42-Day Tomatoes

[slw]

I received a seed order today from Seeds N Such .   They included a couple of freebies in my order.   Some Taiyo sunflowers and some "42 Day Tomatoes."   The packet says the tomatoes are determinate and suitable for growing in containers, so I'm thinking I might try some in my currently vacant Farm XL. 

I checked a couple of websites and the plant descriptions are all over the place.  One says that the plants can reach 5' to 6' tall but others say they are smaller.  The tomato fruits are supposed to be about golf-ball size and quick ripening.  I guess since I have a vacant Farm and free seeds I may as well give it a go.

I searched the forum but I don't find any posts about "42-Day Tomatoes" so if I overlooked it I apologize.  If you have grown them, what did you think?

[swimmom500]

Feb 14, 2024 18:07:53 GMT -5 slw said:

I received a seed order today from Seeds N Such .   They included a couple of freebies in my order.   Some Taiyo sunflowers and some "42 Day Tomatoes."   The packet says the tomatoes are determinate and suitable for growing in containers, so I'm thinking I might try some in my currently vacant Farm XL. 

I checked a couple of websites and the plant descriptions are all over the place.  One says that the plants can reach 5' to 6' tall but others say they are smaller.  The tomato fruits are supposed to be about golf-ball size and quick ripening.  I guess since I have a vacant Farm and free seeds I may as well give it a go.

I searched the forum but I don't find any posts about "42-Day Tomatoes" so if I overlooked it I apologize.  If you have grown them, what did you think?

I got those with my seeds n such order too. I did plant a couple of the sunflower seeds and 1 is coming up. I am trying to attract bees to my berry bushes! I didn’t plant the tomatoes because I had over ordered on tomatoes and wanted to try the ones I bought. Let us know how the 42 day tomatoes do for you. I have never heard of them before but I will take anything for free! lol! I have a couple of pepper gardens in need to replant so I may give them a try in there.

What else did you order from seeds n such? They had a lot of interesting seeds on their site and I did order the Iznik cukes and quick snack cukes. Couldn’t resist giving the ghost peppers a try either!

[slw]

I'll post updates on the 42-Day tomatoes as they grow.  I was excited to get free stuff, too!!   I mostly bought seeds for my outdoor raised beds and my EarthBoxes... bush beans, yellow squash, pickling cucumbers, okra, potato seeds, zucchini, various tomatoes, etc.   I also bought more Iznik seeds because I have such great luck with them.  I'm sure I'm forgetting something but you get the idea, lol. 

Ooooooh, ghost peppers!!  I want to know what you think of those. 

[CatHerder]

slw The Aerogarden Experiments has several videos on growing the 42 day tomatoes.  I had those on my list to try when I eventually get the hang of growing things.

[slw]

Feb 16, 2024 18:13:41 GMT -5 CatHerder said:

slw The Aerogarden Experiments has several videos on growing the 42 day tomatoes.  I had those on my list to try when I eventually get the hang of growing things.

Thanks; I saw his videos and couldn't believe he planted some of them in a Harvest.  I think that is one reason that he didn't get them in 42 days!!  I enjoy his videos and many times I disagree with him, but I have to admire him for "experimenting!" 

[CatHerder]

Feb 16, 2024 18:42:25 GMT -5 slw said:

Feb 16, 2024 18:13:41 GMT -5 CatHerder said:

slw The Aerogarden Experiments has several videos on growing the 42 day tomatoes.  I had those on my list to try when I eventually get the hang of growing things.

Thanks; I saw his videos and couldn't believe he planted some of them in a Harvest.  I think that is one reason that he didn't get them in 42 days!!  I enjoy his videos and many times I disagree with him, but I have to admire him for "experimenting!" 

I've seen almost all of his videos when I was trying to learn how to grow things.  I learned a lot from him. I've seen you and a few others say you "disagree with him",  I'm guessing growing tomatoes in a regular Harvest is one example? 

I have two Harvest XL's.  I have AG mighty minis growing in one, they seem to be doing well.  I'm at 41 days and have almost a dozen little green tomatoes.  I'm guessing if I grew them in a regular Bounty, it would have been faster/more productive?

[slw]

Feb 17, 2024 14:31:35 GMT -5 CatHerder said:

I've seen almost all of his videos when I was trying to learn how to grow things.  I learned a lot from him. I've seen you and a few others say you "disagree with him",  I'm guessing growing tomatoes in a regular Harvest is one example? 

I have two Harvest XL's.  I have AG mighty minis growing in one, they seem to be doing well.  I'm at 41 days and have almost a dozen little green tomatoes.  I'm guessing if I grew them in a regular Bounty, it would have been faster/more productive?

I disagree with small things, like he seems to wait until cucumbers are turning yellow to harvest them.  In my experience, cucumbers turning yellow are too "seedy" and beyond their best stage unless you want to let them get mature enough to save for seeds.  Just little things like that, but there's really no right or wrong to personal preference.  

I enjoy his videos because he demonstrates what is definitely possible with all the different AG models and a few knock-off brands.   I particularly like his cleaning videos, because the first time I took a grow deck apart I was afraid I was going to mess something up, and with his step-by-step instructions I could put it back together easily.

 

As for growing tomatoes in a Harvest, I have done so many times before I owned Bountys.   Most plants will do OK in a Harvest, but the larger water tank, taller light height, and higher bulb wattage in a Bounty make it easier.  Hard to say if it would be faster or more productive because of all the variables. 

The Harvest XL definitely is a step up from a regular Harvest, but all the models are worth owning.  It's possible to grow mini-tomatoes in a Sprout so no matter which model a person buys, they can grow fun things. 

There's really no right or wrong with growing most things; we all learn by doing.  Luckily most seeds are fairly inexpensive, so if something doesn't do well we can just toss 'em and start over.      (P.S., I'm certainly no expert but I know what works best for me!!) 

[slw]

CatHerder --  I guess I should have said that I would not have put the 42-Day tomatoes in a Harvest because they are described as getting 5' to 6' tall.  With the relatively low grow height of a Harvest it would be hard for me to corral a large sprawling plant due to limited space around my AGs. 

[lynnee]

CatHerder, My first AG was an Ultra, the Bounty precursor, so I've never liked the Harvest and absolutely hate the Sprout. The lower light output in the smaller-than-Bounty AG models makes all plants take longer to grow. I like the Harvests okay for flowers, but not for anything I plan to eat (including herbs). For food, I want production!

Actually, I do love the Harvests for microgreens done with the microgreens insert (and I hate the hard-to-install Bounty microgreens insert).

As for Aerogarden Experiments, I like all of his videos, because he really demonstrates what can and can't be done with the different AG models. He regularly coaxes plants to grow in models that are too small for them, for example.