16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
delphi216, some additional news for you:
durable_now (the OP) went off to re-post at the Soil, Compost and Mulch forum, where he added the info that the cat died eight years ago.
lazygardens said:
according to a Canadian public health site oocysts shed by cats become infective (sporulate) on average 1-5 days later, but varies with temperature; remain infectious for up to 1 year in water or moist soil.
Note that the cats must be infected, and do not remain infected for long. Cats excrete the pathogen in their feces for a number of weeks after contracting the disease, generally by eating an infected rodent.
And then toxcrusader pointed out:
I empty my cat's litter box regularly, and I would think my (and that of anyone else who has cats) potential exposure over time would be much higher from that activity than from handling an 8-year-old pile of weathered litter. And yet, emptying the litter box is not considered risky unless you're pregnant or immunocompromised.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0106591214486.html?17
Hi Creek-side,
What's wrong with starting them right after you get home? In zone 5, you'll probably plant out around memorial day, right? One week won't make that much difference, if you plant them on the 23rd and most of them sprout around the 27-29th, they'll be about 8 weeks old on memorial day, perfect age for transplanting into the garden.
I'd much rather have a nice stocky slightly younger tomato plant than one that got leggy under plastic. I'd also think that being under plastic would invite disease or mold since that would hold in humidity. I like to get my seedlings off the heat mat and out from under the dome as soon as they break the growing medium surface and get good air circulation on them from a fan.
I'm in zone 6 and I won't start my tomatoes until the last week of March or the first week of April.
Betsy
This post was edited by bets on Fri, Jan 18, 13 at 10:02
Thanks for the feedback. I always have my tomatoes in the ground by the 10th of May, which is the "no danger of frost" milestone day in Iowa. I also remove the plastic as soon as the seeds poke through the surface, and I have never has any problem with mold or any kind of disease. I think what I'll do this year is prep all my flats with soil a few days ahead of time, and then I can plant all of them in an hour or so on the day before leave. I plant about 120 tomatoes. I've been thinking about building new flats anyway, so that I can have ones that fit perfectly in my grow light contraption.
I'd agree with the comment to use compost ahead of time, but not other products.
One neighbor had great plant growth last year, but very poor fruit. He said he used Miracle Gro (red grains, water-soluble?) as directed. I suggested he used the slow release stuff.
I believe there are a large number of Miracle-Gro products.
If you have access to a recycling center browse around. You'd be amazed at what you can find there to convert to large containers for just a couple of bucks. You just have to use your imagination.
40-55 gallon drums cut in half work well but be sure to ask what was in them and clean them out well.
Dave
Microphobik, here's an examination of all sorts of tomato support methods:
http://www.mastergardeners.org/picks/tomato_staking.html
Many people here are fond of the Post and Twine method for in-ground tomatoes -- better known on GW as "Florida weave."
For supporting container plants, try a search in this forum for container support
My favorite tactic to try and have a good tomato crop in the same area of the back yard -- planting five to ten different types of tomatoes. Usually about three cherry types, and four types of full size fruit. Some hybrid, some not. Always find one variety that does better than the rest.
Other things are turning the topsoil over twice in the freezing weather, and moving holes a foot from the holes last year.
I always mulch the plants with compost, but recently have become more picky about where my outside grass and leaves come from.
Hi Everyone!
Thanks for all the great tips! I feel much more comfortable knowing that I can keep using the same boxes as long as I ammend the soil each year.
Below is a link to my veggie garden during the 2011 season.
Thanks again for all the tips and advice!
Here is a link that might be useful: Brian's Garden
Fusion I am going to clip that also. Do those Russian tomatoes that can stand the cold taste good? They would be fun under walls of water.
You don't need seed starter mix for those tomatoes you need potting mix. I have better luck starting seeds in potting mix. I bought some organic jiffy mix once that held too much water. Unless you are an expert like fusion, I think it is better to go with a good commercial mix and don't try mixing things yourself. I plant too early every year too but not that early.
I have been sick for a few days, so I haven't done anything with the seedlings yet, except let them dry out. That seems to be helping. They have some new growth which is dark green and they look a little better. I also added a fan. I am going to print a lot of this information and use it. I will switch to a soilless potting mix to begin with, and get some new fertilizer.
Everyone has offered such great advice! I appreciate you all taking the time to help me out. I will keep you posted on my progress when I start my plants for production.
Lynn
And when you have both RL and PL plants of the same variety you can't conclude that they are identical except for leaf form since there's more than one way that such changes can occur that can involve MORE than one gene, in this instance a gene for leaf form.
Carolyn
Its January and I have a little over 200 Amazon Chocolate seedlings from Trade Winds. I seem to remember from last year that I got (had 24 Amazon Chocolate last year) 3 different kinds of tomatoes from these plants. I think the potato leaf ones produced the smaller 6-8oz size, the regular leaf I think had the bigger 1lb size. I did notice that I had the kinda lumpy tomatoes and some real nice beef stake looking tomatoes. These tomatoes look like and are compared to the black krim, Cherokee purple, and black brandy wine. I know they're supposedly from the Ukraine, but I wonder if someone came up with a hybrid. If they did its an awesome tomato. The disease resistance was the best of 14 other tomato plants and the most prolific.
If my plans work to sell to upscale restaurants then I will put in a summer crop. My garden is designer for 180 plants. I was wondering if I choose the tomatoes that are the large beef stake looking ones and use those seeds, weather on not its potato leaf, wouldn't I be more likely to get more of those type of tomatoes from my summer crop? I realize there will be some cross pollination, so I will hopefully pick plants that are surrounded by the same type of tomato?
Consider also that with long leaves you don't have to prune the entire leaf, just the lower part.
Another option would be to tie the middle of the leaves into a higher position.
Or try different tactics and see what works best.
That is a picture of classic "SUNSCALD". It is caused by too much hot sun on one area of the fruit. Basically, it cooks that area. Let it go and when the fruit matures and is ready for harvest, simply cut that littl section out and eat the rest.
Ted
Carolyn, thanks so much for the information (and sorry for the delayed reply). I'm going to try Sara's Galapagos, and I'll make a note of Ted's Pink for the future.
I love your book, by the way. After reading it I grew Druzba and Eva Purple Ball this fall and they have both done very well for me.
Bill
Could someone clarify what feature makes a tomato a cascading type?
I was under the impression all tomato are vines, incapable of growing upright without some form of support. If that's the case, if you grow any tomato in a suspended container or over a ledge, wouldn't they all cascade over the edge?
Daren
Thanks to all who have responded. I'm starting to see that the subject is much, much more complicated than I ever imagined. I'm going to get a soil sample sent in at my state extension office, and go from there. This could get .... as Sgt. Schultz said .... veeeery interesting. :) jj
Thanks Kevin. I have done quite a bit of Googling on the topic but find that some of the expanations give here exceed what you get by Googling. As an example nobody mentions anywhere that if the plant is dry and the stomata close that no CO2 enters the plant and so photosynthesis stops as does plant growth.
Yeah, CO2 entering the stomata is where the plant gets the CO2 and oxygen to perform photosyntheis and respiration. Its one of the main functions of stomata. The other reason is water movement through the plant. I learned all this in my Utah State University plant physiology course, which was taught by Dr. Keith Mott, whose research focuses on stomata. So he may have provided us with some extra understanding of stomata. :)
Dave, yes, and I guess it isn't clear that I don't use only pastes, but I do like them to make a good bulk of the sauce. I'm a bit under the weather aand having trouble concentrating today. Sorry. Anyway, I just have run out of seed of paste tomatoes, still have good seed for other types, so that's what I'm focusing on. Thanks!
If you are not locked into the companies you normally order with here is one with a couple good varieties. One is Christopher Columbus which I have grown and is an excellent all around paste/canner (see photo). Another in the red section is Ludmilla's Red Plum another excellent all purpose plum tomato. Ami
Here is a link that might be useful: Christopher Columbus
Kevinitis,
The rules to the swap are in the Round Robin forums. Also, you can email me.
Gary
Here is a helpful link to join the totally tomatoes swap.
Here is a link that might be useful: Incredible Edibles Totally Tomatoes Swap seed exchange
This post was edited by Kevinitis on Fri, Jan 18, 13 at 14:24