slower-germinating tomato varieties?

[habitat-gardener]

Several years ago, Indigo Kumquat didn't get included in the master gardener tomato sale because it was so much slower than all the other varieties they grew that year. The plants were only a couple inches high when all the others were a foot high, iirc. But that's only one year, so maybe it was a fluke. Still, I wonder if antho tomatoes are generally slower, because they are such divas in the garden. They look great for weeks but seem to take a loooong time to get ripe. I was thinking specifically of growing Indigo Cherry Drops for a local plant sale. Timing matters because the plants are all started at the same time and then offered for sale on two Saturdays.

I'd also be interested to know if any tomato varieties seem to be consistently slow compared to others.

[JRinPA]

Slower germinating, meaning time from seed planting to seed sprouting? Or are you talking about plant growth?

I've always thought germination time was directly linked to the freshness of seed and the conditions, and not much related to tomato variety.

[MissS]

I really don't think that the variety is as much of a factor in late germination as is the age of the seed. I find that older seed takes longer to wake up. It's not unusual for seed older than 11 years to take a month or more to germinate for me. If you are starting old seed just plan on sowing them earlier than the rest.

[habitat-gardener]

Slower germinating, meaning time from seed planting to seed sprouting? Or are you talking about plant growth?

I've always thought germination time was directly linked to the freshness of seed and the conditions, and not much related to tomato variety.

Yes, I'm assuming all varieties are grown from fresh seed purchased a couple months before seeding (though if the seed comes from different sources, where it was saved and stored in different ways, for instance, maybe that could make a difference). I don't know the story behind the slow Indigo Kumquats.

And I am talking about both germination and plant growth: time from seeding to seedling. The group I'm working with allots 35-40 days from seeding to a salable plant, typically at least 8-12" high. They have a commercial greenhouse, lights, heating mats, automatic watering, etc., and volunteers check the plants at least every couple days to make sure everything is on track.

I've grown my own plants in front of a south-facing window, without added lights, and I usually grow older seed, so my plants take quite a bit longer!

[Shule]

I've found some varieties that are slower in my garden, including from new saved seed (although they were faster from saved [fully developed good quality] seed, but still slower). I think the reason for it, in the case of the ones I grew, is actualy temperature. Some varieties germinate better in some temperatures than others.

[mama_lor]

Poorly developed seeds tend to make slower growing transplants. This is why I select the biggest seeds, they make larger cotyledons that give a sufficient boost that actually makes a visible difference. Not so much as 1 inch vs one foot though. I assume this must be related to the ability of that variety to quickly establish a good root system.

[Pippin]

I germinate all of my tomato seeds in bathroom floor where I have floor heating, except one variety, Barry’s Crazy Cherry which goes to dormancy in that condition and refuses to germinate at all. BCC germinates quite nicely at normal or little lower room temperature but is still slower in the early development.