[Hibou]

For you crazy growers who try to put up all your family's dried/sauced/salsa'd/frozen/etc.'d tomatoes, how many plants are you (or have you) put in. I'm just starting my seeds today (zone 2b). Last year I had 40 plants, but too many snackers and not enough saucers.

 

[MidnightCommando]

I had the same problem last year. This year I'm doing about 40 amish paste tomatoes specifically for canning. Hope that's enough!

When is 2b's last frost date? I'm in 4b and we're around the 1st-2nd week in June

 

[Hibou]

It's sometime at the beginning of June. But there's always a risk of frost in June, so you have to be ready with your blankets. I'm not sure if our Canadian zone map is the same at the US one. Some may say zone 3. I keep bouncing back and forth, but our local garden club says zone 2b, so I've settled on that.

 

[FarmerCathy]

You can use any kind of tomato for sauce you just have to cook it longer. It depends on the variety. I'm growing Opalka and San Marzano for sauce tomato. San Marzano are way more prolific, but I have never grown for sauce so I'm not exactly sure how many. Opalka being my other sauce tomato isn't very productive, but is supposed to be a great tasting sauce tomato. I think I'm going to start with 5 of those. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

 

[Hibou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerCathy You can use any kind of tomato for sauce you just have to cook it longer. It depends on the variety.

I usually end up just mixing them all together for sauce...but like you said, it takes awhile to cook them down. Last year I had tons of yellow pear tomatoes, so I used them to make a beautiful yellow salsa, even thought they're just a snacking tomato.

I finally started my plants on Thursday- 69 in total, only 4 of which are snackers, and will probably go in pots. The rest are for fresh eating and sauce. Hope that will see us through the winter. My ds could eat tomato soup every other day.

 

[JamieCatheryn]

Something I saw on a blog once was to drain the juice from the tomatoes with a sieve first to thicken them up for sauce.

No idea about the number of plants, I'm growing 6 paste, 1 slicing, and 1 cherry tomato plant and hoping the paste ones stretch pretty well for sauce and salsa. This is my first year trying to preserve.

 

[serenetabbie]

I think I have 32 tomato plants of assorted types... but I would have to go downstairs and count them to be sure and I am feeling lazy

I recently read to just put the prepared tomatoes in the 'fridge over night and sipon off the water when they settle. Last year I only made a little sauce and just canned the whole tomatoes. That worked out so much better for us that this year I will do the same.

 

[sunnylady303]

I think I am growing 35 plants. I am still trying to find the right number and variety. I like Amish Paste but I love to try new kinds - I think I have like 20 varieties. Last summer we canned funky things like BBQ relish and Sweet and Sour Sauce and Tomato Chutney. Not this year. They were a PITA and they are still sitting in our pantry and we ran out of canned tomatoes, pizza sauce, and tomato sauce in like December. So I think that's all I will be doing this year - and probably some ketchup because we like that and I feel better giving it to my girls who consume huge amounts. I'll let you know how it all works out!

 

[rainbowmoon]

we have at least 32 tomato starts and some beefsteaks,yellow and cherries. I will be planting another flat or two next week!

 

[mrsbernstein]

As of this moment, we have 9 tomatoes in the ground: 4 "eating" heirloom from my bff's fil, 3 marzono paste, and Early Girl and a Better Boy.

We have room for about 8-10 more plants. I am going to do half of them in paste tomatoes (SM) and the others in Yellow Pear, and "Salsa"-type plants.

Mrs B

 

[tankgirl73]

Wow, in another thread not long ago I was called insane for planning 18 tomato plants. In this thread, I have found my kin I think!

This is my first year growing our own tomatoes. I've been canning tomatoes (plain and as salsa) for a couple years though (buying from local organic farmers). I've only canned Romas since they're supposed to be best for canning and sauces, and from that experience DH discovered that he likes them best for eating too, better than "slicing" tomatoes.

At least -- of course -- better than the usual bland things you get at the stores.

So anyway, a little research when planning the garden told me that Romas are just one type of paste tomato, so I'm doing some different things now that I'm growing my own.

I've also expanded my growing plans since my previous comments about 18 plants. I'm now doing a full 30 plants, 10 each of Roma, San Marzano, and Maria's. I looked into the Amish Paste and was going to do those too but ended up finding a great heirloom seed company that was more local so I bought from them instead.

I've no idea how many tomatoes this is going to give me. Part of the reason I'm doing three different types is to compare them and see if any are easier, more prolific, tastier, etc etc etc. I'm doing a half dozen or so as hanging plants and the rest in a SFG.

 

[Liquesce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hibou I finally started my plants on Thursday- 69 in total.

I am officially jealous.

 

[transformed]

good thread. I have 3. LOL. Guess I was way off. !!!

 

[AnnieinBC]

Last year I did about 40, and didn't have enough....but quite a few of those were cherry tomatoes.

This year, I am only going to do about 4 cherry tomatoes, and do the rest in larger size....

We like to have Lots of hand for over the winter.

Annie

 

[FarmerCathy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tankgirl73 Wow, in another thread not long ago I was called insane for planning 18 tomato plants. In this thread, I have found my kin I think!

You have definately come to the right place.

I'm still unsure how many plants I'm going to plant. 2-3 rows which will be between 52-80 plants. Really depends on if I can sell tomatoes at Farmers' Market. People who have been there longer get top priority.

 

[lmonter]

Ah, good times. I don't know yet how many tomato plants I'm going to have. If I had to guess, I think I've probably got.... at least 200 or so baby tomato plants in the pantry. Still need to thin even more and transplant them into their own parts. Of course, I do have my yard and my neighbor's yard I'm planting, but still.

Last year I had what, like 76 tomato plants out back? In my approx 10'x20' freshly tilled-last-year garden. In 15 different varieties. Brandywine and Ananas Noire were a bust, Black Krim isn't as prolific as I need, and Speckled Roman was eh. Determinate ones seem to do a bit better for me in my little zone 5 yard. Like Alaskan Fancy, Cougar Red, Amish Paste did okay, Kootenai always kicks butt for me in it's own tiny/petite way, and indeterminate Purple Russian... man, I'm still impressed with last year's performance, despite the challenges. I definitely needed more tomatoes/plants. And less of that crazy rain last year - that made things sucky. Hence why I'm going bonkers again this year.

And not to be an enabler (hah, who am I kidding), but you can simmer down tomato sauce without having to be in front of it for hours to keep it from burning...

Just haul out your crockpot(s), squish up your tomatoes (I

my Squeezo), throw in the crockpot. Turn on high for about an hour to get it bubbling and stir it occasionally during that, then on low overnight. Just stick a chopstick under the lid to vent it so the liquid can evaporate. Leaving the lid partially on means less mess if you do manage to get bubbles exploding that you're not cleaning the ceiling or microwave back. Just make sure to perpetually stir the sauce in the crockpot even when it's on low, and you're golden. Less fuss all around, which I'm quite a fan of.

ETA: The 10'x20' was just tomatoes and a few peppers and some basil, my garden's a little bigger than just that.

 

[transformed]

can you tomato people tell me how to rid the tomatoes of fungus? (Yellowing and browning of the lower leaves) I also have yellow marks in the shape of little snail trails on the leaves.

I keep having new flowers but I think the birds are getting to them or something because they dissapear and never turn in to tomates.

 

[rainbowmoon]

I just counted 66+ seedlings..(the count from my last post was just one flat

) I think I am done with tomato starts.

 

[FarmerCathy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by transformed can you tomato people tell me how to rid the tomatoes of fungus? (Yellowing and browning of the lower leaves) I also have yellow marks in the shape of little snail trails on the leaves. I keep having new flowers but I think the birds are getting to them or something because they dissapear and never turn in to tomates.

Are these inside or outside and how are you watering them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmonter Just haul out your crockpot(s), squish up your tomatoes (I my Squeezo), throw in the crockpot. Turn on high for about an hour to get it bubbling and stir it occasionally during that, then on low overnight. Just stick a chopstick under the lid to vent it so the liquid can evaporate. Leaving the lid partially on means less mess if you do manage to get bubbles exploding that you're not cleaning the ceiling or microwave back. Just make sure to perpetually stir the sauce in the crockpot even when it's on low, and you're golden. Less fuss all around, which I'm quite a fan of.

Thanks for reminding me about your crockpot trick. Will be trying that this year.

What do you mean by perpetually stir? Every couple hours or what? Sorry for being slow.

 

[transformed]

they are outside and I use a sprikler. The master gardener told me to get a soaker hose because it was splashing up on the leaves but I dont see how that makes a difference as it is going to RAIN on the plants and do the same thing.