# Who has started their Tomatoes- & what kind?



## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

I will be starting my tomatoe seeds in about a week......

This year I went with-

Black Beauty
Blue Cream Berries
Chestnut Chocolate

Not your typical varieties I know.....but when your 9yr old daughter picks them...she get more excited about getting into the garden with me.

BTW- I got mine from www.rareseeds.com and I know very little abut the types


----------



## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

go to www.tomatoedirt.com you will be surprised at the thousands of different kinds available.
I am just doing celebrity and sweet million this yr.


----------



## G-O-T-B (Jan 15, 2010)

mine are all started in the garage about 5 inches tall right now.
Texas star
german giant
black krim
old fashioned red
creole
sweet 100
san marzano
purple cherokee
ones i dont plant i give away to friends.
the german giants me and 2 buddies use and have a grow off every year to see who gets the biggest tomato.


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I need to build a green house. I'll do it. I would love to have everything from seed here. Bet it would grow better & I'd have better yields. Plants from your turf should do better.
I should of done this years ago.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I thought a lot about building a green house, RB...but never acted on those thoughts. 

Mostly I've always been driven by the experience that plants started at "home" will out perform those started out of the region and were transplanted. 

In cattle, there is absolutely no question that a calf born and raised at "home" will outperform one that is born and raised outside the region and then "transplanted". I've seen it over and over.

Same in fish...seriously. Bring in a bass from an outside your region area, put it in your pond and I promise it will never even come close to growing out to what a bass born and raised will do. I've seen it over and over. 

Why wouldn't plants be the same? I think they are...but I finally concluded that since we grow so much stuff we can't possibly use it all, there just isn't a real reason for increasing capacity of production. 

In your case, with a market for that produce, it could very well be worth it. I hope you go for it!


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Thanks Lark! That is what I was thinking. I'd get the seeds from my crops that are heavy producer.


----------



## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

My Grandma started her seeds in an old bath tub with a car windshield for a cover.She always had the best plants and enough for just about everyone.I have a greenhouse(wife does) and still think every year about using an oblong cow trough I have that already has a bullet hole in the bottom.May knock some more holes in'er and run to the wrecking yard for a windshield.An old bath tub wouldn't fit in with my decor.


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

peckerwood said:


> My Grandma started her seeds in an old bath tub with a car windshield for a cover.She always had the best plants and enough for just about everyone.I have a greenhouse(wife does) and still think every year about using an oblong cow trough I have that already has a bullet hole in the bottom.May knock some more holes in'er and run to the wrecking yard for a windshield.An old bath tub wouldn't fit in with my decor.


Why? You a yuppie. LOL!


----------



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Meadowlark said:


> I thought a lot about building a green house, RB...but never acted on those thoughts.
> 
> Mostly I've always been driven by the experience that plants started at "home" will out perform those started out of the region and were transplanted.
> 
> ...


I start all of my own tomatoes, peppers, vine plants, and cole plants from seed at home, but for different reasons.

The #1 reason for me is to have access to every seed/plant that I have ever wanted to see how it would grow in my location, plus it's productivity, and taste. I live in a low population area, and the choices of seed, and especially started plants, are very limited in my opinion. This curiosity has caused me much additional work, but it has been very rewarding as well. I've arrived at a point were about 1/2 of the plants that I start from seed aren't found in Minnesota as plants or even as seeds. They are internet, mail order babies!

The 2nd reason is that I have a short, intense (long daylight), growing season. To get the most out of seedlings, they need to be started at the correct time for each individual variety. Even within peppers, there are varieties that I start a full month sooner than other varieties. Tomato seeds are started later than any of the peppers. Attempting to have all of them at their perfect size for transplanting on the estimated last frost date, and for some plants when the soil has warmed adequately. Obviously, frost and ground temps vary year to year so I have developed several "fall back" possibilities.

I start seeds in 4 or 6 packs and progressively repot larger and avoid root binding at each transplant.

Randy, If you want to save seeds from your plants, make sure that you don't try to save seeds from any hybrid plants. They will not grow true to the parent qualities.sad3sm

Here are some picts of pepper and tomatoes plants that I've started from seed in prior years.


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Ok ! Thanks Dick. Your seedlings look awesome.


----------



## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

I start mine right after Christmas. They are about six inches, ready to move to one gallon pots outside to size up prior to planting.

Most are sauce tomatoes.

Juane Flamme- my favorite fresh tomato. 
San Marzano Redorta - sauce
Jumbo Roma - sauce
Amish Paste - sauce
Big Italian Plum - sauce 
Super San Marzano - sauce
Dona - slicer
Black Cherry- fresh

I get my seeds from http://www.tomatofest.com


----------



## slabmaster (Jul 28, 2012)

My tomatos are about 6" now. Started them one month ago. Just started all my peppers this week. Tomatos: pink brandywine, black Krims, romas, Rutgers.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Dick Hanks said:


> I start all of my own tomatoes, peppers, vine plants, and cole plants from seed at home...


Those are some beautiful starter plants, Dick.


----------



## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

I cheat and buy the .99 ones at Houston garden supply.
1) Box Car Willie
1) Matts Pride
1) Big boy
2) Lemon Boy
2) Patio
3) Husky Cherry

I threw in a California Wonder Sweet Pepper.


----------



## Tail_Pincher (Jul 5, 2011)

Put mine in the ground last weekend. I did mostly 444s with a few Steakhouse mixed in. Neither one of which I've grown before.


----------



## bowmansdad (Nov 29, 2011)

We have downsized and I can only plant 8 tomatoes. I'm going with 4 Celebrities for high yield, 2 Black Krims for the later crop and 2 Sweet Chelsea's for a long yielding small tomato. Going to try the grow bags for late summer planting..


----------



## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

I think I have 21 tomato plants. Three Purple Cherokee, a couple each of Big Boy (?) and Roma, and then about 14 or so Celebrity.

Also picked up 7 pepper plants.. Hot jap, sweet banana, orange bell and green bell pepper.

I have two cubic yards of fresh compost/mulch, so I'm hoping I get a bumper crop.


----------



## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

Years ago we grew *Merced* tomatoes....for some reason, no one grows them anymore. Never did hear why they stopped.


----------



## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

Here's this years garden for me . i'm taking a chance , and planted all my veggies , but my 54 Big Beef tomatoes plants I'm growing from seeds . You can see my buckets are ready for the mater plant here in a week or so .


----------



## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

Looking good brotha


----------



## JimG (May 2, 2005)

Paul, great looking garden! What is up with the buckets?


----------



## dmc63 (Nov 25, 2013)

fishingtwo said:


> I cheat and buy the .99 ones at Houston garden supply.
> 1) Box Car Willie
> 1) Matts Pride
> 1) Big boy
> ...


I was told that Houston Garden was closed. Has it moved ??


----------



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Tomatofest is a good source of literally hundreds of varieties of tomato seeds.

Carmelo is a favorite. 

I didn't grow any seed this year. 

Celebrity normally produces well for me. I like juliett for grape tomatos. Cherokee purple is a good one too.


----------



## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

i'm planting 10 celebrity, 10 sweet million and 5 beefsteak tomatoes plants are up and about 8" high.
peppers just getting started 10 felecity , 10 zavory and 10 sweet banna


----------



## bbgarcia (Mar 23, 2008)

Put mine in the ground this past weekend; Romas, Celebrities and grape. Also put in some jap and bell peps.


----------



## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

I cut the bottoms out of the buckets , push them down into the row , add compost , bone meal , and plant my tomatoes in them . After the plants get a little bigger I add mulch to the buckets . This makes watering , feeding easier , and I don't get weeds . I've built a drip system but I'm waiting on the timers to arrive . I'm not sure if you can see it , but I wire the cages and a piece of bamboo to a tight wire at the top of the cages . I plant Big Beef , and they out grow the cages . Once they get taller then the cage I have another 2' X 3 ' flat piece of welded wire I attach to the bamboo , and the top of the cage . I can then tie the plant to it as it grows . Some day I will build some 8' cages out of concrete mesh .


----------



## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

I will sample the results if need be!


----------

