16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
One of the ways to deal effectively with too much rain and wet weather is to construct raised bed, in addition to amending the soil. I garden here at PNW, where we get a lot of rain. Sometimes it rains for days in the spring time. That is why I made raised beds. Raised bed, being higher than its surrounding will have a good drainage, if slightly amended. If your soil in Rock hill anything like GA red clay and you are gardening in a flat plot, then that might be the problem.
JMO
As roper said , and I agree with him, some of the special purpose forums do not get much traffic. So posting there is like blowing in the wind. Believe me I have tried some.
As far as I am concerned, this is "THE" TOMATO forum and we should be able to talk about any TOMATO related subject right here.
JMO
I clip a 3-4 inch tip growth, remove any new bloom truss if there is one, allow to hydrate in a glass of water for an hour or the day, then set cutting in a small pot of potting/seed starting mix, and within a week it has rooted.
I kept one indoors through our 8 month winter, just to try as an experiment. The cuttings I took from it in the spring grew just as well as the mother plant did the summer before. I did this because I'd developed a mistrust with packet seeds in that what I'd grown from the packet description was not what I had growing in the ground! My space is limited and tight, so I want to be sure if I am growing a specific variety, that is what I get.
I could not do it this past winter, some kind of blight attacked the plant mid summer and I did not think it wise to try to keep a less than perfectly healthy specimen over the long winter.
Plant the shorter varieties in the community garden and the taller ones at home. Utilize dwarf varieties.
The best sources I've found for plant height are these three:
= the DG Cultivar Finder (which this site won't let me link to, but if you Google "cultivar finder" (with quotation marks) and tomatoes, you'll see it). Plants are in rough height categories. Keep in mind that this is amateur-provided info.
= Ventmarin is a huge database in French, and also amateur-provided info which is occasionally totally off the wall. There are also some eccentricities due to the language differences; for example, all oxhearts are listed as "coeur de boeuf" ("heart of beef") and then the rest of the variety name.
It gives height for roughly half the varieties -- in centimeters. Multiplying by .39 gives height in inches ... or use one of the many sites which will convert from metric to feet.
http://ventmarin.free.fr/passion_tomates/passion_tomate.htm
[They also give fruit weight in grams: divide by 28 for weight in ounces.]
= Rutgers's Tomato Varieties database. I haven't used this one as much.
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/tomato-varieties/
In addition, Tatiana's TOMATObase sometimes gives height, or gives hints that a plant is particularly large. You can also look here under "Tomatoes by growth habit" for lists of dwarf, determinate, and container varieties:
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Category:Tomatoes
Another possibility is to grow tomatoes on a trellis which is not vertical but slanted or horizontal. I've seen photos of this done with CRW (concrete reinforcement wire) or cattle panels (aka hog panels, stock panels), but if that's not an option, you can use fence wire with smaller holes. If you're growing tomatoes this way, you'll need to weave the vines into the mesh every few days to keep them from going vertical. [You can also use a trellis for pole beans, cucumbers, etc.]
Agree with missing - just grow determinate varieties in the CG. Any healthy indeterminate is going to shade things no matter how it may be supported.
BUt best supports - CRW (concrete reinforcing wire) cages are best. Lots of discussions here about them.
Dave
Agreed. Tomato plants are very fragile and even if you manage to "heal them up" the stress has caused serious development problems which probably will lead to stunted growth, low flowering and few fruits. If I were you I'd re-germinate now and keep them in your house until you can properly harden them off. If you can't keep your ambient temperatures within your hoop house at least 40F, I wouldn't bother trying to grow tomatoes with them.
smithmal
Awesome advice, thanks everyone. I suspected ph but from my reading applying ample compost helps neutralise the soil? I do water with bore water that I know is quite high ph.
Off to town today to purchase soil pH tester. Reckon it will still be too late to help these plants now ey?
Cheers
Dan
moontree - if you will read through the BER FAQs here as well as just a few of the many discussions about it on the forum that the search will pull up for you, you'll discover that the primary causative factor in it is unstable, inconsistent soil moisture levels. Assuming the potting mix contains adequate Ca, and most do - that soil moisture problem prevents adequate/even distribution of the available Ca to the fruit tissues.
You are apparently trying to grow plants in containers and indoors. That creates a whole different set of problems and we'd need much more info to narrow down the contributing factors.
From the info provided, you are using a far too small container for most tomato plants - even for a determinate - and using a coir mix which may or may not be compounding both the Ca and the soil moisture issues. And doing it indoors so it lacks sufficient sun. Plus your plant food is lacking in some vital nutrients.
So given all that it is very unlikely that the low humidity is contributing to the problem. Rather the growing conditions that you have describe are far, far more likely to be causing the problems.
Dave
PS: it would be helpful to know your zone/location as well.
How large an area are you wanting to enclose? And from what pests? Different varmints require different structures. Something like the above appears far to small to be of much practical use.
Google pulls up all sorts of images of full garden protection structures. Everything from low.high tunnels to simple PVC pipe arches covered with insect barrier or chicken wire to structures made from bird netting/plastic deer fencing to sturdy wood frameworks enclosed in screening, sunshade cloth, or fencing.
Just avoid the use of any plastic sheeting as the trapped heat, especially in your location, can quickly kill the plants.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Garden protection structures
Grafted tomatoes don't necessarily provide any more protection against early blight than do non-grafted plants since the spores are airborne. At best, depending on the rootstock you used, you might increase the resistance a minimal amount and so delay the onset by a few days exposure. Defiant and Legend are the two varieties listed as the most EB tolerant, not resistant, "tolerant".
The use of Daconil and similar fungicides from the day of plant-out has proven to be far more effective as a preventative measure.
That said if you want to try doing it then check out the other discussion on grafting just down the page. In it I included a good how-to-do-it link as well as links to the many other discussions here on grafted tomatoes.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Grafting tomatoes discussions
Thanks for the link Dave! I get all warped out of shape when I begin to think of all those beautiful transplants I've planted, only to watch them, one by one, fall prey to EB...... Obviously, grafting isn't going to solve my problem.......
Daconil is my fungicide of choice & I spray it early & often, but I wonder if I'm actually spraying it starting with day one. Me thinks not.......
I will also try Defiant & Legend..... Last year I planted my usual (15 each) Celebrity, Mountain Fresh, & Jet Star. Mountain Fresh was the most EB resistant, but still succumbed......
Still might try grafting a few Defiant or Legend for fun.....
The variety named Hundreds & Thousands was developed by Sutton's Seed (UK) about 3 years ago and other than someone who was selling the seeds on ebay the only other current supplier I know of outside UK is in Canada. They are just too new for wide seed distribution yet.
Instead for baskets look at - Baxter's Early Bush, Tumbling Tom (Red or Yellow), Whippersnapper, Floragold Basket, Red Robin, Garden Pearl to name a few. Success and production will depend on the size of the basket - bigger the better.
Hope this helps.
Dave
PS: using normal conditions won't make Yellow Pear any better. :)
That's too bad about those Hundreds & Thousands, they look so nice :) Thank you for recommendations on similar types! I want to have a nice color and fruit size varieties on those so I'll take a closer look how the ones you listed will do. Hopefully I'll find some currant size. What size baskets do you recommend? I want the vines to be able to grow few feet down.
Rafal
PS: thanks for the tip ! I definitely won't grow those anymore. I couldn't believe how bad they were. Tiny Tim's were a lot better tasting, on the sweet side. I'm trying to grow the black Krim and Cherokee Purple now :) but we'll see how they turn out under fluorescents.
After several years of growing many varieties of organic heirloom tomatoes, I am concluding that heirlooms are simply sparse fruit producers in general
I would strongly disagree with that conclusion and I'd suggest that you first detail and re-evaluate the growing methods you are using since that, and not the variety, most determines production. This given the fact that many growers, especially in CA, are quite successful growing heirlooms.
I'm also curious about your use of the term "organic heirlooms"? The two terms are not synonymous. Do you mean you are gardening organically or only buying organically grown transplants?
You might also want to read through the many previous discussions here on grafting. Like everything else in gardening it has its pros and cons.
Meanwhile check out this how-to graft tomato plants link.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Grafting tomatoes discussions
You Prices seem to be very reasonable. May be too low.
You should promote volume pricing. Like $3 per plant under 5. $2.50 ea. for 5 and more.
I think HEIRLOOMS, is a good niche marketing. You need to set yourself apart from big growers and the big box stores. People will be willing to pay a little more for hard to find varieties.
You need good appealing pictures and nice description. Provide good planting , care and growing guides.
Good luck !
The Jelly Bean I know is an F1 hybrid, not an heirloom.
Link below.
Is there an OP one somewhere?
I know the F1 Jelly Bean is available at Pinetree and Trade Winds and some other places as the link indicates.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Jelly Bean
This is a frequent question up for discussion over on the Growing from Seed forum so you may want to do some more reading on that forum here.
First, So, if I have dozens of seeds planted and the first ones sprout, how do I get them to light without transplanting them and at the same time not disturb the majority of seed still(underground) in the germninating process which is not supposed to be exposed to light?
Nothing says un-germinated seedlings cannot be exposed to light. That only applies to a few flowers. Light/no light makes no difference to tomato seeds. But the standard practice is to transplant as they sprout OR if you spaced your seeding well just let them grow there until most of the other sprout.
Second, they also say to never transplant until the first true leaf. is merely a recommendation not an absolute. Millions of seedlings get transplanted at the cotyledon stage. It is just a bit more difficult to do until you gain some experience and a bit more care is needed to avoid damaging the stem. Try some and you'll see how easy it is to do. Handle by the cotyledons and bury most of the stem.
Dave