Joe P said "... would a 12 week old seedling be any more likely to set or ripen fruit any earlier than a 6-8 week old seedling?"
The late Bob Thomson in his book "The New Victory Garden" had a plan for getting tomatoes way earlier than usual. He sowed his main crop in April and transplanted them into his New England garden the third week in May. BUT he started a handful by the following schedule, which he said was "breaking all the rules."
Mid Feb: Start seeds in individual six-pack cells.
Mid March: Transplant each seedling to a 4" pot.
Mid April: Transplant each seedling into a gallon container. (With each transplanting bury some of the stem to form good root system.) Harden them off outside whenever the daytime temps are warm enough.
May 1: Plant in garden, surrounded in cages of concrete reinforcing wire, covered with clear plastic if necessary. Plants would be about 3 ft tall and in flower.
June 1: Eat first Early Girl tomato.
I'm not necessarily advocating this plan; just passing it along.
Last edited by NisiNJ; February 5, 2012 at 01:16 AM.
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