Spicy tomato seeds- how to start them properly

16 years ago

Hi, I have a few seeds- 25 to be exact from a volunteer in my yard last summer. They are an oxheart type tomato. Two of the tomatoes on the plant were spicy, like peppers. So I saved the seeds hoping they might potentially grow and have more like the original. Problem is, I only have 25 seeds, I don't want to waste more than I have to. How many seeds do I need to put in each peat pellet? Or is there a better way to do it? If someone could point me in the right direction for where the best instructions are for starting tomatoes and what medium to use as well as number of seeds that would be fantastic! Thank you so much. Had planned on starting them in peat pellets, moving them up to larger peat pots with a soil mix from earl may and then hardening them off and moving them into a very sunny garden area with the soil mulched to keep in moisture and giving each plant a good hill and space around- 5 foot across likely. I am not growing a huge garden this year, I want to make sure I have time to focus on these if they do grow. If they could in fact create more of themselves that would be so wonderful, the two that we saved last year were fully ripe and burned the mouth they were so hot. We had others that were not as hot from the same plant but those two were tasty as all get out! Thank you so much everyone!

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Comments (9)

mitanoff
16 years ago
And a 'Happy April Fool's Day' to you too!
digdirt2
16 years ago
See FAQ linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ - How to grow tomatoes from seed
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suddensam
16 years ago
The wind blew and the S#%& flew.
anne_mackey
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you digdirt, I appreciate your help, I am assuming the rude responses means that they likely won't grow true? Anyways, the one thing that article (I did read it prior to posting) completely left out was whether I have to put more than one seed in each peat pot or if I can just put one in each. I have so few seeds that I am quite reluctant to kill off 1-2 out of every three just to get the strongest seedlings kwim? I am using a tray so they will be close together, that is all that is needed for proper germination right? Thank you again, I really appreciate the help. I am really hoping that we at least get some though from the other responses I am rather saddened with the idea that it might not happen. Oh well, it will be fun either way and we love tomatoes around here.
digdirt2
16 years ago
Since you are using the pellets I'd sacrifice them rather than seed - use more of them and only one seed to each.

Remember that if using the peat pellets and peat pots you need to strip off the netting before transplanting and strip off the pot before planting.

Dave
anne_mackey
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you digdirt/dave for your help, I greatly appreciate it. Will let you all know if they actually grow! I am obviously a novice :) and so I am not even sure I properly saved them last year. Heres to hoping! Have a great day, enjoy all the beautiful weather to come!
cirtes
16 years ago
Hi Anne, i think some of the posters assumed your spicy tomato statement was an April Fools joke. If not, producing a tomato that has spice to it would have many fans.

I personally would plant all 25 seeds in individual pots and then plant all viable seedlings. If any of the fruit is spicy, you have a winner. If none are spicy, well it was a fluke or perhaps using the same knife for slicing tomatos after slicing hot peppers.

Either way it goes, best of luck.
anne_mackey
Original Author
16 years ago
Oh, I see. What actually happened is we had a whole bunch of tomato plants pop up in the yard of a house we bought as a foreclosure. Just all over like someone threw seeds all over, I assume the birds or something were the actual "planters" but who knows? So I just transplanted some of them since the neighbors dog had dug in our garden and destroyed all the ones we had planted previously. One of the plants produced two tomatoes that I brought in and set on the table. I have a then 4 year old, 2.5 and 1.5, they went to sneak tomatoes like they tend to do and began screaming hysterically, I assumed a chemical had been sprayed on them so I tasted it (the one they bit into) and it was spicy inside not outside. When my husband got home he tasted both tomatoes agreed they were very spicy- like peppers and we didn't have any peppers inside, they hadn't produced yet and that is why we saved the seeds, also is why there were not many, dh accidentally ate some. The plant was destroyed soon after that by the neighbors dogs because they couldn't seem to keep them on their property and they could easily climb the 6 ft fence(large black labs). Thats okay though, I am putting up an 8 ft privacy fence this time :)
I am sorry you all thought it was a joke, there is already a green tomato that is spicy though from what I was told by a neighbor though I have no idea on what its name is. These are red though and had a hint of an orange streaky cast to them.
bau the man (uk, bristol,zone 7a)
10 years ago
I would have rooted a sucker from the spicy plant, and kept it alive through winter, then I would cross pollinate the clone with a plant that came from the 25 seeds, then save the seeds again hopefully with a bigger chance of spiciness!.