Everything is up and growing. I’m going to run these on the cool side if I can manage it.

karstopography wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2025 7:27 pm IMG_5310.jpeg

Everything is up and growing. I’m going to run these on the cool side if I can manage it.

Whatcha got growing on the front row?

Front row, left to right, Brandywine Cowlick’s, Pruden’s Purple, Dester.
Second row, Vorlon, Cleota Pink, Red Barn.
Third row, Pineapple, Huevos del Toro, Lucky Cross
Fourth row, Ashleigh, KBX, Marianna’s Peace.

Five Pinks, Four of those potato leafed, Dester being the oddball.
Three Reds, two Bicolors, One orange, one dark. Three potato leafed among this bunch, Lucky Cross, KBX, and Vorlon.

Pineapple has somewhat odd foliage that might fit in its own category.

I look forward to eating garden grown beefsteak type tomatoes more than anything else in the tomato realm and it isn’t even close.

Have you grown Vorlon in past years ?

tyrupp wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2025 9:26 am Have you grown Vorlon in past years ?

No. I understand it is a stable cross between Pruden’s Purple and Cherokee Purple. Pruden’s Purple is fantastic and performs well here. C.Purple tastes great, but I haven’t had such great results growing that one.

Normally, most other dark tomatoes, other than Cherokee Purple and maybe one or two others, have done well here.

I believe @PlainJane grew Vorlon with positive results. Similar climate Jacksonville, Fl where her garden is located to what we have here south of Houston. I feel like the odds are in my favor that Vorlon will be good.

@karstopography
Have you grown New Big Dwarf?
It's a pretty nice tomato.

worth1 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2025 1:02 pm @karstopography
Have you grown New Big Dwarf?
It's a pretty nice tomato.

I have not and it looks good. I was going to try a dwarf this season, but maybe I will next season.

Yes, good success with Vorlon last season. Very good production and great flavor.

Ah! Ten drops PER GALLON OF city water.

The tomato seedlings as of a few minutes ago. These started off today inside the closet where they are now, went out to the garage under the lights for a few hours early in the morning, then traveled outside into the sun, got a good soaking from the hose, and spent from 11:30 until 5 out in the sunshine and once again journeyed back into the garage under the grow lights until a few minutes ago to spend the night inside. Been a bit cold in the garage at night for tomatoes.

Every tomato has at least two representatives. I’ll split these off soon and transfer each variety into a 3-4” container.

Pleased so far.

They look great. All that bright sunlight and the cool temperatures make some nice stocky plants.

We have germination in Austin, Texas. Closeup shows how the support tray keeps the orchid cups above the bottom of the tray. Usually only three seeds per cup. Seeds of variety Arka Vikas from 1994 did not germinate, despite a second sowing of seeds soaked overnight in mild fertilizer solution. Sowed hardy rootstock seeds on Jan. 13...SuperStrong from Tomato Growers Supply and Maxifort leftover from last year.

These tomatoes keep getting shuttled between outside in the breeze and sun and inside the garage. Might have to move them inside if the garage dips below 50°.

Way too cold outside now and likely for the better part of the week. Will have to be a little careful reintroducing them to direct sunlight when the cold snap is over.

I bought one gallon of Alaska liquid fish fertilizer, 5/1/1 I think it is. Opened it up and it’s basically extra thick fishy pudding. Generally, I use a little diluted fish emulsion on my tomatoes seedlings, but this thick Alaska fish fertilizer is making measuring the amounts different.

The baccto potting mix has some nutrients built in. Anyway, always some curveball getting thrown in gardening.

Separated 10 seedlings from the starter cells today and the ten got their own ~pint sized container. Pruden’s Purple x 2, Red Barn x 2, Dester, Huevos Del Toro, KBX, Vorlon, Cleota Pink, and Brandywine Cowlick’s. Lucky Cross, Ashleigh and Pineapple are all now singletons.

Marianna’s Peace, MMMM swap seed, must be a cross since both the seedlings that remained are regular leafed plants. It’s doubtful I’ll continue to grow out the Marianna’s Peace cross. More likely is that I will double up on the grow out and transplant two Pruden’s Purples or Red Barns.

Discounting Marianna’s Peace, I have now 21 Tomato Seedlings/young plants. They are all short for their age (and kind of purple) from the prevailing extra cold conditions hereabouts this January. I’ve resisted bringing the trays inside the house since they got true leaves and rather been shuttling them between the cool garage when its too cold outside or just having them outside, let’s hope not ever bringing them inside the house into the relative warmth will be a fatal mistake.

The collection of seedlings “enjoying” time outside, at the time about 56°and cloudy. Note the purple hue of the seedlings. They have definitely spent many hours recently in the 40s. Will that make a difference come May and June? Idk.

I'm curious to see how the seedlings will do with the cold temps. My area for seed starting is in my basement which is cold... 45 deg right now.

I'm way late to the Texas tomato growers bandwagon. I haven't even thought about tomatoes until yesterday when I saw a few plants at a big box store. Needless to say, I haven't started any seeds and will purchase plants I can find locally in stores.


Harry C.'s and karstopography's seedlings look good.

Sometimes the local nurseries have surprised me and I end up with some uncommon tomato varieties.

SpookyShoe wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2025 7:00 pm I'm way late to the Texas tomato growers bandwagon. I haven't even thought about tomatoes until yesterday when I saw a few plants at a big box store. Needless to say, I haven't started any seeds and will purchase plants I can find locally in stores.


Harry C.'s and karstopography's seedlings look good.

Sometimes the local nurseries have surprised me and I end up with some uncommon tomato varieties.

I believe getting transplants at the garden center makes WAY more sense. Maas is known for being a great local nursery.

SpookyShoe wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2025 7:00 pm I'm way late to the Texas tomato growers bandwagon. I haven't even thought about tomatoes until yesterday when I saw a few plants at a big box store. Needless to say, I haven't started any seeds and will purchase plants I can find locally in stores.


Harry C.'s and karstopography's seedlings look good.

Sometimes the local nurseries have surprised me and I end up with some uncommon tomato varieties.

You've got plants in stores already? Wow!

It seems like stores have been stocking up earlier than usual the past couple years. Normally in San Antonio they start stocking up March 5-7. Two years ago I saw plants the last week of February then last year the big box stores and local nurseries had plants here the middle of February. Maybe they're banking on an early spring.

I’m going to attempt to document how rapidly these young tomato plants grow up until time to transplant, likely in about three weeks or so.

We have a warm week ahead. I expect a rapid period of growth.