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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Jan 27, 2017 19:13:42 GMT -5
I will do direct seeding again this year. Some are already in the ground and some on the ground. This question isn't aimed at any one person. But if one were to direct seed tomatoes (and/or TPS i guess) wouldn't one want to plant them very shallowly since the seeds are so small? Or are these things best planted on top of the soil in the fall so that they shallowly plant themselves by spring/summer? Direct seeding tomatoes sounds like a pretty cool idea, but i imagine if planted too deeply they might fail to grow. often i have trouble with carrot seeds, but they seem to like shallow planting as well. |
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Post by walt on Jan 28, 2017 13:06:25 GMT -5
For years after my grandparents moved to town, abandoning grandma's garden, my mother would take me every year to help pick a bushel of volunteer tomatoes. They were Yellow Pear and Red Cherry. I have no idea what sub-variety of course. But they were producing well with no tilling, no irrigation, no attention at all. In south central Kansas that is impressive.
So I guess that tomato seeds, at least those varieties, can grow from seeds on the surface. O, sure, there was a lot of cheatgrass (annual brome, Bromus tectorum and/or B. japonicum) which sort of mulched, but also sort of tried to choke them.
One way of planting small seeds that don't need light to germinate is to put the seeds on top of the soil in a very shallow row, an inch maybe, then mound a couple inches soil over them. Check regularly to see if there is germination. When some are germinated, rake away the soil that was mounded over them. Don't rake deep enough to disturb the seeds. This leaves rather loose soil over the germinating seeds and the seedlings come up quickly and easily.
I have done this once, in soil that was clay and prone to for a hard surface crust. This removed the crust and let the seeds come right up. Obviously, you have to check regularly or they will die before they get up.
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Post by imgrimmer on Jan 28, 2017 15:54:56 GMT -5
I sow TPS in the cold frame can`t remember exactly how deep but the same way like other vegetables. In a row and sligtly tilled with a fork ( this one you use in the garden. don`t know the word in english) Germination quote was good.
Last years tomatoes came from fruits only smashed on the ground. It was not exacly intended seeding more a coincidence but I am still wonder how to do it this spring. I smashed some fruits again last autumn others will follow in spring in proper rows.
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Post by diane on Mar 17, 2017 13:21:45 GMT -5
One thing that I have rarely mentioned about my tomato breeding efforts, is that I am also attempting to undo the double bottleneck that afflicted tomatoes: Once when they were taken from Peru to Mexico, and again when they were taken from Mexico to Europe. Joseph this got me thinking a lot about what domestic South American tomato diversity must be like. Wouldn't it be cool to visit a bunch of traditional tomato Gardeners in Peru? Richters Seed Zoo (in Canada) is selling these tomato seeds from Peru. www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=SeedZoo/seedzoo.htmlTarapoto Jungle Tomato This is a very special tomato that thrives in hot humid climates where tomatoes normally struggle due to disease. It is adapted to very hot humid areas of the Peruvian Amazon. The plants are said to grow with no aid from man and they produce abundant crops of small salad size juicy tomatoes. |
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Post by imgrimmer on Apr 18, 2017 13:02:03 GMT -5
I will do direct seeding again this year. Some are already in the ground and some on the ground. Some volunteers are already sprouting outside. I have plastic boxes with my other tomatoes seedlings in the yard. They are only slightly bigger than the volunteers. I am happy  |
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Post by SteveB on Apr 18, 2017 13:54:59 GMT -5
When I was younger we had volunteers every year from the same yard waste pile. Must have continued for at least five years. The only intervention was us picking the tomatoes.
I noticed today that I may have some self seeded peppers sprouting. I have to go take a closer look, but I'm interested to see as they are a variety that has shown cool germination and lasted the longest in the fall.
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Post by imgrimmer on Apr 19, 2017 3:39:04 GMT -5
When I was younger we had volunteers every year from the same yard waste pile. Must have continued for at least five years. The only intervention was us picking the tomatoes. I noticed today that I may have some self seeded peppers sprouting. I have to go take a closer look, but I'm interested to see as they are a variety that has shown cool germination and lasted the longest in the fall. How cold is your winter? I`d like to test peppers too. But I have only too few seeds of my own variety to take the risk . Tonight we had some frost only a few degrees below zero °C (32°F) the volunteers doing well. Thats a good start. |
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Post by farmermike on Apr 19, 2017 10:15:59 GMT -5
I have several chiltepines still hanging around from 2015. 'Texas' from NSS. This past winter they stayed outside in 1/2 gallon pots, since I had pretty much written them off. Our low was ~26F this year, but they were sheltered by some deciduous trees. The three plants are sprouting back nicely. I think I'll start taking care of them again!
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Post by SteveB on Apr 19, 2017 11:28:50 GMT -5
When I was younger we had volunteers every year from the same yard waste pile. Must have continued for at least five years. The only intervention was us picking the tomatoes. I noticed today that I may have some self seeded peppers sprouting. I have to go take a closer look, but I'm interested to see as they are a variety that has shown cool germination and lasted the longest in the fall. How cold is your winter? I`d like to test peppers too. But I have only too few seeds of my own variety to take the risk . Tonight we had some frost only a few degrees below zero °C (32°F) the volunteers doing well. Thats a good start. this year has not dipped to frost in April. Rarely in the past 6 years have we dipped to the teens Celsius. |
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Post by walt on Apr 26, 2017 18:09:35 GMT -5
After a long unseasonably warm spring, it has turned cold. Near freezing, but not quite freezing, temperatures predicted hightly for the rest of the week.
So I'm thinking that maybe instead of going with tomatoes that can germinate and grow in cold soil, which might put seedlings up before the last killing frost, lack of ability to start in cold soil might be good.
Just a thought. I'm still planning to select for cold germination. But this is something to concider.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 27, 2017 1:46:58 GMT -5
There are about 10 of these growing in the garden. My best guess on such young seedlings is solanum peruvianum.  |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 27, 2017 1:51:30 GMT -5
In theory the frost / cold tolerant strains wouldn't even be phased by 33 F. At my place, I figure that on clear nights, I should subtract about 8 degrees F from the air temperature, to get the radiant cooling temperature that is experienced by the leaves. Many mornings, I have checked on the tomatoes, and the leaves were frozen in the morning. Then thawed out and continued growing. |
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Post by imgrimmer on Apr 27, 2017 14:19:39 GMT -5
There are about 10 of these growing in the garden. My best guess on such young seedlings is solanum peruvianum. It resembled most the seedlings of L.parviflorum I have here. But I don`t have peruvianum seedlings to compare. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 27, 2017 19:39:01 GMT -5
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Apr 27, 2017 23:30:58 GMT -5
If I direct seed some tomatoes outside of the fence in the garden expansion will the deer eat them? Deer, marmots, antelope, goats, cows, elk, turkeys, crows, squirrels, whatever!!!! |
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