Finalized My 2012 Tomato List, and Started Seeds Today

[rnewste]

Well, on the eve of the Winter Solstice, what better day to start seeds for the 2012 garden.

As we were hit pretty hard with Alternaria and other fungal problems last Season, I am going by the "80 / 20 rule" for 2012 and grow 80% Heirlooms while planting 20% Hybrids with some degree of disease tolerance. Also, as our Season lasts well into December, I am going to do the plantings in 2 stages. The first set of 75% (below in bold) were started today, with the goal of planting them out in late March. The second set of about 25% will be started in 3 months, with the goal of planting them out in late June.

This should give me a more even production rate throughout the Summer and Fall timeframes:

Applause Hybrid (VFFA) 66
Barlow Jap
Better Boy Hybrid (VFNASt) 75
Big Beef Hybrid (VFFNTASt) 73
Brandywine from Croatia
Caitydid (Dwarf Project)
Champion 2 Hybrid (VFFNTA) 65
Dona
Gary’O Sena
Goose Creek
Iditarod Red (Dwarf Project)
Indian Stripe
JD Special C-Tex
Jet Star
Jetsetter Hybrid (VFFNASt) 64
MarNar F3 (1 RL, 1PL)
Momotaro Hybrid (VFNSt) 70
Moskovich
Odoriko Hybrid (VFNSt) 75
Parks Whopper Hybrid (VFFNT) 65
Perth Pride (Dwarf Project)
Red Boar (WBF)
RAF Spanish (from Clara)
Rosella Purple (Dwarf Project)
Solar Flare (WBF)
Supersonic Hybrid (VFFN) 79
TastyWine (Dwarf Project)
Yukon Quest (Dwarf Project)

V - Verticillium Wilt
F - Fusarium Wilt (FF - Races 1 & 2)
N - Nematodes
T - Tobacco Mosaic Virus
A - Alternaria Stem Canker
St - Stemphylium Gray Leaf Spot


I am using Rapid-Rooter grow plugs which are made from compressed tree bark, and are treated with Mycos to encourage seedling development:




The plugs simply drop into a 55 unit styrofoam holder which floats on a surface of water:




I have the outer container sitting on a Hydro-Farm heat mat which elevates the temperature of the system about 20 degrees above the ambient air temperature:







Come February 21, I will then move the seedlings outside in to a pair of IncuTainers for them to further develop and harden off:




(Photo from last Season)



So, by the end of March the seedlings should have developed to a height of 10 to 12 inches, when they will be transplanted to their permanent homes for the 2012 Summer season.

Raybo

[Tracydr]

Holy smokes, planted today for late March! I'm so late. Oh, man. I knew I needed to get with the program but I didn't think I was that late.
I need to plant out by Feb 15 and was refining my list yesterday.

[rnewste]

Tracy,

Not to worry - - you still have some time. I figure in an extra month in my own "system" by letting the plants harden off in the IncuTainers from Feb 21, until March 21. In Phoenix, you don't need this extra step most likely. Maybe a week of hardening off for your locale.

Raybo

[Heritage]

Nice list, Ray. Hard to believe it's almost planting time again!

I like your 365-days-a-year-fresh-tomatoes plan. I picked a 'Purple Haze' tomato for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I'm kicking myself for not planting a fall crop in late June/early July.
No excuse, when living in San Diego, to pay for supermarket tomatoes.

Steve

[dustdevil]

Hi Raybo.

The Rapid Rooters are better than the Oasis seed starters? Have you ever tried the RR's with cuttings?

Dust

[rnewste]

Dust,

I don't have personal experience with the Oasis seed starters you reference.

I have used the Rapid Rooters for cuttings with very good success.

Here are some reviews / tips on amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Rooters-...owViewpoints=1

About $15.00 for 50 of them with free shipping on a $25.00 total purchase.

Raybo

[b54red]

Ray, I also have a long growing season and stagger my plantings so that I usually have fresh tomatoes from May til December. Since my growing climate is not as pleasant as yours I stagger my plantings from March though late August and sometimes even as late as early September. I have found that the bulk of my summer crop comes from my two biggest plantings in March and April; but the ones set out in mid summer that can survive tend to give me a really nice late summer and fall crop while most of the early plantings are dying or dead.

[lakelady]

Well I sure have a ways to go before I can start seedlings again unless I want them to take over my house . Incutainers? Ray, should I ask? lol....you amaze me with your creative solutions! Very cool!

[mdvpc]

Ray

What generation Caitydid are you growing? I just sent Craig seed from the F-4 generation, so if you have that, you would be growing the F-5 generation.

I use RR in my hydrosytem and also for starts-they are real good. Also good for cuttings.

[sprtsguy76]

Wow Ray your an early starter arent ya? I wont be starting my first seeds untill late Jan. I usually need 6 to 8 weeks and then they are ready to go out. Very interesting list you got there, are you using smaller Tainers for the Dwarfs? Oh and do you think you can spare an extra Momotaro or two I would love to try it out next year? I should be ready to purchase bark fines soon, I will give ya a call.

Damon

[rnewste]

Originally Posted by mdvpc

Ray

What generation Caitydid are you growing? I just sent Craig seed from the F-4 generation, so if you have that, you would be growing the F-5 generation.

I use RR in my hydrosytem and also for starts-they are real good. Also good for cuttings.

Hi Michael,

Craig will be sending me both Caitydid as well as TastyWine to grow out. My (original) plan was to grow these two out for my second crop in the Fall, but I got ambitious and built another InnTainer this week, to now grow them out immediately.

I just removed the plastic cover from the seedling tray and after 5 days, these guys have really "popped"!



It is crystal clear that they need some artificial light, so I need to find a fixture to get over them ASAP. I should have thought about that weeks ago.

Raybo

[rnewste]

Originally Posted by sprtsguy76

Very interesting list you got there, are you using smaller Tainers for the Dwarfs? Oh and do you think you can spare an extra Momotaro or two I would love to try it out next year?

Damon

Hi Damon,

I will be using the 18 gallon InnTainers - outside (yes, an oxymoron). I think they will be perfect to plant 2 Dwarf Project plants per InnTainer. I need to figure out a cage system for the smaller containers, but having seen pictures from Michael, Ami, and others in the Dwarf Project, it looks like I won't need anything massive. I am growing Rosella Purple and Iditarod Red inside now, so I'll be able to get an idea of height and load requirements before the outdoor Dwarfs are planted this Spring.




I'll start 2 Momotaro and 2 Odoriko seedlings for you in mid-January to align with your seedling plans.

Raybo

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Tracy,

Not to worry - - you still have some time. I figure in an extra month in my own "system" by letting the plants harden off in the IncuTainers from Feb 21, until March 21. In Phoenix, you don't need this extra step most likely. Maybe a week of hardening off for your locale.

Raybo

Yes. I usually get my little plants out almost immediately during the day, using the artificial lights more for summer starts than winter starts. I bring them in at night until the week or two before plant-out, then I set them near a concrete wall and start moving them closer and closer to the garden until they are spending the nights outdoors, barring any freezes.
Last year I was a month late planting my first tiny batch of just four plants, March 15 but we had a very late season of hard freezes. I was terribly late getting my raised beds built and didn't get my main crop in until April 15, two full months late. Plus, they were the smallest little starts you ever saw. Once i planted them, you couldnt really see the little plants in the garden, they sort of looked like little twigs of grass!
Somehow, I still managed to have an amazingly good year, mainly due to the fact that May was cooler than normal. Still, by beginning of July we were done.
This year, I vow to do better. My gardens are ready, except for a little fixing and manure addition. I need to buy some CRW for cages and I'm good.
Today, I start my seeds!

[rnewste]

Tracy,

If your Spring weather is really unpredictable, you might want to start a "duplicate" set of seedlings about 3 weeks from your first starts. That way, if you do get hit with an unexpected freeze, you will have a back-up tray to then plant.

Raybo

[Tracydr]

Thanks, Raybo. I usually do hold back a set to make sure that if I lose some to a late freeze I have more to plant. Feb 15 is the best planting date, yet we can get freezing as late as March 15. Problem is, to grow any of the larger or later varieties, 100-120 days can go pretty darn fast, since we can be 105 degrees or more by mid-May. I think the average May temp is 100 so by June, if fruit doesn't set it's not going to. Last year in the middle of June we had two weeks of 115 degree weather, it was horrible.
I put shade cloth on when we get over 95-100 which gives me another 2-4 weeks of fruit set and really helps the plants.
I think your idea of starting a duplicate set 2-3 weeks later is a great one.
Now, if I can just figure out how to harden the late summer plants and get them out by Sept 1, I could have a fall harvest. I finally have a nice indoor plant stand, after losing most of my seedlings last summer to heat but I just can't seem to get the knack of setting out plants when the temperatures are still fry-the brain hot.
Oh well, I'm hoping to only have to survive one more summer in AZ. Hubby is nearing the end of his PhD and will start the job hunting soon. We're hoping to move towards OK or somewhere else with farmland and green grass, although OK was certainly not the place to be for either last summer.