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seysonn

How, What , When ... of Growing Tomatoes

seysonn
9 years ago

Hi there. And happy 2014 grow season to all.

Let us talk here in this thread about "your" HOW, WHAT WHENS, dos and don'ts. Never mind others; Just explain, if you will your method for a successful tomato gardening. There are plenty of threads that are seeking advice and help and those who are offering opinions. But lets just talk about how/what/when you do it. Assume that you are given a chance to write a short article or to give a short speech in front of your "Tomato 101" classmates.

Lets start from PLANT OUT:
Ok, frost is over, you hardened off your plants just fine and planted out. Now comes the real work how to continue: Here is just a preliminary sub topics.

WATERING:
FERTILIZING , ...how often, what kind, synth, organic, ...
DISEASE PREVENTION : fungal bacterial, pest
TRIMMING, WEEDING, MULCHING, PRUNING, ..
HARVESTING
NEAR THE END OF SEASON

I am requesting here that we just talk about what and how we do it and not to make comments about how/what somebody else does, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

You don't have to follow a format. Just talk about your ways, about any of the subjects suggested above, in any order you want.

Let's do it.

Comments (40)

  • carolyn137
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Let us talk here in this thread about "your" HOW, WHAT WHENS, dos and don'ts.

    &&&&&&

    So you want to know how I do it MY WAY?

    I semi-apologize, but not much, but when I think of MY WAY, I think of only one way, and I've linked to it below.

    Spoiler alert, it's a video. ( smile)

    Carolyn

    Here is a link that might be useful: My way

  • bigpinks
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I grow from seed..have my garden deep plowed and tilled...spread chem fertilizer and fine till. Plant out with about 3ft spacing. Stake with 6 ft oak stakes and sucker to two or three stems. I grow too many to spray but will sometimes use Daconil ona select few. That's about it. I collect suckers and start one of about three varieties on my drive in containers July 1. I have a huge prob with blight.

  • aegis1000
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I grow tomatoes which have been started in a nursery (this year was Bonnie plants).

    I plant soon after May 15 here in zone 5, and place the plants (6 this year) in a raised bed.

    I like tomatoes which have excellent taste (and are, maybe sweeter), so this year I planted (2) Bush Goliaths, (2) Brandy Boys, and (2) Mr. Stripeys.

    This is only my third year growing, so I really haven't hit on a really successful method yet. I try to keep the beds watered and will use some fertilizer from time to time.

    I haven't been super successful, but I have harvested some tomatoes that I have enjoyed eating more than any other tomatoes I've ever eaten (except maybe fried tomatoes).

    All in all, ... it's a hoot ...

    Seyson ... you might want to edit your initial post to advise readers that they might want to skip the first 10-12 posts ...

    This post was edited by aegis500 on Fri, May 30, 14 at 16:06

  • seysonn
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Aegis 500
    Thanks for posting your way of growing tomatoes.
    I have also mostly planted plants that I bought from various nurseries in the past. This year I started mostly from seeds and actually bought 3 plants from nurseries.

    BTW: I am also growing some kind of STRIPY. I took the seeds from a store bought heirloom tomato.

    Success is relative. Then you gain it by by experience.

    And thanks for suggesting to edit my first post. I might just let it go. I am not offended by those negative comments.

  • onafixedincome
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow. Folks, your turnaround time from a cool 'whatcha doin' with your maters' post to 'omg how offensive' is spectactular...and not nice to see.

    On the other hand, those who HAVE posted their methods are very educational for people like me, who have no 'clue' and just toss our tomatoes in the ground each year :).

    Actually, this year I got dedicated and started PLANTING TOMATOES. Forty nine varieties, yet! Yep, I'm nuts. Now it's time to put them in final containers (about 10gal), so I spend a lot of time mixing soil and transplanting!

    Soil...hm. Local earthworm soil factory place has compost with 20% worm castings and a fair bit of added goodies, so I start with that. Add about 30% 'Dry Stall', a rock product similar to very small cinders. Add about 20% worm castings from my rabbitry, and a 6" saucer of fertilizer ** , then mix well, check to make sure it's draining correctly, then use.

    **the fertilizer is a mix of basically every dry amendment that some storage-buyer sold me from a pot-grower's storage unit he bought. Very varied, from bone and bloodmeals to kelp, fish, and bat and seabird guanos. Seems to be well liked by the plants.

    Results? So far, so good. We'll see how they actually produce here in a while. :)

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Like this thread, many things in life are not what they first appear to be.

    For example, the deer, which last night visited one of my gardens and would convince anyone visiting it today that despite all my claims to the contrary, I believe in aggressively pruning my tomato plants.

    Dave

  • Joyce2468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    hi, Im new here :-) I tried doing a new thread but dont know how to do it. I put a bunch of tomato seeds into one little biodegradable pot. I had them in a baggie with a sunlight lamp and they sprouted so fast, but I have so many in one little pot . how do I move them withut hurting them? can I move them even though they are little ? help!!

  • Bets
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK, here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions and things that have worked for me in growing many, many tomatoes over the years (but not as many as Carolyn or some of the others):

    For in ground tomatoes, it is usually a good idea to fertilize the plants after fruit has been set with a balanced fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 or one specifically made for tomatoes. It's often recommended to make the first feeding when the fruit is about one inch in size (smaller if they are cherry tomatoes) at the rate listed on the container your fertilizer comes in. Always keep fertilizer at least 8" from the stem, work it into the soil around the plant, but be careful not to cultivate it too deeply or you may damage and/or burn the roots of your tomatoes. You can repeat feeding every 4-6 weeks through out the growing season.

    Plants that are grown in any kind of container will need feeding more often than plants that are grown in the ground because each time they are watered, the water run off carries away vital nutrients. Many container growers will use a dilute solution of a liquid fertilizer as often as every week depending on the condition of the plant.

    Container grown plants don't need drainage substrate in the bottom, and in fact, don't want it. In every growing medium, in the ground, and in potted plantings, there is a level at which the soil's "wicking" ability to suck water upward (think about a paper towel dipped in water) balances the downward gravitational pull. This is called the perched water table. Below the perched water table, the soil is saturated with water, which can suffocate plant roots and encourage root rot. Above this level is usable soil. By adding a gravel substrate, instead of increasing drainage, you're actually moving the perched water table UP in the container, so the plant has even less room to grow. In other words, skip the rocks.


    As a general rule, tomatoes need an inch of water every week. An inch of rain is exactly that, water that is one inch deep. One inch of rainfall equals 5.6 US (4.7 Imperial) gallons of water per square yard. Cool weather or soil with lots of clay needs will be less, hot weather or sandy soil will need more.

    Dig down with your finger about 4", is the growing medium wet, dry, or just right? If it is wet, don't water, if dry then water. If it is just right, check again the next day. Water deeply once or twice a week. Watering daily encourages shallow roots which means the plant is affected more by variations in soil moisture. In my garden during the heat of the summer, I water deeply every 4-5 days, early spring I may only water every 8-9 days and when the weather is moderately warm (70-80 degrees F), about once a week.

    Mulching heavily (to a depth of 6 - 8 inches) with compost, straw, hay, rotted leaves, grass clippings, even shredded paper or sheets of paper or cardboard helps maintain a consistent moisture level.

    Our favorite tomato expert Carolyn137 wrote an excellent response to a question about Blossom End Rot (BER) and I am quoting it here:


    With BER there is NO problem with absorption of Ca++ though the roots. The problem is maldistribution within the plant that can be induced by a number of stresses which include uneven delivery of water, too much N, growing in too rich soil, too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry you name it.

    As the plants mature they can better handle the streses that can induce BER so usually it goes away.

    The two exceptions are first, if the soil has NO Ca++ as confirmed with a soil test, and that's a rare condition, and second, if the soil is too acidic in which Case Ca++ is bound in the soil.

    Again, adding lime, egg shells and on and on can not and will not prevent BER b'c absorption of Ca++ thru the roots is OK.

    Paste tomatoes are especially susceptible to BER and I think someone in a post above mentioned that.

    If you go to the top of this first page and click on the FAQ link and scroll down you'll also find an article about BER in case some of you have never looked at the FAQ's And there's some darn good articles there as well, but I wouldn't pay any attention to the variety list b'c it's way out of date.

    The old information about BER being caused solely by lack of soil Ca++ has been shown to be wrong with research that's been done in the last 20 years or so, but it's going to take another generation before the real story gets into books, websites, magazines, etc. Most of the better websites already have the correct information.

    BER affects not only tomatoes, but peppers, squash, cabbage, cauliflower, etc., and it's a huge multimillion dollar problem for the industry, which is WHY all that research was done. For instance, when tissues were taken from a plant that has BER fruits and was assayed for Ca++, the normal level of Ca++ was found, it just wasn't getting to the blossom end of fruits. And there's also a condition called internal BER where the fruits look fine, no evidence of BER externally, but when you cut open the fruit the inside is black

    Hope that helps

    Identifying a tomato variety from a description is nearly impossible since taste is subjective and there can be a great deal of variance in appearance of a variety in different regions due the influence of the myriad of factors in growing tomatoes. And then there are so many tomatoes that look alike, but are definitely different in other ways (flavor, leaf type, growth habit).

    If an "expert" examined your tomato and the plant it came from, they would be able to tell you if the plant were determinate, semi-determinate, or indeterminate; regular leaf, potato leaf, or rugose; perhaps cherry, paste, heart or beefsteak. But if the "expert" was not told what variety that "big fat juicy tomato" was, there is no way to know.

    They only way to be relatively sure of what tomato you have, is to obtain seed from a reputable source, start them yourself, make sure you label them and do not mix them up.....and even then it might not be correct.

    Where you find one hornworm, there are usually more (most of the time the moth will lay a single egg per plant, but not always). They may be small. Check your plants carefully. Pick them off, drop them on the ground and do the "hornworm twist."

    You can spray with a product containing Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) it is organic, won't harm the beneficial insects and will make the hornworms sick and they die. Be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves where they like to hide.

    You can also release lady beetles, trichogramma wasps, and lacewings to attack eggs. Parasitic wasps, and braconid wasps attack the worms. Skunks like to eat hornworms, but I don't recommend them as a method of control. ;-) Besides the obvious, by the time the worms are large enough to interest a skunk, they will have done a lot of damage.

    The best way to tell when a green when ripe (or other than red if you are unsure of when it is ripe) tomato is ready to eat, is to get touchy-feely with it. When you give it a gentle squeeze, it will give some when it is ripe. You might have to experiment a bit to find the amount of "give" that has the best flavor for you.

    Many peple here on the forum use CRW (Remesh or Concrete Reinforcing Wire.) Our local Lowe's store has a 150' x 5' roll for $120.00 which will make about 24 cages about 23" in diameter. That would mean the cages will cost you about $5.00 each if you don't count your time, blood, sweat, tears, swear words, and blisters. (Heavy gloves, a bolt cutter and a sturdy helper are things that are highly recommended when making CRW cages and not included in the price.) Considering that they should give 15-20 years service, that is a reasonable price. Many people use a rebar stake or two to hold them down in heavy winds. They are however, bulky to store if you don't use zip ties or some method that make them so you can open them for easy stacking.

    Triangular or square cages out of re-mesh could be done, but you'd get fewer from a roll, maybe 15-20 depending on the size you cut the sides. They would be easy to take apart in the fall and store in a lot less space.

    If you have a couple dozen plants, CRW cages work well. If however, you have a lotof tomato plants (I have more than 100 plants, I am afraid to count them) then an excellent option is the Florida Weave method of support. I use steel fence posts on the ends and 2"x2" wooden posts between pairs of plants. One year I tried to skimp and put the wooden posts between plants in groups of 3, I won't do that again. I bought a roll of 20,000 feet of baling twine (doesn't stretch much) for under $25.00 several years ago and still have a lot of it left (I gather it up each year and roll it up to reuse when possible, my Scottish granny makes me do it.) I think I paid less than $10 each for my 6 and 8 foot T posts, and about $1.00 to $1.50 for the 2"x2"x8' "furring strips". If 2x4s are on a good sale, I will buy them and rip them down the center with my table saw, so they might be 75¢ or less. I try to paint the bottom two feet or soak them in linseed or tung oil to help prevent rotting, but I don't always do that. Posts that rot get moved to the determinate rows, and then to other uses as they get shorter. I get 3-5 years out of each wooden post and I have been gradually replacing them with new wood posts. If I can pick T-posts up at a farm sale at a good price, I'll use them in the middle of the row if I don't need them elsewhere. Storage space is minimal.

    Using the Florida Weave has been cost effective for me and I bought a tool as a present to myself that is WONDERFUL for tying up tomato plants (and other things) and saves so much time. It is the Ty 'mup from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

    A Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center document about Epsom salt myths that in part states There are two reports from over 60 years ago on tomato production. When tomatoes are grown on magnesium deficient soil, a foliar application of Epsom salts can relieve magnesium deficiency in tomato plants; no effect on yield was reported. An automatic application of Epsom salts to plants or soils that are not magnesium deficient is a poor management strategy that can injure the plants and contaminate the soil.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Article that shows perched water tables

  • planterjeff
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I honestly am not a huge tomato eater, but I grow four plants every year because I think I am obligated to as gardener. Not to mention they are really fun to grow.
    I do square foot gardening and space only one per square.
    I have 2 Big Rainbows, 1 cherry, and 1 bushsteak. I trim the two big rainbows down to one main vine and run them up their own 8 foot steak. I allow the cherry to form two vines at the first flowering level and tie them up their own 8 foot tall steak. The only one I leave alone to a cage is the bushsteak which is a small compact tomatoe.

    I grow in 7 inch deep mel's mix and fortify with a dose of Jobes granular organic fert prior to planting. After a couple of weeks I sidedress/mulch with about 2 inches of compost. I reapply compost as needed and give them a shot of liquid Doctor earth a few times when I see the plant needs the growth. I planted my transplants on 4/6. right now the two Big Rainbows are around 5-6ft each, the cherry is about 5 feet, and the bushsteak is hovering around 3 feet. The cherry tomato has well over 150 flowers/small tomatoes on it, the bushsteak has about 30 flowers or small tomatoes, and the two big rainbows have about 15 larger flowers each, but still no tomatoes. I gave them another side dressing of Jobes at fruit set since it is low in N.

    This post was edited by PlanterJeff on Mon, Jun 2, 14 at 13:54

  • Deeby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lindalana, what does that mean, that tomatoes love sugar? You mean you add sugar to the soil?

  • sheltieche
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Deeby, I have been using molasses and dextrose with my foliar applications like kelp, probiotics like EM from SCD, sea minterals or fish. It seems to be doing very visible positive effect on plants.

  • Deeby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh ! Thanks. Dumb question: Do molasses and dextrose make tomatoes sweeter?
    Also, have you ever had perfect but stay green apparently forever tomatoes? We're having long sunny days here but so far no color. The tomatoes are perfect because I bagged each one in little white organza bags. I don't think the white color would filter the sun, but I'm not a tomato expert. Maybe they do?

  • sheltieche
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Deeby, yeah, many organic biological gardeners report increased sweetness as in improved brix numbers. I am not sure it is that simple as pour sugar under your bush to sweeten the tomato, I think one has to have properly build soil with all bacteria, fungi and microbs that utilize sugars and in return bring more nutrients to the plant´s roots but in the end I can see why tomato that gets better nutriens will be sweeter and tastier.
    Sorry am not following on your tomato colors questions. It takes a while for tomato to turn color after it gets big size. But I do not live in hot climate so things with you might be a bit different. I like the hot sun as we often short on it LOL

  • Bets
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lindalana and Deeby,

    I've never used molasses as a foliar spray, but I have used an organic fertilizer that is pretty much watered down molasses. It has an NPK value of 1-0-5. I like it because it is low in nitrogen and promotes the overall health of any plant. (Up, down, all around! LOL!)

    PlanterJeff, (I am jealous of people who got caps when they registered, they wouldn't allow them way back when...)

    YEP! what are you going to do with a newbie!

    We will answer your questions and convert you to a tomato fan. (grin)

    While it seems that many of the people on this forum grow heirlooms, we aren't going to toss you out if you grow hybrids. But most of us will think you are missing out on the fun and satisfaction of growing future generations of your tomatoes (and peppers and other heirlooms & open pollinated veggies and flowers) from seeds that you harvested and saved.

    Plus there is the fun of trading and collecting seeds (for the first year that may be buying, borrowing or saving from produce purchased at farmer's markets or other placed that carry NAMED heirloom's.) There are always some pushers growers that are willing to hook help you on heirlooms.

    Before too long you will be pushing sharing with other unsuspecting novices.

    SCENE 1: The local coffee shop.
    Tomato Fan: "Hey want to try some really amazing tomatoes? They are so good. You eat these and you will feel so good. Really, they are so delicious! And they have a history. I have some Brandywine and some Mortgage Lifter seeds. And I can get you some Marianna’s Peace if you want them, they used to be the most expensive tomato seed in the world!"
    Tomato Fan’s table mate: "Well, I suppose I could try one, I do have a sunny spot in my yard that I could put it in.
    Tomato Fan: "Yeah, that’s great! That is the way I started, with just one heirloom."

    SCENE 2: A busy street corner just after last frost.
    Tomato Fan: (to man passing by) "Hi! Would you like to by an heirloom tomato plant?"
    Man: "No thanks, I don’t have time or a place for a tomato plant. And if I did, I’d want a new one, not an old tomato."
    Tomato Fan: (Laughs) "Oh, heirlooms are old in their history, but the tomatoes are as fresh as can be when you pick them yourself and so much better than store bought. And they can be grown in biggish pots on your porch or patio, you just have to water them."
    Man: "Well, I don’t know….."
    Tomato Fan: "Try one, you’ll love it! And it will help me out so I can buy some more seed envelopes and …. Stuff."
    Man: "Ok, I will take one."
    Tomato Fan: (Chuckles and thinks "Another one hooked.")

    SCENE 3: Months later in a darkened alley.
    Tomato Fan: "Psssst! Hey buddy, yeah, you. Got any heirlooms ta sell or trade?"
    Unsuspecting bystander: "Get away from me you crazy gardener!"

    Bets

  • sheltieche
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bets, ha ha, this is why I host fairly large Chicagoland Plant swap and I grow almost all heirlooms with some rare exceptions like Sunsugar, Sungold and Momotaro... I have distributed this year about 1000 seedlings of tomatoes, sweet peppers and eggplants to ¨unsuspecting¨ bystanders... Also have made display of varied tomato pictures, thanks Tatiana website! because I am tired to explain that there is more to it than red and pink, large and cherry tomato varieties. Since most home gardeners rarely use pesticides on their cukes, tomatoes and peppers am hoping current generation of bees will be happy around the area.

  • Deeby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Linda and Bets, thanks, that makes sense. Linda, in about a month I'll be hot and sweaty and cussing and wishing I could MAIL you the hot sun !

  • planterjeff
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "We will answer your questions and convert you to a tomato fan."

    I sure hope so! My brother said he is going to make me slice one of my big rainbows this year and eat it with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Apparently this will make me a fan, he says I just need to have a garden fresh slice. Last year I gave away most of my tomatoes and made sauce with the rest. I figure I just need to give them another try! I like the idea of heirlooms too. I just need to start trading or picking up some seedlings from the local farmers market. I still have so many of the cherry and bushsteak seeds left that I may have to continue sporting them for a little while longer:(
    Have you ever made your own hybrids from your current heirlooms? I wonder what would happen if I crossed my Big Rainbow with a cherry heirloom. Is this even possible?

  • lucillle
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Planter Jeff
    A fresh ripe tomato is a treat!! I remember a story my Dad used to tell, he said he stopped at a restaurant for a little something, and spoke with the waiter.
    He was not really hungry enough for a meal, but just wanted a snack.
    The waiter brought him a perfect, ripe tomato on a plate, knife and fork and a salt shaker, and my father said it was wonderful.

  • theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm with you, PlanterJeff. I'm not a fan of raw tomatoes. Cooked is fine, sauce is fine, and salsa (cooked/canned salsa) is fine. But raw... it's just not for me. I've tasted tomatoes raw on several occasions and I've truly wanted to like them. Perhaps I'm just not tasting the right ones. So this year I've planted 23 plants of 12 varieties. That's about 7 times the amount of plants I've ever grown before (I've only planted tomatoes 2-3 times and it's been a few years since I last grew them). Maybe, just maybe I'll find one that my tongue agrees with.

    Rodney

  • Bethany77
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When I was first married, my father allowed me space for a garden on the family farm. I very successfully grew broccoli, Swiss Chard, and tomatoes. There were so many tomatoes that I was able to can 48 quarts off my dozen plants. My dad's favorite varieties (which I would recommend) were Marglobe and Rutgers- old fashioned and dependable. The big deal was great soil and full sun, along with keeping them weed-free. My dad passed away soon after, and I have tried to grow them in my yard- but there is too much shade from neighbor's trees. This year as a last resort, I'm trying gigantic pots with potting soil in the very sunniest spot in my backyard. We will see, hoping for better things this year. BTW, the tomatoes from back in the day were often made into tomato sauce and the Swiss Chard became part of a meat/cheese filling mixture for for homemade ravioli. Good luck!

  • Deeby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lucille, that's my favorite thing-a huge thick slice and eaten with knife and fork like a steak. I have a scoop of cottage cheese with it, sometimes adding chopped green onions to the cottage cheese. Talk about a feast !

  • sharonrossy
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Planter Jeff, I think Big Rainbow is also an heirloom tomato, not a hybrid. I gre it last year. I got some big tomatoes. I personally wasn't that nuts about it, but my son really liked it. I love tomatoes, raw or cooked! But I think I get the most satisfaction watching them germinate then get transplanted and seeing all that beautiful fruit growing!
    Sharon

  • seysonn
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like tomatoes, obviously it shows. That is why I am here and I am growing more than a half of dozen varieties.
    I like them freshly sliced (got to be juicy), add a bit of salt. Or slice with some garden fresh cucumber, w/salt/pepper ... best salad.
    Grilling small Roma types with steak, barbeque, Kabob ..
    Making fresh sauce with spaghetti and other pasta ...

    I can go on.
    I can't wait for my first bite a them. My largest tomat is about a pin pong ball size. That is not bad for PNW.

    Ye'all enjoy your garden fruits of labor and love !

  • johns.coastal.patio
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is a funny thing to admit, but as some others above, I don't really like fruits and vegetables as much as I should. I'll eat a slice of tomato as if it were my vitamins.

    On the other hand ... burritos are my mainstay, and lettuce, tomato, green onion, cilantro, chilies, all make them better.

    I'm starting to get one (or two) cherry tomatoes every few days, and the two (three!) ripe ones (ha) will go in my breakfast burrito a little later.

    This post was edited by johns.coastal.patio on Thu, Jun 5, 14 at 11:00

  • planterjeff
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sharonie, you are correct. Both my Big rainbow and cherry variety are heirlooms, but my bushsteak is a burpee made hybrid. I am looking forward to trying the big rainbow, but I have read some reviews of people saying they are very bland. Maybe it will help ease me into the whole raw tomato eating. I plan on expanding my garden next year, so I will definitely add some more heirlooms. I live near downtown Atlanta, so my space is very limited. I am going to try some of the purple varieties next year for sure.

  • carolyn137
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Planter Jeff, it was Dororthy Beiswinger from I think MN who introduced Big Rainbow, a gold/red bicolor, many many years ago.

    There are way over 200 or so similar varieties, and I've grown about 20 of them.

    Grow variety A in one season and it can be fruity and delicious. grow the same variety the next season and it can be bland and mealy.

    So they are very much influenced by environmental conditions.

    For many years I grew Big Rainbow, but there are other similar bicolors that I think I like better, such as Lucky Cross and Virginian Sweets.

    Taste is perceptual and personal, so aside from most bicolors being finicky from time to time, just see which ones do best for you.

    Carolyn

  • Deeby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    John, what's wrong with that? The beans for the burritos are vegetables. IMO burritos and pizza topped with vegetables are healthy.
    I make burritos too. They're fast and easy and it's impossible to make a bad one.

  • ediej1209 AL Zn 7
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Best breakfast ever: huge tomato slices with a side of scrambled eggs
    Best lunch ever: huge tomato slices with a side of cottage cheese
    Best dinner ever: huge tomato slices with a side of steak

    HAHAHA!!!! Oh, I can't wait.......

    As for the how, etc, we have better luck with a raised bed. The side boards are not quite all the way on the ground (about 1/3 of an inch maybe) for drainage, lined with landscape fabric. We use a good soil-less potting mix and add compost to help feed the worms which then feed the soil. I replenish the potting mix and compost every year before planting. After the plants are in, we put down some landscape fabric and then a nice thick layer of pine bark mulch goes on. Some sturdy stakes and we are all set. I do give the plants some tomato tone after about a month as I figure by then most of the initial nutrients that were in the potting mix are about gone. I will feed them about every 2 weeks with just a bit until they start setting fruit then I up it a little more. It might not be the "proper" way to grow them but it works for us.

    Edie

  • Deeby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Edie, whatever happened to that little tomato you saw growing in a crack?

  • lucillle
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOVE pizza and burritos. I make and freeze black beans in portions so they can go into burritos along with green onions and tomatoes, make them spicy but not too spicy.

  • Deeby
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Never mind, my bad-I thought that was an older post but it's new. Deb....meds....

  • lilsprout
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello all,

    Newbie here...just had to chime in :)

    I also love steak like slices with salt and pepper yum!!

    My favourites are heirlooms.

    Makes me think back to the days....a lady used to drive up from Georgia every year in a big white box truck FULL of homegrown tomatoes. She parked by the roller rink and had a nonstop flow of buyers every year. I'm not sure how many trips she made back and forth each season, but we were always sad to see her go. Those were the best tomatoes and I'm sure that's where my love began. I would take my salt shaker and go buy a bag and sit and savour every juicy bite lol. Never got sick of them as they were sooo delicious! I don't know how many years she did this and bless her heart she finally had to give it up due to congestive heart failure. I'm sure she did very well as she had tons of loyal regulars. Yummy memories :)

    I'm curious and have to ask if any of you have had tomatoes like this?......

    Tomatoes on buttered toast with salt and pepper yum!!

    I saw my mother eating them like this years ago and said "eeww gross". She asked that I try it saying it is delicious...she was right! I've been hooked ever since :)

    Any of you tomato lovers eat them on toast? (If not....try it ;)

    This post was edited by lilsprout on Mon, Jun 9, 14 at 16:35

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Seysonn, thanks very much for starting this kind of a thread. I am looking forward to reading the whole thing. I love to hear about how someone is succeeding in the garden, but also all the different trials and efforts people make and how it all worked out.

  • johns.coastal.patio
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK, my friend had her first Cherokee Purple ripen, and I had a plain slice, and it was good. :-)

    She grows in 3.5 gallon pots with Miracle Grow potting soil. Not a huge amount of fruit but very tasty.

  • lilsprout
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You should have tried in on buttered toast ;)

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lilsprout, I've never tried that on buttered toast, I'll have to try it. My mother hooked me on Tomato and Cucumber sandwiches with mayonnaise. She used to love them years ago! I can't eat one without thinking of her and I can't wait for the first such sandwich of the year. Thanks for the reminder. :-)

  • labradors_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Tomatoes on buttered toast with salt and pepper yum!!

    I saw my mother eating them like this years ago and said "eeww gross". She asked that I try it saying it is delicious...she was right! I've been hooked ever since :)

    Any of you tomato lovers eat them on toast? (If not....try it ;)"

    Oh yes! We ate tomatoes on toast a lot when I was a kid. Very tasty indeed, and I always think of my Mum when I eat them that way.

    Linda

  • centexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok I am going to post on this one now that I have some keyboard time.

    First is I am not a master gardener, or expert. I am no guru either. I am 37 year old guy that grew up with family that gardened. I was hoeing fields when I was big enough to hold the hoe, and know the difference between, and crop, and a weed. My grandpa was the best I have ever seen. The mention of his name to the older master gardeners at the plant sale this year brought smiles to their faces.

    I am going to start with the where first.

    Black Land Prairie region of Central Texas. USDA zone 8. Heat zone 10 (The devil tends to leave by early July to go home, and cool off.)

    Weather here is bi polar in the non summer months. It can be extremely nice, or extremely horrid. Sometimes in a stretch of less than an hour apart. High humidity is a constant here. 40% is considered dry. Gulf stream moisture is a mainstay. It gives us those nice days in the colder months, and is only trumped when a northern front blows in. Those tend to last only a few days most times. Summer months from late June, until mid to late September highs below 95 are rare. Most of the time they are in the triple digits with heat index values of well over 108. First frost can happen anytime from early October until November.

    Soil is black clay, with heavy lime stone deposits. Every time one tills, digs, or plows there will be limestone rocks that surface. In summer it bakes hard, and cracks. Digging into it is like trying to dig into cement. When it gets wet it makes sticky mud. When moist it is like play dough.

    Ok now that the general conditions have been mentioned. The what I do make things as plant friendly as I can.

    Soil prep:

    I do raised beds. I have 2 of them. One is 6 foot by 12 foot. It is six inches tall. It is framed with 2"x6" standard untreated pine lumber. It was the most cost effective seeing as how the wood was free from leftover wood from a contractor friend of mine. To start I watered the heck out of the area before removing the sod. (Remember the part I said about baked black cement.) I saturated the area for two heavy watering cycles in two days. I waited one day after. The sod came out without so much effort after that. I then dug out a foot deep of soil. I got rid of about 80% of the clay. I then filled the bed with bagged manure, humus, coarse sand, bagged top soil, and bagged garden soil. I did not till it then. I had no access to a tiller at the time. This year I tilled deep to two feet deep, and further amended the soil to a nicer tilth than last year. The draining is more even this year.

    That was last year. Due to multiple hail storms in a few weeks the tomatoes I planted did poorly for production. The heat wave hit before plants were mature after the third replant. I did get a good green tomato fry after the first frost hit though. It was a first year thing, and I did not have high hopes at the start anyway. I was aware it would be a tough year anyhow.

    I built a 4'x4' by 20' high bed in October for my birthday. For that one I dug close to 2 feet below. I placed a layer of river rocks, and coarse sand as a barrier to the clay below. I filled the bed with bagged soil mix. I added lots of compost, and pine bark fines.

    I planted three times this year. Once a month before LFD using covers. It worked till the ground froze. I replanted two weeks later. Same thing. Final plant out was two days before LFD. I still had to cover for freezes 5 times in a 5 week span.

    The main thing for this area is being just plain stubborn. If you can give a stalwart jack ass a few lessons in being stubborn you are ready to grow tomatoes here.

    Other than that I use a mix of stakes, and cages. I have a few I am letting just sprawl for the heck of it. I have tomatoes coming out the who-who right now. I also have a lot in containers of various sizes ranging from 3 gallon. Up to a 6 foot long, 3 foot wide, 18 inch tall pine box container.

    My lessons learned so far this year:

    1 No matter what have multiple back ups.
    2 Have planters ready
    3 My wife eats all cherry tomatoes before they make to the house. So more of those will need to planted next year.
    4. I will be using fungicide from the get go. I am having some blight issues now, though I have more tomatoes than we can eat on the vine, and we have given two literal bushels away so far. I have on my first harvest gotten more this year than I got all of last year combined.
    5. Have lots of fun. Wear a hat, and sunscreen.
    6, Cats do not like to dig to poop though thick cypress mulch.

  • seysonn
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    centexan,
    Thanks for sharing HOW WHAT and WHEN you do it. I will have come back and read it again.

    Here is a bit of my own:

    Though my USDA zone is 7B/8 but we have a very cool (almost cold) and long spring. Even at this mid June we are experiencing lows in 46F to 52F.
    So what you do short of having a greenhouse ?

    I started with warming up my soil, by covering the beds with clear plastic from mid March. The plastic also prevent the excess rain water from getting into the soil

    Hoops an Cold Frame:
    Very dandy and handy: I use them to shelter my plants during hardening off. Since my hoops are portable, I can even use them after plant out by placing them over any needed bed. Works like charm.
    Just before the plant out , I remove the clear plastic and use BLACK plastic in its place. Then I cut round holes in them to plant my tomatoes. In our cool and often rainy climate, black plastic does several things: Keeps soil warmer : Keeps most of rain water out : acts as weeds preventer. .

    So here I am, on June 10th today I took this picture. It is a SILETZ (an early variety). The other thing (WHAT part) is choosing the varieties. I might come back to that later.

  • sharonrossy
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks great! It's fun to see everyone's unique experiences. Mine have been in containers about 10 days, and still have a few more to plant. So far so good. Seysonn, hope you enjoy bloody butcher, which I am not growing this year, although I had three transplants that I gave away.

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