make it earlier. I've been thinking maybe this is the year for one of those $200 HF greenhouses. It would be a big investment in space, though, for my back yard.

I think some years it wouldn't matter, but a warm, pleasant spring combined with a plant with a head start might combine for sooner production.
JRinPA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 29, 2020   #14
b54red
Tomatovillian™
 
b54red's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JRinPA View Post
My problem I have with starting the peppers early is I have no place to go with them. Last year it got so cold after I put them outside, nights down to 40, and before they went in the ground the peppers and eggplants got sickly and started dropping leaves. The peppers lost about three leaves from each plant middle; I planted deeply but they still looked pretty sad. They produced at the normal time, but I have to think a moderated/heated greenhouse would allow them to fair better during that in between period and maybe bump the production or make it earlier. I've been thinking maybe this is the year for one of those $200 HF greenhouses. It would be a big investment in space, though, for my back yard.

I think some years it wouldn't matter, but a warm, pleasant spring combined with a plant with a head start might combine for sooner production.
If you have a back porch you can cover it with 4 mil plastic. I have been doing that for years and it really helps when I have plants set out to harden and a cold snap comes along. Even down here in the deep south you can get burned by those things. Just not as often. We usually get burned by too much heat way too early.

My first tomatoes are about two inches tall and I have successive plantings still popping up and will have for a while. Since I try to graft all my tomatoes I have to start them about a month early. I usually start my first planting of bell peppers at the same time as they usually take far longer to germinate and grow slower. I will be starting more bells sometime this month to go out in early summer so I can hopefully have some decent peppers at the end of the summer and through the fall.

The biggest problem for me is when we have this constant rain and cloudy weather with fairly cold nights. It causes leggy plants and sometimes even damping off because the surface of the planting medium stays too wet. I start all my small seeds in DE and it has greatly reduced the danger of damping off but increased the need to fertilize my seedlings much earlier and more often.

Bill
b54red is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 30, 2020   #15
ScottinAtlanta
Tomatovillian™
 
ScottinAtlanta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
Default

Same issues as Bill.
ScottinAtlanta is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:39 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★