16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

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?

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

Thanks Ted, that makes me feel a lot better.

Carolyn, I am taking your advice and I ordered some Sara's Galapagos to try. I will report on them later.

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

Ted,

Thank you so much for your generosity! I greatly appreciate it! Laura

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

I am sure that soil nutrients also influence sugar production and other plant chemicals, which influence taste as well.

Kevin

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

Fussy heirlooms?

Not for me who has grown both hybrids and OP's, but since I have no idea which OP not heirlooms and which OP heirlooms you've grown it's impossible for me to comment more without input from you. ( smile)

And you're probably thinking that's a good thing, if you prefer F1's over OP's. LOL

Carolyn

Carolyn,
I know you are the tomato expert, but take note of my zone...there are some heirloom or OP tomatoes that never mature during my growing season - and I've tried quite a few. The only hybrids I grow are Big Beef and Sungold...these are incredibly prolific.

Someone on one of the forums said they needed more germination time & also more growing to maturity time. DIGDIRT-since my posting I have received seeds from 3 different sources and they all cautioned about being patient germinating as it can take from 2/4 weeks to sprout

Interesting. Of course it can all depend on the germination methods used but I never found that to be the case as they easily re-seed themselves from dropped fruit and grow rapidly.

Either way - enjoy.

Dave

Good idea or not?

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You're doing fine. Thanks for the kind words.

Ted

Garf - TomatoTone is just not very strong anymore. If you are using in in well ammended soil I imagine it is fine. I grow in containers and Earthboxes and the last year I used it everything was struggling. I still have a 20LB bag left and I will apply it much more liberally.

#4 possum was a biter. He did a job on the bait tray. This was baited with catnip.

How big of a hanging pot are you talking about? The average 12" basket? No way either would make it.

As already mentioned both are big plants. I have grown both in 12 gallon containers and they have done ok, but even better in a 1/2 whiskey barrel.

Dave

Thanks for the answers. I'm thinking of turning my portable torn garage /shelter into a greenhouse (a lightbulb just came on over my head lol.) I can park my car in it over winter and grow plants all summer. Just need some 6 ,or 8 mil poly.