Well, I planted more than enough varieties of tomatoes on Thursday the 28th and Friday the 29th. Thursday's went into Jiffy Mix in Root Trainers. Friday's went into Miracle Gro Seed Starting Mix. The latter is higher in peat, is easy to wet. I think it holds more water when hydrated. We'll see how things go. They have bottom heat, on and off, from a seedling heat mat.
Some of the seeds I ordered haven't come yet. Don't know if I'll plant them all this year. I will try a few heat-setting and/or fall storage tomatoes using the Wintersown method if all goes well. Along with some ground cherries and flowers. Maybe I'm crazy.
Extra-early slicing tomatoes
Jan. 28: Fourth of July Hybrid (got seeds at Walmart last year) for my early tomato this year. It's indeterminate. Won a taste test at UC Davis in late summer 2004. Great flavor in hot weather. Has tough skin, but I don't mind. Reportedly resistant to nematodes. Burpee likes to keep details about disease resistance secret.
Jan 28: Park's Early Challenge Hybrid VF12NTmv - 63 days, 4 oz., indeterminate.
Jan. 28: Moskvich - 60 days, indeterminate, 4 to 6 oz., does well in cool weather, and reported to taste great in the hot Sacramento Valley.
Early Wonder - 55 days, determinate. Dark pink slicer, 6 oz. Freebie from Tomato Growers Supply.
Jan. 29: First Lady II VFNTASt - 66 days. midsized, crack-resistant, better flavor than Early Girl. 2003 seed. Indeterminate.
Plum and other small to mid-sized tomatoes - Indeterminate:
Jan. 28: Barbara Hybrid VFFN Have to grow this one, because Barbara is David's mom's name. It's a plum tomato bred for the French fresh market according to marketing hype. Seed is from 2003. Won a taste test, hands down, of plum tomatoes at UC Davis in 2004 and was apparently taken off the market in about 2005. I planted some after the normal season last year, and one lived over the winter on the porch in a Root Trainer, along with a Sweet Cluster, a Red October (has a blossom) and a Winter Red.
Jan. 29: Heidi - Heat-tolerant plum tomato from Africa - good flavor.
Jan. 29: Evan's Purple Pear - 70 to 80 days. Sweet. Name a play on the famous "Eva's Purple Ball", but derived from the equally famous Pruden's Purple.
Jan. 28: Cosmonaut Volkov - 65 - 75 days. "Best flavor" per Fedco seeds in New England. Wonder how it does in hot weather?
Jan. 29: Momotaro Hybrid VF1NSt (Tough Boy) - 70 days. Beautiful sweet pink tomatoes from Japan, heat-tolerant, 6 to 7 oz., fruits grow in clusters.
Jan. 29: AAA Sweet Solano - Firm, small, sweet orange tomato with gold stripes.
Jan. 29: Golden Egg - 70 to 75 days. Egg-shaped, pale yellow. Flavorful fresh or dried.
Jan 28: Goose Creek All the rage right now. Said to be a heat-tolerant tomato from a (South Carolina?) Atlantic black Island culture.
Jan. 28: Nyagous - A smallish, black-red, pretty tomato, said to be more crack-resistant than Black Prince.
Jan. 28: Berkeley Tie-Dye, - Striped tomato from Napa Valley.
Jan. 28: Black and Red Boar - smallish striped tomato from Napa Valley.
Jan. 29: Green Zebra - a tennis ball-sized green tomato, blushed yellow to pink when ripe with green stripes. Full, acidic flavor, midseason, does well in heat. Recommended for salsa. I think it's a parent of Berkeley Tie-Dye and probably Black and Red Boar above.
Cherry and Grape tomatoes - Indeterminate unless noted
Jan. 29: Rosalita - 65 days. An early pink grape tomato with white speckles.
Jan. 29: Sweet Quartz Hybrid VFNT - 65 days. Pink Japanese cherry tomato. Gets raves on the GardenWeb tomato forum.
Jan. 29: Sweet Chelsea VFFNT 67 days. Low-acid sweet large cherry tomato.
Jan. 29: Yellow Submarine - Yellow pear type, better flavor.
Jan. 29: Beam's Yellow Pear - Best-tasting yellow pear from Seed Savers.
Jan 29: Haley's Purple Comet - Large cherry tomato, originating from Cherokee Purple. Well-regarded. Compare with Black Cherry.
Jan. 29: Black Cherry - 80 days. Lots of people love this one. Cracks in rain.
Jan. 29: Green Grape - Determinate plant. Spicy flavor. Good front-yard tomato. Not as early as one might expect.
Jan. 29: Pop-Ins - 60 - 65 days. Small red teardrop-shaped tomato
Oxhearts - Indeterminate Meaty medium to large tomatoes, wispy foliage.
Jan. 29: Orange Russian 117 - 85 days. Sweet fruit, pretty.
Jan. 29: Anna Maria's Heart - in honor of our niece
Jan. 28: Anna Russian - 65 days. Early pink oxheart. Also in honor of niece.
Jan. 28: Oxheart Pink - 80 to 95 days. Big. Reputed to be somewhat heat-tolerant.
Jan. 28: Grightmires Pride (medium-sized, fairly early oxheart)
Jan. 28: Reif Red Heart medium-sized heart, good flavor.
Large Tomatoes (including beefsteaks) - Indeterminate
PINK/ROSE
Jan. 28: Purple Passion - An early pink Utah heirloom beefsteak.
Jan. 28: Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye - 65 to 70 days. Striped pink beefsteak from Napa. Better than Cherokee Purple? Compact indeterminate plants.
Jan. 29: Red Rose - 6 to 10 oz.,
Jan. 29: Aunt Ginny's - 75 to 85 days. Famous heirloom, 12 to 16 ounces.
Jan. 28: Dr. Lyle - 80 days. A meaty, fairly smooth large (1 to 2 pound) pink beefsteak without many seeds.
Jan. 29: Boondocks - 80 days. Big, fat beefsteak, over a pound. Does well in warmer climates. Mislabeled in my little pots. Should be potato-leaved.
Jan. 28: Marianna's Peace - 85 days. A popular pink beefsteak said to be more productive than Brandywine. 1 - 2 pounds.
Jan. 29: German Head - smooth, pink beefsteak.
Jan. 29: Tidwell German - big, pink beefsteak from Tennessee.
Jan. 29: Royal Hillbilly - 85 days. Fairly smooth, little cracking, good yields. One pound average.
Jan. 29: Ponderosa Pink Big, mild, rough-shouldered tomato, susceptible to sunscald. Seed from 2003.
Jan. 29: Watermelon Beefsteak - Up to 2 pounds, smooth blossom end. (Didn't come up - old seed).
Jan 28: Brandy Boy Hybrid Brandywine type from Burpee.
Jan. 29: Mortgage Lifter 75 to 85 days. Big beefsteak-type.
PURPLE/BLACK/BROWN
Jan. 28: Black Krim (black, early, heat tolerant)
Jan. 28: JD's Special C-Tex
Jan. 29: Gary O Sena - 70 to 75 days. Stabilized cross of Brandywine x Cherokee Purple. Loved by tomato lovers.
RED
Jan. 29: Brandywine OTV - 85 days. Red, more productive than regular Brandywine, especially in warmer climates.
Jan. 28: Big Beef Hybrid VFFNTASt - 73 days. Reliable, disease-resistant, heat-tolerant, good flavor. I have enough seeds for emergencies now. May try as grafted second rootstock for some heirlooms.
Jan 28: Super BeefsteaK VFN - not sure if this one is an F1 hybrid. Smooth shape, small blossom scar. 2003, Gurneys'
GREEN
Jan 28: Absinthe
Update, February 11: The plants started on the 29th in the Miracle Grow Seed Starter Mix are growing healthier-looking, sturdier plants. I've started giving the ones started the dåy before some plant food. Jiffy Mix plant starter may be most suitable under a layer of the Miracle Grow - for aeration.
Some varieties have not come up: I did not get good results with pre-soaked "Barbara" seeds (only one of 8 survived) - 12 hours in dilute "bloom" plant food plus a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in water. The ones planted on the 29th, untreated, did better. Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye did not come up. It was late for Bro. Cox. "Pop-ins" just came up today. Long after most varieties emerged. No response from old "Watermelon Beefsteak" and "Mortgage Lifter" seeds, either. Berkeley Tie-Dye and Absinthe did not come up, but the seed came from a non-profit organization, so who knows their storage history?
The old Atlas beans I planted rotted. Red Swan looks vigorous. Contender - plants are smaller and leaves more yellow. Seeds were older. For the main crop, I got new seed this year.
Update Feb. 18: Saw the first sprout of Pink Berkeley Tie Dye today. Some other seeds are also sprouting just now. There's another "Barbara" start from soaked seed, and another seedling which hasn't shed the seedcoat yet. Wonder why some tomator seeds are so much slower than others? Other than age of the seeds, which is one explanation. Maybe storage conditions, too. And after the first leaves sprouted, I took the Root Trainers off the heating mat, so later-sprouting seeds had to finish at lower temperatures. And tomato seeds seem to sprout fastest at around 80 degrees. Temps. above 86 may be harmful.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Spring almost here: Tomato Seeds Ordered
We've had three days now when the sun came out - Southern California Rose Bowl weather - after some much-needed rain. More rain is forecasted. We've had kind of a gray winter so far, as usual.
I started to get "spring" seed catalogs in November, and I just got one from Park yesterday. So much fun to dream about a bounteous garden. Buying seeds is my way of "gambling", I think, or perhaps indulging in fantasy. Probably cheaper than going to Las Vegas. If anybody needs some seeds, check with me first. I always have too many.
This year I concentrated on new tomato varieties. And it's not as if I didn't already have seeds. We'll see how many I actually grow. The large number of big pink tomato varieties is due to an effort to discover one like David's Mom remembers from childhood:
Extra-early slicing tomatoes
I'm going with little Fourth of July Hybrid (got seeds at Walmart last year) for my early tomato this year. It's indeterminate. Won a taste test at UC Davis in late summer 2004. Great flavor in hot weather. Has tough skin, but I don't mind. Reportedly resistant to nematodes. Burpee likes to keep details about disease resistance secret.
Park's Early Challenge Hybrid VF12NTmv - 63 days, 4 oz., indeterminate.
Moskvich - 60 days, indeterminate, 4 to 6 oz., does well in cool weather.
Polfast hybrid - 54 days. Determinate. Larger fruits than Fourth of July. Sent the seeds to Betty's parents in Utah.
Early Wonder - 55 days, determinate. Dark pink slicer, 6 oz. Freebie from Tomato Growers Supply.
Plum and other small to mid-sized tomatoes - Indeterminate:
Heidi - Heat-tolerant plum tomato from Africa - good flavor.
Evan's Purple Pear - 70 to 80 days. Sweet. Name a play on the famous "Eva's Purple Ball", but derived from the equally famous Pruden's Purple.
Momotaro Hybrid VF1NSt (Tough Boy) - 70 days. Beautiful sweet pink tomatoes from Japan, heat-tolerant, 6 to 7 oz., fruits grow in clusters. Compare to Tolstoi (have seeds) from India. Larger clusters, smaller tomatoes: 3 to 4 oz. Sold on the vine.
AAA Sweet Solano - Firm, small, sweet orange tomato with gold stripes.
Golden Egg - 70 to 75 days. Egg-shaped, pale yellow. Flavorful fresh or dried.
Little Lucky - 90 days. Yellow with red blush. Complex flavor.
Angora Orange - Medium-sized tasty fruit on a silvery, furry plant. Freebie from Glecker's
Porter - 78 days. Small plum-shaped pink fruits. Heat-tolerant. Old Southwest favorite.
Porter Improved - Very different from Porter. Round, pink, medium to small.
Cherry and Grape tomatoes - Indeterminate unless noted
Rosalita - 65 days. An early pink grape tomato with white speckles.
Sweet Quartz Hybrid VFNT - 65 days. Pink Japanese cherry tomato. Gets raves on the GardenWeb tomato forum.
Yellow Submarine - Yellow pear type, better flavor.
Haley's Purple Comet - Large cherry tomato, originating from Cherokee Purple. Well-regarded. For comparison with Black Cherry.
Black Cherry - 80 days. Lots of people love this one. Cracks in rain.
Green Grape - Determinate plant. Spicy flavor. Good front-yard tomato. Not as early as one might expect.
Pop-Ins - 60 - 65 days. Small red teardrop-shaped tomato
Cherry Roma - 75 to 80 days. Looks like a grape tomato. Holds well. Freebie from Diane's.
Jenny Hybrid 65 days, sweet, small, orange cherry tomato. In honor of Fred's new bride. Looks like it might be discontinued soon.
Ladybug Hybrid - red, clustered. I want to see if all of the tomatoes in a cluster ripe at the same time. Crack-resistant, heat-tolerant.
Large Tomatoes (including beefsteaks) - Indeterminate
PINK/ROSE
Purple Passion - An early pink Utah heirloom beefsteak. Compare to Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye, Pruden's Purple.
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye - 65 to 70 days. Striped pink beefsteak from Napa. Better than Cherokee Purple? Compact indeterminate plants.
Pruden's Purple - Early pink heirloom - sent seeds to Betty's parents.
Red Rose - 6 to 10 oz., cross between Brandywine and Rutgers. Compare to Cosmonaut Volkov (red) and Goose Creek.
Aunt Ginny's Purple - 75 to 85 days. Famous heirloom, 12 to 16 ounces.
Dr. Lyle - 80 days. A meaty, fairly smooth large (1 to 2 pound) pink beefsteak without many seeds.
Mexico - 80 days. Heat-tolerant pink beefsteak, averaging over a pound.
Boondocks - 80 days. Big, fat beefsteak, over a pound. Does well in warmer climates.
Marianna's Peace - 85 days. A popular pink beefsteak said to be more productive than Brandywine. 1 - 2 pounds.
German Head - smooth, pink beefsteak.
Tidwell German - big, pink beefsteak from Tennessee.
Giant Belgium Pink - Huge beefsteak, smooth blossom ends. Sweet and mild.
German Johnson Regular Leaf - 85 days. Mild, reddish-pink, fairly smooth. Average 1 pound.
Royal Hillbilly - 85 days. Fairly smooth, little cracking, good yields. One pound average.
PURPLE/BLACK/BROWN
Cherokee Purple - I grew this one last year. Maintains flavor in cool fall weather. Best picked when shoulders are still green.
Gary O Sena - 70 to 75 days. Stabilized cross of Brandywine x Cherokee Purple. Loved by tomato lovers.
Indian Stripe - Similar to Cherokee Purple, smaller plant and slightly smaller fruits, a little earlier. Pick ripe. The favorite of many.
RED
Marmande - Small pack from Artistic Gardens, 35 cents, for someone in a cool-summer climate.
Cosmonaut Volkov - 65 - 75 days. "Best flavor" per Fedco seeds in New England. Wonder how it does in hot weather?
Brandywine OTV - 85 days. Red, more productive than regular Brandywine, especially in warmer climates.
Big Beef Hybrid VFFNTASt - 73 days. 100 seeds. Reliable, disease-resistant, heat-tolerant, good flavor. I have enough seeds for emergencies now. May try as grafted second rootstock for some heirlooms.
Oxhearts - Indeterminate
Orange Russian 117 - 85 days. Sweet fruit, pretty.
Anna Maria's Heart - in honor of our niece
Anna Russian - 65 days. Early pink oxheart. Also in honor of niece.
Oxheart Pink - 80 to 95 days. Big. Reputed to be somewhat heat-tolerant.
May also get from Wintersown (sent them 5 bucks, will try their plant-starting method) Berkeley Tie-Dye, Black and Red(?) Boar, Black Krim(black, relatively early to late, heat tolerant) Nyagous (black, pretty), Grightmires Pride (medium-sized oxheart), Reif Red Heart (Oxheart), Goose Creek, JD's Special C-Tex, Absinthe, Olive Hill.
Like I said, I can't use all these seeds myself.
I started to get "spring" seed catalogs in November, and I just got one from Park yesterday. So much fun to dream about a bounteous garden. Buying seeds is my way of "gambling", I think, or perhaps indulging in fantasy. Probably cheaper than going to Las Vegas. If anybody needs some seeds, check with me first. I always have too many.
This year I concentrated on new tomato varieties. And it's not as if I didn't already have seeds. We'll see how many I actually grow. The large number of big pink tomato varieties is due to an effort to discover one like David's Mom remembers from childhood:
Extra-early slicing tomatoes
I'm going with little Fourth of July Hybrid (got seeds at Walmart last year) for my early tomato this year. It's indeterminate. Won a taste test at UC Davis in late summer 2004. Great flavor in hot weather. Has tough skin, but I don't mind. Reportedly resistant to nematodes. Burpee likes to keep details about disease resistance secret.
Park's Early Challenge Hybrid VF12NTmv - 63 days, 4 oz., indeterminate.
Moskvich - 60 days, indeterminate, 4 to 6 oz., does well in cool weather.
Polfast hybrid - 54 days. Determinate. Larger fruits than Fourth of July. Sent the seeds to Betty's parents in Utah.
Early Wonder - 55 days, determinate. Dark pink slicer, 6 oz. Freebie from Tomato Growers Supply.
Plum and other small to mid-sized tomatoes - Indeterminate:
Heidi - Heat-tolerant plum tomato from Africa - good flavor.
Evan's Purple Pear - 70 to 80 days. Sweet. Name a play on the famous "Eva's Purple Ball", but derived from the equally famous Pruden's Purple.
Momotaro Hybrid VF1NSt (Tough Boy) - 70 days. Beautiful sweet pink tomatoes from Japan, heat-tolerant, 6 to 7 oz., fruits grow in clusters. Compare to Tolstoi (have seeds) from India. Larger clusters, smaller tomatoes: 3 to 4 oz. Sold on the vine.
AAA Sweet Solano - Firm, small, sweet orange tomato with gold stripes.
Golden Egg - 70 to 75 days. Egg-shaped, pale yellow. Flavorful fresh or dried.
Little Lucky - 90 days. Yellow with red blush. Complex flavor.
Angora Orange - Medium-sized tasty fruit on a silvery, furry plant. Freebie from Glecker's
Porter - 78 days. Small plum-shaped pink fruits. Heat-tolerant. Old Southwest favorite.
Porter Improved - Very different from Porter. Round, pink, medium to small.
Cherry and Grape tomatoes - Indeterminate unless noted
Rosalita - 65 days. An early pink grape tomato with white speckles.
Sweet Quartz Hybrid VFNT - 65 days. Pink Japanese cherry tomato. Gets raves on the GardenWeb tomato forum.
Yellow Submarine - Yellow pear type, better flavor.
Haley's Purple Comet - Large cherry tomato, originating from Cherokee Purple. Well-regarded. For comparison with Black Cherry.
Black Cherry - 80 days. Lots of people love this one. Cracks in rain.
Green Grape - Determinate plant. Spicy flavor. Good front-yard tomato. Not as early as one might expect.
Pop-Ins - 60 - 65 days. Small red teardrop-shaped tomato
Cherry Roma - 75 to 80 days. Looks like a grape tomato. Holds well. Freebie from Diane's.
Jenny Hybrid 65 days, sweet, small, orange cherry tomato. In honor of Fred's new bride. Looks like it might be discontinued soon.
Ladybug Hybrid - red, clustered. I want to see if all of the tomatoes in a cluster ripe at the same time. Crack-resistant, heat-tolerant.
Large Tomatoes (including beefsteaks) - Indeterminate
PINK/ROSE
Purple Passion - An early pink Utah heirloom beefsteak. Compare to Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye, Pruden's Purple.
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye - 65 to 70 days. Striped pink beefsteak from Napa. Better than Cherokee Purple? Compact indeterminate plants.
Pruden's Purple - Early pink heirloom - sent seeds to Betty's parents.
Red Rose - 6 to 10 oz., cross between Brandywine and Rutgers. Compare to Cosmonaut Volkov (red) and Goose Creek.
Aunt Ginny's Purple - 75 to 85 days. Famous heirloom, 12 to 16 ounces.
Dr. Lyle - 80 days. A meaty, fairly smooth large (1 to 2 pound) pink beefsteak without many seeds.
Mexico - 80 days. Heat-tolerant pink beefsteak, averaging over a pound.
Boondocks - 80 days. Big, fat beefsteak, over a pound. Does well in warmer climates.
Marianna's Peace - 85 days. A popular pink beefsteak said to be more productive than Brandywine. 1 - 2 pounds.
German Head - smooth, pink beefsteak.
Tidwell German - big, pink beefsteak from Tennessee.
Giant Belgium Pink - Huge beefsteak, smooth blossom ends. Sweet and mild.
German Johnson Regular Leaf - 85 days. Mild, reddish-pink, fairly smooth. Average 1 pound.
Royal Hillbilly - 85 days. Fairly smooth, little cracking, good yields. One pound average.
PURPLE/BLACK/BROWN
Cherokee Purple - I grew this one last year. Maintains flavor in cool fall weather. Best picked when shoulders are still green.
Gary O Sena - 70 to 75 days. Stabilized cross of Brandywine x Cherokee Purple. Loved by tomato lovers.
Indian Stripe - Similar to Cherokee Purple, smaller plant and slightly smaller fruits, a little earlier. Pick ripe. The favorite of many.
RED
Marmande - Small pack from Artistic Gardens, 35 cents, for someone in a cool-summer climate.
Cosmonaut Volkov - 65 - 75 days. "Best flavor" per Fedco seeds in New England. Wonder how it does in hot weather?
Brandywine OTV - 85 days. Red, more productive than regular Brandywine, especially in warmer climates.
Big Beef Hybrid VFFNTASt - 73 days. 100 seeds. Reliable, disease-resistant, heat-tolerant, good flavor. I have enough seeds for emergencies now. May try as grafted second rootstock for some heirlooms.
Oxhearts - Indeterminate
Orange Russian 117 - 85 days. Sweet fruit, pretty.
Anna Maria's Heart - in honor of our niece
Anna Russian - 65 days. Early pink oxheart. Also in honor of niece.
Oxheart Pink - 80 to 95 days. Big. Reputed to be somewhat heat-tolerant.
May also get from Wintersown (sent them 5 bucks, will try their plant-starting method) Berkeley Tie-Dye, Black and Red(?) Boar, Black Krim(black, relatively early to late, heat tolerant) Nyagous (black, pretty), Grightmires Pride (medium-sized oxheart), Reif Red Heart (Oxheart), Goose Creek, JD's Special C-Tex, Absinthe, Olive Hill.
Like I said, I can't use all these seeds myself.
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