Starting Tomatoes and Peppers This Weekend

March 10th is - according to my dad - the best date to plant tomatoes and peppers in our area, so that they are ready to get into the ground on time. I'm missing it by a day or two, but I think things will be alright.

Here is what I will be planting this year:


Peppers:

1. "Peperone Picante a Cuore" It also seems to go by "San Savatore" and appears to be of the type known as "Calabrese" peppers

2. Spanish Cherry Peppers

3. Hungarian “Paprika” peppers

4. Pequin or Tepin peppers from Texas (not sure which?)


Tomatoes:

1. Celebrity (My did insists that these are the best canning/juicing tomatoes he has tried).

2. Brandywine Pink (from Burpee)

3. San Marzano 2 (from Seeds from Italy)

4. Southern Nights (from TomatoFest)

5. Black Krim (from TomatoFest)

6. Purple Russian (from TomatoFest)

7. Mr. Hawkins (from TomatoFest)

8. Black Plum (from TomatoFest)

9. Black Cherry (from TomatoFest)

10. "Large Red Cherry" (from American Seed)

11. Super Sweet 100 Cherry (from Burpee)

12. I’ll also find one other canning or sauce-type tomato to start today or tomorrow, for a total of 12 types of tomatoes (2 plants each)

Quiet a variety of tomatoes you have there! We started peppers in the greenhouse last night, and tomatoes will be in a few weeks. Truly a sign of spring when tomatoes get planted!

I've grow 4 or five of the tomatoes that you listed; Celebrity, San Marzano 1 and 2, Black Krim, Brandywine (though mine was OTV not pink), super 100's.

If you haven't finalized your TomatoFest order i would advise Opalka tomato. it needs a slightly longer season, but once it ripen is gives great flavored, extremely meaty tomatoes!
Happy planting!

Dorfie - many thanks for that recommendation. It looks like exactly the type of tomato that I'd be searching for! The origin, the usage, the growing season (you know what it's like this far north) and the type are all along the lines of what I am trying to get. The San Marzanos that I will be planting are very temperamental, so these will make a wonderful alternative.

I did my TomatoFest order late last year, so I didn't plan on ordering any this year. I wish I would have known about this one a couple of weeks ago and I would have ordered it. I might do so anyway, and start them a little late - if not, I will definitely be ordering them anyway, so that I will have them next year.

Many thanks for bringing them to my attention - it is absolutely on my list.

Hey, everyone -

I should have been more clear in my opening post; in Montana - in March - you start tomatoes and peppers indoors, as there are still plenty of opportunities for freezing and other hazards to healthy garden growth. By starting early and indoors, your seedlings will be grown and healthy enough to thrive when transplanted outside.

To start my tomatoes and peppers, I use this:



We have a pretty short growing season up here (generally considered to be 15 May to 15 September, but usually runs a little longer), so these greenhouse things give a good head start.

Anyway, I started the peppers and tomatoes today...2 days late! I think we'll be okay, though.

I suck at getting peppers to start, grow or survive, so I planted 3 pods of each pepper, 3 seeds per pod. The seeds for all are a bit old (2011, I think), but we'll see how it goes. The Hungarian ones are from 2012, and have been vacuum-sealed since that time, so I am hopeful.

Here are the peppers:

3 pods "Peperone Piccante a Cuore" (from Emanuele Larosa Semente)
3 pods Spanish Cherry Peppers (from Burpee)
3 pods Hungarian “Paprika” peppers (from a friend who generously shared them with me)
3 pods Pequin peppers from Texas (also shared by a friend)

As for the tomatoes, my dad ran out of Celebrity seeds, but had just gotten a pack of a "new" variety called "Celebration," which is supposed to be an improved Celebrity. Also, I decided to skip the cherry tomatoes from American Seeds, for two reasons: a) because I was doubled-up on cherries anyway (triple, if you count the black cherries); and b) because I remembered that between the American Seeds cherries and the Burpee "Sweet 100" cherries, one was radically better than the other, and I am 90% sure that the better ones were the Sweet 100s.

Anyway, skipping the American Seeds variety allowed me to try a couple of others that my dad had, the Granny Cantrell German and the Cor de Beouf. So, my new tomato line-up for 2016 is this:

2 pods Celebration (from Gurney)
2 pods Brandywine Pink (from Burpee)
2 pods San Marzano 2 (from Seeds from Italy)
2 pods Southern Nights (from TomatoFest)
2 pods Black Krim (from TomatoFest)
2 pods Purple Russian (from TomatoFest)
2 pods Mr. Hawkins (from TomatoFest)
2 pods Black Plum (from TomatoFest)
2 pods Black Cherry (from TomatoFest)
2 pods Super Sweet 100 (from Burpee)
1 pod Granny Cantrell German (from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)
1 pod Coeur de Boeuf (from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)
2 pods Early Girl (from Gurney)

I am much more confident in the tomatoes, and all of those seeds are quite new, so I only started 2 pods of each (with 2 exceptions above), 3 seeds in each pod.

I need to get a bunch of taller 24-ounce sourcream/yoghurt/cottage cheese containers...at least 36 of them...so that can eventually transplant these pods into them. They work perfectly as far as size goes, and are easy to tip the plant and dirt out of when putting in the ground. It would be better to also start in these larger containers (as my dad does) and then they could just be re-planted once, but space limitations and cats make this impossible.

My dad started a few different tomatoes, including the last of his Celebrities, some Cherokee Purples, the Black Cherries that I also started, those new Celebrations, some kind of yellow plum tomatoes, Rutgers, Beefsteak and I am sure a couple of others I am forgetting. All-in-all, I think 12 or 15 plants. He also started some yellow and red sweet peppers, some of my Hungarian peppers and jalapeños.

In about a month, it will be time to start the cucumbers, squashes, melons, pumpkins etc. Dad gave me a bunch of different summer squashes to plant, and I have a bunch of different things from last year; also, there are a couple of varieties that I want to order specifically, so I'll see what I end up with. I am strongly considering tilling up a new section of the yard for the squashes, melons etc. - I have three lots, so I might as well put them to work.

Around May 15th, give or take, it will all go in the ground, along with the stuff planted directly into the ground such as corn, beans, root crops, lettuce (or spinach), carrots, maybe some radishes...much as we've discussed. I'll flesh out the ideas as we get closer.

We planted our tomatoes yesterday, in the ground! Not bragging! Tried some "early girls" supposed to have fruit in 60-80 days. Also Roma's for salsa & sauce. I too am probably a week or two late. Roy

Early Girl tomatoes are pretty small being about two inches across so you won't slab off a hunk for a sandwich. Taste is alright but there are much more flavorful ones out there. It does get huge numbers of them. I only grew it a couple years before giving up on it opting for larger more flavored varieties. They do have pretty good disease resistance. Have fun in the garden.

Over the years I operated our family veg operation I tried hundreds of varieties selecting out only the best flavored ones. Back then I planted about 5 acres of them a year.

LOL I saw this thread and went whaaattt! Tomatoes in Montana in March! :< We can't plant until about mid May, you can try a little earlier but the soil is too cold and they just sit there, doing nothing until the soil warms up. I have been planting the "Husky Cherry" the last few years. Prolific, loaded with flavor. We will get 5lbs a week during peak season from 5 plants.

Had my maters in the ground for about two weeks now, started them from seed. Tough to grow good tomatoes down here in Florida, such a thing as Nematodes. I grow Hybrid Juliet's, a large grape like variety, very prolific and very good, eat them like candy and excellent in salads. Loren

Tomatoes are one of those foods that will grow just about anywhere using one type or another. Nothing can beat the flavor of a locally grown and ripened one.

ibglowin said:

I have been planting the "Husky Cherry" the last few years. Prolific, loaded with flavor. We will get 5lbs a week during peak season from 5 plants.

Click to expand...

I really like those. I grow a single plant of those every year. The other varieties change, but that is my one guaranteed tomato.

TasunkaWitko said:

Hey, everyone -


I suck at getting peppers to start, grow or survive, so I planted 3 pods of each pepper, 3 seeds per pod. The seeds for all are a bit old (2011, I think), but we'll see how it goes. The Hungarian ones are from 2012, and have been vacuum-sealed since that time, so I am hopeful.

Click to expand...

Pepper and tomato seeds keep pretty well, given they were stored in a somewhat decent way. We store ours in a cooler, and I just saw today the peppers I planted from 2013 have begun to germinate.
Peppers normally need some heat to get the seeds to germinate decently. We use a heat pad to do ours, but I have heard people using the tops of their fridge to supply the heat. You just have to be sure to get the seedlings in the sun once they begin to emerge, otherwise they stretch and get weak.

I turner over 8 raised beds, mulched the paths, tinkered with two lawn mowers and a tiller, and still bottled 5 gallons of cider. I feel pretty good about all that, unfortunately, my back and butt feels otherwise!

We plan to plant half as many peppers and tomatoes and twice as many flowers and herbs this year. Just for a change of pace.

Being I have some knowledgeable gardeners here, Let me ask this..

I use the earthbox planters on my deck. Having a real garden is simply not an option. The deer and other critters made having a real garden impossible.

The earthboxes do well with cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes.

What I really want to grow is my own potatoes. My brother planted some (he has a real garden) and they were FANTASTIC. I have not been able to find anything on growing potatoes in containers.

So I put is out there... Anybody grow potatoes in containers?

@JohnT - I got this information from a friend just a few wees ago. I haven't been able to try it, but he spends a LOT of time gardening, so his information is reliable:

Potatoes can be grown vertically. What you want is a patch about the size of a car tire. Work the ground under it, set your seed potatoes or slips, and cover with at least four inches of soil.

When they sprout above soil level, let them grow to about eight inches, then cover half the stems with soil. Next time they reach that length, do it again. You can stack two or more tires and build a tower as high as you like.

Tires, of course, can be unsightly. One alternative is to get a 55 gallon drum, remove the top and bottom, and cut it in thirds. You may have to rig some sort of supports for the second and third ring. I use small angle irons for this. That certainly is more aesthetically pleasing. You can even use chicken wire. In such a case, amend the soil heavily with straw, so it stays contained. If you go with tires for your potato towers, I would paint them green, only because it seems to fit better.

What happens is that wherever the stems are covered by soil or other medium they send out the rhizomes (there’s actually a different name for them, which I forget right now). The spuds grow on those shoots, not from the actual roots.

This is the best (perhaps only) way to grow potatoes in a small space.

I’m a big believer in vertical growing whenever possible, but especially in small gardens. You take advantage of the freehold above the ground that way.

Click to expand...

John, I agree with what was said above, you can also grow them in your earthbox planters (if large enough) and then stack medium on top. Potatoes are a modified stem (tuber) and so they grow from the stem tissue, not the roots like most assume. Because of this, if you cover the stem it will make tubers, this is why we hill potatoes, to promote more tuber growth.
If planning on using straw, you need to water more, and provide a source of nitrogen, because the carbon in the straw will absorb the nitrogen in the soil, and your potato plant will grow much slower.
This all being said, I am surprised that you have animals that will eat potato leaves, I believe that they are somewhat toxic (Solanine). I have never had an issue with animals (other than insects) eating my potato plants, but maybe I have just been lucky!