16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Thanks so much! Actually, I propped up one of the 2 bigger stems left with some leaves still on it, and he's doing fine so far. He's about a foot tall and pretty sturdy, so I do think he'll be okay. :D Thanks again! :)
This post was edited by TomatoMamma on Tue, Apr 22, 14 at 18:33
I grew BR last year and was surprised. The tomato was hardy, prolific and tasted great. The nursery where I obtained the plants grew them out of curiosity and they sold well. My only suggestion is to grow them where no other tomato plant has grown. This is standard advice on any tomato plant! I did not canned but froze instead and they freeze well. They did not seemed to be bothered by insects. I hope the nursery grows them again!
I grew Black Russian last year and had tomatoes about 75 days from planting. I personally did not like it at all. It was very prolific but did not hold up well and it just had no taste or texture compared to black from Tula. I'm not growing it again. Too many better varieties out there.
It is TOO LATE starting from seeds in your zone now. I would suggest that you buy plants. It will take a minimum of 6 weeks for what you may want to start now, to become an 8" plant, that you can buy from any nursery now.
I am in a similar zone (as plant out time is concerned) and I started my seeds back ob 27th of February (9 weeks ago) and have already planted some of them.
People do it all the time, growing all kinds of tomatoes in pots/conts'. Then there is a degree of success.
I, personally would try to grow ONLY detrminant/ bush and very small indeterminants in pots. To me it is not so much the root space but managing the stability and top growth. I have seen pictures of top heavy plants in 25 gallon grow bag tipper over in a windy day.
It is not that it cannot be done, but it requires extra efforts , planning and maintenance. That is why, for the convenience of growers, they have developed all kinds container type tomato plants.
That's frustrating news, but thank you for the input. That's certainly the last time I follow the directions on the tin.
Kathy, they're between two and three weeks. The seedlings that I planted in a pot were sown a week earlier and the second set of true leaves is coming in now. I probably should have realized when I saw that, that there was a problem.
Would it be worth starting new seeds this late in zone six? I probably wouldn't be able to transplant them until June.
Never found these peat round any good. Just canôt keep it right moisture and everything. Junk IMHO
Here is what I would do if you have extra seeds, soak them for few hours in somewhat warm water, not hot but just lukewarm. Put them into paper towel and into plastic bag, leave it somewhere where it is fairly warm. It will germinate within day or two. Then transplant into small cell or small cups, keep it under lights for 16 plus hrs and give bottom heat, very gentle for about a week, make sure it does not dry up. Keep it covered only for first day until you see cotyledons showing up. Remove the plastic top after. Make sure there is gentle breeze from air duct, fan or something going once in a while. It is no good to put it in direct air flow but gentle air movement is a must. Do not use same trays or wash them really really good. What I am leading to is that with extra good conditions and coddling it is possible to speed up process of growing seedlings even if you are being on late side of starting. Just like you see in the garden nothing seems to be blooming and growing, then give it couple warm sunny days and things are going gangbusters.
I really thought I was going to have an easy year. I haven't gardened in maybe 5 years. I set up containers using compost that had aged that long. And yet my SuperSweet 100 looked like it had some early blight starting (clipped leaves, hoping for the best).
I can only think that the fungus came in with my plant (from a famous west coast traveling tomato road show, which I would have thought unlikely) or from my borrowed cages.
Of course, if these fungi exist in California coastal wetlands, I'm surrounded ...
Congratulations on successfully growing tomatoes from seed! :)
Looking at your picture in the other posts, I think there could be three reasons for that. Over watering could definitely be a problem. Tomatoes prefer moist soil but they don't like it to by soggy at all times. Also, the soil drying out in between waterings can be stressful for plants. Though, I don't think that's your problem.
Sun scald could be another problem. Where did you grow them inside? Under grow lights? In a bright window? When you do put them out is it in full sun? If so, it might just be a bit too much for them at first. When I harden off my tomatoes, I usually let them get some morning sun and then move them into the shade.
And third, I'm wondering if it's a fertilizer issue. You mention that you fertilize every other week, which seems a lot to me. What kind of fertilizer are you using? Maybe there is some kind of imbalance. I don't fertilize my tomato plants until I plant them out. Though, I do grow them in a compost/garden soil mix, which I would like to believe is full of nutrients. :) With purchased potting soil, I would check how much fertilizer is already in the bag and then add some granulated fertilizer about halfway through the plants being in the pots and putting them outside.
So, to sum up, I would suggest not fertilizing again until you plant them outside, watering a bit less and making sure they are not in full sun all day when you put them out.
I also tend to belies TOO MUCH watering and fertilizer deficiency to be the cause(s).
I am not into organic fertilizing but I gather that it is not as readily available to plants as synthetic ones.
Here is what I would do:
--- fertilize with water soluble plant food (rich in Nitrogen).
--- cut down on watering. ( 5 to 7 days apart should be fine).
More plants suffer from over watering than under watering.
Are you trying to set up fertigation for the tomatoes and peppers? Something like this. If so then it is fertigation system plans you need to be Googling.
If not can you clarify the goal here? What will be the original source? Well, garden hose, above ground PVC water line? etc.
If this is for Hydroponics rather than in-ground fertigation then the Hydro forum has all sorts of various set-up info.
Dave
It is for fertigation.
I've purchased several Mazzei-type venturi units.
I need/want to build a PVC bypass valve - like the one in my original post, but I want the section where the venturi connects to allow for a 'swappable' section since the units are of different sizes.
Given that I've found howto's for PVC tomato cages, PVC furniture, etc. I'm looking for a howto and parts list (something I can shop at HD/Lowes with) for the bypass valve.
i.e. I need a ball valve for the shutoff, 1/2" PVC U splitter (it has a different name and knowing that when I walk into HD will save time), a PVC to Hose male/female? connector (that has a name too), etc.
Knowing what something is called is really helpful when shopping at HD since saying you need the 'thingamagig' doesn't create an incentive for some of the employees there.
Additionally, knowing what kind of length offsets various pieces create will help me when cutting the PVC to the (hopefully) right lengths.
I understand the fertigation, it's the measurements and parts for the bypass valve. I could spend $100 and buy one, but I'd feel more accomplishment spending $20 on parts and putting it together myself.
So, I'll post in the hydro section, but any added help from here would be appreciated.
Andrew
I have saw some tags switched before. Most likely by a customer with poor eyesight that pulled it out to read and stuck it back in the wrong tray!
Last year I saw some potato leaf better boys, according to the tag! :)
My biggest worry with BB plants is disease and pests. If I buy plants, which I rarely do, I get them from a local Mom and Pop greenhouse that has a great reputation. The price is close to the same and sometimes cheaper. And they are much healthier.
I used to occasionally buy a plant or two from my local feed and seed until they started carrying Bonnie.
The problem is the varied and fluid definition of "heirloom." Your idea can be far and away from mine in what constitutes that description. But as was said its an awsome marketing tool so it can be overused.
That being said, if you are concerned look it up. Tags are *usually* correct so if you think a variety labeled as an heirloom is dubtful you can always research that variety and find out if that variety fits your criteria.
Brought them in to the "plant doc" today and they did full imspection for mites and couldnt find any. they said from what i told them (same as i told yall) they said it was most likely fert burn. give them a good flush with plain water and Ill keep my eyes on. I will also check for mites again though just in case.
My sweet golds did that. Are they weak too?
Wispy doesn't mean "weak". I need to be clear about that. It is just a plant appearance thing. And production for me has always been quite good.
So your Sweet Gold did what? Turn yellow from over-watering? Or appear wispy? Or what?
I have never grown it but I none of the reviews I have read about it describe it as wispy in appearance. Non of the photos of the plant I saw on Google Images appear wispy. Rather it appears to be a huge strong plant.
Dave
BFT frequently has mild concentric cracking. I just got lucky with the on in the pic.
Interested in the Serbian Heart tomato. The 2011 pics didn't post. Have any new ones? Any seeds for 2014?