16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

I have lots of red boar, green zebra and Cherokee purples breaking. My 2 year old has been eating sweet 100's for a couple weeks but now that he can't keep up I get to share in the bounty.

I started picking my grape tomato's early last week. I've picked about 20 of my bigger tomato's so far.

I just wanted to say your plant looks very healthy and should produce quite a bit.

Agree with the no pruning to an extent. I usually try to get 3 main stems near ground level and stake them. After that I remove all suckers below the first fruit cluster. Above the first fruit cluster I don't remove anything. I also remove any branches that are in contact with the ground to prevent soil born disease and improve air circulation around the plant. It is more important to do the if you don't mulch and water from above (which it looks like is the case in you pic).

I thought the whole idea behind watering with leftover coffee (or what I do, which is throw the used coffee grounds around my plants) was to add acidity to the soil. I especially do this around my rose bushes.

I have watered my tomato plants with coffee and they seem to love it. Don't do it too much or you will get a lot of plant and less fruit as I think it is mostly a nitrogen shot.

Thanks for the advice. I disposed of the discolored leaves immediately after taking these pictures, and will continue my fungicide regimen.

If it is early blight, is it reversible at this stage?
Thanks again.

I have (or had) 17 plants growing in containers in my back yard. I have been treating all of them with Daconil on a regular basis. Unfortunately that didn't stop an Earl's Faux from coming down with a disease that looks suspiciously similar to what is shown in shown in your photos. I pulled all the leaves that showed even the slightest symptom, but that didn't do much to slow down the progression; within 48 hours half the leaves seemed to be infected and were beginning to shrivel and die. None of my other plants were infected, and to try to keep it that way, I removed the diseased one from the garden completely. Maybe the plant could have been saved, but I couldn't pin down exactly what the disease was from the pictures I saw online and so better safe than sorry.

Larry

Thanks but I don't need a picture. I have several gallons of it myself. What the label says is *Not for use in organic food and crop production. Note the asterisk. Now note what the asterisk is related to, the reason for the asterisk - Natural Organic Based in the name.

That is because the base contains inert materials and certain stabilizing acids which limits the amount that can be used by Certified Organic Growers, limited, not restricted. In other words, that is the standard asterisk note that all approved organic products with some restrictions on them are required to use to alert certified growers they must monitor the amounts used.

If you want to go by those reviews then please note that the second review down - and more current one - says the product is on the OMRI approved list and that the claim not for organic gardening is not correct.

It is on the OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) list as approved and has been for many, many years.

IF you are a certified organic grower growing for sale of food in the marketplace - which you are not - and if you are in the process of applying for Organic Grower Certification - which you are not - then there is a restriction on how much of it you can use because of the acids used to stabilize it. That restriction does NOT apply to home gardeners.

You can go to the OMRI website linked below and pull the product up to read it for yourself if you wish.

You are going to need to make a choice. Do you wish to be a Certified Organic Grower or a home gardener that grows things as organically as possible while actually having things grow in your garden? The first takes 3-4 years to qualify with all the rules and restrictions and many inspections. The second also takes 3-4 years of soil development, amending, and hard work to accomplish and in the process some compromises have to be made.

Organic gardening is a long-term goal, not a first year accomplishment.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: OMRI

Thank you again Dave. I am certainly not trying to start a dispute. I posted the link not because I'm going by the reviews, but to show you that another person is referring to the same thing I was (since I didn't have a picture) that's written on the bottle. Your clarification is very helpful. I am certainly not trying to get certified and I now kick myself for not buying it. Honestly I was wondering if maybe there are two versions of the product. Would it be helpful if I started using it in a week or so and if I discontinue using the other one I bought?

I have some old nylon netting we bought at a fabric store over 20 years ago. It's off white, and the type you would have used to fluff up a skirt. Can I use that?

The netting or tulle is good for row cover to keep out insects, but not sure how much shade it provides. Be sure if you use plastic to keep it off the plant. Reflected light is even stronger!

The only non-equipment items I see at your last link are:

= a blossom-set spray [Those are only effective in the cold weather of early spring. I don't think you have any need for it in Indiana in mid-June].

= a spray that purports to stop Blossom End Rot [Those don't work: the problem is not a lack of calcium in the soil -- or even in the plant -- but spring weather conditions and the young plant's inability to get the calcium to where it's needed quickly enough. By the time you notice a problem and use any of the supposed cures, the season has advanced enough that the worst of the blossom rot is over -- and that would also be the case if you don't use any of those treatments!].

What you do need is something that will provide the plants with the nutrients it needs.

By the way, both of those sprays can be purchased at most garden centers or big-box stores; you don't have to buy them from the EarthBox people.

Re. staying organic, take a look at this thread:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg062100105311.html?10

At the moment I am unable to see any videos (grrr) and I don't remember if you mulched around your plants. That's important if you don't have the cover. You can mulch with commercial mulches, grass clippings (provided the grass wasn't treated with any weed-killing product in the last few months), last fall's shredded leaves, newspaper, cardboard, or even shredded paper.

You should be able to see the link, by just copying it into your browser.

Matt

Here is a link that might be useful: My trim down plant

Windburn and sunburn are unfortunate, but will not affect the new leaves.

I'm wondering about the purpose of the pots set in the earth in the background. What kind of pots are they? (They don't look like peat pots -- which despite all the advertising, really do need to be removed before planting.)

Thanks for the replies. Glad it sounds like wind/sun as opposed to a disease.

The pots you see in the background are made of coconut fibre and I had my celery in them. First time I used them, but look like they will break apart pretty quickly.

Thanks a lot for your responses, Just found these forums yesterday - what a wealth of information!

Best regards

the picture doesn't really show the "big difference".

Doesn't really look that odd to me. Usually there is at least one fruit on a plant that looks like this. The "One side larger than the other side" thing is the result of uneven pollination. When this happens, one side grows faster/bigger than the other, but it doesn't detract from the health of the tomato.

Basically, I wouldn't worry about it. It's just a tomato with character. :)

Dave, I bet you meant to say Fusarium or Verticillium, for instance, for soilborne instead of Septoria Leaf Spot, which is not and is strictly a foliage bad guy. ( smile)

Other than that if one of your plants goes down with a confirmed diagnosis with a soil borne disease then it means that there's a good possibility that plants in the same area might also do the same since usually the soil in an area has that bad guy and it's not jsut the bad guy underneath the affected plant.

The main foliage pathogens are:

Early Blight ( A. solani), fungal
Septoria Leaf Spot. fungal
Bacterial Speck
Bacterial Spot

....and those four are transmitted by wind and embedded in rain drops or irrigation waters.

Then there are the insect mediated viral diseases of which there are many as well, but they don't exist in certain parts of the country since the insect vectors are not found there. Same with many of the soil borne diseases which are not found in all parts of the country.

Although not widely known at least Fusarium is known to also be transmitted by wind.

So the key to knowing what you have is proper diagnosis and one place to go is to the Pest and Disease Forum , link at the top of this page, and look at the Problem Solver thread if no one answers your questions, or better still show some pictures if you can.

Finally, I know of nothing that is effective against soil borne diseased plants, since you said above you were treating them. Varieties with tolerance such as F, for fusarium are only tolerant and live longer for a week or so more but that's enough time to get the sugar concentration up for large scale farmer's harvest. Tolerance for several seed borne diseases do exist, but those were developed mainly for the large scale commercial farmer, not for we backyard hobby growers.

Carolyn

Dave, I bet you meant to say Fusarium or Verticillium, for instance, for soilborne instead of Septoria Leaf Spot, which is not and is strictly a foliage bad guy.

Duh! Yep, thanks Carolyn. That's what I get for thinking faster than I can type. And that's hard to do at my age. :) Septoria goes later in the sentence.

Dave

the one on the right is showing signs of the deaded (plumbers crack). ;)

Mega-blooms are also called fused blossoms.

I have also seen them called king flowers (though as far as I know tomatoes don't have king flowers like those on some other plants which bear both large and small fruit at the same time: for example, some strawberries, also artichokes).

Someone also used the term conjoined flowers. I don't know if that is correct, botanically speaking.

I have also seen them called tomato sunflowers; that seems like a gardener's imaginative term rather than a botanical one.