Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

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

View Poll Results: Do you start from seeds or plants?
Most of the tomatoes I grow I started from seeds 273 89.22%
Most of the tomatoes I grow are from plants I obtained 19 6.21%
About half and half 14 4.58%
Voters: 306. You may not vote on this poll

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old March 17, 2016   #106
christian1971
Tomatovillian™
 
christian1971's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 94
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JosephineRose View Post
First year doing a joint garden with friends we knocked ourselves out prepping the area, pulling out grass, building raised beds and the soil. Then we bought organic transplant tomatoes and they brought in a blight of some kind and wiped everything else out.

I swore off transplants after that and began starting my own seed. I've never gone back. I transplant everything, including plants that are supposed to be direct sown, as I have a community garden plot with limited watering and it is hard to get seeds off the ground there.

My little mutant carrots are well loved, and started by me.
Like those carrots from Gilligans Island that looked like cow udders.
christian1971 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 17, 2016   #107
JosephineRose
Tomatovillian™
 
JosephineRose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: California
Posts: 383
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by christian1971 View Post
Like those carrots from Gilligans Island that looked like cow udders.
Exactly.
JosephineRose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 17, 2016   #108
AlittleSalt
BANNED FOR LIFE
 
AlittleSalt's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 13,333
Default

My answer this year would be at least 95% planted by seed and less than 5% are transplants from a local mom & pop shop.
AlittleSalt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 17, 2016   #109
Merediana
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: germany
Posts: 190
Default

Mostly seeds Last year was my first season and I started them with no equipment (lights, heat) and I got beautiful plants!
But when I was getting some other stuff at the nursery there was this one variety I already wanted but didn't get seeds because it would be too much. Well, at that point I just needed to buy it. Sadly the plant didn't perform well, I got probably 3 tomatoes from it...

And when ordering some completly different plants online (not even veggies) they send me another tomato plant for free, it looked very bad but actually performed well (the plants I actually bought sadly didn't).

This year it is all seeds And even with lights and everything

We had one online store in germany selling a HUGE amount of heirloom tomatoes but they stopped now due to many shipping problems last year. I've read that quite many tomato lovers are very upset now because there is just no other possibility to get many varieties. Nurseries do sell a few heirlooms, maybe Black Krim, Pineapple and Green Zebra but that's about it and there are maybe 2 more online stores selling a few more heirlooms but nothing compared to this store.
I think some people just don't have the room to start them inside or don't have enough natural light and don't want to invest in growing lights and others just don't want all the work...

I love starting my seeds but I have to do it in my living room and whenever my mom visits me she's very upset because of the mess and chaos from all the plants and the equipment
She had a coworker who always started his tomatoesat work because they had big windows with many hours of sunlight She never liked it...
Merediana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 17, 2016   #110
Bulldog
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Georgia
Posts: 126
Default Be happy with your seed starting.

My hubby and teenagers look at me funny when I am boiling water in the kitchen with 2 dish basins full of seed starting mix letting it cool. Moving my few seed starting trays inside outside, etc.

By the way, how is Merediana pronounced? it is a lovely name.
Bulldog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 17, 2016   #111
tash11
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Ohio
Posts: 156
Default

Thinking back I remember only one plant I bought, indigo rose. This was about 3 years ago I think? I had never heard of a blue tomato before so it had to come home with me.

I do buy non-tomato plants. Some are just easier to buy then start.
tash11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 19, 2016   #112
Johnniemar
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: North carolina
Posts: 199
Default Seeds started

I always start from seed.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg image.jpg (366.0 KB, 104 views)
Johnniemar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 19, 2016   #113
timbucktwo
Tomatovillian™
 
timbucktwo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Michigan
Posts: 54
Default

Past years I've done both, but have gone back to seed only as much as possible. Starting from seed to me makes the entire season more enjoyable, and transplants can't be trusted to save seed or track where it came from. Seed history and the thought that I'm helping to carry it on by saving known seed to me is what it's all about, although I'll admit I've had happy accidents with unknown transplant varieties that were supposed to be something else bought, yet the story doesn't usually have a happy ending when seeds saved from those fail to reproduce what I had since they're either mislabeled hybrids, or accidental hybrids from the place I got them from.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
timbucktwo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 19, 2016   #114
tedln
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I always grow from saved seed, purchased seed, or traded seed except for those years when a late frost wipes out all of my plants and I have to grow purchased seedlings. This year I purchased seed of a variety named Cherry Falls to grow as a decorative plant in containers. It supposedly grows only six inches tall and then drapes over the container sides with many long strands of bright red cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes are supposedly pretty tasty as a side benefit.

I planted six seedlings in containers about two weeks ago. They are now the tallest of all my planted out seedlings at about fourteen inches and showing no sign of bending towards the ground. I'm beginning to suspect a seed mix up at the seed vendor. That is always a possibility when you out source your seeds.

I enjoy giving planted containers of lettuce, onions, and tomatoes as gifts. This year the gift recipients may only get containers planted with lettuce and onions.

Ted

Last edited by tedln; March 19, 2016 at 05:29 PM.
  Reply With Quote
Old March 19, 2016   #115
slugworth
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: connecticut,usa
Posts: 1,150
Default

varieties I can't find as plants I start from bought seeds or saved seeds.
I even clone favorite tomato plants and took cuttings today as a matter of fact.
slugworth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 19, 2016   #116
imp
Tomatovillian™
 
imp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Wichita Falls, Texas
Posts: 4,832
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tedln View Post
I always grow from saved seed, purchased seed, or traded seed except for those years when a late frost wipes out all of my plants and I have to grow purchased seedlings. This year I purchased seed of a variety named Cherry Falls to grow as a decorative plant in containers. It supposedly grows only six inches tall and then drapes over the container sides with many long strands of bright red cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes are supposedly pretty tasty as a side benefit.

I planted six seedlings in containers about two weeks ago. They are now the tallest of all my planted out seedlings at about fourteen inches and showing no sign of bending towards the ground. I'm beginning to suspect a seed mix up at the seed vendor. That is always a possibility when you out source your seeds.

I enjoy giving planted containers of lettuce, onions, and tomatoes as gifts. This year the gift recipients may only get containers planted with lettuce and onions.

Ted
You can add chervil, a mounding basil type or thyme to the mix. Or garlic chives, too, or as an edible flower, johnny humps ups are pretty.
imp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 22, 2016   #117
arcanedeity
Tomatovillian™
 
arcanedeity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Zone 4b/5a, Iowa
Posts: 36
Default

I start from seed. They seem to transplant better than when I buy from a nursery.
arcanedeity is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 23, 2016   #118
christian1971
Tomatovillian™
 
christian1971's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 94
Default

I was planning to start from seed. Then I found a family-owned grower online who sells plants only. Shipping did seem high, but I still come out cheaper then buying lights, potting mix and so forth. Granted where is the fun. He has over 700 varieties and friendly service that I think it is worth it. Will get my delivery at the end of May.
christian1971 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 12:57 PM.


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