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dave120

How can I grow tomatoes like the greenhouses?

dave120
10 years ago

I live in Minneapolis, MN and I have seeded my tomatoes a little over a month ago but how do the green houses get their plants to grow so big? Do they plant their seeds in January? I have always had trouble getting my tomatoes to bear fruit as well. They get plenty of sun and water. I use fertilizers made for tomatoes and get a few good red ones but I end up bringing in a lot of green tomatoes near the end of the growing cycle to let them ripen in a paper bag before I can can them. I hear my coworkers talk about how they couldn't use all the tomatoes they got off their 2 or 3 plants. I am more frustrated than ever.

Comments (10)

  • n1111z
    10 years ago

    Why don't you discuss your process a little more in detail? How are you starting your seedlings, when are you transplanting, what varieties do you grow, what is your spacing, things like that. What is your soil like, how much sun do they get?

  • dickiefickle
    10 years ago

    Ask your co workers their methods. ,then duplicate them.

  • tammyinwv
    10 years ago

    Dave120, I was searching late this winter trying to figure out what to do with my garden. Soil test were great but last yrs production was almost nil even with almost 40 tomato plants. We had very few to eat, no canning. Then i stumbled upon a link to a forum I cant place here but can be found on my blog post. This lady was growing huge tomatoes with so many on one vine you wonder how it can possibly support the weight. She has a greenhouse that she built and sell tomatoes at market. I loved her set-up and drooled over her tomatoes. Anyway, I am using the same methos this yr, and so far my potatoes are growing 1" per day, and my strawberry plants are loaded with fruits (i did mow them last Fall tho). I am really excited about this yrs garden. Check out my blog for the link.
    tammy

    Here is a link that might be useful: My blog

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    First, I wouldn't pay any attention to anyone who says they "couldn't use all the tomatoes they got off their 2 or 3 plants". Either they must not like to eat tomatoes or they were growing one of the huge cherry tomato-type plants and only like to eat a few tomatoes. It is simply impossible to get so many tomatoes off 2 or 3 plants that you can't use them all.

    Second, I live in Minneapolis, MN and I have seeded my tomatoes a little over a month ago but how do the green houses get their plants to grow so big? Do they plant their seeds in January?

    No they don't start them extra early as a rule. Some commercial growers use growth stimulating chemicals on their transplants - something most of us would prefer to NOT use. Expensive and usually not available to the average grower anyway. But the main factors are all the light that is available in a GH that you simply cannot duplicate with the average indoor set-up for growing seedlings and the seed starting mixes they use. Not to mention that they don't over-water like most home gardeners do.

    But for best results when it comes to transplanting, you don't really want really large transplants anyway - 6-8" is ideal. Granted you have a short growing season but that doesn't mean you can't work with that limitation. Lots of methods for extending that growing season work much better than just trying to transplant big plants.

    Have you researched methods for extending the season? Using varieties with shorter DTM? Pre-warming soil, cold frame, using low tunnels, covering with a cloche or WOW for earlier planting in the spring? And in Fall row covers or temporary tent covers. All can add 6 weeks to your season and get you more ripe tomatoes.

    I have always had trouble getting my tomatoes to bear fruit as well.

    Excessive nitrogen and over-watering are primary contributing factors to that issue. Variety selection and its DTM can also contribute.

    So give us more details on the varieties you use, exactly how you are growing them from seed, your light set-up and potting mix used, how you are watering your plants once transplanted to the garden, what fertilizer you use and how often, etc.

    Dave

  • dave120
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Sorry for not responding earlier. I posted a picture which shows my Beefsteak tomatoes from seed and some tomato plants from a greenhouse through my employer (something they host every spring).
    The 2 closest to my seedlings are also beefsteak tomatoes. For the seedlings I used Schultz Seed Starter Plus - Potting and Planting Mix 0.07-0.05-0.04.
    I use Schultz All Purpose Fertilizer 16-12-12 Slow Release Plant Food to fertilize during the summer.
    This year I am trying something similar to Back to Eden Gardening Method with the wood chips on top of the soil then just moving enough wood chips to plant the seeds or plants and moving the wood chips back in place.
    Last year I started using EM-1 Microbial Inoculant Soil Conditioner.
    I usually space the plants 1 1/2 to 2 ft apart and they will get around 6 -8 hours of sun per day.
    Last year I bought a home use testing kit and it was low on Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potash then the vial broke and I couldn't check my other garden. I should send in samples of my soil to get tested. I then used the slow release plant food to try to bring levels back up but havenâÂÂt checked since.
    The area we live in has a high clay content for soil and I have brought in general black dirt to start out the garden about 10 years ago and have added different fertilizers and chicken manure to help stimulate the soil.

  • tammyinwv
    10 years ago

    I was also reading up on the BTE method over winter, then I found LDSprepper on youtube after follwoign a link from another forum on growing tomatoes. He started out using the BTE, then experimented with Mittleider and decided on the Mittleider after side by side comparison. Check out his video below
    Tammy

    Here is a link that might be useful: LDSprepper

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Your plants clearly received far less light than the commercial plants so substantially more supplemental lighting is needed.

    But more importantly they are still in small cell packs and should have been transplanted to individual containers sometime ago. They are rootbound and nutrient poor.

    Commercial growers start 100's of plants in one of those black trays. Once germinated and while they still have only cotyledons or just barely developed true leaves they are transplanted to cell packs and planted deeply burying most all the stem. Once they develop 2 sets of true leaves they are transplanted again into 4" pots or larger (your employer's are in 16 oz plastic cups that many use).

    Each transplanting stimulates more root development and the larger containers don't require watering nearly so often so the plants don't fade and yellow such as yours have.

    Hope this helps.

    Dave

    PS: as for BTE and Mittleider, I'll bite my tongue on that issue.

  • edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
    10 years ago

    Yeah, funny, as hard as I try I can't get mine to look anything like the professional ones. I guess if I went and spent a couple hundred grand on college degree in horticulture or something, they'd tell me the secret formula :-).......that's ok, a month later after they're both (theirs and mine) in the ground, you can't tell 'em apart.

  • dave120
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I guess you are right in that aspect.

    Should I transplant the tomatoes or should I just wait to plant them in the garden?

  • tammyinwv
    10 years ago

    I would plant them out as soon as your zone permits. mine take off once in the ground.
    Tammy