Hello Beca,

My heart is really going out to you - not:) What a year you have had, only enough tomatoes off your plants to feed half of Pahrump. Well for the rest of us we want to know your secrets. Like just what varieties you planted? Any other classified tips for us? I am determined to have a decent crop this year.

As I recuperate from the exertions of December I want to make time to show a pic of our struggling tomatoes in that miniature greenhouse. They may be struggling but they are alive, at least the last time I was brave enough to check.

Now that all that time spent shopping, wrapping, shipping, baking, etc. is winding down maybe there will be some time available for gardening.

Maria

Hey,

I don't really think I did that much for the tomatoes except for the guys who put in lots of good soil in these raised beds and mixed it well, a good drip irrigation system, etc...and I didn't really get any thing worth while until October when the hottest weather died down some. THEN we got millions!!!!!!!! I did get alot of hornworms twice out there-they also loved the tomatoes!!!

Next year we will put up some shade cloth (but how with these winds? Something to think about) Any ideas, anyone??? It blows horribly west to east out there and it is the worst area too.
Anyway-I planted Burpee's romas, early girl, and the rest were from the Sweet Tomato (tomato lady): hawaiian tropic, black cherry, and the juliet (grape shaped tomato that IS delicious!!!) I did check with the tomato lady out of Las Vegas. I didn't do everything the tomatoe lady said to do..I never do ;)...I do what I can/want and what I can get away with..hehehe. I am developing more of that attitude of "whatever" in my gardening here. My very small winter garden has romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli and I think I have some cauilflower. They are all about 3" tall. I will never understand how anything can grow in this cold, windy weather.
Maria hang in...your tomato plants sound like they will do fine. I think I will start a plant by seed inside just to see if I can. I have nothing to lose, right?

beca~

Beca, this is rather late as I haven't been to Nev. forum for awhile.

I tried shade cloth over my 4x8' raised beds a few years ago, and watched one sail away in the wind, never to be found! What I have found here in Fernley, is the intense sun and heat really takes it toll. I need shade, shade, shade!

I put 1" diameter PVC pipe around the perimeter of a bed, stood it up about 3' at the corners and in the middle of the 8' run. I slip it over rebar that is stationary at the corners, and usually dismantle it & put away each winter. One day after losing my shade cloth, I tried placing a 4x8' wood lattice panel over the top of the PVC frame and it WORKED GREAT!!! Now days I use sections of it, as some plants need more sun than others.

This system works for my lettuce and spinach growing bed, and 'saved' my bell peppers from sun-scald last summer. It is highly flexible, easy to remove when you need to get to the veggies, etc. It works well for bird netting and Remy cloth, too.

Just thought I would toss this your way! Happy New Year forum members!

El

Thanks El!!!!!

Hey it's not too late for this. We will give this a try. I was thinking about using lattice panels myself. I think the use of rebar, lattice panels and pvc is the way to go.

We had a tumbleweed snowman pounded in the ground with rebar this Christmas and one day it went flying...rebar and all. These winds make life fun?

Beca