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jfmand3

tomato advice

jfmand3
11 years ago

planted a better boy, rabbit found it the first night and left just the main stem. it finally came out of it but all of the stems are very spindly and the growth rate is very slow. going to replant but did a soil test. results of test are

ph 7,nitrogen= on lower end,phosphorus=medium,potash=high. any suggestions. will get the next plant from a local grower at the farmers market. I'm done with the big box stores

Comments (6)

  • helenh
    11 years ago

    How long ago did you plant it. Was it a large plant when you bought it? Our weather now is like June and harsh. I keep my tomato plants that I grew from seeds in a protected place where I can keep them watered and the wind won't break them. I gradually find spots in the garden for them. I always put a milk crate or some protection over them for a while because the sun and wind will beat them up. The larger plants are harder to grow in my opinion because the big tops are not supported by enough roots at first. The rabbit pruning it should not hurt it unless the rabbit was a cut worm that is still working on your plant when you aren't looking. Also poor drainage at any point will cause a plant to linger and look puny. I had some of my plants in tubs that didn't drain. They don't come back from that because there are no roots.

  • jfmand3
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    planted last week in april. it was not a large plant, I would call it a medium size

  • helenh
    11 years ago

    You said a better boy. Do you mean one tomato plant total? If so I would stick another in the ground nearby. I plant lots of plants some do well some don't. Do you have a garden or is this a raised bed or pot? Have you had success before in this area? There are lots of things that could cause a plant to do poorly including just not having enough time to take off. You do need to get something growing before it gets really hot. So I would plant another couple of plants. If you don't have room you can remove the puny ones after you see that one is growing.

  • helenh
    11 years ago

    I am sorry I didn't recognize your user name. I should have remembered you have two raised beds. Since you fill those with hauled in stuff, it is possible that your soil isn't quite right. If you squash is growing or weeds or anything will grow in the soil, I wouldn't worry too much.

  • jfmand3
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    update: pulled the plant that was doing poorly and planted another better boy that is doing great. the Cherokee purple is recovering well from the rabbit attack. only have two plants this year as this is my first attempt at growing anything. also planted a two year old apache blackberry in the same area that looks healthy so far.

  • trbizwiz
    11 years ago

    blackberries and tomatoes arent the best bedfellows. Common viruses or something. FYI.

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