Topic: "Days to maturity". Tomatoes etc.

[tim]

Confusion - from sowing or planting out?
Indoors or out??

[john_miller]

Generally from planting out. In the case of tomatoes planting out is typically assumed to be when 50% of the plants have the first flower open. However, Tim,you've missed a word. It should be relative days to maturity. The relativity is between different cvs. of the same vegetable and is not absolute days to maturity. Nor it dependent upon indoor or out, given that most cvs. are deemed most suitable for one or the other, not both, and it is assumed they will be grown accordingly.

[tim]

Thanks, John - &, of course, relates to heat, light etc.

Your tom point reminds me of a question I failed to get an answer on earlier.

I have never achieved first truss flowers before planting out. Yet all the wizened little plants you get at the market do. Mine would be too leggy if I waited that long.

Our lean-to is south facing & I use capillary matting with 60F bottom heat. Maybe I should let them suffer?

PS Daughter is now 50!!

[Garden Manager]

This is something I hve become interested in recently, since i have been looking for an earlier cropping variety for the greenhouse next year (see my thread on 'Early Tomatoes' in the edible plants section). the key to geting an earlier crop to me seem this 'days to maturity' business.

Strange those i have come across with DTM of around 60 -70 (compared with most that are around the 80 mark) appear to be bush/determinate types. Hardly practical in a greenhouse i am sure you'll agree!

[tim]

No - but well suited to the Arctic farmer with no protection?

I find that the cherries - Santa & Nectar this year - are significantly earlier than the norm, by some 3 weeks, & then the 'beefs' come in much later than the norm. That in itself gives continuity.

[Garden Manager]

Aha! Santa and Nectar. Now i do believe i have heard of those. Especialy 'Santa', though i am not too keen on the taste of them.

I think it is Santa that is grown for sale in the supermarkets over the winter.

[tim]

So right. But also the rest of the year! No1 daughter won't eat anything else. And they freeze better than most 'cherries', being so solid.

Maybe home grown are better than 'force-fed'?

I only tried Nectar this year because of the 1999 RHS trials. I'm glad!

[Robert_Brenchley]

What's a good 'early' tomato for outdoor growing?

[tim]

Robert - you've not been attending? See ideas in Early Tomatoes. And then it's up to you.
As mentioned earlier, http://www.simpsonsseeds.co.uk/ are a family firm & very helpful. As may be the larger suppliers.
Watch out for 'earlies' which are not frost-hardy.

Although US ideas don't always read acrpss to UK, here is some more reading.
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/early2.htm
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1986_January_February/Super_Early_Tomatoes

PS I've never grown outdoor earlies!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Thanks. I'm sure I can do better than this year, with nothing ripe till September!