Yeah, well... could have been operator error, too.

Do the fish heads ever attract racoons?

Okay, I finally bought rabbit fencing, so I can get them 'maters in the ground really soon.

No racoons here in Urban-Ville. But I dug a *really* deep hole....2'. I doubt anything smells it that far under the dirt. That's what plstqd said anyway, and it makes sense to me. That's a deep planting hole. But I'll let you know if either of the dogs or the cat sniff it out. All part of the experiment.

Sigh..... I've only got two left out of six. I moved the Black Cherry because whatever nibbled on the basil took a few bites of the BC. It looked like it would do well at first, but then withered and croaked. The two I have left are Sophie's Choice and Glacier. Glacier is having some leaf curl so I'm watching it carefully. No experimentation here; just trying best tomato practices. If I find some plants at a nursery, I may give the fish a try.

tf, are the plants in the ground, in the same containers when you took them home or new containers? Glacier is a cool weather grower so should start to perk up with the cooler temps.

All plants were in the ground when I first posted an update. Because it was - and still is, grrrrrr - hot, I planted them in a bed under 50% shadecloth and near enough to sunflowers and okra to get some added protection. I'm hoping the trench method I used will get some strong root growth going and maybe some blooms.

The shade cloth and natural shade of surrounding plants should help until the heat breaks - hopefully this week. Here's something I picked up from various conversations on this board and others: a day or two before I transplant *anything*, I water it well so the soil is moist and will wick up water from a reservoir. Then place the container in a tub of water to which I've added a liquid root stimulant (not too much, just a small dose) for a couple of days to give the roots a good dose. I like the liquid ferts from the hydro store, specifically Botanicare's Liquid Karma or Roots Organics Buddha Grow. They are a bit pricey but you could do the same thing with liquid vitamin B1. It helps prevent transplant shock.

That's a really interesting tip, Mary, I'll definitely keep that in mind for next time I transplant something. It's always a bit heartwrenching watching over the plants after they've been transplanted, and crossing your fingers for them.

I have two surviving plants of the four I purchased from you: one Cherokee Purple, and one Stella's Choice (I lost one to wilt, and one to "operator error" as pagancat so nicely put it). They've mostly been settling in since being transplanted, and are now starting to put on a bit of growth. The Cherokee Purple has the very beginnings of flower buds, but so far nothing from the Stella's Choice. I'm hoping that once it cools down, they'll rev things up a bit.

I do have two "over-summered" tomato plants that are thriving. They're covered in blossoms (too hot yet for fruit set, but it looks promising), and are putting out lots of new growth. These were planted in February as clones from a Celebrity and a Champion that I bought at Lowe's last October. They were planted with the fish head method, and allowed to sprawl instead of being staked or caged. I'm not sure I'm in love with the sprawling thing as far as pest control and being able to walk between the lemon tree and the garden bed in my very tiny yard goes, but I do think it was instrumental in helping them survive the heat. They got no artificial shade over the summer, just the shade from the nearby eggplant and okra. There was some browning and loss of leaves near the "base" of the stems as you can see in the second picture (some of that jumble is dried up eggplant leaves), but otherwise they hung in very well.

Just planted, February 12, 2012, north side of bed, looking south:
{{gwi:418976}}

Taken today, north side of bed, looking southwest (excuse the mess, I've been digging out bermuda, and put the leaf litter down so I wouldn't get so muddy when I water):
{{gwi:418978}}

Closeup, taken today, east side of bed, looking north:
{{gwi:418980}}

I'm not holding these plants out as shining examples of the fish head method or anything, but I will say that other than one application of magnesium to green them up, and two top dressings of compost, they got no other fertilizer. And considering that we just came through a mighty hot summer, the fact that they survived at all is pretty impressive to me.

So, I look forward to seeing the results of your experimenting, Mary. It could all be a load of bunk, but nothing's more fun than trying stuff to see if it works.

That's "Sophie's Choice" not Stella's. [grin] I have one of those too, it's hanging on but stuggling. I think it's going to make it.

I tried the sprawling technique last spring too and agree it helps keep the heat off the bed but it's hard find fruit to harvest and difficult to apply ferts to the soil. I'm thinking of trying it again with the Marianna's Peace that's trying to stay alive. We'll see.

I love all your pics plstqd, keep us posted how the fall/winter tomato crop does and I'll do likewise.

Sheesh, I'm going to have to learn to read, I'm afraid. My silver fir tree tomato is doing fine. I lost Sungold and Stupice.

The temps this week look very promising, also partly cloudy, yay!

Wow, Plqstd, looking good!

OK Peeps, I know you are all hanging on the edge of your seats to learn how this turned out........

The only tomatoes in that section of garden that are still alive with bright green stems and leaves are - the two Cherokee Purple in the 'fish head' bed. They ain't lookin' great but they are alive. I've started watering and hope to see more new growth.

Was it the fish heads and aspirin? I don't know for certain but let the results speak for themselves. My guess is that the roots received more/better nutrients that allowed them to hang on.

Interested in other comments.

Thanks for the update, Mary, I was curious about your results.

I lost most of my tomatoes in the big freeze, and I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to bother planting any more this spring. I love garden fresh tomatoes, but they can be such a struggle here. I got a moderate amount of fruit on my sprawling clones pictured above, but anywhere the fruit was touching the ground, it got nibbled on, and if I didn't pick it as soon as it started to show a blush, the birds went after it.

My Sophie's Choice is still alive, but looking a bit sad. The leaves are all purplish, which from my reading is a reaction to the cold, and an inability to take up phosphorus as a result. I'm hoping now that it's warming up, it will take off and give me those yummy tomatoes I'm dreaming of. Any tips for helping it out would be most welcome.

Hi Leanne, I can relate to your dismay about backyard gardening. Between the birds and the hornworms, it's hard to keep up and easy to be discouraged. Sometimes just going to the Farmer's Markets and letting others deal with the growing seems a good solution.

I forgot to mention my one Sophie's Choice also made it through winter but then it's one of the cool weather growers and was in a container and not part of The Experiment. I pulled it up so I would have the large container for a fresh plant. I didn't like the tomatoes, they were not 'crunchy' but a bit mealy. I'm thinking that may have been due to the long hard winter the plant experienced.

Currently all three of my raised beds are planted and covered with mosquito netting. We rearranged things since you were here for better shade/pest control. I took up the 'keyhole' garden that was created with staw wattles and added one more 4'x6' raised bed. Here's a pic from two weeks ago, only one bed planted. The tomatillos planted in mid-Feb have started to set fruit so I need to open the covering to get some pollinaiton, hopefully it will not become a bird free-for-all.

Thanks for checking in, I wondered that I had not heard from you for a spring order. Take a break, maybe try again next spring.

Yeah, I'll probably break down and try tomatoes again. Guess I'm a sucker for punishment :) I really need to beef up my soil first, though, my garden did very poorly over the winter, and I think a lack of nutrients in my soil is to blame.

The new beds look great, Mary. Is the larger frame for a greenhouse, or shade cloth, or?

Did you plant tomatillo starts or start them in the ground from seed? I would never have dared plant in mid-February, but hearing that you're starting to get fruit is interesting. Last year I planted a couple of tomatillo starts around the beginning of March, and they grew and flowered like crazy, but didn't set any fruit until the fall.

The tall structure is for shade when it's needed. The mosquito netting is for bird/pest control. Oh - and to block out my salad lovin' canines! The beasts.....

I started the tomatillo's from seed same time as the tomatoes. Thanks for the heads up on when to expect fruit. Chili peppers are the same. They grow all summer but don't produce until Christmas-time.

I know where you can get bunny poop if you want some. You don't compost kitchen scraps???

Oh yes, I most definitely compost kitchen scraps. In fact, I added 15 gallons of compost to the bed in the fall, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I added some manure over the weekend, but may take you up on the bunny poop source offer if that doesn't seem to help. Isn't bunny poop the one you can add directly to the soil without having to age it first?

Yes, bunny poop is not hot and can be added directly to the bed. You may also want to buy some garden soil from Pioneer or Singh. It will make a huge difference.

I'll send contact info re: the bunny poop to your email.

if you have a pick up you can make your own soil or you can use multiple 5 gallon buckets. 25% sifted dirt , 25% manure , 25% sand , 25% forest mulch and you have a common garden soil. with the exception of the forest mulch you can pretty much get all of it for free , dairys for the manure , const zones for the free dirt and mayby free sand too if theres a old wash going through.

So again I am trying a tomato plant this year. I've failed to produce even a single good tasting tomato the last 3 years. This year, I'm putting it in partial shade which is probably more like full sun in other parts of the country. I added manure and plenty of mulch so hopefully I will finally get a home grown tomato.

Where do you get the mosquito netting. Sounds like a good idea. I got those awful stink bugs on my tomatoes last year.

toucan, I bought at an army surplus store. The netting is designed to fit over an army cot and is perfect for the size of my beds and the pvc hoops.

Good luck, I feel your pain. Growing tomatoes in Phoenix is a real challenge.

I started a few tomato plants from seed, they're ready to go in the ground. The variety I chose (Kellog's Breakfast - because it's my favorite) I know it will be a miracle if I get to eat a fruit from it. My hope is to somehow get it to survive through the summer and hope it manages to put out some fruit in the fall. I can't say that your experiments have been encouraging. We shall see.