super duper pics sjoerd! we have toms up too and put them in the greenhouse. they're staying small still cause it's colder in there. daisy, a hybrid is a seed that produces fruit, but the seed from that fruit usually will not necessarily produce the same fruit as the original. this is all new to me, but from how i understand it is the F1 is the first year seeds from the produce of a hybrid are saved and then planted. the best plants are saved (the ones that produced the best and the type of fruit you want) and the seed from the fruit. they are F1. the next year's saved seed from the F1 will be F2 and so on. Sungold is a Hybrid. tho, there are many breeders out there trying to make an OP (open pollinated) variety. OP is a seed that you can save seed from and it will produce the same type of fruit/plant as the original, tho, some varieties of veggies will cross pollinate with one another and create different plants and fruit. can you tell i'm excited over all the stuff i'm learning???!
As Daisy has already explained "cherry" just refers to a smaller size tomato (from grape size to golf ball size...my husband likes the golf ball size ). The seeds that I saved were the "sun gold" variety. http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/vegetabl ... tomato.htm I saved the seeds from toms that were given to us by a friend so I am not sure about the "F" number. I think I understand it now that I read Bunkie's post. I have had toms volunteer but I had never saved the seeds until this year. I usually buy plants because I have limited space. I was actually suprised to see them sprout. I guess I put too many seeds in each pot because they all germinated. I have 7-8 plants in each pot. When do you separate them. They only have their initial set of leaves? Our best producing tomato plant was a gift from a bird(?). Two plants came up in my front yard flower garden so I just let them grow there and they were really good toms, should have saved those seeds.
I see that the "Sun Gold" is an indeterminate (cordon) type which is really good if you want to eat all season long. I did not see that it was Phytophthora resistant anywhere. That is a problem for me as this sickness is very common in this area--it's why I grow my toms in a greenhouse. My toms still get sick some years, but very late in the season. It is an F1 hybrid, so you may not get exactly the same results as last year, but it's still worth a try...heck, they've already germinated and you are on your way.
I see what you mean Sjoerd. I just read a little about phytophthora. Looks like a very bad condition. I see now why you must have resistent varieties of toms now. Is that what also ruined part of your potatoes last year?
Yes Daisy, that is a bad disease. Although Phytophthora is very bad with potatos it was a different type of sickness that bothered a few plants last year. It was a sickness that came with the seed potatos. I complained to the company and got my money back--minus the shipping costs. I was pleased, but would have much rather have had good healthy spuds. Each plant that I removed ment that I had between 17 and 25 potatos per plant less. It could have been worse, but I was on top of it very early on.
After reading about Phytophthora, I am remembering why I gave up doing seeds. I did not realize this soil borne pathogen can cause problems such as crown & root rot and damping off disease which I have had problems with. We have red clay soil and even with amendments and tilling it still tends to be wet. I hope the toms will survive...I will give them a try and will do more research on any others I buy. Thanks for the advice. When is the best time to separate them, should I just pinch some out so the others will get stronger? I don't really need that many plants. I had not idea the would all germinate. ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden )
Hello Gail--Yes, if you have predominately clay soil, that is a dense type of soil that doesn't typically drain well. I like incorporating lots of organic material into my soil such as aged manure and well-rotted compost with some cellulose bits. This soil with this sort of additive will warm-up quicker and will drain well. I also use a bit of bone meal and blood meal mixed into the soil so that the plants can eat without stress during the early part of their lives. These things are slow-releasing and contain many of the minerals (elements) that toms really need to do well. Those seedlings look like they are coming along very well. They are just a little behind mine...or perhaps just about the same. I usually place one seed per cell, but sometimes a second one finds its way into the cell. Anyway, I prick these seedlings out when they get just a little bigger. I often wait until the second set of leaves begin to form because then I know that their root system will consist of more than just one "hair" root...it will be a little clump. I like getting the young seedlings into their own larger container as quickly as I can. I transplant them a number of times before placing them in their growing place. I don't know how many plants you want to have...but transplant a few extra just in case you accidently damage one. At the stage (shown above) I no longer cover them to avoid the chance of them developing damping-off syndrome. If it gets quite cold at night then you could cover them for the night only. I might mention that if you smoke, then be sure not to touch the plants (when small or adult) without having washed your hands well-- to avoid the possibility of transferring tobacco mozaic disease. Generally speaking one should be able to plant their toms outside orin a greenhouse seven weeks after planting the seeds.
