tomaotes died

I had some little tomato sprouts winter sown in plastic biscotti containers. They just got their real leaves. It got to 25 degrees a few nights ago and they froze. I thought they would be OK. Should I have waited to plant them?

Well, I don't know the answer precisely, but it appears so! (-;

I am wondering about the exact approach to wintersowing tomatoes, too. There doesn't appear to be a lot of data here on how to do it in a more or less fail safe manner...

I'll be interested to know if anyone has a successful experience to report, too. t.

Me! Me! I have a successful experience to report!

I'm sorry that I don't have exact details from last year, but I did WS tomatoes (couldn't tell you what kind/how many/date sown or germinated) but they did germinate and survive our move. We moved in April and brought 98 plants that I had dug up from my old gardens along with my WS containers. 2 of the little seedlings made it and were planted into the garden. They grew huge and produced lots of tomatoes.

I have 4 seedlings that are growing right now. I do have details about this little guys. They are Marmand variety and were sown on 12/29/07. They germinated on 2/4/08 after we has some unseasonal high temperatures of around 80 degrees for a couple of days. We have had really low temps for the last couple of days so I went ahead and moved them into the greenhouse with the container lid off. I'm almost positive that I would have lost them if I hadn't moved them.

I have had some other annuals that sprouted during that hot period that have since frozen. I didn't get too upset because I know see how easy they are to sprout and plan on re-sowing them at the end of February. Do you still have some of your tomato seeds left to re-sow?

HTH,
Necia

I've not tried tomatoes yet, but I am going to try a few this year, probably late March or early April.

Last year I talked a local friend into trying wintersowing. She had fantastic results. She gave me some wintersown tomato seedlings which were wonderful. Talked me into trying them this year. I only have 2 kinds of seeds, might get one more early type, and I only want a total of 6 plants.

This far north, wintersown tomatoes can be pretty late to set fruit, though. But they sure were delicious, hardy fruit.

Karen

I sowed mine on March 24th last year and had good germination. I also bought a few plants at a local nursery because I assumed I wouldn't get much fruit from my wintersown ones because they were so small. Here's the weird thing. My wintersown tomatoes quickly outpaced the store bought ones and I had tomatoes much earlier and all summer long on them. Ditto on the pepper plants I sowed which aren't usually recommended for wintersowing this far north.

I'm doing even more tomatoes this year. Last year might have just been luck so it will be interesting to see what happens.

WOW -- 25° in FLA ??

and yes, freezing temps will kill tomatoes.

last year -- mine where in the house for that cold snap in April, then actually planted out end of Apr/early May
I used the top half of my 2Lts bottles to cover them while they were in the ground.

I do have some seeds left. I'm going to try again and move them in if it freezes again. I guess I was just thinking that part of the beauty of winter sowing was not having to move them or worry about them too much. It's new for me so I'm still learning and experimenting.
It does get in the 20's here but usually only a day or two at the time and then only a few times a winter. Then lots of times it's in the 60's and 70's too. I'm in the northwest corner.

pestee,

I have only tried perennial seeds. I was afraid any annual might die during a hard freeze. This is my first attempt at winter sowing, so maybe I am a litttle too cautious.

Pat

adoresaiken, I think you may be right to be cautious. This is my first year too and I guess I was too enthusiastic. :)

In NC and Fl you are worried about hard freeze? You gotta be kidding me. I do them in Ohio, zone 6.

Just sow them a little later. I sow them in March-April here. Not sure when you would do it, late Feb-early Mar I would guess. Someone in your zones could better advise.

Don't be chicken. Jump in with both feet! You'll be delighted with the results.

Karen

I did jump in, that's why they froze. LOL Our last frost date is March 31st. Think I'll resow them now and if we get another freeze after they have germinated I'll just take them in for the night.
I'm still learning.

pestee: Yes, you should have better luck now, or in a week or 2. You just got ambitious and started a little early.

Last Easter weekend (I don't remember the date) we had a hard freeze, temps stayed way below freezing for the entire weekend. I put my tender annual sprouts in my unheated garage and they did great the rest of the year. The perennials and hardy annuals did fine outside.

It's just a little safer to hold off on the more tender things until closer to spring so there's less chance of a killing freeze. Good luck on round 2 of tomatoes, and let us know how they turn out.

Karen

It's an excellent idea to resow them. Don't bring them inside because that will weaken their stems. Instead, put them in a unheated garage. That would be preferable.

Last year I sowed my tomato seeds on 3/22/2007. They germinated on 4/9/2007. Here is a picture of juicy delicious winter sown, Tomato, "Golden Sunray".

Shirlely--your tomatoes are to die for! Very encouraging.

So, your suggestion for tomato seed germination the 'wintersown' way would be in, say, zone 6, to plant the seeds in the milk jugs around March 22 and put them into the garage? Then when they sprout set them outside?

Do you recommend any special varieties? Short season or mid season? Determinates?

I am interested in any details on wintersowing tomatoes. I posted on the 'Tomato' forum but those gardeners, although they gave a few recommendations, aren't especially taken with the WS method, it appears...

tabasco: As I said, this will be my first year for WS tomatoes, but I intend to put them outside with everything else, probably in mid to late March. Being outside just seems healthier for everything. Then, if we get a freeze after I have seedlings, I'll stick them in the garage only for the duration of sub-freezing temperatures here.

I have done this with all my tender plants for the last few years, and it has worked out well for me. Outside they get the advantage of rain and snow, high light, fluctuating temperatures, and no damp-off among other things.

But, since I've not done tomatoes before, this is purely experimental for me.

Karen

Thanks, k. Yes, I recall your comment on the Tomato thread and I am in the same boat with beginning WS tomatoes. Some gardeners on DG do recommend it so I am hopeful.

I also have some 'Bigger Boy' seeds under lights just for fun.

Trudi D. has a link about it, too: http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Tomatoes.html

Tabasco wrote:

Just found this interesting thread!
Last year (my first WS year, in zone 7a) I set out six jugs of tomato seeds in the spring. Here're my notes:
Tumbling Tom: Determinate, 20 seeds, set out 3/14, 8 seeds germinated 5/1.
Bonny Best (Heirloom): Indeterminate, 3 seeds, set out 4/3, all germ. 5/10.
Burpees Delicious: Indet., 3 seeds, set out 4/3, 2 seeds germ. 5/11.
Ponderosa Pink (Heirloom): Indet., 3 seeds, set out 4/3, all germ. 5/8.
Jaune Flamme (Heirloom): Indet.,3 seeds, set out 4/3, all germ. 5/10.
An unidentified Beefsteak Heirloom : 3 seeds, set out 4/3, 2 seeds germ. 5/9.

I never took the jugs inside; when we had a few late Spring frosts I slung an old blanket over all my WS jugs, which seemed to protect the seedlings just fine.

What I learned: all my WS tomato seeds, no matter when I sowed them, germinated within a few days of each other in the second week of May. Also, the seeds I set out in early April germinated better than those in the one jug I set out in early March. So this year I'm waiting until early April to WS tomato seeds.

Also, although the WS tomato seedlings were smaller when I planted them out than some tomato seedlings I had started under lights (for comparison) they soon caught up and bore like crazy.

Cape cod: the most important question:

When did you start harvesting and eating those tomatoes?

Thanks,
Karen

CCG-- very interesting and I'm so happy to have your dates of setting out the seed and the germination. Also determinate/indeterminate info. And the news that they bore fruit like crazy.

Besides, k's question--I'm wondering which ones of those varieties were your favorites? They all sound delicious!

So I will not put out seed until April then, too.

Thanks again--and if you think of more to add, please do! I find it all very interesting. t.

Thanks tabasco!

Everyones growing season is different. With that being said, what grows well in my area may not perform the same in someone else's. Since my summers are very hot, humid, and over the past couple of years becoming drier & drier, I chose tomatoes that are either early or mid season in duration.

If you you start your tomato seeds indoors under lights, you will have to contend with damping off (fungal disease) & then hardening off the sprouts before planting them. You won't have to worry about either of those problems when winter sowing tomatoes. Yes, winter sown tomato seedlings will be smaller than ones you can purchase. However, the will definitely catch up in height quickly once you plant them out in the garden. I usually begin harvesting them in August.

Tomatofest: http://store.tomatofest.com/category_s/36.htm
Early season bearing tomatoes:http://www.tomatogrowers.com/early2.htm
Short season varieties: http://www.tomatobob.com/Early%20Season.htm

That is not an easy question! What will appeal to one person may not to another. I like tomatoes that have more of "a bite" or tart taste to them. Others may like a sweeter flavor. Thank goodness there are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes to chose from. Therefore, there is something for everyone!

Thanks Shirley-- I'm getting a clearer and clearer picture of how the Wintersowing plays out with tomatoes thanks to everyone's comments!

And thanks for the links, too. Good info there.

Oh Karen, my record-keeping suddenly looks pretty shabby. . .I didn't record the exact date that I began harvesting my maters (betcha I will THIS summer!) But I can tell by my photos from last summer that the early ones (Tumbling Tom and Bonny Best, 55-60 days) were bearing by Aug. 1; the mid-season ones like Burpees Delicious and Jaune Flamme (70-80 days) were very prolific by the second week of August, and the late ones like Ponderosa Pink (95 days) didn't come into their own until towards the end of August.
We have a late Spring here on the Cape--the average last date of frost is May 25; most gardeners don't put any veggies in until after Memorial Day. I didn't set any transplants into the ground until around June 1. So my harvesting times were in pretty good accordance with the general days-to-harvest timetable for these varieties.
As to which ones I liked best, Shirley is correct about what a subjective thing taste is. I tend to like the slightly sweeter ones, which to ME were Jeune Flamme and Ponderosa Pink and Bonny Best.
The thing for me about wintersowing tomatoes, is that it is easy and cheap, and for that reason I just happily try out all different seeds and feel virtuous about recycling my milk jugs and other containers. If I end up with too many successful seedlings for my garden space, I give the excess ones away. I do think that there is also a place for growing under lights (or purchasing tomato plants in 3-inch pots), both of which I also did last summer--especially if you want to have larger vines a bit sooner and don't mind either the expense or the fussing--or both.
(But my WS tomato vines did end up producing on schedule!)
WS for tomatoes is probably not the true tomato-hobbyist's way. . . which is why the Tomato Forum doesn't accentuate it so much.
Let's face it: we Winter Sowers are a peculiar breed!

CapeCod: That's about when we got fruit from the tomatoes, too, both the wintersown from my friend and nursery bought plants. My favorite was a wintersown one called "Snow White" . My friend bought the seeds from tomatogrowers.com. I got some seeds for that one this year and it's one of the few I'm going to try wintersowing. They're yellow cherry tomatoes, so sweet. I ate half of them while out in the garden; they never made it into the house.

Has anyone tried planting out their tomatoes early and using the "wall of water"? If so, did you get fruit any earlier?

Karen

Just a quick up-date. I re-sowed and now have new babies. No more freezes so far.
Shirley your tomatos look so good. I'm especially fond of the yellow/orange ones. I had one plant of golden jubilee last year for the first time and it was the best.

Karen, I'd like to know about this too! I did a quick search of the tomato forum and found the following (brief) info:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/228123/
Thanks for the recommendation of Snow White seeds. I'd like to try them! I'm going to WS Sungold this year, since I love them so much!
Golden Jubilee sounds good, too. Oh dear, I swore last year that I would NOT plant so many maters, but I've changed my mind (in the depth of February.)