I received my Tomato Growers Supply catalog today. OMG there are so many, many choices! Seriously, I don't know how you would ever decide unless you had a farm and unlimited time to tend them. I know there's another thread or two going on which tomatoes you'll all plant, but after looking through the catalog I'm interested to know how you will plant them.

Someone (is it you, Tom?) has the amazing method of the planter within the planter sunk in the ground. That looks great but I'm not going to get to that project this year.

Some of you have raised beds and I know that's been very successful.

I am interested in the bags I saw in the catalog. Has anyone used those? Did you purchase the expensive ones they sell or make your own? I'm thinking heavy contractor trash bags with some big holes punched in the bottom and a layer of weed cloth in the bottom would work just as well. If the outside gets too hot in the sun you could mulch up around the sides for some protection. Is that reasonable? They use them for potatoes too.

Kate

Tom

I always grow my tomatoes in containers. In Phoenix with over 100 degree weather I used grow bags because they were cheap and easy to lift them to the shade if needed. The only problem is that unless they are full they don't hold in strong winds. It is also an issue when tomatoes get large and you have to hold them. What I did was to put a strong stick in the ground and put the bag next to it. I also had them leaning on a fence or wall for protection from strong winds.

Because tomatoes are only going to last you a season, some people have used anything, including the bag of potting soil, white color is better if you can find it, also burlap material and there are always those white plastic buckets that you can get them for free in a bakery or a fast food place that use pickle buckets. Or empty cat litter buckets. Then you can put a tepee of bamboo sticks to hold them.

I am using a material black bag to grow my potatoes, the good thing is that it breathes, potatoes don't like to be wet. And I was afraid that I lost the potatoes with the freeze, but no they are up and growing. For support I have them growing against the fence. When we had the freeze I cover them with a lightweight material. As they grow I filled with more hay and they should be full soon.

The decision on what kind of tomatoes should be easy for you, just have to think which ones do you use for salads and cooking. Then the next year you can try something different, later on you can have them rotating from the ones you liked. Most tomatoes are good if homegrown.

And if you don't have time to start seedlings, you can always get them at the nursery, you can not go wrong with Sweet 100 for cherry, Better Boy or Celebrity for medium and Beefmaster or Big Beef for large.

Let us know how the project is going, we like to hear veggie stories.:o)

Silvia

I guess that you are asking about the potato bags? Here is the info.

Kate, you are welcome, I would not use this big bags for tomatoes, they can grow in a smaller bags like about 5 gallons.

Silvia

In the meantime I'm putting plants into various spots in the flower garden; although I will take care to not use the same places as last years' tomatoes. Finding a good sunny spot here is difficult and the containers are the best way for me. My neighbor uses Tumbling Tomatoes for some of his and then he gets all my extra 5-gallon paint buckets and fills 'em up with dirt and a cage. I'll probably try the paint buckets if I can't use the molasses buckets.

I'm glad to learn about the potato grow bag. Thanks Sylvia - that is really cool!

Susie

Last year I grew the potatoes in plastic buckets, hopefully this year they will do better with the potato bags, also have different varieties of potatoes.

Last year potatoes

Silvia

Tom

After all the bad weather we just went through, they look like new, what I like about them is that they breathe. If we can find a similar material, making the bags should be easy and cheap. Half the size would be perfect for tomatoes and peppers.:o)

My guess is that with care they can last a long time, they are easy to clean and store them flat after the season is over. I am also interested on the harvest, I will post results. I have 6 different kinds of potatoes.

After the potato season is done I can do the sweets in the same bag, just change the soil.

Silvia

Last year I went to the Dollar Store and bought some laundry baskets. They had holes on the sides and the bottom. I used some clear packing tape to cover the sides and put some porch screen material on the bottom. Bad weather aside, the plants did pretty well. They weren't so pretty but not as much an eyesore as you would think. I also got a large 15 gallon laundry basket from Target and put holes in the bottom for drainage. The only shade they had was bright orange (it was Halloween time) so I sprayed some white Krylon paint on the outside of the container.

I grew a icebox size watermelon in the 7 gallon pot. Cucumbers and peppers did ok in 5 gallon pots.

I'm also thinking about what Sylvia said about potatoes not wanting to be wet. I could use some of my current SWC buckets with the setup to use the wicking cup to wick water out of the top bucket instead of into it...probably too late for me to try some now, maybe next year.

Tom

That's the beauty of the double 5 gallon "Earth-buckets", although they sure aren't as aesthetic, but easy to move. Funny thing though, I had five golden/yellow mater plants in them and five HRCs in them and while moving them into the garage did save them so far five have succumbed to TYLCV and I may lose another three...who says it's only transmitted by the white fly, definitely NONE in site...I think ANY stress may do it :-(

Tom

Tom

Sorry to hear about your plants, are you sure it was TYLCV?
My seedlings looked yellow at the top, but that was from frost bite from the weather that we had. After they were foliar fed they are back to the green color they are suppose to have. When the growing media is cold they don't absorb the nutrients.

On the tomatoes that you have left try to do some foliar feeding, maybe that helps.

I got some Principe Borguese seeds from another 10 zone very experienced gardener, she said they are small cherry tomatoes that she let them dry in the vine, and use them as a sun dried tomatoes. I am growing a couple to see how they are going to do.

When we had the freeze I had some plants in the garage and I noticed they were doing bad, I had to transfer them to the open porch that at least was getting some sun and everything survived. I would not put plants in the garage again it is too cold and dark.

Silvia

Tom

Denise

Tom

Tom

I started seeds almost 2 weeks ago. I think about 5 or 6 heirloom varieties and I'll be building elevated gardens to do square-foot gardening. It will be my first attempt. The soil is so horrible and I'm just starting with a compost pile and vermiculture bin this weekend so isolated and controlled gardens are my friend until I can build up the soil to decent nutrient levels.

Steve, NO, NO, NO! You need to understand PWT...read THIS post.

Tom

Tom

Here's a few pictures of bucket building.

Tom

Tom

Anna

I had a homemade ice cream store and the flavorings came in different size of those buckets smaller and bigger, we had them by the hundreds, nobody was looking for them then, lol.

Silvia

Tom

Actually, yes :-)

I'm not using float valves, too expensive for me since at times I'll have seventy buckets going....the next link is a 14 minute U-Tube video that will give you and idea of what I intend to do. I'll be using this drip system into the fill tube with a battery operated timer.