16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I would say that it being in with grass might be a factor. If it were me I might have chosen to plant it in a pot instead. Either that, or make a small garden bed in the yard. I think the grass may be competing with it.
You put "some" spikes in the ground - how many? How many did the package say to use? It could be nutrient burn as some suggested.
Sorry for making assumptions; we are just trying to help you here. Have you grown tomatos from seed before so you have some basis for comparison?
Traditionally, you start giving diluted fertilizer when they get their first true leaves. I would give some soluble fertilizer immediately.
Also, tomatos are stimulated into growth by transplanting, so if you started the seeds in the 3" pots and haven't transplanted them, pot them up/plant them out now and that will help.
If indeed they are healthy but just slow, doing these things should stimulate growth.
Yeah black crispy leaf edges is usually nitrogen burn and the yellowing color can indicate over-watering. If it is just a few of the older leaves just remove them. Plus there might be some minor insect damage in the spots on the leaves. And there is a tomato in the pic that is past picking time.
Dave
Interesting thread, guys - looked over it once just now and will have to do so in more detail over the weekend. Always more to learn.
This does bring a question to mind, given all the talk about putting in chopped-up leaves, rotted wood, bark nuggets... how about the plain-old hardwood mulch that I currently layered on top of the bed? It's purportedly all-natural non-colored etc. Instead of scraping it off the top at the end of the growing season, could I do just as well mixing it down into the soil for next spring? Or do I want to add wood that's already more rotted/soft?
My experience- attempt to keep it over the winter, may apply some manure on top. Mixing it down will get you too much of nitrogen loss and next season you will be hard pressed to keep adding something as your plants will have stunted growth. Otherwise yes, scrape it and use for compost pile. You can also look up ramial wood chips which are different ball game but might be better suited for what you looking.
Two Pineapples growing for sure - the pea size one is now nickle size, and there's a new pea. Big Rainbow may have set a fruit but it's hard to tell. Big Rainbow seems stingy with its flowers for me so far. I know it is my fault for starting it so late, but Mortgage Lifter which was smaller when they were put in has a lot more blooms. What about everyone elses?
Good to hear that , Jenn.
I hope my BrBoys will also start growing.
My sole Big Rainbow is one of the biggest plants. It has flowers but so far no fruits insight. I also have a Bear Claw which is supposed to have large tomatoes. But still in flower stage.
Sey
I use CRW, and I try to keep anything fruit-bearing inside the cage. If a future fruit bearer escapes and gets beyond being able to be pulled back (happens quickly sometimes) I train it back like any other vine growing up a trellis. My cages are 9 squares round (actually, 3 tall panels of 3 squares wide each linked together with tying wire so they can be later separated for storage and laid flat.)
That said, I use beds 3 plants wide and have my cages around every other plant, checkerboard-style... that way the un-caged plant in between caged ones has an effective cage on at least 3 sides. The only non-reinforced areas are on the edges of the bed for every other plant. There, if, and when a branch shows future need of support, I use a short length of the CRW tying wire run from the cages on either side.
I do prune suckers where I feel appropriate, but not all, and not always at the main stem. I personally like to have 2 main stems. Like many here, I try not to prune determinates at all. Like grubby's, they have free reign, only trained into the 'best' (usually empty if possible) available spaces.
Sometimes a branch on an indeterminate does get free, and if the space it found is empty, it's allowed freedom as long as it's supported for fruit bearing.
However, as grubby alluded, these are just what I find as methods which fit my preferences and style.
Edit: Dave's post wasn't showing yet, but as he said, leaves have no need for support, they run hazard.
gotcha... thanks!
You mean leaf branches? Yeah they just poke out of the holes in the cage. Sometimes, if you don't catch it is time, a secondary stem may make it outside too. If that happens and you can't work it back in without breaking it you just lightly tie it up to the outside of the cage.
Yes, Dave, this is what I am doing! I am letting leaf branches protrude out the side of the cylinder and (trying) to keep the stems in cylinder. Btw, other than pruning of the leaf branches next to the ground, I don't prune my tomato plants at all.
Thanks grubby, Dave, & rg!
South Central Ohio Seysonn. . Summers are hot and humid from early June thru mid August. So now it is June 11 and we are going to have ripe tomatoes by , say July 10 if not sooner. Just the Early Girls, the Brandys and Better boys will be a bit longer. Most of the EG plants have golf ball sized tomatoes now. Not much rain in May or so far in June so I have had to water a few times.
High dbrown
I think you will get it. From June 11 to July 10 is 29 days..
According to general tomato time line it takes about 19 days from peach size to ripe fruit for beef steak type. EG has smaller fruits and it should take even shorter time. You have a good chance at it on or before The Fourth.
Please report back. Thanks.
Sey
I don't think that is correct. EB is the concentric circles, not Septoria.
The pruning and spraying are both preventive measures. Do them both on all of your plants regardless of infection. Myself, I tend to rotate fungicides, usually between Copper, Daconil and Mancozeb. About the stem, I am not sure because the picture is a little blurry, but could be bacterial lesions, but I have had similar injury from twine rubbing stems if I was staking/tying.
I made 15 remesh cages a few months ago, for the first time. I didn't want to use anything additional.
I just bent the ends with a drive extension bar of my hex ratchet wrench (you know - the set that was $5 made in China from Autozone on sale for ... Father's Day LOL) so only a reproducible length of the tip looped inward. When you do this a small hook is there. The approach I took was with some vise-grip pliers. I adjusted it to close incompletely, up to a gap of about half the thickness of the CRW diameter. Then I crimped the remaining distance to close the hooks tightly, driving the hook-tips into themselves to make closed loops.
The closed loops present no sharpness danger for these done this way. It took a little practice to get in assembly line mode, but if you get the knack of it the sharpness is totally neutralized by catching the last mm of the tip the right way. I prefer this design because it maximizes the circumference rather than wasting the leaders or putting them to protrude where they could present a danger. I used ten squares plus the complete leader up to the 11th on many without including the 11th vertical, which was left to begin the next cage. If I were not pressed for space I would have wanted one more square though. Compromises, compromises.
No blisters, but I did sport a couple of cool Wolverine cuts on my legs in the process of making the cages ;-) A protector on the end of each might afford something extra, but that extra would have been unnecessary as far as I can judge on these.
Hope that presents yet another option.
PC
Scott, You have a nice garden with good ideas.
Surprisingly you are doing fine in that red clay soil, which reminds me of GA clay soil. Clay soil is good if amended with organic matter >>> lots of it.
Sey
Thank you much. Took some serious fertilizing the first summer we lived here. I had a soil test done through UT and we were really off on nutrients. We started rolling the chicken poop in the compost and it is really rich now. Also explains the pop up plants all over the garden/