my tomatoes are always lame!

[dust bunny]

80+ in the daytime is pretty warm for seedlings. I would at least vent it so they have a cool breeze. Can't you plant them outside now in zone 8 though? My friend in TX is in zone 8 and she just planted out all of her tomatoes and peppers.

I would try to save your little seedlings, and also start some seeds directly outside. I think they would be fine out there. You have a long enough growing season to direct seed them.

i didnt know that, how do i do it? should i put plastic over them or something? is there a trick to it?

 

[warmfuzzies]

How warm is your day-time and nuight-tiume temps? You want to make sure your temps are always over 40 before you set out tomatoes. If its warm enough to plant seedlings, its warm enough to plant seeds. Just plant them like you would inside. Tomateos are weeds, they want to grow.

I would plant two seeds every 12-18 inches, and then put an upside-down milk jug on top with the lid off. If it is over 70deg in the day time, you will want to take them off so you don't roast the babies. They should do fine. Most people think tomatoes HAVE to be started inside, but they don't, especially with a long growing season like yours.

I would like to hear what other people think about this though.

 

[digitS']

I'm not too sure I know what's going on - there in Shelton, WA.

The plants are in a fish tank which is wrapped in bubble wrap. So they are really covered up, day and night, right? It really sounds like they need some fresh air.

The outdoor temperatures must not be very warm if it is dropping overnight to the 30's, INSIDE the greenhouse. In fact, it sounds down-right COLD there are the Olympic Peninsula!

Winter hardiness zones don't "translate" very well from one location to another. Since they have to do with winter temperatures and not growing conditions, they may not mean too much for tomato gardening.

Western Washington has a loooong growing season, it is true. However, there isn't a lot of sunlight and not much heat . . . during a normal growing season. Sunlight and warmth mean quite a bit to a tomato plant.

This map probably doesn't extend into Texas zone 8 but it gives you some idea of what the yearly warmth one can expect in western United States. Growing Degree Days, base 50 What you see is that in terms of warmth - most of western Washington looks more like Montana than Texas !!

I can't expect to get a ripe tomato off a volunteer that has self-sown outdoors. I live up there at just barely the 2,000 growing degree day border. Most of western Washington isn't any warmer than that.

On the other hand -- look at western Texas.

Steve

 

[dust bunny]

I'm not too sure I know what's going on - there in Shelton, WA.

The plants are in a fish tank which is wrapped in bubble wrap. So they are really covered up, day and night, right? It really sounds like they need some fresh air.

The outdoor temperatures must not be very warm if it is dropping overnight to the 30's, INSIDE the greenhouse. In fact, it sounds down-right COLD there are the Olympic Peninsula!

Winter hardiness zones don't "translate" very well from one location to another. Since they have to do with winter temperatures and not growing conditions, they may not mean too much for tomato gardening.

Western Washington has a loooong growing season, it is true. However, there isn't a lot of sunlight and not much heat . . . during a normal growing season. Sunlight and warmth mean quite a bit to a tomato plant.

This map probably doesn't extend into Texas zone 8 but it gives you some idea of what the yearly warmth one can expect in western United States. Growing Degree Days, base 50 What you see is that in terms of warmth - most of western Washington looks more like Montana than Texas !!

I can't expect to get a ripe tomato off a volunteer that has self-sown outdoors. I live up there at just barely the 2,000 growing degree day border. Most of western Washington isn't any warmer than that.

On the other hand -- look at western Texas.

Steve

i too would love to know whats going on in Shelton WA but i am clueless :/ here is a pic of my tomato babies to clear up the bubble wrap thing

and here is a pic of my "greenhouse" along with the black pots to the right i wana put the tomatoes in so i can move them with the sun

its a bit warmer now 35+ to 60 or so and warmer in the greenhouse, i want to put the tomatoes in those black pots and move them around, i figure the black color will absorb the heat and i can move them as summer progresses, is this a good plan? we live in the woods so its kinda shady, and here is a pic of my garden after harvest

 

[digitS']

Well, those tomatoes don't look terrible to me, 'Bunny. I've never seed an aquarium used like that.

The greenhouse looks useful, especially for getting things out during the day.

The pots certainly look big enuf. Are you going to kill yourself moving them around the yard? I'm not much of a container gardener - things tend to dry out too fast for an inattentive person. I am in a much more arid part of the world.

The garden setting is sure pretty. The poultry ornaments are pretty too!

Notice folks, how green, green, green western Washington is. There isn't much stopping the growing of leaves in that part of the world !

But, you should probably be very careful to choose tomato varieties that have a chance to make use of what sun and warmth they will get. I grow an early maturing tomato from Oregon State University: Legend. They also have Oregon Spring and Siletz from that horticulture department. I bet your environment isn't much different from Siletz, Oregon . . .

The tomatoes will need some help but I wonder how easy it would be for you to have green onions, bok choy and pea pods to go with them . . . . . . a little bacon in the pan, then toss in the green veggies with the red-ripe coarsely chopped tomatoes . . .

Steve

 

[warmfuzzies]

OK I forgot to look at location, just zone. Listen to Steve he knows more then me.

Maybe the tomatoes are too hot in the foil and stuff. They also need air circulation don't they? Steve??



I am just AMAZED at how green it is!! It is NEVER that green here. I mean, really never.