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west central IN/East central IL

How many days before harvest should seeds be started? Growing for competition.

2/2/2015 8:09:32 PM

Allentown, PA

Hey Megakin!

That depends on a number of factors. First is the growth time necessary for maturity for that particular strain of tomato.
For example Big Zac takes approx. 80 days from germination of seed to maturity of tomato whereas other lines will mature earlier or later. Other factors include the size of the tomato that you are growing at the time. A larger tomato from a multiple fuse bloom will usually take longer to flash color (mature) than a smaller tomato of the same strain.

Another factor one must take into consideration is when you are entering a competition.
Are you entering the official online competitions only or is their a actual physical weigh off for you to participate in?
For me I begin the seed planting process on or around March 23rd for plant out approx.the first week in May for my particular USDA growing zone which is 6B. By the first week in May my plants are approx. 12 to 14 inches tall and are ready to be trench planted.

What you need to determine is your last frost date, the average days to maturity of a particular line (usually 80 to 90 days for large beefsteak strains) and the contest you want to enter.

If you enter the online contest through the GPC then it's notably easier to plan than it is for an actual physical weighoff date due to the fact that once your tomato flashes color you can then have it officially weighed and then entered online at anytime your tomato is ready.

2/3/2015 8:01:46 AM

Wixom MI.

Look at Dan MacCoys diary under master p. He started his plants around april 20 the first flower july 1 about 6 weeks after planting and ripened around aug.27 about 50-60 days after flower. So if you wont an oct.1 tomato, then pollinate it by july 31

2/6/2015 3:18:05 PM