Hi First post, so please be gentle. I finally moved to a property with a large patio (south/east facing) and was wondering what the best type of tomato was to grow in the Vancouver local, and which is the sweetest type? and when does the season start. Also, is it OK to plant several plants in a 5 gallon pot? Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the forum. I am pretty sure that a 5-gallon container is good for only one Tomato plant. You could try to grow more than one but I am afraid the plants will not do well enough. I don't live in Vancouver so can't answer the part of your question related to the Vancouver growing conditions. Here were I live we plant Tomatoes in the ground after the last frost date, which is about 25th of May. If no one living in your area will chime in, my advice for you is to check what is the last frost date for Vancouver. Since then you can safely keep your plant outside. I suppose you are going to buy a seedling ready, so ask the supplier what they recommend for you.
Thanks Sundrop, we don't really get a frost here in Vancouver past February so maybe our season starts a bit sooner. I will go to a nursery and get some first hand info on this endeavour. Thanks again.
I am not the best tomato grower, but they like warm conditions. Depending on the summer and where you are in the Vancouver area, you may need to take extra measures to get the tomatoes to thrive and ripen. Here at the garden, tomatoes, pepper, and other heat loving plants are grown under plastic cover. Some people use special mulches etc. For me cherry tomatoes have always been the easiest to grow. I would not put them outside until nights have warmed up. Even after living here 10 years, I am not sure when that is. I don't think they can go outside until at least May. I sometimes just put out some plants early to try. Seeds and plants are not that expensive, you can always plant more. Also good to look for cool climate varieties. Vancouver is a great place for cool season crops--peas, potatoes, cabbage family.
Good advice Eric. I will wait for at least middle of May. I will probably start with the cherry type just for their simplicity, and do some experimenting with other type as well.
I also have limited experience with tomatoes, but on my patio I have not put them out until after the May long weekend. I am trying them in our garden plot this year and don't plan to plant them out until around the first weekend of June. As per usual, I will refer you to West Coast Seeds as they have good growing advice for our area: http://www.westcoastseeds.com/how-to-grow/Vegetable-Seeds/Tomato-Seeds/
There are different approaches as to when to plant Tomatoes outside. Many experienced, achieving very good results gardeners believe that the plants should have enough time to get established, develop good roots and for acclimatization before they go into production, and move them outside as soon as there is no danger of frost. We have shorter growing season than you have in Vancouver, so every day counts here. The last frost date for Vancouver is March 28. You have much longer growing season, so you can afford the delay in planting outside until the weather gets drier and warmer, but I would definitely not wait as long as the end of May. Even if in the container the plants have opportunity to get well established before the container is moved outside, still they benefit from being well adjusted to the outside weather before they have to put all their strength and resources into production.
Thanks Sundrop - there is a parallel thread on tomatoes and Vitog mentioned that it is possible to grow under a cloche as early as late April! I've asked for more information as I may give this a try as it makes sense to plant out sooner than later if possible! As I mentioned, I have limited experience so I definitely enjoy all this learning, and appreciate the great people on this forum willing to share their experiences!
Aloha, and welcome to the forum. Another suggestion: The little yellow pear tomatoes do fairly well for me here in Anacortes.
I like the little yellow pears, too. Here http://kootenaygardening.com/garden_vegetable_heirloom.htm you can see some of the Tomatoes in the garden of the best Tomato gardener I have ever met personally. You can read about his approach, too. Unfortunately, Dan is no longer with us.
