Black Krim Tomatoes - how many squares?

orionsbelt 3/21/2010, 4:33 pm

I've started some black krim tomatoes from seed, and I'm planning to put one plant in my SFG this year. (I'm starting off small, and I've got a lot of tomato varieties to try out!). I'm wondering how many squares I need to dedicate to it.

The package says to plant 24" apart. A friend of mine who grew them last year in a container did the single-stem method and said that she suggests planting them about 18" apart.

Here's the question - does this mean I need to devote two squares of my previous SFG to the Black Krims? Does anyone else have experience growing these?

Thanks for any guidance!

**Theresa** 3/21/2010, 6:41 pm

Hi Orionsbelt,
I grew one Black Krim tomatoe last year that a friend gave me. I gave it one square and kept it trimmed to one stem, but I put it in the corner, that allowed it a little more room if needed, but it grew about the same as my other indeterminate tomatoes, and I planted them one to a square and kept them trimmed to one stem. I also really liked the flavor of this tomato!

orionsbelt 3/21/2010, 7:55 pm

Awesome, thank you for the info!

chocolatepop 3/22/2010, 1:07 am

Since its a vining mater, go head with 1/sf! I am a sucker trimmer also Wink

seb 3/22/2010, 9:09 am

I grew this one last year in my non-SFG garden, and I have to tell you it was delicious! Definitely planning on planting it again this year. From all that I have read and talked to other SFG-ers, trim to one stem and you can definitely get 1 per 1 sq. foot.

Steve in Layton

mollyhespra 7/22/2013, 10:50 pm

BUMP!

I found this old thread while looking for info on 'Black Krim', but it doesn't *quite* answer my question.

The issue I'm having is that my 'Black Krim' (assuming I was sold the correct seed) is behaving more like a semi-determinate vs. an indeterminate. The thing has a monstrously thick stem, and it's really hard to keep it trained to one leader. The suckers seem to fuze to the main stem and become like a mini-ficus tree.

Here's a pic so you can see what I mean:

Black Krim Tomatoes - how many squares? Img_1710

Black Krim Tomatoes - how many squares? Img_1710

I have it in one square next to some other toms who all share the same trellis, and it just looks like it should have more room, like in it's own bucket or in the middle of 4 squares like a determinate.

I'm just looking for confirmation that your 'Black Krims' also behave this way before I decide to save seeds from this particular specimen; very strange habit this plant has...

**RoOsTeR** 7/23/2013, 8:52 am

Black Krim Tomatoes - how many squares? 20130723_061007_zps9f15857d

My black krims look similar. I would save seed if you think you might want to plant again Very Happy

mollyhespra 7/23/2013, 9:56 am

Thanks for the pic, Rooster; yours look a lot like mine, so at least that part of the question is settled.

What about spacing, then? I'm thinking that if I grow them again next year, I'll want to put them in their own bucket with a cage for support & let them be to see what happens. It looks like you have yours at one per square. Is that how you usually space them?

**RoOsTeR** 7/23/2013, 10:21 am

Molly, I know the general concensus is one per square for indeterminate, but this is the last year I'll follow that spacing for mine. From now on I'll go every other square along the trellis for my tomatoes Very Happy

Yardslave 7/23/2013, 11:27 am

I have had pretty good luck growing black krim crops in the past using a 24" spacing and maintaining their spread in hoops. Last year, I tried training them as vines with 1 plant per foot. They grew 8' I had to raise the trellis and extend the string they were suspended from. The plants seemed stressed by the pinching off of suckers and responded with grotesquely curled leaves (not attributed to viral problems). They required an increase in feeding due to the planting density and the fruit split because of the an inconsistent watering schedule (my fault). I was not used to having the plant's root area exposed to more sun which caused the mix to become too dry on hot days. I'm going back to the usual method, there wasn't enough difference in fruit size to bother with all the pinching and trellising required.

**RoOsTeR** 7/23/2013, 11:42 am

I've not had problems or production issues really. I'm just looking for better Very Happy

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