Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

New to growing your own tomatoes? This is the forum to learn the successful techniques used by seasoned tomato growers. Questions are welcome, too.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old September 1, 2009   #16
RJ_Hythloday
Tomatovillian™
 
RJ_Hythloday's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Logan, UT
Posts: 207
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffinsgf View Post
Since when?

Sorry, I think the OP is being a little combative, but he is right that USDA Hardiness Zones are not the best tool for a vegetable gardener. USDA Hardiness Zones indicate the depth of winter cold to indicate the survivability of perennials. Take for example the fact that Houston and Seattle are in the same zone. I wouldn't think that vegetable gardening in Houston would be the same as vegetable gardening in Seattle.

As for tomato starting dates, I started mine about 8 weeks before the last frost date, with set out about a week after the last frost date. April 15 is our average last frost, so I started mine the middle of February and set them out about the third week of April.
This sounds similar to what I do, I'm just wondering for clarity. When you say set out do you mean began hardening off? Or planted out?
RJ_Hythloday is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 1, 2009   #17
jeffinsgf
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Springfield Missouri
Posts: 42
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by RJ_Hythloday View Post
This sounds similar to what I do, I'm just wondering for clarity. When you say set out do you mean began hardening off? Or planted out?
Planted out one week after last frost date. I started hardening off about a week and a half before that. I'm not very scientific about hardening off. If it's a little cool and overcast, I may leave them out all day. If it's early in the process and the day is coming on like mid-July, I may skip it and leave them indoors altogether.
jeffinsgf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 1, 2009   #18
Tomatovator
Tomatovillian™
 
Tomatovator's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Pennsylvania Zone 6
Posts: 461
Default

Jeff, Do a Google search for gardening zones. Almost every site that posts the map also gives out frost dates that coorespond with the gardening zones listed. They are usually pretty general giving a range of 30 days or so. That is why it is important for some one to know where they live and what their local forecast is. As far as you thinking that I am combative, so what. I know Carolyn doesn't need any help defending herself but she asked the poster a simple and harmless question and was met with an inappropriate response (in my opinion). To discuss seed starting dates without knowing where you live is meaningless.
Tomatovator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 1, 2009   #19
jeffinsgf
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Springfield Missouri
Posts: 42
Default

Tomatovator,

You've misunderstood me. I said the OP (original poster) was being combative, not you.

While sites may or may not add frost dates does not change the fact that the "Zone" only refers to the most severe winter temperatures. There is no correlation to first and last frost dates and hardiness zone. I bring up again the Houston and Seattle example. They are in the same zone because neither get extremely cold, but I doubt anyone would say that they will have similar vegetable gardening environments.
jeffinsgf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 1, 2009   #20
Andrey_BY
Tomatovillian™
 
Andrey_BY's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Minsk, Belarus, Eastern Europe (Zone 4a)
Posts: 2,278
Default

From Feb 25 to March 20. I usually grow at least 80% of my tomatoes in greenhouses or coldframes. Normal setting out time is from May 1 to May 15 in greenhouse and from May 10 to June 1 outdoors. Zone 4a
__________________
1 kg=2.2 lb , 1 m=39,37 in , 1 oz=28.35 g , 1 ft=30.48 cm , 1 lb= 0,4536 kg , 1 in=2.54 cm , 1 l = 0.26 gallon , 0 C=32 F

Andrey a.k.a. TOMATODOR
Andrey_BY is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 1, 2009   #21
barkeater
Tomatovillian™
 
barkeater's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b
Posts: 1,439
Default

Well bakersville, if it's none of our business where you are, it should be none of your business when we start seed, even though I know you're posting as if just east of Long Beach, CA

So, I start mine closest to a full moon during the waxing moon in scorpio whenever possible.
barkeater is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 4, 2009   #22
Mojo
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 317
Default

Annnnnnd back to story A:

This year I started seeds around Jan. 17th and regretted being behind the curve --the curve being Shelley and Roy, naturally. Next year I will make starting seed the official New Years Day Afternoon Activity. I may get lucky and have a big aquarium light rig for my babies this year.
__________________
There is no logical response to the question, "Why won't you let me plant more tomatoes?"
Mojo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 7, 2009   #23
Mireille
Tomatovillian™
 
Mireille's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mirabel, Qc, Canada, zone 5
Posts: 103
Default

Second week of March for me.
Mireille is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 8, 2009   #24
TZ-OH6
Tomatovillian™
 
TZ-OH6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mid-Ohio
Posts: 847
Default

Since I learned that my seedlings grow much better with a bit of fertilizer applied after potting up I can get away with six weeks before last frost date. It doesn't matter if they stay in the pots for an extra week or two while I fiddle around getting the dirt ready between last frost date and actual planting so the seed gets started between April 1 and 15, and the plants go in the ground between May 20 and June 1.

It gets warm enough a month or two before last frost to put plants out during the day so I think I'll start some early varieties for containers in February. They should be small enough to fit in the windowsills until they can go out during the day.
TZ-OH6 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 8, 2009   #25
ruet
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Madrid, Spain
Posts: 42
Default

February 15th 2010... this year was my first year starting from seed. I started the first week of April — although all my varieties were set back as they dropped their first set of blossoms to heat (Cherokee Purple, Costoluto Genovese, Black Cherry) I don't expect to taste my first tomato until this weekend, and even then the fruit is a bit early because it's got BER. (thankfully the only one so far, knock on wood)

Here in Madrid the safe plant-out dates are mid-April.
ruet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 9, 2009   #26
newatthiskat
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: texas
Posts: 1,451
Default reply

I just have to say this year was awful in our area of East Texas. I put the plants out. Had surgery and that night had a freeze. Poor husband was out in the cold and freezing weather on April 6th trying to save my plants because even in my heavily drug induced state I was worried about them. Yes that is right April 6th and a freeze in East Texas. Bad thing is it happened a couple of times after that. Then poor Veggie babe got hit with a tornado that rearanged her garden. Then we had monsoons and then hot and more hot. We had about every extreme we could get including hail.
So when am I going to start seeds in 2010? between January 1-15 like I did this year. Peppers and egg plants first and week later the tomatoes. Because who knows what the weather will do. I am hoping for an actual spring next year.
Kat
newatthiskat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 9, 2009   #27
feldon30
Tomatovillian™
 
feldon30's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 5,346
Default

This was an awful year for S.E. Texas too. It was cold cold cold, and then blast furnace nonstop for months. Very much a fluke, and not something I expect to see again in my lifetime. I got 1/3 my usual production. I'm not sure I would make any planning decisions based on what happened this year.
__________________
[SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] *

[I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]
feldon30 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 10, 2009   #28
AZRuss
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 171
Default

I'm starting my seeds around December 13 for a February 1 plant-out. Late winter weather here was extremely cooperative in '09. (We paid for that dearly with a very dry, very hot summer.) Who knows about next year? That's the plan, though. I can always keep 'em inside a couple of weeks longer if need be.
AZRuss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 12, 2009   #29
tuttimato
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Gulf Coast USA
Posts: 17
Default

My weather was crazy this year but I got some excellent results by watching feldon. I started seeds the first week of January through the end of February. I planted the first ones the first week of March. June was so hot that they were all finished by the first week in July. I up-potted some of them 3 times and ate my first ripe one on April 30. That worked so well that I'll go for a repeat.
tuttimato is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 15, 2009   #30
Frog
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 141
Default

Well our typical last frost date is late April, but I normally put my tomatoes out under cover at the start of April bringing them indoors if a frost is forecast. I normally start my seeds in late Feb early March. Every year I think I've done it too early and promise myself I won't be so impatient the next year.
Frog 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 08:33 PM.


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