I don't start mine until the end of February early March. They don't do very well if planted out earlier then May 1. But, we have a pretty long growing season here so there is not much of a rush to plant early.

Your little ones look nice and healthy...

Welcome, rhoder !

I was thinking that in zone 9b - 10 your plant out season should start much earlier than May, which more like zone 6b plant out time.

Although we are in USDA zone 7b/8a but we are more like 6b, when it comes to planting out tomatoes and peppers. There no danger of frost starting April but it is just cold. For example

Date .... low ..... high

Apr-5 ....40 F............55F

Apr 15.....42F ........58F

Apr 30 ....44F .......62F

As you can see the changes in temperature is very very slow.

Here is our June average temperatures

Sey

I'm in CT (zone 6a) and I usually start mine 1st week of April. Then I can put them in the ground mid to late May.

John A

Sey, I have tried setting my transplants out earlier but they struggle. If I put them out later they don't need protection and they do well more or less on their own. The growing season is long here, this year I might consider setting some out even later in the season as well. Most of the tomato plants I put out in spring are done by late summer and I want to see if I can extend the season into late fall.... The local Master Gardens recommend May 1 as the optimum plant out date for tomatoes.

My optimum plant out date is in 2 weeks but I already put mine out, only one day in that time period looks a bit cold, but it should be fine.

Of all surprises, one of my Persuasion tomatoes finally came up! I planted it will over a month ago. Cross fingers it gets to ripe fruit stage. The stem has purple stripes! I'm pretty pleased, I was sure I wasn't going to get one plant. Even though this one is late, if spring is cool, I might get some fruit out of it. Cross fingers.

I am totally new to gardenweb. I love this board! Do I just jump in? :)

I am so pumped about gardening this year, that I have already started some tomatoes under my grow lights. (Zone 4!!). I plan on moving them into my covered window well to see how they do in about 6 weeks. I'll start my regular plants at the regular time. Just had to have a few to experiment with. What a dirt digger won't do to dig dirt!

My first round of planting for tomatoes started yesterday with Cherokee Purple, and Steak Sandwich. I just finished 72 cells with 12 types. 12 trays of 6.

Planted are :

1.Big Rainbow heirloom. (I did seeds for this one last year. Due to a mix up in selling off my extras I was not able to get one in the garden.)

2. Steak Sandwich hybrid. Making a well anticipated return. Yield was very good. Taste was very good as well. Everyone that had them raved about them.

3. Black Cherry. First year to try this one.

4. Tasty Treat hybrid. (Cherry) First year for this one as well. (Hoping it is not as tough skinned as SS100.)

5. Big Pink hybrid. (First time on this one as well.)

6. 4th of July hybrid. (Good producer, and fairly early. It produced when the others quit from the heat.)

7. Orange Wellington hybrid. (Hoping to get a better taste, and yield than Jubilee did last year.) Jubilee did yield some big ones though the first ones were bit on the bland side until cooked. The small ones that were late in the season did have a nice sweet bite to them.

8. Pruden's Purple heirloom. (Wanted to grow this last year. Things just did not work out that way.

9. Mortgage Lifter heirloom. Same as above Wanted to grow this one last year. It just did not work out as I had hoped it would.

10. Early Treat hybrid. First time with this one. Will compare it to 4th of July.

11. Porterhouse hybrid. First year for this one as well. I like to do at least one crap shoot for a large beef steak of huge size for the fun of it.

12. German Johnson heirloom. I wanted to try this one last year, and was not able to get the seeds in time.

You may want to put a thermometer next to your plants in your window just to make sure they don't get too cold.

Welcome!

Thanks for the welcome, Marianne!! The thermometer is an excellent idea! I keep the roses Souvenir de la Malmaison and Gloire de Dijon in pots in another covered window well over winter and they never even lose their leaves, but roses are much hardier than tomatoes. I might just have to add a blanket to my tomatoes during the zero to -20 degree nights that might come, especially as they grow closer to the cover. Thanks for jogging my brain on that one, Marianne... You saved me heartache. :)

It was 40 degrees outside today and I was wearing a jacket without cap or mittens... Smelled and felt like spring!

Welcome, Rebecca .

Jump in by all means, anytime. We are here to share ideas, opinions and learn from each other. I have learned most of what I know about gardening, right here in this forum. It has been almost 15 years and I am still learning something new.

Sey

Thanks for the welcome, Sey!! Love that photo of those baby tomatoes! My learning came from mostly trial and error... After 45 years of gardening, I am still searching for the perfect cherry tomato and trying new things like window well tomatoes. It's all so very much fun!

In 2005 I browsed through posts on this forum and tried 26 new heirloom tomatoes that year. From that planting, I found Goose Creek and Earl's Faux... My two favorites that grow amazing, delicious tomatoes in this climate. I am 65 now and am downsizing my garden because it is more than I want to plant. We are tearing out a 3' x 40' raised bed garden. I am leaving a 3' x 15' bed and 2' x 6' bed... Just enough room for 5 tomatoes, cukes, red tropea onions, and lettuce. PERFECT!! I can't wait to plant. I have new tomato cages that I am rigging up for high winds with fronts that will open like gates so I can get in to tend and remove them in the fall. All so very exciting, I am dreaming of Spring!!

So funny to hear 40f described as "warm". Hasn't been that cold at my house in a few weeks! (Ugh, but Monday it will be...)

I think another of my Persuasion tomatoes came up, or it is an eggplant. I can't tell. The seedling is pure deep purple!

We are WARM too. hehe

Today's high was 49F. We start seeing more and more 50Fs. I will tell if it is spring when we start seeing some 60Fs. And that will probably happen in March. And that is when I should start germinating seeds.

Sey

60 days from transplant for the Bonnie Plant's Cherokee Purple, since Christmas. One of the only few variety that manage to not suffer from blight despite the constant heavy rain and windy condition. There are some septoria spot in the lower leaves from the beginning, but it doesn't slow the plant. Since I mulched this raise bed there are lots of mycorrhiza activities in the soil.

Funny, Marianne and Sey!! 40 degrees is a heatwave for us this time of the year. Compared to the -20F we had for lows a couple weeks ago, it's downright balmy. :) It's all relative, I guess. Still I don't think I could live in a warm climate. I would wear myself out. I need the winters to knit and dream. The other thing is, we don't have plant diseases here. And we don't have insect damaging plants except aphids and leaf miners. So I pretty much plant and fertilize my tomatoes and walk away, except for water.

Really nice 'maters, Max!!! I get a little jealous when I see those, I must admit! Happy eating.

Keep us posted on Persuasion, Marriane!

Rebecca

Here is a picture of my HGT at 3 weeks from sowing.

Naturally, being micro dwarf, they are growing very slowly. No surprises there.

Today I also planted few NBD seeds. I have heard that it also grows at slower rate.

Sey

I went ahead and started 2 Yellow Pygmy tomato seeds. Only one came up. I won't be starting the rest of my tomato seeds until early March. Then they won't be planted outside until the second week in May. Yellow Pygmy grows to a height of 12" to 18" so I am going to see how long I can grow it inside under lights and just keep potting it up as needed. I am hoping to get some extra early tomatoes this way. Btw you inspired me to do this Sey! Thanks for the idea.

The green you see in the background is Chives.

You are welcome to the "Itchers Club", Christa ! hehe

Never heard the name "Yellow Pygmy " before. At 12 to 18" mature height it should be quite manageable inside. If it get gets enough light you can keep it for as long as you like. The HGT is even smaller than YP.

I will start sow the bulk of my seeds starting Feb 15 through March 1st.

Almost forgot:

Yesterday ( 2-2-16) I also sowed the following:

== New Big Dwarf >>> It can get up to 3 ft tall but it is very slow growing.

== Silvery Fir Tree >>> It is a short determinant, with max height of under ~~20". I grew this one in 2014. It is a beautiful plant with unique carrot like leaves. Fruits size about 6 oz. It is also early season.

Sey

Thanks Sey! I sowed seeds for Silvery Fir Tree last year but they didn't germinate. I got them in a trade so they may have just been old. Good luck in the New Big Dwarf contest. I got my Yellow Pygmy seeds in a trade also so I don't know much about them.

This is info on YP from TatianasTB: Very early, 50-55 days from transplant, compact dwarf plant with rugose foliage with smooth edges and not very serrated as typical regular leaf. Plants are small and sturdy dwarfs. Good set of yellow-orange slightly translucent small cherry fruits, 0.5" in diameter. Plants will set fruit again after ripening first set of fruits. Very good strong flavor, more acidic than sweet. Excellent cherry for growing in small containers.

Christa,

I bough SFT seeds off the rack 2 years ago ( from Fred Meyer ). It is sold by Ed Hume. Check the big box stores. If you could not find it and wanted grow, let me know I cane a few seeds. But let me to make sure that mine sprout first. I should find out in a few days.

Sey

Thanks Sey! That would be great. I can send you a sase or you can see if you want any of my seeds and we could just trade. I don't have a Fred Meyer but I do have a Kroger. The only seeds they ever sell is Burpee.