How big is your garden and how many tomato plants?

bp fick · May 26, 2013

jinman said:
$7.50 for a single plant!!!?:shocked: That"s nuts. There are so many things that can kill a tomato plant after it is set out that paying that much is just wacko, in my opinion. That's even more shocking than them calling it a heirloom. I won't even pay Walmart's inflated price of $3.38 a plant. I buy at the local greenhouse @ $18 for a flat of 48 plants. I can pick and choose among several plants so I get the healthiest looking plants because they have thousands for sale. I was back at that same greenhouse a few weeks back to buy annual flowers and they'd lowered their price to $11 per flat. How can anyone pay $7.50 for a tomato plant? That's nothing against you, DFB, but I've had so many plants fail after setting out that I think those buyers are just lookin' for something to show off to friends. I understand that you can't do all that grafting work and sell the plant cheap, but my head is spinning over the cost.

I decided a few years back that there was little point in doing this if I didn't grow all my own "set plants" from seed. Then, we saw seed prices started to rise, I decided I'd learn about seed saving. The prices charged for seed, shipping, set plants, etc, has gotten too high for my blood. Frankly, I enjoy growing the plants myself. It adds another dimension that I enjoy.

I potted up a few hundred set plants. My wife wants me to get a small greenhouse or high tunnel so she can have her house back in late winter, early spring.

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farm88 · May 26, 2013

Are you sure those are tomato plants.:laughing:

RandyBell · May 27, 2013

bp fick Those are good looking plants! I only did about a dozen tomatoes myself and they take up the room. I do have a green house, just I have never found the time to set it up! It is an 8'x8' that I got from good old Harbor freight! I think when I got it was like $125, been a while though, but that may be an idea.
:thumbsup:

DFB · May 27, 2013

Yes nice job on those tomato and pepper plants. I had a 6'x8' HF greenhouse for a time. Despite the fact I needed two kits to make one greenhouse (shipping damages) plus figuring out the sliding door per their instructions, it was a decent little greenhouse. A bit on small side but with shelving you can put a whole lot of plants in there. With sun and water and the door closed its a doggone incubation chamber even on a cool day!

I seem to remember there being larger model too

Gunny · May 27, 2013

Nobody likes Rutgers? Unless I missed it, seems like every variety except them has been mentioned. I always plant at least 18 Rutgers, great for canning, not too bad for eating. I've got my 18 Rutgers, 18 Better Boys, 48 Romas (for canning juice and sauces), 4 cherry tomatoes and 4 Early Girls. Like someone else mentioned, it seems to me that for the last four years or so the Early Girls haven't been coming on that early, so it they don't produce early this year, I'm done with them.
My garden this year is70' by 110', mostly to leave more room on the sides and ends to maneuver the tractor during preparation, but SWMBO wanted a lot more cabbage this year, so I've also got 90 heads of cabbage going. Once you throw in the White Half Runners and Blue Lake beans, a row of cucumbers, onions, cantaloupes, watermelons (sugar babies and crimson sweets), onions and peppers, it's a job taking care of it, but it's worth it once everything starts producing.

Jstpssng · May 27, 2013

sixdogs said:
Well, you win. You don't win anything but you win. :laughing:

We, well mostly our crew, picked countless tons of rocks when we lived in Maine. I used to wake up screaming. Down here, someone will complain about picking up rocks in the garden and they come back with five or six. Huh?

I always found it ironic... after picking rocks every year while growing up I took a job as a landscaper and my first job was putting them IN people's gardens.

You guys are making me envious... I've spent the last two weekends watching it rain and it's so wet that I can't even WALK across my garden. I have 1000 strawberry plants and 300 asparagus roots which should have been in the ground 3weeks ago... sure would like to get them in the ground so that I can have my fridge back.

Ah well, a lot of others have it worse... guess I shouldn't complain.

sixdogs · May 27, 2013

Gunny said:
....

.....

I always plant at least 18 Rutgers, great for canning, not too bad for eating. I've got my 18 Rutgers, 18 Better Boys, 48 Romas (for canning juice and sauces), 4 cherry tomatoes and 4 Early Girls. Like someone else mentioned, it seems to me that for the last four years or so the Early Girls haven't been coming on that early, so it they don't produce early this year, I'm done with them.

...

Be careful ruling out a given variety because of a couple bad years. The next year it could be different conditions and come back like gangbusters. We have learned to plant a variety and spread across a wide maturity range and we always pick some winners that way. Our list with maturities is a page or so back and range from maybe 70 to 95 days so it helps lower the disease risk.
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Jstpssng said:
I always found it ironic... after picking rocks every year while growing up I took a job as a landscaper and my first job was putting them IN people's gardens...

....

....

Yes, and Downeast you've got rocks the size of houses.

I've seen a D-9 CAT turn down a simple rock pushing job on frozen ground because he said he couldn't move it. You live in a great area.
Any pictures of big rocks or landscape rocks you could post or start a thread with?

DFB · May 27, 2013

Always have rutgers every year at the greenhouse Its a good old fashioned tomato. Not many buy it unless I make the sales pitch

We had a wet snow mixed with rain over the weekend here in VT with accumulation on the mountain and then a wicked killer frost last night. Now its forcast for 70F tomorrow and 80F by Thurs...go figure!

clemsonfor · May 28, 2013

jinman said:
$7.50 for a single plant!!!?:shocked: That"s nuts. There are so many things that can kill a tomato plant after it is set out that paying that much is just wacko, in my opinion. That's even more shocking than them calling it a heirloom. I won't even pay Walmart's inflated price of $3.38 a plant. I buy at the local greenhouse @ $18 for a flat of 48 plants. I can pick and choose among several plants so I get the healthiest looking plants because they have thousands for sale. I was back at that same greenhouse a few weeks back to buy annual flowers and they'd lowered their price to $11 per flat. How can anyone pay $7.50 for a tomato plant? That's nothing against you, DFB, but I've had so many plants fail after setting out that I think those buyers are just lookin' for something to show off to friends. I understand that you can't do all that grafting work and sell the plant cheap, but my head is spinning over the cost.

I buy a few big plants for like $2.50 each year and say i never will again cause there almost no farther along then the small 4 packs i buy at walmart for $1.98 for the plants that actually look taller than the $2.50 ones in the larger pots in most cases.

Have you see the plants at lowes that are like $29.95 for one tomato in a plastic heavier duty pot and have a plastic cage built on them, you buy them flowering and with tiny green tomatoes on them. They have them at lowes. There crazy expensive and for city people to put on thier deck, but the pot is so small that unless its in the shade you will practically have to water it 2x per day. and if its in the shade your plants not going to do well at all!! I mean the thing is not got but maybe 2.5gallons of dirt, MAX probably less?? If i set it out in full sun the leaves would be droopy and almost crispy every day!! And thats here in SC heat not even Texas heat. And forget a day of watering and its pobably gonna suffer some long term damage and not recover from that.

DFB · May 28, 2013

clemsonfor said:
I buy a few big plants for like $2.50 each year and say i never will again cause there almost no farther along then the small 4 packs i buy at walmart for $1.98 for the plants that actually look taller than the $2.50 ones in the larger pots in most cases.

Have you see the plants at lowes that are like $29.95 for one tomato in a plastic heavier duty pot and have a plastic cage built on them, you buy them flowering and with tiny green tomatoes on them. They have them at lowes. There crazy expensive and for city people to put on thier deck, but the pot is so small that unless its in the shade you will practically have to water it 2x per day. and if its in the shade your plants not going to do well at all!! I mean the thing is not got but maybe 2.5gallons of dirt, MAX probably less?? If i set it out in full sun the leaves would be droopy and almost crispy every day!! And thats here in SC heat not even Texas heat. And forget a day of watering and its pobably gonna suffer some long term damage and not recover from that.

One mans viewpoint

6 packs are logically the best choice but what I see is that single tomatoes at $2 a pop out sell them every time. First thing people say is I dont need six etc... the funny thing is everyone seems to feel obligated to have use all the plants. I remember I had that problem when I first started farming. If 98 out of 100 seeds popped I felt like I had to plant every transplant that grew even if the row was only good for 75.

Potted tomato plants are one of the greenhouse industry's biggest sellers. People just love them so convient, easy to take of, clean no dirt...you have to remember millions of people in this country dont have yards for gardens or care to dig in the dirt. We commit at least three 100 foot greenhouses for potted tomato production and one 50 footer for single and 6 pack production. Have to give the people what they want.

Here in New England container plant sales will carry thruout the major portion of the summer long after the short sale point of garden transplants. Its just sound business logic

And of course a real greenhouse will always have quality plants after the wallymarts, home depot, and lowes of this world are long done. This weekend alone we had xtra sales because buyers said all the big box stores in the area lost all there plants to the freeze temps because nobody actually takes care of them.

We always find it humerous at the greenhouse not a day goes by that maybe the one or two customers out of hundreds and hundreds who come thru everyday complain about price...its part of the business all we can say is if you dont like it dont buy it! :laughing:

BTW only sold one $7.50 grafted brandywine. They all wanted the big $15 dollar ones with tomatoes on them!

I love my job