# Conducting Seed Trials



## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

You can't know what will grow well in your garden unless you try it. There are just too many variables in climate, micro-climate, soil structure, and fertility to know without first hand experience. The only way to know what best suits your needs is to conduct trials, and now is the right time to start planning.

To run a successful trial, you have to keep good records. Mark the plants well so you know what is what. Keep a notebook and record the cultivar name, planting time, time to harvest, and it's often best to weigh your harvest as you collect it and record this too. You can also record subjective information like taste, storage properties, and so on. Notes on your fertilizer regime, watering, pests, and even the weather can also be useful.

It's usually best to grow more than one plant of each variety or cultivar. For plants that bear fruit, plan on starting 6 of each. For leafy or root crops, 8 to 10 feet or row should be enough. Your garden soil will have variations in nutrients and soil structure. If you plant too many of each type, they will take up too much room and these soil variations might influence your results.

Most of us will trial heirloom varieties so we can save seeds for next season. Although this is normally a great idea, be aware that you will get a lot of cross pollination when growing plants close together in a trial. For this reason, don't plan on harvesting seeds from your trial plants. Use the left over seeds from the original packets to start your best performing varieties the following year.

Seed trials are easy to do and can show you exactly what plants are best for your individual garden. Maximize your gardening efforts by trialing multiple candidates and you can vastly improve your yields. Have fun and happy gardening!


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

George Washington did this. Many of his very detailed records are preserved for prosperity. He was never quite the planter that he was a soldier/statesmen.


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

I tried a new variety of tomato last year, it was an heirloom called Bloody Butcher. Bloody small is what I would call it's fruit, but they did taste good.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Local hardware, farm supply, etc is a good source of info. They don't carry seeds that don't sale locally.

I love container growing in 5gal buckets but you have to drill a hole in the bottom of the bucket incase of too much rain. I can take one variety of seed & vary the amount of water they get as well as move them around to vary the amount of sun they get. I use miracle grow as a booster & can vary how much & how often the buckets get that also.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I got my little garden started to see what I can do down here in my new home state.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

If any of you get a chance this year, I highly recommend the Beef Master tomato's. We tried them this past year. They are the best sandwich tomato I have ever grown!! Huge tomato's. 
Not a canning tomato tho. Great in salads too.
We always have the best success here, if we plant our tomato's so they have morning and early day sun, with afternoon shade.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Beef Master tomatoes are really good tomatoes that are easy to slice since they are so firm. Easy to grow and tolerate irregular watering which is perfect for me.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

I like my beef steak tomatoes for sandwiches & cherry tomatoes for everything else.


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

I always grow several different varieties, not just lots of my best. They differ in resistance to various weather conditions, pests, diseases, etc. Having diversity helps ensure a decent yield when conditions don't favor your star cultivar.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have decided that I am going to plant some tomatoes this year and see how it goes for the first time. Every plant I have ever owned except grass seems to want to commit suicide for some reason, so it should be intersting.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

I'll be doing this as well. Picked up several new to me varieties from the local seed bank. I have had success in the past doing this and now I know what grows best in my garden.


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