16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Greenlott, glad they are holding up their end of the bargain. Hope they grow and produce well. It's nice to know you will pay it forward, that's what it's all about. happy growing. Mary

I am now the proud parent of 7 newly sprouted Estler's Mortgage Lifter seedlings! Looking forward to planting them out in the garden in a couple weeks. Hopefully I can save a lot of seeds this year if all goes well. I gave my word to Mr. fusion_power I'd pay it forward and I'm intent on doing so! I agree with cbadcali, that's most definitely what it's all about.

OK Arizona explains it as SVB are considered an east of the Rockies pest only. That doesn't mean you don't have any that wander in, just that they aren't regarded as a significant pest in AZ and each state IMP focuses on primary pest problems for their state.

Below I linked the U of AZ IPM website - all sorts of info on what are considered your dominant pests. And they offer a Monthly Calendar of Pest Activity you can explore. Click on each month for a list of pests associated with that month. May seems to be your grub hatch so SVB pupae would likely hatch about the same time. June brings out your "All summer bugs alert". etc.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: U of AZ IPM website

Thanks a lot Dave!

Dave, thanks for the suggestion!

I was not big on Sukura when I read the plant description but for whatever reason my partner in crime thought the name is cool and just had to get it.

I have a few 4-5 gallon pots and two earth pots. However, I plan to use the earth pots for the cucumber, and not sure if I can still fit a small tomatoe (maybe the Roma since it's determinate type) in each of the earth pots - any thoughts? Light with the containers will not be a problem since I can move them to the brightest part of the garden.

Well 4-5 gallons is usually considered too small for any tomato plant except maybe for one of the dwarfs. I know some have some success with 5 gallon buckets when they turn them into SWCs or use drip systems and a determinate variety but it is much extra work and in your zone even more. The potential for real success with tomato plants in small containers is so unlikely it really isn't worth the work IMO.

In most of the discussions here about container growing you'll find most recommend 8-10 gallon as a minimum for best results with even bigger preferred. It all depends on how you define success, what you are willing to accept for results given the work involved.

Don't know what you mean by earth pots? But I sure can't see a tomato plant in with a cuke unless they are even bigger than 10 gallons or you are using one of the small bush cukes.

Using proper sized containers for tomatoes and not over-crowding plants can increase your production 10 fold.

Dave

Will you be starting seeds, looking for plants at a garden center or big-box store, buying seedlings from a vendor, or what?

I will be growing in a 1/2 wood wine barrel. I will get it from either a local nursery or an online source if anyone knows a good one I am up for that suggestion too...Thanks,
Cheers

Ok, I'm not sure if this is legal. But if it isn't, don't do it, or at least don't tell anyone I suggested it.

I get tons of volunteers a year, and they all seem to fruit pretty well. The tomatoes are strangely shaped, but taste ok.

Anyway, I was thinking, maybe it would be fun to transplant these to public spaces?!? Like, on the side of the road, or at the edge of a park. Then, it would be free tomatoes for everyone. Of course, I'm probably not 100% thinking this through....

My cherry volunteers let me down flat last year, I might leave one this year, but not like I have been.
Stealth planting, not sure how it would be illegal, but wear black and pick a moonless night. :)

I only planted borage once in my garden and it has come back every year since. It's not what I would call an invasive, but they do self seed readily.

My borage variety gets huge needing to be cut back just to keep it in bounds so planting closer than 2 feet would mean it would be inside the tomato plant.

Mine is not planted as a companion plant, just in the same area when I rotate the tomatoes from year to year. I haven't noted any special benefits.

Except I'm about to start my fifth year with smart pots, and they're still looking good.

I've never heard of these, so I had to do a little search and saw them on Amazon. How interesting.

Where are these available?

This post was edited by socks12345 on Sat, Mar 30, 13 at 22:23

Actually there's no one variety called a tree variety. If you go to Tania''s database look up ClimbingTrip-L Crop and that one is called a tree tomato as well.

The tern tree has been used in kind of a slang way to describe many varieteis that have very long vines and when grown upright they can reach great heights,

True Dwarfs have been called tree varieties as well, since they have a very thick main stem that many refer to as a tree trunk. Those true Dwarfs all come from the first one known, which is Tomato de Laye, found at Chateau de Laye in France in I think about 1862 or around that time time, I didn't confirm the exact date,

Then there's another one called a tree tomato, I think the genus and species have been changed, but Iknow it as Cyphomandra Betaceae and it's not even a tomato but the fruits look like roma tomatoes and it grows as a tall shrub. THey used to be featured for sale in the Sunday Supplements.,

Carolyn

Thanks for the information. I had seen the listing on Tatina's site but it didn't include why it was called "tree". I have other orange ones that I like so will probably not use these seeds.

I would strongly discourage the use of larvicides or pesticides indoors because you probably don't want to breathe that stuff in.

If you are growing stuff like tomatoes, just try getting a cover, or a simple zip lock bag locked onto your pots with a rubber band to hold the bag in place.

I do it with my seedlings until they are big enough to handle themselves. Gnats only seem to go on egg laying sprees when they see small seedlings that are vulnerable.

steve, gnats could care less about 'vulnerable seedlings'. The larvae, which are the problem, wouldn't even do damage if they weren't confined to a little container. The adults will lay eggs in a container with no plants in it, as long as the potting medium is on the moist side.

ryse, be sure to read the attached label all the way through. It warns of several things, including that you must use enough water at each watering to insure that the active ingredient is distributed throughout the growing containers. Use it each time you need to water, but allow the mix to dry out somewhat between drenches. In other words, don't add to the problem by watering more often than you have to.

I did post before but it changed. Some I started didn't make it after attempting to harden off in a freak storm.

And I kept finding others I *HAD* to have. Others I'll plant if I find them are Gold Medal & Dr Wyches orange.

The new list:

Arkansas Traveler
Aunt Ruby's German Green.
Black Cherry
Black from Tula
Black Krim
Black Zebra
Burgandy Traveler
Carbon
Charlie Chaplin
Cherokee Green
Cherokee Purple Heart
Chocolate Stripes
Eva Purple Ball
Frank's Large Red
Grandma Viney's Y & P
Green Doctors
Green Doctors Frosted
Green Zebra
Hazel Mae
Hillbilly
Indigo Rose
JD's Special C-Tex
KBX
Kentucky Striped
Kosovo
Marianna's Peace
Matt's Wild Cherry
Medovaya Kaplya (Honey Drop)
Momotano
New Big Dwarf
Pineapple
Prue
Snow White
Striped Cavern
"Suprise" (an unknown dwarf from Craig LeHoullier)
Sun Gold
Sweet 100
Virginia Sweets
Wes

I was given plants in bulk by someone that's the main tomato guy locally so with certain varieties I have easily 10-15 plants.
I'm at around 200 plants. I think I went a bit overboard this year, lol.

Yellow Brandywine
Red Brandywine
Big Beef
Early Girl
Campari (seeds from store-bought tomatoes)
Starfire
Roma
Sweet 100

Thank you!

I repotted them about two weeks ago into the plastic nursery pots, I had had them in peat pots and they were either too dry or overwatered, and starting to look unhealthy. I'll probably repot next weekend. I'm rearranging my light shelves this weekend to accommodate the growth of both the early girls and the cherry tomatoes. I probably started them too early, though I was hoping to have good sized plants when it came to planting time, LOL, guess I'm succeeding.

I have brandywine and big beef tomatoes that I started later. Avoided the peat pots this time and have them currently in the 3" nursery pots.

Exactly. Some will say remove those blossoms, but it depends on what you want. I wanted an early tomato, so in my case I left it on and got my "June" tomato. Kinda sets the tone for my whole summer if I can get a June tomato. Otherwise it would have been at least 2 weeks later.