16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

In case anyone's not familiar with the breaker stage, here are a couple of charts which show the different stages of ripening.

Old chart:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0813253711243.html

Old chart slightly smaller here:

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New chart:
http://www.lagorio.com/assets/pdf/lagorio-tomato-guide.pdf
[Firefox pointed out that this did not open in a clean format, and offered to open it in Adobe instead: luckily, that version came up without errors.]

There are many varieties that seldom split. Some seed catelogs like Johnny's will indicate in the description if the variety is more resistant (less prone) to splitting. Just beware- some don't split because the skin is as tough as shoe leather.

Thanks for the reminder, ryse! I tend to over think things, so I needed that reminder. The leaf got worse, so I just pulled it off the plant and it looks fine.

If you are still concerned, you could just pinch off that little damaged leaf. The plant would be fine. I do however recommend that you begin to slowly introduce your plants to natural sunlight, but be very carful. Plants grown under grow lights will need to be hardened off by introducing sunlight a little at a time, slowly increasing the duration. You will probably experience at least some sun scald. But stick with it your plants will make it fine.

Beardie, you needs cats. (Heck, everybody needs cats.)

Just be sure to get fierce ex-barn cats and leave them with their mother long enough for her to teach them the killing bite.

And / or stock up on .22 ammo.

Dennis

P.S. Man was granted dominion over the rodents of the earth - and of the trees. So feel not guilty.

Squirels are not innocent little varmits, about 5 years back we had a family of squirrels living above our kitchen, they got in through the deck and week after week would here more noise. The only way to remove them safely and to not hurt the animal was a "Hartz Trap" Back then it cost about $30 but worth it.

My father and I trapped about 6-8 of the family of squirrels with 2 of the Hartz traps over a week of time using peanut butter and apples.

Ironicly we drove them to New Jersey because I learned that squirrels have a good memory of coming back and can't swim (this advice was from an officer from saving wild animals ). I say New Jersey because I live near the border of Trenton.

God help anysquirrel this year with my garden, my 2 traps will be ready to safely remove them to NJ again while growing Jersey tomatoes and other crops :)

First they need separate containers. The Parks Whopper alone will eventually take over that lone barrel. That is a good size for 1 plant, not 2 or 3.

Then, if we assume your Dad's variety is an open-pollinated one (non-hybrid) and since the PW and the Bonnie's Original are both hybrids, yes you may get some cross-pollination.

Move Dad's plant away from the other two as much as possible and read the FAQ here on how to prevent cross-pollination by bagging some of its blooms to keep the seeds true.

Of course if Dad's is also a hybrid then it is a moot question anyway.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ on preventing crossing

Will I get a different tomato from the seeds that are produced from the fruit due to cross pollination?

If you're asking whether the plant grown from Dad's 2012 tomato will yield tomatoes just like that one: It depends whether Dad's plant was hybrid or open-pollinated. Do you know the variety name?

But if Dad's tomato was an open-pollinated variety and that particular fruit had been cross-pollinated with pollen from another variety on his farm, the tomatoes you get this summer might be quite different from the fruit you ate last year.

In any case, cross-pollination only affects the plants grown from the seeds of the fruit. So the fruit you'll get from Dad's plant this summer will all be true to the genes in that plant, regardless whether those flowers are pollinated with pollen from that plant or cross-pollinated with pollen from your Bonnie Original or Improved Park's Whopper or a neighbor's tomato. However, when you're talking about plants grown next year from the seeds of your 2013 fruit, it depends on whether those particular flowers are cross-pollinated.

I definitely would not bother potting them up.
For fertilizer you can use what you have, as long as it has nitrogen. Other natural fertilizer options include bloodmeal, fish emulsion, manure tea and worm casting tea.
When transplanting them out, you'll want to clip off some of the lower leaves and trench them in good soil.
Like missingtheobvious said, you'll want to start them in shade and very gradually expose them to direct sunlight. But you'll also want to keep them out of strong wind. Those big leaves are very soft and wind will chew them up, and stems can get crimped at the base seriously compromising the quality of the plant.
Below is a link with a diagram on trenching leggy tomato seedlings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trenching Leggy Tomato Seedlings

Use these two weeks to start gradually hardening them off. Really shelter them from wind since they are so leggy.

BTW, I had a lab for 16 years and her name was Harleylove. She was as fast as a Harley and we loved her dearly.

Thanks Dave for all the info ..I really appreciate it .I got most of my repotting done today ....Ill be sure to check out the fertilizer threads in a few weeks . Sooo excited first seedlings for me :)

Hi there, Digginlife.
Miracle potting mix moisture control specs from Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/outdoors/landscaping-supplies/scotts/moisture-control-potting-mix-64-qt-53930.html

"...the potting mix continues to feed your plants for up to 6 months. MicroMax nutrients help grow hearty, vigorous plants."

Sounds like no fertilizer needed.

Ain't life great (and delicious) when things work out right? Even when we have to worry and work extra hard to make it happen. :)

Dave

oh, I didn't have a new message notification... just saw your reply Dave, yes, life is great and I am so happy I didn't give up after the disaster that was last year!! :D

there are a few clusters of green tomatoes till but sadly they are all pretty small compared to this first flush of tomatoes I got. But so long as they still have that flavor I wil be happy till their end! :D

I never thought of this! I'm doing the square foot gardening method and am growing different heirlooms and hybrids only 1 ft from each other. I hope they don't cross pollinate :/

Good FAQ here on how to prevent cross-pollination. Since tomatoes are primarily self-pollinating the crossing is minimal.

So it is only an issue if you insist on 100% seed purity. If you do then you will have to bag some of the trusses on the heirloom to prevent crossing.

Since most of us routinely grow a mix of hybrids and heirlooms we don't worry about it and save seeds anyway. That's unless trading seeds. Then purity is more important.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ - Preventing cross pollination

Yeah once you encourage a good population to develop they are almost impossible to eradicate. And none of those "home remedies" work.

If you have any Bt in any form it, mixed with water and poured on the soil works. Order Mosquito Dunks on line and you'll get them sooner that going to town.

Fungus gnats aren't automatic, aren't a given, they require certain conditions that WE give them. So you will need to change your watering habits drastically and set up fans in the area to help eliminate them. Alternative transplant your plants into fresh soil and containers that aren't over-watered and pitch all the old potting mix outside.

Dave

Dave's Mosquito Dunks suggestion is a good one. BTi (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) is the only thing I have found effective in really getting rid of fungus gnats. BTi is available in Mosquito Dunks, Mosquito Bits, Gnatrol, and Knock Out Gnats. It kills the fungus gnat larvae but is safe for people and pets. If you decide to use the dunks, soak a disk in a gallon of water overnight, then remove the disk and use the water on your plants. Do this every 3-4 days for a few weeks. You can re-use the disks.

Paula

Found this info on another board we can't link to:

From Territorial 2002 catalog:
Ultra-Early: 1100 heat units (=GDD)
Extra-Early: about 1300 heat units
Early: up to 1500 heat units

With that you could pull up the DTM on several varieties and get a rough comparison.

Then found this site for NM that lets you pick location within state and it will give you the cumulative GDD for that area for the year you pick. ie 2012 in Alamogordo broken down by months.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: IPM Models Weather Data

missingtheobvious - thanks, helpful

Dave, thanks. I like the link but it's obviously geared towards commercial growers since it's got pests, grains, etc.

Looks like I've got the basics to prove you can't grow late tomatoes here w/o season extension.

Once they emerge, uncover and immediately under max lighting.

Dave

Sorry if consecutive posts are against the rules, but I did not see Dave's last post before I wrote my response.

They are not peat pots, I used natural paper to make my own "cups" perhaps you might call them. They contain less soil than large store bought pots, so perhaps those concerns are not valid? I just thought I'd mention it. Thanks man!

Ed, no, I'll do it here since you asked here, but right now I simply don't have the time to go fetch those links again for you.

Those elsewhere already know, or many do, the Johnson and Stokes connection to Red Brandywine, but your choice as to what you want to do. ( smile)

Carolyn

Carolyn thanks. Ok, no problem. Don't sweat it. I wasn't extremely interested. Just thought it was odd for someone to refer to it by that name. Thanks. Ed

I only posted it to the other site so the response might get a wider audience.

Hi. The entire plant was (and is) under 4' when I "decapitated" it. I do have two longer suckers, which are now as long as branches, but it is difficult to see from the picture. One of the lower sucker branches is 6" taller than the top of the main stem. At this point, I have only pruned the very bottom, suckers and branches, off the plant and the top of the main stem. I may have to trim that lower sucker branch that is taller than the main stem but I am waiting on that.

The pot is a 5 gallon bucket. I have two flower trusses and the beginnings of 1 tomato growing at this point.

I admit the plant is a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree looking since I have been growing it from seed in front of a window and under 1 light. This is my first year growing indoors so I am learning as I go. Next year I will have a better lighting set up.

This post was edited by pretty.gurl on Thu, Mar 14, 13 at 6:24

First of all, I-am-not-an-expert.

Since you're trying for a shorter plant, I wouldn't remove any of the lower suckers (new suckers may appear later where you removed the first ones). You need stem length to get flower trusses, and the upper side stems (suckers) will probably have reached your 4' pruning height before they have any flower trusses. (That doesn't mean you need to remove them -- they'll put out a few leaves that will help the plant produce energy.)

I'm not sure how many leaves appear on the main stem before the plant makes the first flower truss (hopefully someone who knows will mention it). Or how many leaves there must be on a side stem (sucker) before the first flower truss.

But I do know that an indeterminate plant has 3 leaves between each flower truss, and from what I've seen that's true for branches (suckers) as well as the main stem. That pattern is programmed into its (indeterminate) genes: pruning doesn't make the plant put out flower trusses closer together.

When tomatoes are grown in the ground outdoors and you don't want disease organisms in the soil to splash onto the leaves in a rainstorm, there is an obvious advantage to removing lower leaves along the main stem, as well as the lower suckers which provide additional leaves. But growing indoors in disease-free potting mix in a limited-height situation (which I will have next year if I try to grow dwarfs on my basement workbench or shorter plants in two tiny east-facing bedroom windows), I would probably encourage any low sucker that appeared, since it would start giving me fruit at a lower height.

A 5-gallon bucket would certainly be too small for an unpruned Juliet. How much plant it will support indoors is something you'll find out.