Topic: tomato calculator for my book your opinion requested.

[Digeroo]

Like Grawrc I am confused.  I certainly do not like to give any transplant shock.  I usually put them out during the day in a sheltered position and gradually get them used to the wind etc.  Even after planting out they might get fleeced or cloched up on cold or windy days.  I would reckon to try and keep them above about 7C as much as poss.  I might also try and pick a warm spell of weather, but the forecasts are notoriously unreliable in their predictions here.

Acclimation and acclimating are not words in my vocabulary.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acclimatization

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/914/

Though this article gives good info re hardening off, author must come from near you.

Davesgarden defines acclimation as hardening off:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/2161/

I think you will find in gardening we here in the UK just call this hardening off.

I do think we are getting problems with nomenclature.  Looks like we will need a translation.

I think we also call succession planting Catch cropping.

Then there is intercropping - two different crop at the same time
and Companion planting  - growing flowers etc amongst the veg to attract bees and deter pest.

I spent years working with charts, figures and spreadsheets.   I still find your charts rather daunting.  I do think you need to run them past a cross section of people to see how they get on with them.  

[Ophi]

It would look good over two pages Plainleaf.

If you are going to produce comprehensive charts like this for most vegetables, I have to say that I would be tempted to purchase.  I love charts and know that I would use them often even if I had to do a slight visual conversion with frost dates.

[Digeroo]

If you will not tell us in rather more detail what you are using the charts for, it is rather difficult to say which one is best.

[plainleaf]

aj
1.interval planting and succession planting are same thing:
the term means plant the same crop several times over a period of time to spread out the harvest.
example: if plant 4 blocks of same variety of corn.  one block ever week
spreads the harvest over 4 weeks.


2.succession cropping: is plant two different crops one after the other is finished.

[aj]

aj
1.interval planting and succession planting are same thing:
the term means plant the same crop several times over a period of time to spread out the harvest.
example: if plant 4 blocks of same variety of corn.  one block ever week
spreads the harvest over 4 weeks.


2.succession cropping: is plant two different crops one after the other is finished.

So what's interval cropping then?

[plainleaf]

aj don't know since don't use that term

digeroo
1.chart one predicts harvest from set seed start date using dtm .
2.chart two uses seed start date  change then calculates it for each dtm group

given same start date and dtm both charts give same results

ps i will be posting revised version of chat tonite.

[aj]

aj don't know since don't use that term

Yeah you did - look - I've put it in bold for you below...

the book title is following
" Tactical Vegetable Gardening: A guide to Succession Cropping,Interval Cropping &
Companion planting.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Do you mean French fried potatoes?

[plainleaf]

well i meant interval planting. but since coined to term accidentally
I guess get to define it Interval Cropping is when you plant more then 1 varieties of a crop the have different dtms thus spread you harvest over a greater range of time then you would have with one variety. 

[Chrispy]

May I ask why you have done the chart for tomatoes? It is not the sort of thing that lends it's self to succession/interval planting.

[plainleaf]

Chrispy i would disagree with you on that. it is done like that quite easily with determinate varieties.

[Chrispy]

I don't understand.
When I grow tomatoes, they continue to crop until the frost kills them (or for the outdoor ones on my allotment when the blight gets them).

On your chart, it gives a 10 day period for harvest, I just assumed this this was the start harvest window as I am just aiming for the longest harvest period.

I understand different variaties have different cropping times I am having that dilema at the moment, but whatever I grow I want the longest possible cropping period, so they will go out as early as possible, and they will come out as late as possible.

If you want a follow on crop, then this would mean removing healthey productive plants, is this what you do?

[plainleaf]

chrispy yes that is start cropping

[aj]

What's the aim of this book in the first place? Who is the audience?

[plainleaf]

aj title should make that it obvious
Tactical Vegetable Gardening: A Guide to Succession planting, Interval Planting &
Companion planting.

[plainleaf]

i will posting revised version of each chart tomorrow based off suggestions.