I planted 45 different varieties of tomato plants this season in my small garden, they are all doing good.

Here is the garden today

And my little dog looks guilty, he just ate some tomato

And I am growing some new varieties to me , thank you Mr Bill, all the tomatoes are doing great!

Indian Stripe, you were right this is a great tomato

A ripe one

Creole

Plum Regal

And when I have a lot of tomatoes I always make a fresh tomato tart, this one has German Red Strawberry, Kumato, Huang, Angolan and it was delicious!

Silvia

Have you ever documented your process here in the forum from seed to harvest? If so, can you provide a link to those old posts?

You have already shared with me that you simply start your seeds on the porch but how do you do that? (seed/soil mix, watering, etc.)

And what mix do you use in your containers?

How often do you fertilize and what do you use?

Are the containers on a drip system? How often and
how long do you water?

The reason I'd like to know is I'd like to try and replicate it, though perhaps not with that many plants. It looks very manageable, or maybe you just make it look easy.

If that's too much to ask, I will understand. At the very least, thank you so much for sharing all the inspiring pictures!

Damon

Thank you, I am not new to gardening but for sure I am not the queen (there are others) lol. I don't post here too often and the real deal tomato gurus probably are in charge of any documentation about tomato growing (I am just small potatoes compare to them)

What zone are you in? Maybe I can give some tips that work for me here or other places that I have lived, where ever I go i grow tomatoes, I am in zone 9b.

I always start from seeds I use the seed starter mix from the store and I put them in styrofoam cups, later they can transplanted to pots.

For the mix in the pots read in the container forum the mix 5-1-1 by Al Tapla, he explains better than I can, he covers fertilizers and such.

Everything in the garden gets the sprinkler system 2 times a week, the rest of the days I hand water when is hot every day. One time a day.

I hope that I answer some of your questions, feel free to ask me anything if I did not explained well. Happy growing!

Thank you Damon. The tomato tart is fantastic because of the fresh tomatoes, it has a homemade tart like a pizza dough and pesto sauce made with the fresh basil from the garden. Later gets some feta cheese and broil it. Here it is finished.

Silvia

We in Florida have nematodes in the soil, so the best strategy is to grow them in pots and I always try to plant different varieties and more than I need, this way I am sure I will have a good harvest. Tomatoes make a great gifts!

I try to do everything as simple as possible and (cheap) since I am the only person doing the garden. The SWC are kind of complicated for me, most of my pots are 18 inches wide and 15 deep and always get them on sale either walmart or big lots.

Remember I also have a lot of veggies and fruit I have to take care of and now harvest.

Here is a view of some of my garden

Silvia

A lot of native Floridians (I am not) have tried soil solarization and does not work for them or so they say.

I have raised beds that I add a lot of organic matter and I can grow most crops very good, for my small garden I harvest a lot, I am constantly giving away veggies.

My garden is intensively planted year round even around the bananas I had first onions and now there are sweet potatoes

Here is some recent harvest, I am not complaining.:)

Silvia

Thanks for the thorough reply. You answered most of my questions and I'll track down those container-planting links for soil mixes.

I'm in central Tx. in zone 8 (verging on 9). Rainfall is about 28-30" a year, primarily deep sandy loam alkaline soils (the pecan, mesquite and oak trees love it). Temps stay in the high 50's/low 60's during much of our brief winters though we do usually have a few freezes, some getting as low as 26 degrees or so. This year even brought a day of snow! Right now the insects I'm fighting in my garden are primarily the small green inch worms (what to do?), grasshoppers galore (Nolo baited to stem the tide somewhat) and pill bugs (won't use corrogated cardboard as a weed cloth again!). I will have to learn how to treat (organically) these and other pests and diseases.

I'll likely have more questions as I try some container planting. However, now I'm wondering if it might work just as well or better to create a raised bed just for the tomatoes instead of individual containers. No nematode issues here. But lots of fat white grubs that the armadillos dine on.

Any suggestions or tips are always welcome. I really admire what you've done!

I grew tomatoes in a raised bed in Arizona, I made a lasagna garden and tomatoes did great. It was a combination of hay, peat moss, black cow manure, compost and garden soil

The advantage of growing in containers (even if there are no nematode issues) is that you can move them in case of frost for example, my tomatoes were growing in my porch while we had freezing temperatures that would damage any tomatoes.

The leftover soil after the tomatoes are done gets recycled in other parts of the garden and the containers get use over and over. The mix is cheaper than store bought soil and when you are doing a lot of tomatoes that counts.

For bugs and disease I use a combination of spinosad and serenade, this acts better as a prevention than as a cure.

Here is a picture of the tomatoes in February protected in the porch from the cold

Silvia

I didn't get my tomatoes started until after the last frost date (mid-March). I had some row cloth handy in case I needed to protect them from a late freeze, but you're right. Unless I have some kind of shelter over the raised beds, its probably best to do containers if I start my plants in February or even early March, which sounds like a good plan. I only did transplants this year, but will be trying my hand at seeds next spring. When do you plant the seeds?

I agree that an important advantage of containers is being able to move them during frosts...allows for an earlier start.

If you look in the picture there are plastic bins, that is where I put the seeds in the styrofoam cups, at night they get covered.

Usually around February they are ready to go to the garden, but it was very cold this winter so they to stay in the porch till it was safe to go in the tomato garden.

I like to put seedlings that are at least 6-8 weeks old that makes me start in december, peppers are started first.

And when the pots are ready to go they are very lightweight, so is easy for me to lift them, another plus.

Always start from seeds, the quality that you get from transplants bought at the store it is not comparable.

Thank you Star, friends and neighbors come to see the garden all the time and it always looks different, all the crops depending on the seasons. Now that it has all the tomatoes, that is the first thing they see, they say "look at those tomatoes".

The garden has to keep tidy at all times, you never know who is showing up.lol

Here is a view from the open porch to the back gate, that is where the Orange Blossom Trail is used by runners, bycicles and me and my dogs. (I have 3).

Silvia

Beth

Wish I lived close enough to visit your beautiful garden!

Susan - Thank you for the link. Wherever I have lived is a different problem to deal with. People around here do plant marigolds including myself. Root knot nematodes just love okra and tomatoes, the other crops do well for me as long as I add a lot of organic material to the raised beds.

Dragonfly - Thank you for all the compliments, you are very nice.
And about the sprays I start from the time they are seedlings, a very diluted solution and with a fine mist only early in the morning 1 time a week.
I use the same spray bottles for the whole garden, depending on the look of the tomatoes when growing I add a foliar spray together with the serenade, spinosad and I also add a drop of Bonners peppermint soap just for the smell. And you are right all the garden gets the same spray, it takes me like 15 minutes, I have 3 bottles that I fill. And maybe one day you get to see the garden, I am 20 minutes from Disney...

Here is the garden today, tomatoes are in the back. Star there goes my other dog, she goes find some blueberries!

Silvia

I think I will try some of your tricks next year. I start peppers in November, tomatoes on 1/1, and they stay in a window sill until 3/1. I planted out a couple weeks late this year because of the frost we had in the beginning of March. When do you start your fall seeds and what date do you plant-out?

I see you live very close to my brother, he lives in Claremont by Lake Mineola, might have to stop by and take some notes!

We have sun all year round you just have to find a protected spot so the tomatoes don't get rain but get sunlight, a little bit of wind is okay.

As soon as my tomatoes are about to be done I start the new seeds for fall, around July and get planted in pots about 6-8 weeks old keep them in the porch if it is too hot and out to the tomato garden in August.

The porch get a space heater in winter and the fans in summer, this helps a lot.

If you go to see your brother, send me an email and you can stop by and see the garden.

And today's harvest just for you.:)

Silvia

Didn't see this answered...for the inchworms, spray a product with BT or bacillus thrunginus (sp?) in it. This is a naturally occurring organism that is lethal to those guys and harmless to people. Most consider this an organic option.

A comment on containers, I'm doing them for the first time this year and the container plants are far ahead of those in the ground. They basically warm up the soil as soon as you plant them, whereas in the ground, the soil takes a while to warm up. That, I believe, is the reason my containers are far more advanced than those in the ground.

This is very important in Texas where, like FLA, it get too hot in summertime to set new fruit (at least very much) so you get a bigger better harvest with earlier fruit set. Good luck.

Jerrya -
thanks so much for that additional info on BT and container growing. It makes sense to me that you can start sooner if the soil is warmer as in pots. So next year is going to be one big experiment for me on many fronts. And I am going to try my hand at a few Fall tomatoes this year and see how it goes.

You are welcome. I have been harvesting tomatoes every day, now more than that. As soon as they come to the house because they are ripe they go into dishes, I do give away a lot too.

My back porch faces south, in the summer gets shade but in the winter gets sun. The picture that you saw it is in winter.

The green tomatoes are Kumato, a friend from the Florida forum gave them to me and she did not tell me what color they were. When they are ripe they get a yellow tinge on the bottom and they are delicious, very sweet! I will be saving seeds from those.

This morning we had company for breakfast and I made a fritatta with scallions, rosemary and parsley from the garden a little bit of thin sliced feta cheese and for serving I put on top slow roasted tomatoes that I did yesterday. Also to go with it made zucchini bread from the garden.

For dinner I made 2 dishes of Caprese salad, this one gets a sun dried tomato dressing and mozarella, delicious!

And this one is for a friend's get together, the dressing will be put just before serving

And some of the tomatoes are Kumato, but from what I heard at the table all the tomatoes are good!

Silvia

Unfortunately none of this "looks" really pretty but it works and I'm looking for results not beauty.

And as for nematodes....may none of you get them. I received some in some starter plants I bought (Now I start all my own seeds and mix my own potting soil). I have been fighting to keep them in a small spot in my yard but it's a very tough battle. There is no cut and dried solution. It's like fighting terrorists.....some always survive. My goal has been to contain more than completely destroy. Nematode resistant plants are the best bet.

Ykerzner, thank you and you are right, every space is used, something comes out something is already in and growing. I even utilized the space under the bananas, I will have a bumper crop of sweet potatoes this year,:)

Getting some big ones today, I will be making 2 different tomato sauces.

Hat tomato

Silvia

I was just laying out, in my mind, my spring garden and thinking about varieties to try. Then another question popped into my mind - you grow many varieties in close proximity to each other and also save seed, so how do you contend with the cross pollination problem?

Before reading this amazing forum, I would never have even known to consider that issue.

I can't wait till my tomatoes ripen! Happy gardening!

I knew this question was going to come sooner or later, lol. I save the tomato seeds the way Trudi has in wintersown, you can take a look there. It works fine for me, I consistently get the same variety that I am saving. Anyway if that was not the case, I am only saving seed for me and friends, not for sale, I don't think anybody is going to sue me, lol.

Now that I have a lot of seed to save and when I pick the tomatoes if I have about 10 of the same color and shape, that is hard when I bring them in the basket together, how can I identify them? Easy, I put the name in the tomato with a marker.

I grow a lot of tomato seedlings also for friends that are first time gardeners and just out of curiosity I asked them which variety did better for them? And they all said the yellow. At the end, nobody remembers anything but only if they manage to get tomatoes and that they like it.

And asking questions is the only way to learn, you are a fast learner.

Hi Caroline

We share the same interests, I love cooking for family and friends and I agree with you nothing can compare with the taste of a homegrown tomato! Yours will ripen soon, time flies.

I made 2 different tomato sauces and let the tasters in the house decide which one was better. They all agreed on the best was a tomato chunky basil sauce, that I put in a homemade pizza with some grilled zucchini from the garden.

Silvia

Silvia

Keep up the good work!
AZ PC

Thank you, I lived in Phoenix for 10 years and I moved to Florida about 2 years ago. Before that I lived in many places...:)

Lived in NW Phoenix and I know about the heat and the clay soil, lol. Just be happy dry is better than humid and clay soil even hard to dig is better than easy sandy and nematode, lol.

I grew the best tasting tomatoes there in raised beds, the one I remember the most was Costoluto Genovese, I never could replicate the flavor anywhere that I grew, and of course I had so many varieties under the shade cloth. My front yard was xeriscape, nothing but cactus and their family. But the backyard was an oasis, gave me the best fruit ever! I still miss my fruit trees. Apricots and figs my favorites!

Hi Caroline

Thank you, I already separated all the fruit for seed saving naming them with a marker.:)

The harvest is after I gave my neighbors the best looking tomatoes, every one that knows me got a basket.

Silvia

I actually don't complain (too much) about the heat, it is what it is. This is my first year trying to keep 'maters that are not "cherry" going through the summer. The heirlooms that I have, all in containers, Cherokee Purple, Beefmaster, Orange Oxheart, Zebra Green & Mr. Stripey are all transplants. I have a wonderful collection of heirloom seeds. I call them a collection because I cannot seem to get them to grow beyond germination! I would be very interested in Costoluto Genovese if I could find it somewhere. I'll have to put my scouting shoes on. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful and productive garden. It gives me hope. :-)

You should try your hand at growing the tomatoes from seeds, it is so much better!

I still have some costoluto genovese seeds but they are probably too old like about 10 years.

Do they still have "the garden guy' on tv? he also wrote some books. If you do vegetable gardening also I used to have a very good book written by a woman in Tucson, I can not remember her name and I gave all the Arizona gardening books away. It is so well written and informative for that area, I hope that you find it, maybe the library carries one.

I hope that you do great with your tomatoes.

Silvia

I am just south of Sarasota and started my veggie garden just last year - newbie!

I am amazed how green all of your vegetables are. My tomatoes have all kind of blight/spots and worms. What is your routine to keep your plants so healthy and disease/pest free?

Welcome to gardening and the forums! you should join us in the Florida gardening forum, a lot of gardeners from Sarasota post there.
To keep my garden in good shape I do daily inspection of the plants, this way I can find out any problem in the beginning and spray if necessary. Every season is different in my area, different bugs too.
I only spray when is cooler, at this time when is so warm I don't. The plants are over 8 feet tall and producing more tomatoes than we can possible use, good time for sharing and oven dry them for later.
In the beginning of the season for preventing disease I use Serenade, Neem, if I see worms Bt or Spinosad.

Here some pictures of tomatoes this season

Silvia

I use fresh soil that I make it myself every season, twice a year in my location. After the plants are done for the season, I use the spent soil in my fruit trees. Where I live we have sandy soil that hold no nutrients and is prone to nematodes. I use raised beds for all my other veggies.

Harvesting the best tomatoes to roast them today...

Silvia