Turns out that NONE of the tomato seeds I bought at Walmart that were
supposed to be beefsteak actually are ... We got cherry tomatoes , and we
like them , but that's not what I wanted to plant . The rest are a
run-of-the-mill medium tomato , average about tennis ball to baseball size .
And they're good , much better than store-bought . But they're not what I
wanted ... so next year guess where I'm NOT going to buy seeds ?
I need to find a local "seed bank" of local growers , I figure that's the
best way to get plants that do well up here . And i have a bunch of seeds
saved to swap . Plus , I've got volunteer bok choy growing in the garden now
, and just yesterday I scattered some spimach and romaine seeds from the
early crop this year . Now if we can nurse these tomatoes along a while
longer we'll have some more nice salads .
--
Snag

On Friday, September 12, 2014 3:10:50 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Turns out that NONE of the tomato seeds I bought at Walmart that were

supposed to be beefsteak actually are ... We got cherry tomatoes , and we

like them , but that's not what I wanted to plant . The rest are a

run-of-the-mill medium tomato , average about tennis ball to baseball size .

And they're good , much better than store-bought . But they're not what I

wanted ... so next year guess where I'm NOT going to buy seeds ?

I need to find a local "seed bank" of local growers , I figure that's the

best way to get plants that do well up here . And i have a bunch of seeds

saved to swap . Plus , I've got volunteer bok choy growing in the garden now

, and just yesterday I scattered some spimach and romaine seeds from the

early crop this year . Now if we can nurse these tomatoes along a while

longer we'll have some more nice salads .

--

Snag

Moral of the story: Never buy seeds from Walmart!

Steve Peek wrote:
On Friday, September 12, 2014 3:10:50 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Turns out that NONE of the tomato seeds I bought at Walmart that were

supposed to be beefsteak actually are ... We got cherry tomatoes ,
and we

like them , but that's not what I wanted to plant . The rest are a

run-of-the-mill medium tomato , average about tennis ball to
baseball size .

And they're good , much better than store-bought . But they're not
what I

wanted ... so next year guess where I'm NOT going to buy seeds ?

I need to find a local "seed bank" of local growers , I figure
that's the

best way to get plants that do well up here . And i have a bunch of
seeds

saved to swap . Plus , I've got volunteer bok choy growing in the
garden now

, and just yesterday I scattered some spimach and romaine seeds from
the

early crop this year . Now if we can nurse these tomatoes along a
while

longer we'll have some more nice salads .

--

Snag

Moral of the story: Never buy seeds from Walmart!

I ordered 3 heirloom tomato (beefsteak , mortgage lifter , and san marzano)
and a cantalope and some serrano pepper seeds from a supplier in Tennessee
yesterday . Bet ya a nickel I get what I ordered ... I can't really blame WM
, their supplier screwed up . But I still won't buy any more seeds or sets
from them .

--
Snag

I have bought seeds from Wal-Mart for more than 10 years and have NEVER had
a problem.

DJ

"Steve Peek" wrote in message
...

On Friday, September 12, 2014 3:10:50 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Turns out that NONE of the tomato seeds I bought at Walmart that were

supposed to be beefsteak actually are
Snag

Moral of the story: Never buy seeds from Walmart!

dj wrote:

"Steve Peek" wrote in message
...

On Friday, September 12, 2014 3:10:50 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Turns out that NONE of the tomato seeds I bought at Walmart that were

supposed to be beefsteak actually are
Snag

Moral of the story: Never buy seeds from Walmart!

I have bought seeds from Wal-Mart for more than 10 years and have
NEVER had a problem.

DJ

Well good for you ! This is the first time I've had problems , and the
last- the Roma tomatoes were sick when I got them too . I think you'll find
that as Sam's kids strangle the last dime out of the family business the
quality drops further and further . My wife works for them and has commented
about that to me ... example : they're putting a new program in place for
the cell phone sales area where she works , and the computer system in their
store is too outdated to run the new software well . No indication they're
about to update/upgrade that either .
--
Snag

On 9/13/2014 7:30 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Steve Peek wrote:
On Friday, September 12, 2014 3:10:50 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Turns out that NONE of the tomato seeds I bought at Walmart that were

supposed to be beefsteak actually are ... We got cherry tomatoes ,
and we

like them , but that's not what I wanted to plant . The rest are a

run-of-the-mill medium tomato , average about tennis ball to
baseball size .

And they're good , much better than store-bought . But they're not
what I

wanted ... so next year guess where I'm NOT going to buy seeds ?

I need to find a local "seed bank" of local growers , I figure
that's the

best way to get plants that do well up here . And i have a bunch of
seeds

saved to swap . Plus , I've got volunteer bok choy growing in the
garden now

, and just yesterday I scattered some spimach and romaine seeds from
the

early crop this year . Now if we can nurse these tomatoes along a
while

longer we'll have some more nice salads .

--

Snag

Moral of the story: Never buy seeds from Walmart!

I ordered 3 heirloom tomato (beefsteak , mortgage lifter , and san marzano)
and a cantalope and some serrano pepper seeds from a supplier in Tennessee
yesterday . Bet ya a nickel I get what I ordered ... I can't really blame WM
, their supplier screwed up . But I still won't buy any more seeds or sets
from them .

I mostly buy from a local nursery that stocks good seed of many kinds
but also there's Pinetree and Johnny's Seeds that, generally, you get
the proper seed. It's a PITA to buy seeds somewhere and they turn out to
be something else.

We bought tomato seeds at a local grocer once long ago and, when the
packet was opened they were flower seeds. Never went back there.

I just tossed out some saved some chile seed from 30 years ago. Dug it
out of the freezer in early spring and started them and they were a
different chile than I wanted. That's what happens when you do your own
hydridizing. But there's always a chance you will get something really good.

On 9/12/2014 3:10 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Turns out that NONE of the tomato seeds I bought at Walmart that were
supposed to be beefsteak actually are ... We got cherry tomatoes , and we
like them , but that's not what I wanted to plant . The rest are a
run-of-the-mill medium tomato , average about tennis ball to baseball size .
And they're good , much better than store-bought . But they're not what I
wanted ... so next year guess where I'm NOT going to buy seeds ?
I need to find a local "seed bank" of local growers , I figure that's the
best way to get plants that do well up here . And i have a bunch of seeds
saved to swap . Plus , I've got volunteer bok choy growing in the garden now
, and just yesterday I scattered some spimach and romaine seeds from the
early crop this year . Now if we can nurse these tomatoes along a while
longer we'll have some more nice salads .


Happened to my father years ago with seedlings he bought somewhere.

I only have a half dozen plants on my deck as garden got shaded out and
deer run rampant.

I had three different varieties of tomatoes this year and got a bumper
crop. Two were grown from seeds of a tomato that guy up the road sold
and told me they were heirlooms that he grew every year. Plants were
just as productive as seedlings I bought.

Weather was key this year and I had more than wife and I could handle
and I had to freeze several quarts for the first time in years. I also
fertilized a lot more than normal. I've probably played around growing
tomatoes for 50 summers and I learn something new every year.

Frank wrote:
....
Weather was key this year and I had more than wife and I could handle
and I had to freeze several quarts for the first time in years. I also
fertilized a lot more than normal. I've probably played around growing
tomatoes for 50 summers and I learn something new every year.

have you ever had buckeye rot? if
so, did it rapidly spread to tomatoes
not in contact with the soil?

we've not had early blight hit us
yet over the years. we've had late
blight a few years and that doesn't
bother me much in comparison to what
happened this year with the buckeye
rot.

one thing for sure the weather will
keep on being variable. that is one
reason why i hate planting mostly one
variety. i get overruled and so it
goes...

cherry tomatoes have come along well
after the slow start.


songbird