Getting people to understand all tomatoes are not red is difficult.

Every year I have to explain to my neighbor the same thing. That the Sungold or Sunsugar tomatoes will never get red and they are ripe now when the are yellow or orangy.

Since I don't know what tomatoes I have growing from my heirloom variety pack, I have been giving them a squeeze. If raw, they are hard. When ready, they "give" just like a red tomato from the store would. So, then I pick them. I have one that is green with pink streak's inside when ripe.

Claudia:

Check out the winter sowing forum for complete instructions, but once you try it, you'll never plant seeds any other way.
The thing is it sounds impossible, especially for heat-loving seeds like tomatoes, and you'll think it'll never work, but it does!

Basically, you sow the seeds in jugs in the dead of winter. The jugs act as little greenhouses. You'll start getting sprouts
and then as spring arrives, they'll really take off and you'll be busy planting all sorts of things. It's wonderful!

Here's a link:
http://garden.org/ideas/view/v...

I have done winter sowing just never had any idea I could do the tomatoes!!

WInter sowing tomatoes doesn't work so well for those of us in colder areas. I tried it one year, but we often don't get spring until the middle of May, and that is to late to start from seed when frosts come in October.

I grow mine from seed inside under fluorescent lights. I start mine in March, and plant out the beginning of June. Mine are much bigger healthier plants that you can find at most of the nurseries around here.

This year I have Pruden's Purple, Kellogg's Breakfast, Mortgage Lifter, Belmonte, Parks Whopper, Goose Creek, Genovese Costoluca, Kosovo and Green Zebra. The M.L. and the Kellogg's are new for me this year.

No ripe tomatoes yet, but a few are getting close

I know I heard Trish talk about winter sowing tomatoes on one of the weekly shows they were doing. Can't remember which one though.

What I don't understand about winter sowing is why the seedlings don't freeze. I have had plants freeze in my car, which is greenhouse effect too.

That is what I was wondering Geof. If being in zone 5 might be too cold. I am growing Kellogg's Breakfast too. I want to try ML. I like the plants I grow from seeds better too. Gymgirl is the one who sent me my first seeds several years ago and got me started. But Some years I do buy plant also. This year I was not paying attention and was late getting the seeds going so bought a few plants. Am trying Rutgers's this year. May have to give Pruden's Purple a try next year.

Woohoo! I now have more tomatoes on my German Johnson vines. Finally! The weather was simply too hot for them to
set fruit and now that we've had a few cooler days and nights, I'm getting more little gems.

For those of you in colder areas, I believe there is a suggestion that you not plant the seeds until maybe February instead
of sowing them in Nov. or Dec. Mine have to be in by January to ensure enough cold weather for stratification. We joke
down here of having our three days of winter before spring/summer sets in, usually with a vengeance.

Geof, I've never tried winter sowing tomatoes but I was thinking that they probably wouldn't get going enough for us in the north... I guess we are just doing our own version of WS, by sowing them under lights!

Angie, I actually don't think it would matter when we WS'd the tomatoes, I think it would be okay to do so early in the winter because they reliably self-sow no matter what the weather, but they're just too late to have enough time to produce much of anything.

Claudia, I highly recommend trying Pruden's Purple, it's really an excellent variety!

I've done wintersowing for both perennials and cool temperature plants, and started them in January. For our annuals, I tend to start them in April, which is still fairly cool for our zone. The nice part about is is not having to worry about lights, etc. Now--I must confess I haven't done tomatoes. I have to grow about 250 tomato plants for our Master Gardeners group, so I can't take any risks--I start these under lights. But, I've done many other plants by WS and have loved how easy it is.

I think Karen (kcqrna) has WS tomatoes before--check the seeds forum.

Linda, I think I might have to try it just to see what actually happens! (sometimes I "think" too much and "do" too little! ) It definitely would be easier than starting under lights, moving to the GH, etc.

I have to admit - I only tried winter sowing once, so I am not an expert. It worked really well for spinach, and for a few perennials. I only had a few tomatoes actually germinate, and they didn't sprout until May. The only reason I haven't done more of it is I really like tending them under lights. In my grow room it is "spring" in the end of February.

A friend in the Chicago area has had much better success (though I don't think she does tomatoes) - so it may work much better in zone 5.

You are right in that is doesn't matter much when they are started, at least in WI, they simply remain frozen solid until it warms up. We occasionally get an early spring, but last year winter just lasted and lasted.

mandolls said:I have to admit - I only tried winter sowing once, so I am not an expert. It worked really well for spinach, and for a few perennials. I only had a few tomatoes actually germinate, and they didn't sprout until May. The only reason I haven't done more of it is I really like tending them under lights. In my grow room it is "spring" in the end of February.

A friend in the Chicago area has had much better success (though I don't think she does tomatoes) - so it may work much better in zone 5.

You are right in that is doesn't matter much when they are started, at least in WI, they simply remain frozen solid until it warms up. We occasionally get an early spring, but last year winter just lasted and lasted.

Having those little plants growing under the lights when it's the dead of winter really IS nice -- kind of helps to give us hope!! Especially when we have a winter like the last one...

I don't use grow lights here. I just start them inside and use what good daylight I have and sit on the kitchen table under the overhead light. As it warms up they start going outside for light. I usually have to repot them once for another month. By this tome they are outside all the rime. Only come in if there is an extreme weather conditions.

Newyorkrita said:Well, heck. This is supposed to be Brandywine but sure doesn't look like Brandywine to me.



The plant is potato leafed but still!

I ate that tomato a few days later. It was good but tasted like your typical hybrid beefsteak type tomato. Nothing like Brandywine at all.

I did a WS of tomatoes one year here in zone 3 and the results were poor.
They germinated in June, flowered in August and green fruit in September just as the first frost came.
Now maybe if I had chosen a short season variety? I prefer to start them under lights in the house.

Been looking at seeds to consider what I want to try next year. So far they are all Pinks! Of course I have seeds left over from this year that will be grown next year to probably.

I did get excited over the idea of WS my tomato seeds I agree that I am not in the right zone for that. I got some plants out nearly a month late this year and am running behind in getting ripe tomatoes. Have had a few but lots of green ones out there that I sure hope have time to ripen.

It's pretty common for me to not have any ripe tomatoes to speak of until early September -- and I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be one of those years!

I have gotten about 20 tomatoes so far from my 10 tomato plants I put out in March. I would think there should have been more. Anyone have an average tomatoes per heirloom plant?