16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Two posts on this thread discuss varieties for drying (my post about 1/4 of the way down, and then fusion_power's post (the second post after mine):
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0101561527833.html?11

Thanks. This is useful information.

The oak stakes are not expensive but what is the shipping cost? I guess if you have them in the garden for the summer then pull them and store in a dry place, they would resist rot.

I use bamboo for stakes.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Tomato Stakes

Thanks NZ,
It has a 12" wide x 16" deep with rebar footing all around the perimeter of the GH then contiguous to the ground. The 4x4 posts are buried16" in the ground also. I used threaded rods from the 4x4 to the exterior studs for spacing and strength. The threaded rods are approximately 18" below the soil line so it does not interfere with tilling etc. These indeterminate tomatoes will grow all the way to the ridge beam if I plant them early enough! Awesome producers too - constant supply - always tomatoes ripening on the levels below as new blossoms are developing several levels up - etc etc!

Yes those tomatoes are making me hungry too.
As to posting here it is open to everyone love your set up as well I am getting some positive feed back finally and loving every minute of it. please keep this up as it is helping me as much as many others who do take the time to read this thread. I'm thinking of two different stlyes of
gardens this year raised beds like the ones in your GH or ground level beds. so will be experimenting with both of those this year to see which will be better for me to use.
and yes I have a few tires and found a dryer drum as well for growing tomatoes and some other hill type plants. will let you know how they do as I begin my planting outside this month.

Thanks uncle_t,
I live in Mississauga-Brampton border, can you suggest me which type of Tomato you grow in Markham? what is the right time to sow seeds? I usually let seedling grow to 8-10 inches and then transplant. To grow upto 8 inch it can take 45-60 days, once temp goes above 20 c in daytime, it grows faster.

This year I'm growing Early Girl, Red and Yellow Brandywines and McKenzie seed's "Sweet Cherry Hybrid". The Cherry tom is amazingly prolific. I usually start seeding indoors around March 27th and plant between May 15 and 21st (depends on forecast).

I come from both Greek and Italian decent (50/50) - so growing up involved alot of family type social activities, gardening, and of course eating !!! Both sets of grandparents have taught me and are still teaching me how to love and stay together through thick and thin, lots of life lessons, as well as how to become a master gardener .... Their specialties are more towards flowers and landscaping ~ but they sure have been enjoying the "fruits" of my labor every summer, as I always bring fresh veggies to their tables ~ Tom

ps. My Mom and Pop have also been great too .... Have happy and healthy holidays everyone !

I hope this isn't too much of a faux pas here, but I just stumbled on this thread and it's marvelous.

And keeping a salt shaker in the glovebox is a great idea.

carolync1, the place where I purchased the plants is questionable and they marked them as a determinate. The characteristics all favored a determinate. It may not be what it was but that is what I am sticking with.

To me it doesn't matter. I am going to clone whatever I can.

As an example of what happens when you grow a hybrid seed, I planted grocery store Romas and got the same Roma with one seed. But with another seed, I got a large round cherry tomato. The cherry was actually pretty tasty but had the hard storage qualities of a grocery store tomato.

I also grew a Campari which had supposedly been grown out and considered an OP version. I got a hard little cherry with pointed ends that was not good at all.

A fellow has grown out Husky Cherry Red seeds and produced a tomato that grows 14 feet tall which he considers the best cherry tomato he's ever tasted and saves the seed and grows it every year.

It's interesting to see what you get when you grow a hybrid. But the results are usually not worth the effort unless you are doing it as a science experiment. You could start the beginnings of your own OP version though.

Oops, my mistake! I meant to say TOMATOES but obviously had roses on my mind, since I grow a lot of them, too.

And, I just found out that if veggies are grown in pots that have BPA, they will take it up and keep it. This bothers me a lot.

Eahamel, lol about the roses...

My tomatoes are growing in pots about 14 inches tall, I put them in spots where I have straw as a mulch and some of the roots grow in the soil, by then the plant is strong and nematodes don't affect them. I like to use any material for pots that is lightweight because clay is just to heavy to move. I have been growing tomatoes like this for many years. Grow bags are good too like smarpots if you can get them.

My tomatoes in the porch today after the the freezing night.

Silvia

Interesting. I wonder if it does have something to do with being grown in the pots? I think I'll have to do some further research on that.

One of the causes of BER is inconsistent moisture, which is more likely in (non-self-watering) pots.

For tomatoes, it's a bad idea to water using a sprinkler that will wet the foliage, as the dampness increases the chance of foliage diseases (both the wet leaf aspect and the possibility of microbes in the soil being splashed up onto the leaves; splashing is less likely, of course, when container tomatoes are well-supported, and any nearby soil is covered by mulch).

Time will also interact with temp to affect plant growth. Temps in the 40sF of short duration (few hours) usually aren't going to be that noticable in growth. I've had that happen dozens of times over the years in my greenhouses. If it occurs repeatedly or over longer intervals you can expect at least delayed harvest which is counter to your objective from earlier planting.

Thanks, everyone. I've repotted most of my tomatoes and will bring them indoors at night for a few more days, since we're having a cold front in a couple of days. I'm going to see what the ones that are already planting will do. I'm covering them with large pots at night.

I feel a little inadequate to join a thread with you tomato expects, but will offer my 2 cents anyway. I would add Brandy Boy to the list of bests. I would add San Marzano to the same list that Dave puts Yellow Pear.
Just my thoughts.
John A

No, I don't think it's misleading at all to have places be offering an F1 and also an OP version .

They aren't identical as has been discussed here in this thread and also in the link below,.

And thanks for the Google search since I was able to find the thread here at GW quickly about Sungold that I was referring to.

If you want to find out where any of the OP versions of Sungold are sold, just go to Tatiana's T-base superb website, and I think you know it b'c you've been here before, but if not, Google it and when on the Home page click on shortcuts, then on alphabetical searching and away you go.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Sungold stuff

Teeandcee - I am looking forward to meet you, I will post all the details about the party...

Eahamel - I think of my garden as an outdoor room and I try to keep it as clean as possible, a couple of years ago I had the problem with the stinkbugs and I used to go on patrol:) every morning and evening and got rid of them with gloves and paper wet with alcohol. The past season I only saw a few. You have to learn to identify them when they are young and get rid of them before they become an infestation.

And you just ask the right question today, it is cold! and if you notice all my tomatoes are in pots, not only because the nematodes but because I can move them to a warm location when we have weather like today and tomorrow. I will keep them in the porch till the weather gets better as soon as next week.

Looking forward for a good tomato season!

Silvia

Thanks! I envy your harvest. Wow! It looks like it will be cold off and on this week, so today I'm transplanting my tomatoes from 4" pots to gallons so they can grow while waiting for warmer weather. It's 39 right now, at 8:19 am.

Ah yes, that ubiquitous dihydrogen monoxide. We can't escape it, for sure it's going to get us. Even my tomatoes like the stuff and won't produce without it. Thank goodness it's not too expensive and even runs off my roof occasionally. They say it'll wear out rocks over time. Now that's some powerful stuff. Strange material that exists in three separate conditions, liquid, solid and gaseous. I think there's another name for it too. Something like Adam's ale.

Di Hydrogen Monoxide. H2O. Water. Strange people in here.