16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Wow Hudson, those tomato plants are huge! What variety are they? And what an amazing set up! How'd you do that? Is that a greenhouse? Are the plants draped over top of that cage-like structure and did you build that yourself? I've never seen anything like that before and I'm super impressed with your creativity and super jealous of your beautiful red tomatoes.....

Hi Cheryl - thanks for your comments - I have to come clean - the photos are from last years crop. The first photo was taken in July and the second in October. Here are photos of this years plants.

Last years tomatoes were all Better Boy - this year we have Better Boy, German Giant, Brandy Boy, Sweet Baby Girl and Super Marzano. I use cattle panels to support our tomato plants and prune them to grow between the panel and the GH roof panels. We designed and built our own GH and came up with supports and solutions on the fly. We are still learning as we go and appreciate your compliments.

Our tomato plants are about 8' in height now (all of our plats are indeterminate) with good size green tomatoes on the lower clusters but Sweet Baby Girl cherry tomatoes are the only tomatoes ripe to date.

A few inches should do the trick. Many times the surface
will be dry but not deeper down. Don't forget, tomato
roots can go down 3 feet deep or more.

GardenWebber sprouts_honor (Jennifer from Cleveland) had a wonderful suggestion on how to tell whether or not you need to water your tomatoes, and I quote here: "Get a wooden dowel rod (or two) and sink it in the ground near a plant or two and leave it. Pull it out when you think you need to water. If the top is dry and the bottom is a little damp, it's time to water. If it looks dark and feels saturated, wait to water. I use this technique with potted plants that don't like being over watered and it's helpful with in ground plants too."

Betsy

where is the other post? Need link, please.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0609292728380.html?4
The post titled "Help what to do?"

I have a few options for you.

1) Companion plantings: Try planting Marigolds, basil, onions. They produces a pungent odor that keeps many pests away.

2) Sprinkle Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth around the base of each plant. It also adds many beneficial trace elements to the ground. It's real cheap at the box stores.

3) insecticidal soap.

Try any or all of these and good luck.

My father gets them bad. One will destroy a plant in 12 hours. The only good way to get rid of them is to find them an kill them.

Just cove one cluster when starts blooming until fruits are set. But tag that cluster and get seeds from the fruits of that cluster.

Nylon tulle( finest mesh, sold at all fabric stores will do. I use it also for insect deterent.

Thanks for the advice. I have never saved seed before from a tomato so even after reading all the FAQs and past threads was nervous about it. I will bag just a cluster of blossoms before they open. The part that is so fun for me is trying a tomato I have never had before!

Jennie

When I harden off, I generally do it over 2 weeks. I sit them out on my front porch which is shaded for 2 days before I even start to give them full sun. I leave them out overnight during this whole time (unless it got too cold). Then, it is limited to an hour the first day and gradually lengthen.

I think they were still too sensitive to the elements. Wind can really play havoc on tender plants.

edweather-
the containers shown aren't the final destination. They were my last pots used before putting them into my raised garden bed. I start with jiffy pucks, then move them into 5 inch pots, then into 9 inch pots, then transplant into the garden when ready. I do use pro-mix in the containers which is a soil free mix.

tripleione- yes, they were showing stress during the hardening process, which makes me think they just weren't ready for the outdoors yet. live and learn i guess.

Thanks for all your help.

So I inspected the underside of an affected leaf and there is a fine white spider web like substance with dark specks?

Then you most likely have spider mites in addition to the Early Blight. The webbing indicates the mites although the adults are usually reddish orange, the nymphs are a dark brown-black. See pics linked below.

There are several sprays available for controlling spider mites but effectiveness is debatable. If only one plant and only a few affected leaves then hand squishing and affected leaf removal is as good a control as anything. With a bad infestation then buying ladybugs helps or you can use insecticidal soap or insecticidal oil or neem,

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Spider mite pics

That is a baby yet compared to what it will be by mid-summer.

You chose a variety that is normally a giant plant and are using a support system and container that will have difficulty supporting it. By nature it isn't a container variety no matter how big the container. Pays to know the nature of the variety before hand. :)

So while pruning it would normally NOT be recommended and trimming it will cost you fruit production and stress the plant, given the growing conditions you have for it you probably won't have a choice but to prune its top growth. Just don't do more than is absolutely necessary and don't try to do it all at one time.

Dave

Thanks for the responses.

im a newbie and i'm just proud that i havent killed it yet.

All you want is a arguement with a question like yours. Flavor is subjective. So you'll never get the answer you're looking for.

Just for future reference when it comes to varieties Mr. Stripey is a seldom recommended variety while Cherokee Purple always gets very high reviews.

Since you are buying transplants and it is already late for zone 7 planting you may find them well picked over already and the only choices left for you are the commonly grown hybrids like Better Boy, Celebrity, Bradley, etc. Personally I'd stick with the Better Boy of those 3 although Bradley is ok too. If you can find one of the Brandywine or some Arkansas Travelers (both heirlooms) grab those.

Since you will be planting late fruit set will be delayed on most of them as the hot weather will be coming on soon. But keep them well fed and well watered and hopefully we will get some cooler days that will allow for fruit set.

Dave

I have grown several varieties of yellow cherries and they all tended to split when picked ripe. I think it is just how they are. Eat 'em quick.....

Try Sun Sugar. It's a very similar variety with less tendency to split.

3rd pic

Get rid of any BER tomatoes asap! That problem will usually resolve itself as the season progresses. For the leaf issue, if they were mine I would begin spraying with my fungicide of choice. Just curious. what is the reason for the black plastic mulch?