16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Martha, it's been a looong recovery and I'm not there yet. I was released by the RN and PT only a week ago, both Martha, who prepares meals and Freda, who cleans, takes care of everything related to my old cat, and also fills the birdfeeders, but not lately, since the visit of a HUGE Black Bear who did a lot of destruction around here.
I'm in the phase of challenging myself with different foods to see which ones agree or don't agree with my now gall bladerless body, thankfully bittersweet chocolate and cashews are OK, LOL
More to the point, for several reasons I seldom come here now, maybe stop by to look, but seldom post. That's just the way it is and will continue to be so.
Carolyn, trying to remember how long we've known each other, I know it's a very long time, but as to dates, I cannot remember.
glad you are doing better. My gall bladder was taken out when I was 30..so thats a long time ago.....I think I started posting here about 17 years ago, when we first moved out of the city..
I learned everything about growing tomatoes from you and your wonderful book. This year I have three of yours growing Dr. Carolyn...hope they have tomatoes...my plants have often become mixed up when my system of marking them has turned into a fiasco...(tabs fall off
pots, get wet and vanish)..so lots to chance now...I have never seen a bear here, just heard about them...but a fox keeps visiting acting like a dog and wanting food..so someone around here is feeding him... take care..
Martha zucchini
thanks all...l usually start them when I did these. last year started in May and they were not big or strong enough to plant out...never had such a bad year...they look good and healthy, I will plant up to larger pots..trouble is I have 70 of them...too many..not enough room..will give some away
early.. Keeping the lights close and moved some into a window (large tall window).. will put a fan on them to make them even stronger...thanks again, martha/zucchini
I just reported some back into the same pots, but removed some of the root and added more
soil less mix so they are planted deeper..they look good, thought they might panic..Its getting
so warm out so fast maybe can plant them out before June...but ...will wait and see..
Martha/zucchini
That support has wheels, so I can move it around, so the plants get the most light.
They have light from 8 am till 6 pm.
I rotate the support at least one time per day with 180’ so all the plants have the same amount of light. Actually early in the morning and late evening, all 3 levels have DIRECT light; only at midday the seedlings in the “back” do not have direct sunlight.
When it’s cold during the night, I put the pots in my small 3-level greenhouse ( 4’ x 6’. ) [see picture bellow]
When it’s only cool, I put the support WITH the pots – obviously - in the garage.
And when it’s warm, I simply leave them outside – well, except if there is some rain / thunderstorm on the forecast.
Very convenient that support: 72 pots, easy to push…
Note: the pictures are from… last year, 2014.
This year, I’m not starting from seeds.
Daniel,
That is a nice and practical mobile plant cart.
BTW: when are you going to get plants and plant out ?
How is your LI weather theses days ?
Ours is fine. Highs getting to low 70s. But the lows are persistently in mid 40s and refuse to go into 50s territory. It should happen early June.
Sey
Those two plants were started on April 30, that's only a month ago. The Big Beef were transplanted one week ago and shot right up, no shock whatsoever. I've moved the Big Beef to the front porch where it's cool and shady just to slow them down for a couple of weeks while I harden them off. Have used the Miracle Gro for years with good luck. It's true that Black Cherry starts out a lot slower than others but this is quite drastic. Thought you all would get a kick out of this.
Ibann ... I am sure you meant March 30th.
I think that Black cherry has close to normal growth in 4 weeks. But definitely Big Beef has grown out of ordinary.
I have an unknown variety ( came out of dwarf seeds pack ) that is almost 20 inches high where other indets sowed and planted out at the same time are under 12". .
I have planted big beef ( Bonnie seedling) it is doing fine so far but not out of ordinary. Hope yours will be real productive too.
Sey
Keeping Posted.
So far my Druzba is ok. But growing slower than Siltetz, Rutgers, and few others. Probably it needs warmer temps to start moving . So I am keeping an eye on it .
Who else is growing Druzba this season ?
Lets share our experience and thoughts. Being the first time, it is "make" or "bust". You last chance Druzba.. C'mone ! Move it !
OK, so you do not want a link to Tania's page for it, but if you looked you'd find that I was the first to introduce it to the US, seeds to me from Norbert in France back in 1992. You'll also note that I I was the first to answer the original poster back in 2009.
I've grown it many many times for seed production for my SSE listings as well as for seed offers I've done here and there over the years.
You also limited posts to those who are growing it this YEAR, which I'm not since as you know I no longer can do that.
All to say that I've grown in longer than anyone here and have never had any problems with it and love it, and I've had lots of comparisons to make since to date I had grown, myself, about 4,000 plus varieties before I fell, severed all four quads in my right leg which put me in this walker, permanently, since Dec of 2004.
Q.E.D,
Carolyn
I was on my way home from the grocer last week and had to stop for two Peacocks facing off in the middle of the road. I beeped at them and it didn't phase them. Only when they danced a while, flew up facing one another and flapped over to the side of the road could I continue on.
Looks like mite damage to me when you enlarge the pic. Strip off the damaged leaves and dispose away from the garden. Check the undersides of new grow for any signs of tiny mites - might need a magnifying glass to see. If none discovered just monitor the plants for another week or so. If any signs spray with one of the several miticides available.
Dave
Thanks for the reassuring responses everyone. I'm relieved I don't have to go to drastic measures this early in the season. I'll check for the mites and keep an eye on it.
@edweather I got these cages for free, and as this was my first season gardening I already had plenty of expenses getting the beds up and running. First thing on the list for next season is a roll of wire to make some much larger cages. I'm hoping with some constant pruning of suckers going forward I can make these guys work.
Thanks again, and I'll update in a week with results.
Thank you guys for all the advice... :) :) :)
I supposedly hardened the plants before planting outside and I also mixed the soil that i dug from the ground with store bought soil, so I thought it would not be cold... I don't have a thermometer for the soil, so I'm just guessing
I am located in Europe - Bulgaria to be exact.... Here tomatoes are usually planted outside in the beginning of MAY.
Maybe, as you guys said, the plants were just too big and they are having a tougher time adjusting :/ Well, I hope for the best!!!
I cover them with plastic wrap in the afternoon until morning... I also checked the soil and it doesn't seem too moist...
BUT yeah.. they definitely look like the ones that lack phosphorus!!! I can see the dark veins on the leafs.
THANK YOU AGAIN!!! If they get better, I'll send some tomato pics :D
Regards!!!
Maria
You may be able to help warm things up with a simple black garbage bag. Cut it down the sides to make one long strip of plastic. Cut a slit in the middle to go around the plants stem. Then lay it so that it is fairly flat on the ground, and weigh it down in a few spots with some heavy rocks or bricks. You may have to cut enough away from the stem area to be able to water the plant. This will help to warm the soil a few degrees during the day.
> I select on the basis of the plant that emerges, not on the basis of a tiny root that emerges. That seems to me to be a better way to select.
In my experience, the healthiest seedlings come from the healthiest germinated seeds, which usually germinate first. I also sowed in soil, in cups, but watering could be a problem: either too much, or too little. The bag keeps the SAME humidity for a few days. No worries.
> In fact, when I do that, and I get five plants coming up in a 4-inch cup (oops!), it just takes a small spoon to separate the ones I want to keep.
I wouldn’t put more than three seeds in a 4 in. pot. I hate bothering small seedlings’ roots.
"I select on the basis of the plant that emerges, not on the basis of a tiny root that emerges. That seems to me to be a better way to select."
I have to agree with this. The biggest drawback of the baggie method is the selections are made before the shedding of the seed coat. The baggie method does not address helmet-head or tipstick. Advantage: direct start
To be fair, the baggie offers a uniformity of seed coat hydration which most media don't due to the random particle size and need to police hydration of them near the surface. This confounding factor gives an advantage to the baggie method. Perfect hydration every time can speed things up and allow better comparison for initial selection in the helmet, allowing us to be tighter with seed use, while temperature control can be a tie between the methods.
PC
Seysonn, somewhat simple explanation in regards to foliar feeding- plants have savings account and checking account, soil might be rich on nutrients but those will be unavailable to plants. Common soil test you get from local extensions usually show only savings account. Whether plant has a bit of cash to use now it is different story. And some soils are heavy on CD account but not happy to share now.
Foliar feeds are meant to help plants to get some cash here and now and they do it exactly by absorbing via leaves, which as some experiments show about 20 times more effective than root feeding.
It would be too simplistic to think that plants can take nutrients only in ionic form, they sure can use complex molecules as well but it is relationship between minerals that makes difference. As PC mentioned above it is not only Ca amount, it is relationship between Ca and Mg which should be ideally around 7 to 1 and P to K 4 to 1 or 4 to 2 which help to release nutrients. So foliar feeds might just give that boost and change balance to the healthy side- i.e. get you some cash influx to live by till your savings account gives better dividends LOL
It's probably not the problem but anything can help. If you're using tap water let it stand for 24 hours that gets rid of some of the chemicals and the water is room temperature
been useing filtered watter zero water the type you get in those big bottles for drinking stands like culligan water ,,, i decided to stop useing that, and ive used some rain water from my barrel outside for 1 watering so far ,,,, forgot to mention i also use a mycorrhiza supplement the problems seemd to happen around this time i used the stuff as a soil soak ,, but all the rest of my plants cucs and peppers seem ok
i only did one application of this stuff btw
thanks for all your help guys