16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Well I'd probably ask over on the CA Gardening forum to get the best advice from locals. But Googling
'fall garden planting dates southern CA' pulls up lots of info too.
One gardening article from the LA TImes talks about the effect of La Nina (if it develops again this year) and suggests Sept. planting. If it doesn't, then you can plant earlier apparently.
If you can determine what your average date for the night temps to drop down out of the 50s then you can use the DTM of your varieties to count backward to planting time and back up 2 weeks more.
But I'd sure check with the CA Gardening forum. Surely it is a topic that gets discussed there.
Dave
You can form a ring around every plant stem with used coffee grinds, they can't stand the stuff and it's safe for your plants. You'd have to reapply after every rain storm.
Works well unless you have leaves touching the ground, which they would use to detour over the coffee grinds.
This post was edited by sjetski on Sat, May 25, 13 at 8:53
Dave's explanation is very comprehensive.
But, you ARE going to get some kind of tomatoes, although it may or may not be the same as you collected seeds from. The parents from which they originated a hybrid had also been better tomatoes. So if you are not religiously picky about it, then it does not matter.
I also, suspect that the seed companies and hybridizers also want to sell seeds and have some revenues..haha
MKSinSA,
I grow Celebrity hybrid every year and have never experienced an insect attractive nature about the plants. W/O knowing what insects you're plaqued with, I would do a NEEM spray, (or Spinosad) like captain-jacks. Then maybe they will confrom to your Big Boy F2's.
I use a BT spray to prevent them but I usually start spraying the leaves and fruit once a week as soon as the plants start setting fruit. The only problem is that the worms have to ingest the BT so they still might bite your tomatoes before they die--I haven't tried using the BT after they are already infested with worms so I'm not sure how well it would work.
I didn't find it so. The reason is that after you weave, side shoots and sckers come out of the weave. Then it's a mess to cleanup after season. I instead bought the 3 or 4' green yard fencing. Stretched it between poles and tied the tomato branches to it using the old pipe cleaners that are still carried at Wmart.
I had very good success with it, at the end of the season, I just cut one end and pulled it through, then disposed of dead plants as usual. I used 6 ft t posts, and they still flopped over the top, but a huge improvement on my other methods.
I have been growing Ramapo F1 for the last 2 or 3 years and it is my favorite tomato. You should get loads for very good tasting toms from a plant that does not get over 4 to 5 feet tall. I will always have some of these in my garden. Great choice and good luck this season.
I'm a 'sucker plucker' but it is my climate that requires it. I've never touched the blossoms but rarely get them early. A few years ago i was out of town for work most of the summer and came home to a giant hedge without much fruit, (short season, NorthEast altitude). If i miss some suckers i let it go. Personal decision if they are longer than a pencil...so i suppose in am pinching about 65%.
It depends on whether the tomato is determinate or indeterminate. If the latter, pluck away. On my indeterminate cherries, I don't let a flower stay until the plants are 3-4 feet tall. For my determinates, each flower I pluck off is, I have to imagine, a tomato I won't get. That's probably just my imagination though. Hopefully, a determinate isn't dumb enough to start flowering when the plant isn't mature.
Usually when I have had problems it has been early in the spring and does not reoccur later to any serious degree. I don't know if that is typical however. I treat with Pyola, which is pyrethrins and canola oil and that has always done the trick. I have tried homemade solutions of dish soaps and rinsing and I think it did help but not as well.
I've used ladybugs as a safe and biologically-kind deterent for aphids in the past. Most decent garden centers sell lady bugs by the bag. You may want to try them if you're having serious aphid infestation. A bag of ladybugs can chomp a serious amount of aphids before they move on and there's never any harm to your plants and the ladybug carnage on the aphids is kinda cool to observe hehe :)
Spinosad is commonly recommended for thrip control in all the previous discussions about the problem.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Thrip control discussions
Best gardening move I've made in years was signing up to this forum. Never knew about thrips .. always thought those were sugar ants in those flowers.
Just went out to check the plants and found a bunch in the cuke flowers. No wonder they've got little, dried up cukes. Have been blaming it on weather/irrigation issues.
Thanks!
Just to throw this out there, I have been very impressed with Husky Cherry Red. It is the most beautiful plant...stocky and strong with tidy deep green leaves. It is a dwarf- or semi- indeterminate, so it keeps growing thorough the season but stays (in my experience) below 5'. Good production and flavor. I think they'd be good candidates for an 8 gallon bag.
Thanks everyone for the great info! I love this place already. I have decided to go with the Sweet Tangerines for this season. Since I'm planting a bit late (zone 7), the shorter growth cycle of a determ. is a big plus. Also, I'm ordering seedlings rather than starting from seed, and the ST's are the best looking determ. seedling I've found available so far. Depending on how much potting mix I decide to make up, I might just spring for a 14-gallon plastic tote, drill some holes, and grab an indeterminate as well. Thanks again for all your help.
This post was edited by King_Kale on Thu, May 23, 13 at 11:51
Although other responses might be correct I wouldn't get too excited just yet over these observances. It could be just the plant reaction to higher soil salt level combined with higher temperatures. Some composts may be too high in nutrients (salts) that would trigger that type response from the plant. Many tomato plants will show a degree of wilting in the top growth just from high temperatures.
The bottom line- do plants return to normal rigor after the sun sets? It could be that all you need is a shade cloth.
After thinking about this more, I am pretty convinced that it is the compost. When planting there were 2 plants that I know of that I forgot to put the compost in the hole....and they show no signs of the issue....yet.
I am going to run the test from the link that jean001a gave to verify.
In terms of treatment, I did see a post on some UK forums that suggesting watering steadily over the course of a few days to help flush the area. Then, hit them with a fertilizer. I may test that on one plant to see if I can get it to come out of it a bit sooner than the others.
Yellawood is supposedly certified as safe for most any gardening use - comes up for discussion often for use in raised beds. The only things it leaches is copper.
CCA treated wood (the green stuff with arsenic) has been banned from sale since federal law in 2002 except for commercial construction.
No personal experience with using it as tomato stakes but that's just because I don't like staking tomato plants, not because of the wood.
Dave
I use cedar, It is a bit more expensive though.
I would make a hohe with a rebar ,or somethind, then I drive the sharpened end into ground. I buy like 1 by 4"s and rip it on table saw. This way it is quite less costly than if you want to buy the ones sold by piece at like 3 bucks each. Rebaris another alternative if you want something that lasts for the rest of your life and beyond..LOL
That's a great tip. Thank you
That's a great tip. Thank you