16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I also want to thank Dave and many of you guys who post here.
After having sold my condo I now live in the country and wanted to plant 3 or 4 tomatoes bought from a store.
Just reading you guys contaminated me with the TPV, Tomatoe Passion Virus, and I started 210 tomato plants from seeds.
Up to now 50 survived and my 1st stupice is about to be ripe.
All this is thanks to Dave and you guys.
So yes, thank you, not only for the tomatoes I'm gonna eat, but above all for the fun of it, and the good brain training that goes with reading you, learning about something new, trying to understand the scientific links posted around.
I'm really extremely grateful for the time and energy you spend around here sharing your knowledge.
You've opened a whole new world to me, that I knew nothing about, a world that revolves around tomatoes ! And there are discoveries every day, it's really great !
Hello, I can absolutely "ditto" what Francoise said. I love her term for my malady......TPV! A friend and I share the passion, both of us newbies. I can't tell you how many times I have related a "little know fact" to her followed by "Dig dirt says" or Carolyn says! How fortunate we are to have their expertise here. Thanks so much to both of you and thanks too to the other newbies, without the questions, we may not get the answers!
I grew 120 darlings from seed and planted 23 for myself. My Sophie's Choice will be my early winner. Smile!!
Hm that does sound like a good guess, I feel like my plant is extradinarily small (4 inches at most) and the sweet n neat seem to be around a foot tall with the tomatos being much bigger than the ones I'm getting from this little guy. Maybe he will stay a mystery for forever, I am trying to grow the seeds I got from one his tomatoes so maybe that will grow to full height? Hm so many possibilities!! Thanks everyone!
Umass charges $10 for what you see and I'll make sure to follow up with them and try to get an answer about Pb and Al.
I think my raised bed is only 6" high but i got the point about covering it. I only have 3 32sq feet beds so it's easy. I water manually approximately 1/2 gallon to each plant every 3 or so days depending how dry the soil looks.
I like learning it!
Here is a link that might be useful: updated link to soil test
Fe is high, your Pb is fine.
Tomato plant can take a gallon at a time when mature - depends on hot hot it is and how fast-draining your soil is as to how often. I dry-farm main;y b/c I don't have electricity/water in my main growing area and have to haul water by hand, in periods of drought (like 2012) I was watering my plants 1/2 gal each at a time just to keep them alive.
$10 isn't bad for that info, looks like quick turnaround too. CAES is free, I think UCONN charges $8 I will have to look into it but I like to have each of my beds tested every year or every other year and I have 4 main outside beds, the house garden is mostly all the same soil/amendments so can get away with 1 test and new high tunnel has 10 12-ft long "beds" 5 along each side and 1 big wide one in the middle. The side ones are mostly the same (might have double-dug and mixed some a little deeper than others with the native soil), the middle one is 2ft deep composted manure on top of compacted (not double dug) native soil. So I guess I really only need 2 soil tests for the tunnel and actually the beds really should be close to all compost since only the bottom 4" or so of each 8-10" deep bed was mixed with soil, then topped off with the compost. The established beds are sandy loam that have been amended (with manure, leaves, lime, other amendments) over the years and 1 was purposely not limed to keep the pH low for potatoes, then beans, now have tomatoes there this year.
oh cukes and zukes! This is first year I got in trouble with cucumber beetle! Joys of gardening at community gardens that everything eventually will find you. I am planning to switch to parthenocaripic varieties from now on and keep summer cover on. Too much trouble!
The toothbrush should help set fruits for those that missed the bees/lack of wind. I always get larger yields when hand pollinating using a powered toothbrush. It just ensures more flowers will set fruit.
Here is a link that might be useful: Pollinating tomatoes for maximum yield
I think what I like about automated watering like drip/micro sprinklers is that I can water them at say 8:30 am every day (while I am already off to work) and let the micro sprinklers work for 15 mins (waters about 6 inches deep) every 2 days (1 day when temps are high). So no watering needed in the evening so less slugs at night and less chances of getting fungus as the leaves are dry by afternoon/evening. I use evenings to check on the plants for insects/diseases.
This afternoon I picked a spray of Red Robins, and what a thrill ! My first ever home grown tomatoes from seed ! The taste as just what I was hoping for-beefsteak and not sweet at all. Thin skins too. I have a packet of seeds but I will definitely be saving seeds. What fun ! And thanks for your kind words !
Thanks sooo much everyone! :) I can't take all the credit though, I followed a ton of advice that I read around these forums and I think that's been my biggest reason for success with my tomatoes! Everyone here is so helpful and knowledgeable!
I'm so glad to hear it's not BER! I'm so excited to try an heirloom tomato! Thank you all sooo much! :)
Those, as already mentioned, are not affected by BER. If you were to see BER, more likely would be on SanMarzano (a Roma type) rather than Chrokee purple ...
Glad you don't have BER problem. I find it very frustrating, pitching all those tomatoes.
Agree, I'd go for the deck if eliminating trees, or at least trimming them, isn't possible.
Plus, given that the sun is at it's peak northern exposure for you over the next 2 weeks and then begins to shift after the 21st and move back to the south, use this year to track it. See if you would really gain anything.
As both the declination angle and the intensity fade after the equinox, it's possible you might actually lose early spring and early fall sun exposure by moving the garden.
Dave
For 8 years, I grew tomatoes right against the east side of a west-facing brick house. So at best the plants had 6 hours of direct morning sun -- and a lot less in the spring and late summer. Growth was adequate, all things considered.
Several years ago there was a GW member in MN whose yard was quite shady due to neighbors' trees, and the sunniest areas were all under 6 hours. IIRC, he grew tomatoes in large pots which he set wherever there was the most sun. I don't remember if he moved the pots over the course of the summer. He did get fruit.
Afternoon sunlight is always stronger than morning sun, so you might want to take that into consideration in deciding where to put your tomatoes. (I don't know why that is, but I've learned the hard way that plants advertised as "partial sun" will die if the sunny part of the day is the afternoon!)
Don't be quick to remove a leaf from a tomato plant that's looking like it's short of leaves, just because the leaf has a hole in it. It isn't a beautiful leaf thing, it's an edible fruit thing. Like sunlight, the plants need all the leaves they can get.
That dirt looks like it came out of a bag. Are you sure it's "cow" and not "steer"? Steer manure is problematic if used any quantity other than a light dressing. It's a salt thing.
Since the varieties you've already purchased are all among those being sold this year by Bonnie Plants (they supply tomato seedlings to many of the Big Box stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, and Walmart), you might want to look here to see the container varieties they're selling this year. Click on "Pots & Small Spaces" and "Determinates" for the smaller plants.
http://bonnieplants.com/products/vegetables/tomato-varieties
Bonnie sells many of their varieties only in certain regions, so you probably won't see most of these in your area.
Maybe they have more than one purpose. Surely they would deter some insects (not hornworm!), but they also might provide shade for the stem and leaves.
I have frequently noticed that small flying insects have perished stuck to my tomato plants.