From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Norfolk, UK

Pick my last toms last night - pollinated end of Aug - that i’d kept on the vine for seed. A 4.95 BZ off the 5.175 Hill & a crazy 27 inch Domingo with a big hollow that came in at 5.57 lb.

Pleased with the season, four tomatoes over 5lb from just seven plants (6.11, 5.57, 5.2, 5.1, 4.95, 3.47 and er... 1.38.)

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=311091

Interesting thing tho was those last tomatoes picked yesterday were still green. But they were now 82 days old, after an end Aug pollination.

Cool weather / reduced light means that ‘growing days’ must be a lot less - it’s out of season here now with day / night temps of 50f / 35f.

There’s no doubt a sweet spot of cool temps / light to extend the number of days growing - vs enough heat & light for growth.

Interesting too see tho l, but I don’t know how you’d control it to best advantage other than date of sowing and luck with the weather!

Thought i’d share as interesting tho. Could you get 120 day fruit growth with the right numbers?

11/23/2019 3:59:41 AM

Central NY

Awesome year saladdoug!!!!....

11/23/2019 10:07:00 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Temperature and the amount of sunlight are to me the main factors that I have been unable to control.Too much sun and too hot versus cold and no sun. I guess it gets down to growing degree days as much as anything. The more days of growth you get I think the bigger the tomato has a chance to become. Lots of sunlight and temps that are not excessive. But, how is that accomplished. And there are so many other factors such as nutrients, water etc. I do think though that sunlight and temperature lead the way as without the right mix of these, nutrients and water won't do it on their own. And don't forget the right seed.

11/23/2019 10:34:07 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

season is not over...it has just started for me. Soaking seeds this morning for winter grow. Environmental control in the winter. Future year project...manipulating growing degree days. I am curious about the optimum daylight temp and nighttime temp. I need a gas line and 100 amps to the pole barn, in a few years can do some good experimenting.

11/23/2019 11:25:55 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I think I read somewhere that 80 degrees in the daytime and 60 degrees at night are the ideal temperatures. But, how could anyone know that?

11/23/2019 7:09:35 PM

Norfolk, UK

Commercial tomato growing is such big business, loads of studies and work done on them.

One of my commercial hoop house books suggests: Ideal flat temp profile of 73 to 75 on initial transplant for best pure vegetative growth, transitioning to 75 day / 65 night before 75 to 80 day / 64 to 67 night when fully loaded.

24 hour averages are monitored as well, and can be manipulated if there’s a spike in the day (you allow colder at night, to de-stress from an extra hot day), and i believe it’s 24 hour average (-50f) that dictates the growing degree days contributed.

All this is well above what I can actually control in real life (not having anything like that amount of control), but interesting to know what ‘ideal’ looked like.

Those temp profiles however will likely be to ripen (for max commercial yield) as quickly as possible. I wonder if trying to extend the number of days after pollination, but still get growth, the numbers would be rather lower.

11/24/2019 6:43:32 AM

Norfolk, UK

And thanks Porkchop! The season’s been kind :)

11/24/2019 12:13:29 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I think you are right Doug, commercial optimum and WR optimum could be different. I actually thought that the commercial ideal would be a bit warmer. If you can get the tomato to market one month faster you could harvest more per year. I am expecting that I will be running a bit cooler this year during winter grow than previous years. At 80+ daylight/75+ night..I have had seed start on Jan 1 to harvest of a flashing tomato on March 20th. This year should be 75/75. Hope I am ready for next year.

11/24/2019 1:24:42 PM

Norfolk, UK

I’d go lower still Bob. 66 to 67 f is the target for the 24 hour average, for straight up commercial growers.

11/24/2019 4:30:17 PM

Grittyville, WA

Great work SaladDoug. Thanks for sharing. I want to believe I could do that here. But, you know, it's easier to admire the success of others than to get off my butt.

So... They can put on nice gains very early, and very late in the year? That's when our biggest grew... We have hit 5 lb early season, and 5 lb late season, but only 3-4 lbs in the middle of summer... Maybe this means temperature and soil moisture are factors. Like you... our latest ones grew fine, but did not ripen.

11/24/2019 10:46:28 PM

https://www.greenhousecanada.com/structures-equipment/lighting/the-latest-on-lighting-32145

Scroll down to "year round vegetable crops" . Might be of use to you. Talks about temperature control on yield.

11/25/2019 4:54:43 AM