Tomatoes 2008

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?INKUM 31 January 2008 Starting tomato seeds. Pictures of method.
The little plastic bags keep the humidity level high, and the pots need no watering. The other choice is to keep a high humidity level in a growing room, which is difficult in a living area.

Two plants of each of the following varities were chosen: Cherokee purple, Mortgage lifter, Better boy, Burpee big boy, Black krim, Black Prince, Pilgrim, Japanese momotaro, Better boy, Pink girl, Green zebra, Japanese black trefle, Marglobe supreme, and one plant of Sweet million. Black Prince is my favorite for flavour, it is not overly large.

Three seeds were placed in each pot, and the stronger will be chosen when they germinate. The other two will be cut off at soil level. A total of 27 plants.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?MYOZW 6 February 2008 Seeding growth after 6 Days.
Probably humidity does more to encourage germination than soil moisture, and since the seeds are close to the soil surface, the seeds tend to dry out rather quickly if not in a high humidity environment. The top of the clear plastic covers are opened when the seedlings are about one or two inches high.

I use this procedure for all my seed starting, and it appears to promote germination without further care until sprouted. Tomato germination was 100%, or at least one plant was produced in each pot. All the tomato seeds have now sprouted, except for mortgage lifter-first time grown. Some plants are an inch high. This is four days from planting to germination. This is evidence that the little miniature plastic bag greenhouses really work. Seeds planted on 31 Jan and all up on 4 Feb.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?WMASG 27 February 2008 Tomato Seedlings Thriving. Mortgage Lifter has now germinated.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?CLKYO 11 March 2008 Transplanting Tomato Plant.

The tomato plant is placed into a larger pot about one gallon size. This pot will be placed in the greenhouse, until ready to place in the garden about the 24 of May. A coffee filter is placed in the bottom of the pot to prevent earth from spilling out the drain holes, and a plastic bag is place around the outside of the pot to prevent water seepage, whilst kept inside the house.The first leaves are cut off, and the plant is placed in a paper bag to keep the roots contained so the roots are not disturbed, and the tomato plants is covered with earth to slightly above the first leaves. Roots will form from the buried stem.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?KXLRA 16 March 2008 Tomatoes in Greenhouse. It warmed up a bit.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?FQZGF 20 March 2008 All Tomatoes in Greenhouse

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?AUBLG 28 March 2008 Tomato Growth 56 Days.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?XTFMH 10 April 2008 Conditioning Tomatoes and pictures of support system.
Outside temperature was 15 C with some sun so tomatoes were placed outside greenhouse to condition the tomatoes to cooler temperatures.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?OTZFM 15 May 2008 Tomato growth update. It is still too cold to put into the ground. I move plants into the shed at night when frost is forecast.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?VAHGR 16 May 2008 Planting first tomato in garden. Tomatoes are getting a bit stressed in their gallon pots. Night temperatures are cool but above freezing.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?ZKKHT 20 May Planting Tomatoes in the outdoor garden. No frost is expected.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?VNZWL 13 August 2008 Momotaro Tomato - Lycopersicon esculentum ( Japanese Tomato)
I have grown Japanese Momotaro Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) for the last three years. It is a hybrid indeterminate type. The fruit is usually smooth, a good size, and seldom has blemishes. It is popular in Japan. Japanese Monotaro is amongst my favorites for appearance alone, being almost perfect. It sort of has the appearance of the ideal tomato. It is a bit later than other tomato plants started at the same time, and usually produces 25 large, similar in size tomatoes.

Tomatoes were not high quality this year (2008), due to inclement weather.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?VAEFH Tomato Types.
Black Prince is my favorite tomato, but all have a good tomato taste. Most are severely scarred on the vine end, and would not be marketable, meaning the hydroponic crowd likes their tomatoes to have a perfect shape, which is only possible if the tomatoes are picked green in most cases. This year 2008 has not been a good tomato growing year. Alternating heavy rain, then hot sun is not inducive to producing quality fruit.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?YTTGL 19 August 2008 Lemon Boy not pruned.
This plant was caged, when planted, and allowed to grow without removing the sucker growth. The plant covers a ground area of a circle of six foot diameter. The fruit is large, many clusters are present and excellent in every way. I am almost convinced that pruning the suckers is not beneficial, if sufficient room is available, for tomato plants to grow well. The advantages of not removing the suckers possibly outweigh the supposed benefits of pruning.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?VCPFM 24 August 2008 Green Zebra Tomatoes
This is not a heirloom tomato, developed in 1983. It turns slightly yellow and soft when ripe. I have two plants, very healthy with many fruit. There is little to recommend this cultivar.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?CCATZ 25 August 2008 Lemon Boy no pruning of sucker growth
Here is more evidence to support my view about not suckering tomato plants.. There are numerous large green tomatoes on the plant, and some of the largest are well shaded by vegetation. There are four plants throughout the garden, which were allowed to sprawl, and in each case the fruit ripens about the same time as the suckered plants and the plants are certainly more prolific, and have larger fruit in most cases. Next year I shall plant at four foot center to centers and let the plants sprawl, since I have the space to experiment.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?HZJOK 29 August 2008 Grape Tomato F1 Hybrid
First year for this tomato. It is elongated, and has a marvelous flavour, and keeps well. It is grown along the deck on 6 inch mesh concrete reinforcing 4 by 8 foot sheets, and trains sell. The clusters are compact, and seem to ripen almost at the same time. I consider this tomato superior to the sweet million round cherry type.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?GPHKF 2008 Tomato Growing Experience.

Natto Making at Home. Annotated Pictures.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?MUTSU Pictures, annotated of Natto making at home. The first effort. Possibly used as a replacement for some of the junk food in our Western Society.

http://www.durgan.org/2008/Journal/Durgan2008/Durgan2008.html

Summary of 2007 Garden Pictures

This Garden Journal is for 2008.
This is the URL to pictures taken in my garden during the year 2007. The garden URL effort for 2007 is listed below for reference.

http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html

This was the plants I grew and sometimes harvested during the summer of 2007. All the work was accomplished by myself. Enjoy.