Is it too late to plant tomato seeds for this year?

[Snapdragon]

Was planning on growing tomatoes from seed and the time got away from me. Is it too late? If not, which varieties do you use? Need something disease resistant since ours seem to be prone to blight.

 

[Tryin']

We usually start ours in early March, so I would say you have time. We do mostly romas and cherries. We order from Gurney's.

 

[Expat]

No, not too late at all. What kind of tomatoes are you looking for. If paste, the Roma VF is pretty wilt resistant.

 

[Snapdragon]

No, not too late at all. What kind of tomatoes are you looking for. If paste, the Roma VF is pretty wilt resistant.

Not paste so much as just eating tomatoes. Maybe a cherry and a couple of others. Don't really want any ginormous beefsteaky types. Just medium sized.

 

[Expat]

Not paste so much as just eating tomatoes. Maybe a cherry and a couple of others. Don't really want any ginormous beefsteaky types. Just medium sized.

I can't help much with others, other than suggesting you look at the descriptions and look for wilt resistance. One thing to note, the newer hybrids that are more resistant, people say they don't have the flavor of the older varieties that have little resistance.

 

[dnurk]

Tagging for future interest

 

[Born2vette]

I am a fan of sweet 100s or supersweet 100s for cherry tomatoes, celebrity hybrid tomatoes may be a good all around tomato for salads, slicing or just eating. As mentioned above the hybrids are not thought to be generally as flavorful as heirloom varieties but any you grow will be tons better than store bought.

 

[jerrob]

I start mine at the end of March since I've begun doing all of my "warm weather" starts in 100% worm castings, seems to help keep em from getting too leggy. As stated above, the first of March is more than enough time to have healthy starts ready, especially if you're not transplanting outside til Mother's Day.
Happy gardening!

 

[Jaybird1980]

Sometime in the first couple weeks of March for me. Usually I start some the first week and then a few more 10-14 days later.

 

[Snapdragon]

OK, now that I know I'm not too late, is there any harm in starting them early?

 

[Expat]

OK, now that I know I'm not too late, is there any harm in starting them early?

You may have to repot them as they would have time to get pretty big. And there is the keeping them fed and watered and enough light.

 

[Jaybird1980]

OK, now that I know I'm not too late, is there any harm in starting them early?

Do you grow them in a pot or ground after you transplant?

 

[jerrob]

OK, now that I know I'm not too late, is there any harm in starting them early?

Not if you have the ability to care for the larger starts. Picture the ones at the big box hardware stores, outside on the mobile racks................... that size or bigger.
You'll need adequate lighting, airflow and drainage, you'll possibly be fighting off fungus gnats if you don't take precautions, but definitely doable.

 

[Snapdragon]

Do you grow them in a pot or ground after you transplant?

Pots.

 

[Snapdragon]

Not if you have the ability to care for the larger starts. Picture the ones at the big box hardware stores, outside on the mobile racks................... that size or bigger.
You'll need adequate lighting, airflow and drainage, you'll possibly be fighting off fungus gnats if you don't take precautions, but definitely doable.

OK, then I think I can handle it.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Pots.

I thought I remembered you doing it in pots.

When they get bigger, just move them to the pots you intend to use and then you can put them outside on warmer days and bring them in if it gets to cold and nights.

Neem and baking soda can keep the bugs and fungus under control.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I think I remember you had blight bad last year.

Make sure to disinfect the pots and use new soil.

 

[jerrob]

Just a tip nobody asked for.
If you're using store bought potting/starting soil, open it up and dump it inside a 5 gallon bucket(s), then pour boiling water over it and mix well. This little step will kill off any unwanted critters and their eggs that live rent free in that bag of soil ya just bought.........................especially those damn gnats.

 

[smokingman]

It is not to late at all.
For blight. Colloidal silver(science... https://thesilveredge.com/study-the...he-white-rot-of-the-green-onion/#.VZ7CnvlViko and https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_G-75_1-Jun-93.pdf ).

Clip of the EPA link "
Silver was first registered as a pesticide in the United States in 1954, for use
in disinfectants, sanitizers and fungicides. Currently, about 80 pesticide
products are registered which contain silver as an active ingredient."

We had huge problems with tomato blight in Minnesota. The cooler weather and shorter days played a role to be sure. We used MESOsilver purchased from amazon.Cap full on each stalk base and a spay bottle to spray all the leaves.It worked and saved 16 of the 17 tomato plants we had growing.

 

[Twangbanger]

Has anybody had luck using soapy water to kill fungus gnats? It works on all other insect problems I've encountered, but for some reason it's not as effective as I'd like on the gnats, and I've been applying it in every weekly watering since the beginning of the year now. I thought I would have broken the insect life cycle by now.

The baking soda idea is new to me, but I will try it. Does it affect soil alkalinity, and do you need to adjust pH?