Last year, in late May, I planted some mature tomato plants I purchased at the West Seattle Farmer's Market. The spot I chose is sunny for most of the day. I hoped for the best - tomatoes grow like weeds in Maryland, so I figured I wouldn't have a problem.
Wrong.
They never grew like my tomatoes back east. I think I yielded one small tomato. And all three of the plants died by September.
So what are the best practices for tomatoes in Seattle?
I'm guessing they have to be in a spot of FULL sun, but when should they go in the ground? What is the best time to start seedlings inside? (I started some in March as an experiment this year, and one plant is barely hanging on).
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
There's nothing like homegrown tomatoes!
We live in West Seattle and have had great luck with our tomatoes. We put them in the ground last weekend. Our seedlings are about 8 inches high. We've found that they like pellet fish fertilizer stirred into the hole when planted. The only other thing is LOTS of water. My in laws live in Kensington MD and I think things grow differently there because of the humidity. My tomatoes have always needed watering every day once it gets warm and sometimes twice a day during the hottest stretches. Also, the variety may be to blame. Some of the heirloom varieties can be trickier to grow. We always put in a few but have had the best luck with Roma, Early Girl and Sweet 100's. I think some of the heirloom varieties require more sunny days than Seattle can deliver.
Posted by: Hillary | May 05, 2009 at 03:11 PM
We plant our tomatoes anytime from mid-April on. I know lots of people say that is to early, but I've had great success. I've grown them in raised beds and amended beds in the ground. Always with lots of compost and fish fertilizer. The trick is most definitely full sun (8+ hours). Protect from winds. We have multiple raised beds that we rotate them through and if they are facing south or west they do best. We grow "Early Girl" "Sweet 100" "Stupice" and a yellow pear shaped little guy that is the sweetest thing you'll every eat. They have 'em at McLendons, I can't remember the name of it right now.
Posted by: Cristine | May 08, 2009 at 02:07 PM
Thank you so much, Hillary and Cristine! Forgive me for the delayed note of thanks...crazy week. Interestingly, I spoke with a woman at our garage sale who said heirlooms are the only way to go - and to water them every day. She did clarify, and said it's best to get varieties that are known to do well here. Sounds like McLendon's has some good ones.
Posted by: Hillary | May 15, 2009 at 06:39 AM
I learned A LOT from Willi Galloway re: growing tomatoes in the Pacific Northwest.
My notes are posted here:
http://seattleplantexchange.typepad.com/spx/2009/05/tomato-tips.html
Hope they're helpful!
Posted by: Hillary | May 29, 2009 at 03:26 PM