TOMATOES season 2012 starting soon in zone 8a

I am getting all my supplies and seeds ready to start my tomato season of 2012.
I will use ROOT ORGANIGS soil medium and my heating mat to start my tomatoes seedlings.
This year I will start the larger tomatoes first and after the cherry size ones (which they have no problem on our hot weather). The larger tomatoes will not take the heat like the smaller ones, so I am starting them earlier.
The date below are suggested by the "2012 North American biodynamic sowing and planting calendar" by Maria Thun.
I have been following her calendar for a while now and it works like "magic"

December "FRUIT crop" planting dates:
15, 16, 17 December 2011: I will plant my larger size tomatoes (ex. Celebrity, BHN444, Black Krim, Cheroke Purple ...)
24, 25 December 2011: I will plant my cherry tomatoes (ex. Sweet 100, Gold Nudget, Sungold ...)

Good luck !

Good luck with them! You're exactly three months earlier than me - I'll plant tomato seeds indoors about the middle of March.

It doesn't seem like there would be THAT big a difference in seasons between Zones 8a and 6a, but I guess there is. Experience has shown that there's no use transplanting tomatoes into the ground here before the first week of May. If I push the season and transplant them in April, and if we don't get a late killing frost, it still doesn't do any good to put them out early. They'll just sit there in the cool soil without growing until - May.

So, if I want six-week old plants to put out in May I sow the seeds indoors in mid-March. Your schedule is a lot different - are you growing tomatoes in a greenhouse or do you like your seedlings much older than 6 to 8 weeks? Surely you can't transplant tomato seedlings outdoors into the ground in February, can you?

Yes, my goal is to be able to transplant my tomatoes outside on february 20th or around that date (depending what the moon calendar tells me)
Remember last year? I had 3 months of tons of tomatoes ...weehhh
Yes 6a and 8a are very different zones. Even from 8 to 9 (all in TX) but very different.
I dunno have a greenhouse ... just a shelf in my laundry room.

Dreaming of tomatoes ... yummy ...

I start seeds indoors around Christmas time and expect to plant out around Valentine's Day. I have some sliding glass patio doors that we replaced with energy efficient french doors and may use them for a cold frame on the raised beds to warm the soil.

That's some mouth-watering pictures drthor.

I have lots of tomato friends in TX, in different zones, and those in S TX in 8 and 9 growing zones, especially the 8b and 9a ones don't start seeds until from Xmas to the first week of January.

Then they want to put about 6-9 inch transplants roughly the last of Feb/ear/y March so they get fruit set before the high heat appears.

SOmeof them just ignore the plants when all that blossom drop occurs during the summer due to high heat and high sustained humidity, of which the latter clumps pollen, and then start new ones for a Fall crop.

If one does that it's indet and midseason varieties for the Spring crop and early and midseason ones for the Fall crop.

Since cherry tomatoes grow at a faster rate I'm one of many who starts them after the indet and det varieties b'c they, the cherries, quickly outgrow the others. After all, they're closest to the wild tomatoes in terms of ultimate origin, so do show that faster growth rate.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

Last year we had snow and it was below freezing mid to end of Feb. Lol Ive found that if I plant out too early, even if they are protected, the plants dont grow or set fruit any earlier then the plants that go out after the weather has stabilized (for the most part). So I dont plant out until the end of March beginning of April.

We dont ususlly have humidity like the rest of this huge state gets.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1159852/
This was last year. Some of us really did work very hard, but we had great results.
Myself I had more than 3 months of continuous tomato harvest !
I will hope the same for this year.
I wish y'all the best

I remember last year. I planted out much later had great results for at least 3 months and didn't have to work too hard. Then the heat/drought,deer and other things kicked in. This is the 1st time in 20 yrs gardening here that I didn't have fall tomatoes. Despite the oppressive heat we had an early freeze, only in TX. Lol.

Still wondering how the plants get a decent root system when it's so cold? I understand the plants can be protected to some degree, but the ground is still cold. We had snow and broken pipes at the mid to end of Feb. Very cold!

1lisac, last year I put my tomatoes out the first week in March. I used the red plastic mulch and the clear plastic with holes from Territorial. I cannot say that the red plastic did anything as far as actual tomato production or development; but it did keep the weeds down and it did, with the combination of the clear plastic, warm the soil temps up by about 10 degrees on a sunny day. I originally set up this system due to the constant and sometimes heavy winds we get out at my house. The previous year my tomatoes were torn to shreads by the wind. It did work for the wind problem. Once it warms up towards May or so the winds seem to die back a little although this past year it was windy almost all the time (a combination of winds and high heat had a blow-dryer effect on all my plants this past summer). So I watched the temps (soil and air) and once they are acceptable I removed the clear plastic and the cattle panels and Florida weave worked very well with the winds.

Test from new 4g
I am trying to show fall mater crop. Juliet is awesome...fall taste is better than cp for salads, and drying...please excuse my new phone...I want to if this works...i ordered my fall seeds today...

It works....I ordered rutgers, cp, early girl bush, juliet, sun gold....I have big beef, and I also want to order indian stripe...can't find...top serloin can't find...dona....can't find...plus a few others.....Can someone help me with the varieties I can't find?

BTW.... this works for me for protecting my spring plants from cold temps, and wind protection. When we are exspecting a freeze I place t-shirts over the young plants inside the cages / plastic around the cages to protect from a freeze. In 7 years I have never lost a plant from a freeze in the spring.......Please see next post for a picture.

This message was edited Dec 10, 2011 8:40 PM

This message was edited Dec 10, 2011 9:01 PM

How I protect my young plants from the cold, and wind.....
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=8367794

OK I guess Im just lazy and I cant spend the money on the walls of water. I plant about 100 tomato plants each spring then in June I direct sow some seeds for a Fall crop. to be honest these usually do the best.

Im a small commercial grower so Im so busy with everybody elses plants and 2 teenagers activities that many times my gardens come in last. I dont have a constant problem with wind but I have decided to conduct an experiment this coming season. Im going to purchase those walls of water on sale and put 10-15 plants (maybe less) in ground at the beginning of March. If there is no snow and it is not freezing at that moment and no hard freezes are prodicted at that time. Im in the Hill Country and Hutto can be 10-15* warmer then here. Im just in a strange microclimate. Many times its at least 5* warmer in DT Liberty Hill then out here. BUT Im going to give it a try and consider it an experiment. It will be interesting to see what the difference in DTM will be between the early plant outs and the regular plant outs.

This message was edited Dec 20, 2011 2:44 PM

I wont be even starting my tomato seeds until the beginning to middle of Jan. That will make the early ones about 6 weeks old at transplant time. Last year it was 8* on Valentines Day, when I sowed the last batch of seeds. Those plants did great until the heat set in.

I have a commercial order to start at the beginning of Jan. but those plants are destine for the San Antonio area and South. I will be startig peppers and Eggplant at this time for my area. Just to give an idea of the temp differences its been at or below freezing every morning this week, and its 42* now.

1Lisac,
We've had almost the same temps here all week, in the early morning hours. It climbs up to about 50-55* during the daytime.

My long season indeterminates need an avg. 90-120 dtm. Last season (Jan) my sown seedlings were 8" by mid-Feb, but I was too preoccupied and too chicken to go ahead and plant them out. This year, the hoop is in place, and they're going out by Feb 15th. Hopefully, I'll be finished picking tomatoes by June 15th to make room for the next wave which I'll direct sow outdoors for a fall crop.

Linda

Sink or swim!

I think my colder 6a climate is easier to grow tomatoes in than your 8 and 9 Zones there in Texas. There's no question of my being able to transplant tomatoes into the ground in February or March, and experience has shown it doesn't do me much good to put them out in April, either. Nope, I've gotta wait until May when the ground gets nice and warm - so I plant my seeds indoors in March.

BUT - in a normal year I'll then have ripe tomatoes through the last part of July, and all of August, September, and October. Our mid-summer hot spell may keep tomatoes from setting on for a few weeks, but there should be lots of green tomatoes on the plants before that starts, and heat doesn't keep them from ripening.

So, though my season is shorter I think I've got it easier. Our summers aren't hot enough to force me into putting tomatoes out too early and then having to protect them against the cold.

Speaking of cold temps. It got down to 24 deg one night earlier this past week, and 28 deg the next night. I wrapped one plant ( super plant) w/ several layers of sheets, and a thin blanket. I put a heating pad, and light bulb inside the wrapped cage. The plant survived, and is still kicking.

I am going to try to save until at least Christmas.

WOW !
You is the "tomato hero"

The extended forecast looks promising.

drthor......I am not sure about "tomato hero".........but this plant won't die. It made it through the summer drought this past year, and I am going to try to keep this plant alive as long as I can. I have posted about this plant on this forum. It is a "super plant". It's like the old Timex watch.........."just keeps on ticking"

drthor........tell me about "ROOT ORGANIGS soil medium". I have never heard of it. I have always used Jiffy Mix.

Wow I just went through the thread you linked. A really good thread. This forum is like a garden diary for me...........I just remembered that the plant I pictured above is the plant I pick my first ripe tomato from on my birthday April 28th. That evening I made my first garden salad of the 2011 year, and watched The King's Speech for the second time. This same plant will provide me w/ my last garden picked tomato for 2011.....maybe 2012.....

This message was edited Dec 11, 2011 10:41 AM

This message was edited Dec 11, 2011 10:48 AM

hornstrider - What variety is your "super tomato" plant? If it's not a hybrid, you might want to save seeds from that one and keep those desirable characteristics going. I'm thinking maybe there's been a mutation that's helping it to survive in difficult conditions.

We usually select for tomato flavor and productivity - but from the way it's loaded with green tomatoes in December it's obvious that plant is productive. Hardiness against cold and drought are some valuable qualities, too.

Ozark......we have discused this plant a couple of months ago......I purchased the plant, and it labled a early girl bush....you told me the same thing before, but carolyn said it was a hybred eg bush....I will save seeds anyway, because it is a remarkable plant...the taste is just ok...better than store baught...I am on my 4g again...sorry for the mistakes ect....thank you once again

hornstrider, I discovered Roots Organic a few years ago when I went to buy my grow lights from Texas Hydroponics.
I am no expert, but before using this medium I had the hardest time to grow anything or killing by over fertilizing or other.
With this medium I can grow everything and it grows so good with NO NEED of fertilizing.
In fact I don't do anything .. just watch and grow.
The only problem is that the seedling grow really fast ... so you need to get your timing right.
The seedling will grow fast and very very healthy and produce happily in the garden.
I am happy too, because I don't do much ....

below some info ... again ... I am no expert


Roots Organic Soil 1.5 Cu Ft
Its recipe enables better drainage and encourages a vigorous root structure. Created with only fine natural and organic ingredients: coco fiber, peat moss, perlite, pumice, premium worm castings, bat guano, kelp, fish bone meal, soy bean meal and much more. Aurora Innovations has spared no expense in designing the ideal soil for rapid growing plants.


http://www.texashydroponics.com/shop/product.php?productid=2930&cat=102&page=1

drthor....Thank you. We have a Texas Hydroponics.in Austin. I will check it out.

That's great. Also check out all the Roots Organics fertilizers.
They are great.

This message was edited Dec 12, 2011 12:28 PM

I go by there a couple times a year to purchase mycorrhizae. I will also check into their fertilizers. Thanks again