Fall Tomato plants III

As Flip was saying, the other thread "Fall Tomato plants II) was getting too long...so if everyone could start yakking on this thread now, that would be great!
You Florida folks...keep those pictures comin'!

Michelle

"Michelle, I'm not sure about the Jiffy Mix "thingies". They may be just fine but TP and I basically get the Jiffy Mix in a bag, moisten it, put it in either seedling trays or those cell things and then sow the seeds in them.
Sounds like you're really ready to go...I would do what you're doing - start some and hope it doesn't freeze and keep a bunch inside for later on!"

Flip, I carried your comment over from the other thread that was getting too long.
So, you can get jiffy mix in a bag? Well good grief! All I could find were the little pod cells. Are those no good? They look like a round hard pod, then you water it and it expands. Then you place the seed in and place it in the tray (mini green house is what they call it). Once it germinates and have a few leaves, I was planning on planting it deep in a bigger (5") container. Do you think that will work?

Thanks, Michelle

Chelle I know that TGS has Jiffy, I'm about to order some since my Wal-Mart doesn't carry the pods or the bags. So far what I want to grow this year is limited due to only having three EB's, and it's killing me. I can either grow 6 maters and only have one of each or three and have two of each.

List so far:

Sioux
Stupice
Eva Purple Ball
Homestead 24 F
Porter's Pride
Arkansas Traveler
Cherokee Purple
Black Cherry
Sugary
Sungold

The Stupice I've been told are the best bet to put in pots of my large tomatoes and then I'll also put the Cherry, Sugary and Sungold in pots.

All of these (except the cherries) are picked because they do well in our type of weather (humid and hot) and very few are late season (the Arkansas Traveler is the only one I think)

I'm about to order my Jiffy mix, messenger, heat mat, thermostat, seeds, walls of water, getting my warm and cool bulbs from Home Depot this weekend so as soon as the seeds come in I'll be ready to go

Michelle, thanks for starting this new thread up! I've heard of folks starting peppers in those Jiffy things and imagine you could start maters in them also, but I'd go the way of Carolyn's book and use the potting mix as I described.

Saint, I was also told (or read somehwere) that Stupice was a semi-det and would be a good EB companion for an indet or good for a pot. The Stupice I'm growing in the EB I got from Tplant is really big - bigger than the Red Brandywine it's sharing the EB with. You may need a really big pot for them.

Happy tomatoing
Flip

ok have a guestion...is a thermostat really needed?

araness -- If you use the heat mat from Parks Seed for $25.00 you may not need a thermostat as it maintains a constant temp. The plugs work well if you are doing a small planting but can be to expensive if you are planting 72 of them. Jiffy-7 plugs cost about$10.00 per hundred or so and can only be used once. Jiffy-Mix cost about $3.50 a bag and can be used twice.

Parks is killing me on shipping...HUMF! I bought the jippfy professional greenhouse 72 from TGS and some jiffy mix just in case I needed it for the second potting in the 4" pots. I already have the Tomato Miricle Grow, Ortho bug spray and I've ordered the Messenger and seeds so only thing left to order is a heat mat and walls of water (are they really needed?) and EB's. I"ll use 4 EB's for tomatoes and one for cucumbers. The herbs and radishes will have to be planted in pots. Anything I'm forgetting?

Ohhhhh I have so gotta hide the bank statement or Serg is gonna have a heart attack. These better be some REAL tasty maters......

Saint, did you check your Walmart for the 72 jiffy pods? I couldn't find any jiffy mix in a bag here locally yet. It was $5.96 for the 72 pods in the little plastic greenhouse thingie. They had a set of 12 for $1.97. The 72 was a better deal. I don't plan on planting all 72 obviously, but I'm growing seedlings for my parents, sister, friends, etc. as well.

I am going to use my Wall o waters (I only bought 3) on my first 3 strongest seedlings that I plant out so that IF there is a late freeze, they will be okay. According to the WOW package, they will protect your seedling all the way to 17 degrees F. Since it rarely gets that cold here, I should be safe. Then I will have 3 plants that I can plant really early. I have a Rutgers that I started for the Fall and he is only about 2" and I've transplated him twice. So he is going to be the first guy I put out...and I'll use the WOW for him.

My DH does all the banking and bugeting...no hiding the receipt from him.haha.

I ordered 6 of them (wow) lol wait till he starts filling all those EB's with potting soil...lol he's gonna freak! Ahhh humm ya might be starting a few plants for Susan too...I told her we could probably take care of the starting and then I'd pay for shipping. Her set out date is later than ours I'm sure.

I have the Ark Traveler that I want to set out as right after my stupice, not really worried about having to many tomatoes at one time, I just can't see it happening since for some reason I can't get these suckers to grow worth a diddly, if I do have to many I live in a neighborhood with tons of elderly people that I"m sure would love fresh veggies.

Saint

Here's some Stupice ripening up in the Earthbox. There's a ton of tomatos on this plant

BTB - it's supposed to get down to 40 here tonite. That's a little chilly for me!

Flip - How did the mater's tolerate the cold- Did you cover them last night? I am anxious for you! What about your plants Tplant?

-Kim

Hi Kim - everything's fine in Miami - it only got down to 40. It's reaaalllly nice outside today, 54 as we type. All is well. I've already done my regularly scheduled Messenger/foilar combo spray this a.m. Thanks for your concern!
Flip

Everything fine here. Temps must go below 45 deg. for several hours and that usually does not happen here in So. Fl. although it has happened but rarely. However the cold snap encourages fruit production.

Fried green tomatos tonite courtesy of the Hawaiian Pinapple

Made sure my EBs were filled with water and all my tomato plants staked properly as it was windy out there today. The wind stopped blowing just before sunset and then the temp started to take a nose dive. It's going to hit forty tonite but at 6am which is OK because when the sun comes up the temps rise quite rapidly and by noon it will probably be in the 50's. I to will be spraying messenger and the Ortho garden disease in the later part of Sunday. All spraying should be done early AM or towards sunset especially with messenger as it breaks down rapidly in sun light. My tomatos are really starting to produce although unlike Flip mine still have at least two weeks to go before I can take a bite but this weather should give them a kickstart. Just threw another log into the fireplace and it looks and feels good. Now if I was a drinking man a brandy would go well just now but I take to many medications to enjoy such luxury.

Well got m Messenger today, I have to say I am very impressed with the speed EDEN Bioscience Corp works. They even gave me the amount to use for a quart. Parks order should be here by Tue or Wed but I haven't heard anything for TGS about if the order was sent, processed etc.

Time for a couple of pics. Here's today's pickin's. From left to right: Hawaiian Pineapple (or not), Jaune Negib, Chris Ukrainian, Stupice, Lida Ukrainian and Popovich. (Plus a couple of Gypsy peppers) Plz disregard the background sink, etc.

Here's a cluster of Tangellas gettin' ripe.

Here's a shot of this year's new garden that's turned into a tomato jungle. Twelve plants in about 25'x10' and growing well outside the sides and back
Flip

good grief Flip! Saint and I are on the phone right with each other right now and checking out and coveting your maters and your garden!!
Michelle :)

Hey Flip -- I know you bought a truck load of some type of soil at the beginning of the season but what was in it? Those tomatos are unreal !!! Congratulations...Are you sure you are the real Flip of last year????

Ok started my seeds today...keeping my fingers crossed I've done everything right and my seedlings will be stocky, healthy plants...I've unpacked the 5 EB's (just don't ask what I had to do to get em) my Walls of Water, Jiffy mix etc. Garage is still being sheetrocked from hurricane Rita and I've really gotta get my fanny in gear and finish mudding and sanding so we can pant and put the doors back up. While that is going on I'll set up my shop light (warm & cool bulbs) in the spare bedroom so Mr. Seedlings can get plenty of light in a few days when they start poppin up.

and of course another...I have the mat sitting on 80, is this to high? Should I pop it down to around 75? The inside of the house sits at about 68 or so.

Ok. I have had enough of seeing Flip's tomatoes. I am going to Florida!

Flip, what are you doing the weekend of 2/4-5???? I am gonna track you and TPlant down - my tomato soul mates!

-Kim

Kim - get Tplant on your way down! Sounds like fun.

Saint - your seedling set up looks great. (Speaking of hurricane fix-up, just got the $$ from the insurance company for the combined Katrina/Wilma damage)

Michelle - I can't wait for you to get going. Then, I better see some pics of your stuff.

Tplant - nothing special in the dirt. Just a 50/50 mix of soil and sand. It's not sterile either; it comes with the normal assortment of weeds. The real Flip is here now. Last year I was the unreal Flip, what with mediocre seedlings, over-fertililizing, wrongly spraying and too many bad buggies. I just followed directions from the experts and here we are.

Hey Kim -- Are you really coming down next month? If you are we can all meet at Flip's place if it's OK with him! We live a mere 30 or so miles away from each other.

Hey TP, I think she's coming. I got a Dmail from her last nite and she said she would pick you up on her way down to my place. I think it would be neat! I just need a day/time so I can clue in my family and maybe clean the joint up a bit!

Here's another batch from today - some of these were hiding from me yesterday.
L to R:Tangellla, Jaune Negib, Chris Ukrainian, Jaune Flammee and two each of the purported Hawaiian Pineapples (the biggun tipped in at 2lb 2oz)

Here's the older garden jungle on the other side of the yard

Great!

Tplant you have dmail - I sent it before I read this thread.

Got the mail Flip and I am really excited. We will have a fantastic time!

araness--do you really need the heat mat down here? Mine are just out in the garage under lights and several of the varities (all the hanging basket varieties) were germinating in a record 5 days. I use seed starting mixture in regular seedling flats tho--I'll get out there and take a pic later today.

aries--I'm so jealous of your "jungle" really looks great; give us 2 monthes and we'll have some good pics too (I hope!).

Deb

Deb, can't wait for all you Texas ladies to get your gardens going. Then us good ol' boys from S. Fla can see some pics of some Texas-size maters.

BTB - I could not wait to taste test the big orange mater above. It was fantastic - sweet and tomatoey and pleasing to the eye - all golden yellow inside. Also tasted the Tangella and it was not sweet but had a nice sharp flavor.

Flip

I was staking up several sprawling vines because I was losing more than I wanted to to the ground/rot/etc. While stringing up a Brianna, I found my first ever big pink.(I am an OP rookie you know)

Also, while rearranging my Noir de Crimee, this nice lookin' mater showed up - with an appendage. I daren't speculate on how this may have come to be. I will only eat MOST of this one!
Flip

ROFLMAO...I am so not gonna say what comes to mind...bad bad bad Saint!

Yes, it looks very interesting!! ~ Suzi :)

I am sure that is the tastiest part you will be missing out on Flip ;)

See you next month! BTW did you know 2/5 is Superbowl Sunday - this is not a problem is it?

-Kim