Let's see your tomatoes

[Conquistador3]

Apart from Black Zebra (which has a strong tendency for apex rot like the Italian San Marzano), Russian and Ukrainian tomatoes have never let me down.
I've been experimenting because, plainly put, there are literally thousands of cultivars to pick from.
If the seeds ever get here, if they prove viable and if the plants do well, I'll surely post some pictures.

 

[Del_]

This years tomato crop. Brandywine, Opalka, Amish Paste, Roma, Italian Heirloom and a few Tommy Toe cherry tomatoes. Also Italian peppers Marconi, Jimmy Nardello and Super Shepherd.

Total count of 9 trays each having 10 plastic 4 cells=360 cells.

Planted on 2-1-2016 and under a HPS light with a reflector and on a light mover. We use 12" wide aluminum flashing as a side reflector. Only some are tomatoes, the rest are collards in the plates, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower started on the same date. Bricks help to keep the flashing round so the light reflector doesn't rub it. Three layers of 4 mill plastic on the floor.

This is all sitting on the floor about six feet behind me.

 

[jakethesnake]

Where you from del you plant all that for yourself or you sell plants looking nice I haven't even thought of starting any yet I'm in delaware I usually buy a dozen and plant some that are just barely started for a day or two in the ground as soon as they come up

 

[jakethesnake]

Usually celebrity are what I buy had some brandywine Mountain pride and a couple others I can't remember last year celebrity always does the best for me full sun here all day

 

[Del_]

Where you from del you plant all that for yourself or you sell plants looking nice I haven't even thought of starting any yet I'm in delaware I usually buy a dozen and plant some that are just barely started for a day or two in the ground as soon as they come up

I'm about 40 miles N/E of Atlanta GA along US85. Grew up in Delaware near Georgetown. These plants are all for our own use. We plant a larger number of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and collards for a fall crop.

 

[jakethesnake]

I'm a farmer so I'm never leaving here lol in harrington I garden pretty hard too just to be nosy any good input on where to get seed do you mail order or have a nice seed store around I used gourneys a couple times but my garden wasn't the best I'd ever had and they seem pricey to me I'll not blame their seed just didn't do any better than some random things I got from southern states

 

[blkcloud]

I had a couple of German pinks that were probably over 10 feet tall.. They were growing crooked but.. It's 8 feet to where boards change.. No fertilizer or anything.. Lol

 

[Conquistador3]

The seeds were in yesterday mail. I will seed them indoor next week, as to have the plants ready for transplant in the second half of April.
I am really intrigued to see how these Russian/Ukrainian heirlooms will turn out.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Jeez, if I planted anything now they'd be a few feet tall by the time the ground was thawed. Don't normally mow the lawn till mid June.

 

[066blaster]

For any of you that start plants indoors..have you ever had any issues watering with soft water?

 

[Conquistador3]

For any of you that start plants indoors..have you ever had any issues watering with soft water?

Honestly? No. But I am using a homemade cutting/seeding compound which has proven far superior to John Innes.

 

[USMC615]

Nice tomatoes and veggies fellas!! Time consuming but the outcome is sure worth it and homegrown simply has a taste all its own.

 

[Conquistador3]

I'm a farmer so I'm never leaving here lol in harrington I garden pretty hard too just to be nosy any good input on where to get seed do you mail order or have a nice seed store around I used gourneys a couple times but my garden wasn't the best I'd ever had and they seem pricey to me I'll not blame their seed just didn't do any better than some random things I got from southern states

It depends what you are after. I usually get Russian and Ukrainian cultivars from an eBay seller called Nikitovka Seeds. As they are based in Ukraine you should have no problems getting them to deliver in the US, but bear in mind Ukrainian posts are not the fastest in the world so order early.
Otherwise you may look around for Sasha's Altai tomatoes. They are probably more popular in the US than in their native Russia. These are Siberian tomatoes so chances are they'll do well any climate, including Delaware. For sure they do great here: they are the first to go into production and the last to stop. Being a non-patented heirloom you can reproduce them yourself.
I am presently waiting for news of how they do in hot climates as I sent a batch of seeds I harvested last year to a friend living in Uruguay.

 

[farmer steve]

I'm a farmer so I'm never leaving here lol in harrington I garden pretty hard too just to be nosy any good input on where to get seed do you mail order or have a nice seed store around I used gourneys a couple times but my garden wasn't the best I'd ever had and they seem pricey to me I'll not blame their seed just didn't do any better than some random things I got from southern states

iv'e seen a few greenhouses around harrington when we come down for the nascar race. you should be able to find some good cultivars at one of those. i know there is a pretty big on on rt 14 heading towards denton. here's one place i buy from and i think they sell smaller package sizes.http://www.twilleyseed.com/Home.html
we camp at the fairgrounds when we come down for the races.

 

[jakethesnake]

Thanks farmer steve I'll check into that it's really not about price anyhow I just like waking out back to get supper time veggies I was up in Lancaster pa last summer getting a Perkins gen set checked out at Smuckers sales seems like you guys had an awful nice looking corn crop then round those parts last summer I saw many pioneer signs up there and some awsome looking alfalfa hay getting baled made me wonder how those boys bale such green hay without mold powder issues??? I figure must be in the mountain climate damn fine hay

 

[farmer steve]

Thanks farmer steve I'll check into that it's really not about price anyhow I just like waking out back to get supper time veggies I was up in Lancaster pa last summer getting a Perkins gen set checked out at Smuckers sales seems like you guys had an awful nice looking corn crop then round those parts last summer I saw many pioneer signs up there and some awsome looking alfalfa hay getting baled made me wonder how those boys bale such green hay without mold powder issues??? I figure must be in the mountain climate damn fine hay

them amish boys over in lancaster co grow some good crops. it was a good haymaking year up here last summer. i had some of the nicest hay (grass/clover mix) in a long time. won 1st place at our local fair with my second cutting.

 

[chuckwood]

What's the best variety in terms of being fungus/blight resistant? This is my biggest problem with growing tomatoes. The blight seems to be everywhere in the soil on my garden spot, which has been in steady use for around a century. Moving the tomatoes to a different spot doesn't seem to have any effect. Fungus was also attacking my okra to the point that I had to start a new plot for okra that's around a 100 yards away. That worked well for the first couple years, but last year the fungus started hitting my okra again. I've been spraying with copper fungicide, but it seems I'm always too late with the spraying. I understand that once you see the leaves turn brown and die off, spraying won't do much good anymore.

 

[Del_]

Chuck are you familiar with tobacco mosaic virus?

Any chance you or anyone around your plants smoke cigarettes?

Cages can carry disease year to year.

 

[Conquistador3]

What's the best variety in terms of being fungus/blight resistant? This is my biggest problem with growing tomatoes. The blight seems to be everywhere in the soil on my garden spot, which has been in steady use for around a century. Moving the tomatoes to a different spot doesn't seem to have any effect. Fungus was also attacking my okra to the point that I had to start a new plot for okra that's around a 100 yards away. That worked well for the first couple years, but last year the fungus started hitting my okra again. I've been spraying with copper fungicide, but it seems I'm always too late with the spraying. I understand that once you see the leaves turn brown and die off, spraying won't do much good anymore.

Is this Early blight (Alternaria solani)? Or Septoria leaf spot (Septoria lycopersici)? Septoria is relatively easy to control, Blight not so much.
There are blight-resistant tomatoes, of which Legend (developed by Oregon State for the purpose) is the most widely available. Mind that no plant is 100% immune however.
Best treatment for blight is a two pronged attack.
First, use plastic mulch sheets. Alternaria spores winter in the ground, but do not attack roots, only leaves and stalks. Insulating the plants from the soil can help a lot.
Second is to treat with copper fungicides on a schedule. I cannot stress the importance of scheduled treatments enough. I usually treat my tomato plants just before transplanting them, then every two weeks. If the weather's rainy, make that every week.
Once plants are at least 3ft high, it may also be a good idea to eliminate the lowest leaves to reduce the chances of contagion even further.

 

[farmer steve]

check this one out Chuck. multiple disease resistance including late blight.
http://all-americaselections.org/winners/details.cfm?WinID=562