Hello everyone! I have planted a bunch of different types of tomato plants indoors in little seed starting pots. They all have germinated, and are looking pretty healthy. I "tickle" them everyday to strengthen them, and I put a two foot fluorescent light over them, about an inch away from the seedlings. Some of them have little tiny true leaves sprouting up. Any tips to care for these little guys? I live in a cooler area, so last year i did not get any ripe tomatoes... I got three green ones, but they were killed by frost before they could ripen. I really want to grow tomatoes that actually ripen this year! Does anyone have any advice about growing great tomatoes? If you don't have any advice, please tell me what you are growing this year! Is anyone else growing tomatoes right now? What varieties are you growing? Thank you! ~tgplp
To get ripe tomatoes west of the Cascades, you need to plant early varieties. Don't try Beefsteak or other large, late varieties. I've grown many varieties, including Early Girl, Ultra Girl, Sweet Million, and Tiny Tim; and they all have done fine, usually ripening almost all of the fruit that sets during the summer. I usually start the plant from seed during March, although I would like to start earlier. Last year I think that I didn't start the seeds until April and still had an excellent crop, but we had help from record-breaking high temperatures last summer. One thing that really gives tomatoes (and peppers) a good start is to plant them under a cloche or similar device. I use a tunnel cloche made of 2 mil plastic supported by hoops about 2 ft high and 4 ft wide. I keep the plants covered until they outgrow the cloche, which is approximately when they start blooming. By that time the weather has warmed up and the plants are well on their way. The initial boost results in indeterminate tomato plants reaching heights of 6 to 8 ft.
Thanks vitog! I am growing some early varieties, even some that say they grow well in cooler weather. The early tomatoes i am growing are Glacier, Stupice, and Siletz. I hope i can get some ripe tomatoes this year. ~tgplp
I've grown Stupice in the past and gotten good crops. I didn't think that it tasted as good as some of the other varieties; so I've stopped growing this variety. However, everyone's perception of taste differs, and you might really like it. It's alway worthwhile to experiment with different varieties.
Vitog, I'm glad that you got a good crop of Stupice. Right now, I don't really care what the tomatoes taste like. I just want to grow at least one ripe tomato! Have you ever heard of a Red Robin tomato? Or a Glacier tomato? Some seed packets are coming in the mail for me, and I can't wait to start growing them! The Red Robin is a small, dwarf variety that grows little red cherry tomatoes. It gets to be about a foot high, and i plan on growing it in a pot, inside, on a windowsill. The Glacier is another early, cold tolerant tomato. I thought it might be able to grow better in my area. Also, last night my seedlings suddenly seemed to get a whole lot darker in color. They are now a dark green, purpley-brown. Only some of the seedlings got darker. Is this normal? Thanks! ~tgplp
Dark green seedlings are normally good; it means that they are getting enough light and nitrogen. Purple is not so good, since it can indicate a shortage of phosphorous. I grew some tomato seedlings using only fish fertilizer, and they had leaves with purple undersides. They also grew very slowly. After I fortified the fish fertilizer with some 18-18-18 chemical fertilizer, the tomatoes really took off. It was even more effective on my pepper seedlings, which seem to require very fertile soil. There are organic alternatives that can be used; the important thing is to supply plenty of nutrients to the growing seedlings. PS: I haven't grown the other tomato varieties that you mentioned, but I'm sure that any small variety will do well.
Oh, good! I have some 20-20-20 fertilizer, so maybe that should do the trick! Thanks for the help, my seedlings thank you as well. Oh, and also, has anyone used liquid seaweed fertilizer for tomatoes? I read on some website that you can use it to give the tomato plants all the minerals and stuff they need... should i try this when the seedlings get older? ~tgplp
