I have most of my WS plants in - about 4 or 5, which is plenty for me, even though I was expecting more germination earlier. It's been a crazy weather year. My plants are pretty little - I haven't been wonderfully satisfied with overall yields in the past, so I am trying something new - spreading them out in various sunny areas in my yard (as opposed to dedicated vegetable garden). Hopefully I'll figure out where the best place is. Peppers & maters are mixed in with the flowers this year.

Donn, why don't you just get them into the ground right away and skip transplant. I transplant all of mine when they've barely got true leaves. They take off very nicely by the middle of spring and in another week or two they're caught up by anything in the store.

Donn,I swear by this.I learned this last year from somewhere,tried it and was amazed at the results.I think it is Parks that sells round red circles to go around your tomoatoes.I think I bought some from Walmart.anywho the red is supposed in increase the production of tomatoes,I don't understand the scientific mumbo jumbo of it.I went to walmarts and got flannel backed vinyl table cloths,cut them up and put them around each tomato.I had more tomatoes than at any time ever in my life.When you sow those maters,put red around them.I already have 2 tomatoes on my ws tomatoes,The others are blooming.I promise,it works.
moonphase

The first reason, Trudes, is limited space. I have to know the transplant is going to work, because I only have so much space for 'maters. I figure growing them on in ever larger containers is as good as growing them in the ground. I have more sunny spots for containers than in-ground plants.

I'm luxuriating in zone 7 gardening. Most of my Tomato experience is in zone 5, where I couldn't count on the long growing season I have here. I can start 50 day seedlings in late July, and still hope for a good crop. No way sould do that in zone 5.

The other reason is succession. I figure if I start them in the ground at spaced intervals, I'll have spaced harvests.

Example: I have a purchased 'Early Girl' already flowering in the ground. I potted up a couple of WS 'Eary girl's' today which will mature at least a month later than the one in the ground. There's no way the WS plants can catch up with the nursery plant.

It's just another experiment.

Tis true, we have such a long season that we can grow toms for very very long time.

There's no way the WS plants can catch up with the nursery plant.

The real question is how many months will you get from either for cropping?

I'm EATING WS maters already! I bought Matt's Wild Cherry from the community garden where I work. It is a pretty tomato, and so early. I also have a HUGE ripening tomato on one of the rather unknown heirlooms I got from an old-timey seed swap: The Tennessee Britches tomato. This, and the other tomato the fellow gave me are HUGE. So is the hybrid Sweet 100. It is close to 5' tall now. Some of my tomatoes are in the raised beds, but this year I planted most in the black plastic tree pots. Did not use potting soil, but a combination of native soil, manure and wood chips. Added in some nitrogen and some bone meal and ZOOM! Even with very little rain, they have done OK.
But I will tell you, since I have been using rain barrels, that rain, mixed with a little fish emulsion has done the trick. The tomatoes are NUTTY - other folks planted theres weeks earlier than I did and mine are mostly ahead. My spring sown Sun gold is now about a foot tall too. He's my insurance of late season cherry tomatoes.

I am anxiously awaiting the growth of my winter sown melons. Several unusual varieties. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. YUM!

GGG

I got most of my tomatoes in the ground weeks ago, although I lost a few, probably due to using soda bottle cloches too much. I also still have a few I'm going to put in pots. Unfortunately, the raised bed I put most of them in doesn't get as much sun as I thought it would. Darn. I may be getting more out of the potted ones than the garden ones.

I'm eating my lettuce, and boy, I can't wait for some maters to throw in with it!

:)
Dee

I agree that this crazy weather has really played havoc with the 'maters. I actually had to BUY some plants this year, & that hasn't happened in years! Donn, pots are great-I grow all of my cherry 'maters in the self watering planters, they have grown to the top of my 7' trellis' & 2 pots have provided 1200+ cherry tomatoes!

I hope your WS toms catch up quickly. I think they will. I have several tomato plants in pots, and they're doing quite well. I put a couple in large pots early on and it helped them grow quickly. Although, I think the pot is getting too small now for the plant pictured. It doesn't look as healthy as it once did.

I've been lucky this year with tomatoes. Although a good amount died in the big freeze, the ones that survived are quite far along. I don't expect to do as well next year, but was very excited when I saw these first WS tomatoes beginning to turn red this week. These are Supersweet 100. My other plants still have small green tomatoes.

{{gwi:406063}}

It's strange how different years are better for different things. I haven't been able to get a single sweet pea flower and can't grow chives for the life of me. It seems like it went from freezing to just plain hot around here ... which is great for tomatoes.

I'd love to try that "red" trick. Not that our tomatoes don't grow like weeds anyway (our harvest has started too) but it intrigues me. Of course, if I start mulching the tomatoes with bright red tablecloths dh really IS going to call the men in the white coats.

lindakimy,the article is in the burpee catalog.It sales trays that says red increases the yield 40% but having this mind that thinks I can come up with a cheaper way-then the vinyl worked good enough for me-and it worked.I found some at walmarts this yr and bought red circles.I looked today and will post a photo.My plants are covered in tomatoes.
moonphase

"Here's hoping for a warm and dry September!"

I certainly got my wish. 1" of rain and lots of heat and sun for the whole month, and my Tom and Pepper crop is going nuts.

I just brought in ~15 pounds of slicers, cherries, Romas and assorted Peppers; yellow, red and green Bells, Habs and Jalapenos. I've harvested this much each week this month, in addition to eating dozens right off the vines every day. From the looks of it, it'll keep on as long as the weather holds. The vines are still flowering, and I have fruits at all stages.

We've eaten Tomatoes every way imaginable, frozen a bunch of sauce, and run a few loads through the dehydrator. I'm really pleased with that machine. Dried Cherry Toms are better than candy, and we'll have enough of them to last through the winter. We've given at least 50 pounds each of Tomatoes, Peppers and Onions to family and friends, and we still can't get through them all.

I'm pleased to report the WS Toms have far out-distanced nursery plants in production and longevity. One store-bought 'Early Girl' is still producing, but the WS 'Early Girls' have beaten it at least 2:1 in output. The other nursery plants are dying back now, while the WS plants are rolling right along.

Maybe I'll learn to moderate next year. One thing I'll try to do is grow more determinate plants, to maximize dehydrator use. I haven't been able to fill it up with the staggered harvests of indeterminates.

I'm finally sick of tomatoes. I do love them, but a person can only eat so many.

We had 8 plants this year, and we've had a lot of them. Some are 6 ft. tall. They're still producing, but with the shorter days and cool nights and mornings, they are getting much slower to ripen. My husband took a couple of the plants out today. We've eaten about all we can, and given a lot away, too.

The weather is still pretty hot during the day, but, after all, tomorrow will be October. I feel like I'm going to wake up one day soon and the snow will be flying. My husband has to go out of town for a family wedding one weekend in Oct, and we're going to the Smokies for another long weekend this month. Time is running out, and lots to do out there still. After all, leaf season is soon approaching.

Karen