tomato growing time

It is somewhat eairly,but what is ment by the time on the seed packets ?

I have been growing tomatoes for many years and always bought the plants from a green house. Never paid attention to the times, just planted near mid April and pulled them off about the 1 st of July or so. This year I am going to try it from the seeds.

Some of the packets have times such as 52 days and 70 days. The the growing instructions say start about 6 to 8 weeks before moving outside. The 52 day plants would already have tomatoes on them if I wait 8 weeks before moving outside. That does not seem right. Even the 70 day ones would be way too big if that is the case.

Would it be more like that after the plants get big enough to move outside that time would start ?

Reply to
Ralph Mowery
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No they won't, those seeks that actually germinate and grow, will take 6 to 8 weeks just to getting to the point of moving outside, not to the point of being full of tomatoes.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

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For plants started in greenhouse and then transplanted, that's precisely what it means...time after transplanting. It's just an average for the variety in prime conditions so local conditions can affect it by 50% or more (generally, of course, in the longer as opposed to the shorter direction). And, of course, the amount of stress experienced in the transplanting operation can be a major setback if conditions aren't great when doing so.

For seeds planted in situ, it means time to first harvest, again on an average for the variety in ideal or nearly so conditions.

It's really only of significance in comparison of one variety vis a vis another if you're trying to stagger production towards having some early and other later varietals...

Reply to
dpb

Thanks. That is what I thought. Plant the seeds and about 6 to 8 weeks later when they are 6 inches to a foot tall move them outside and that is roughly when the time on the package starts.

So if the packet says 60 days that is really going to be more like 110 to 120 days or more total time before I get the 1st tomato depending on the growing conditions.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

I have no idea where the times came from. That is why I asked. Been growing them from plants for many years but thought I would try from seeds so I could stager them a month or so between planting.

All I know is I put them out from the green house about mid to the end of April and get the first ones aroung the 4th of July. That is for some Better Boys that state 70-75 days. Some of the other kinds I plant may or may not come sooner.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

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