It isn't just tomatoes, it is any plant that is normally grown from transplants rather than direct seeded.

It is more accurate - if accuracy can be applicable to DTM - than 'from seed'. DTM from transplant eliminates many of the variables that can affect it when growing from seed.

Dave

thanks for your reply. On the same note, I set my tomatoes outside in pots around April 15th but planted them in the garden yesterday. I live in zone 6. Would I be more accurate to calculate DTM fron April 15th or from yesterday?

Yesterday. The transplanting sets them back a bit. How long the delay all depends on how quickly they adjust. And there comes more variables - weather, size of plants, age of plants, soil nutrient levels, etc. etc.

All reasons for why DTM is of little real use and basically ignored by most of us. It was never intended to be some sort of firm figure, just a general guide to create the categories of Early Season, Mid-season, and Late Season varieties. It is, at the very best, a statistical average of plus or minus X # days.

Dave

seeds started 3/15, transplanted to 12" pots and set outside 4/15, my first tomato 5/31. I love it when a plan comes together.

I have a question on when do harvest my Better Bush tomatoes (I'm brand new to gardening anything!)... I added a photo (taken today) of the huge GREEN tomato I have.. it's been huge for about 3 weeks... but it isn't turning red.. when should I pick it?? Something has been nibbling on it.. could that be why it isn't turning red? And also, there are three more tomatoes on the same branch, could this one huge tomato keep them from growing bigger?