16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I have plenty of insects of all types, including spiders. Seems like more ladybugs than usual. Are ants nuetral in the garden? I think it depends on the type. In my locale there are these tiny little ones that have small colonies and they seem to prefer to live at the base of a plant, often in the company of root aphids. I do what I can to get rid of those. But in my previous garden, 30 miles away but in very different soil, the ants never seemed to do anything so I left them alone.
I plant in large containers, about 15 gallons or so and use nothing but 100% miracle grow potting soil with the moisture control and then top it with 2" of cypress mulch.
I water my plants HEAVY every single day and in the summer when it is 90 degrees plus I water TWICE per day.
All the excess flows right out the bottom and the plants drink the rest everyday.
Tomatoes need lots of water and very good drainage.
You may not have very good drainage in the ground.
If you plant in the ground it is best to dig a DEEP hole fill the bottom with sand and gravel, about 2 feet worth then fill with good potting soil.
This plant was 4" tall about 4 weeks ago.
Its now over 3' tall and about 2+' across.
I net them to keep out squirrels, birds, moths/butterflies.
The other one is over 4' tall (max height it is supposed to get) and has about 60+ tomatoes on it.
A Better Bush variety.
wow, those plants look great! I tried a bunch of SWC last year and they were an epic failure. I made them out of Lowes paint buckets. I made a custom mix gathered from various postings I read. The plants started off looking great....lots of dark green foliage, but then when they started bearing fruit, I lost a ton of it to B.E.R.
I did not plant bush variety though, and instead just had indeterminate kind.
Rocks aren't necessarily a problem ... but if there are too many rocks, there's that much less soil volume to feed the plant.
Is there much organic matter in the soil? That's more important than a few rocks ... though you've got more than a few!
(I swear I haven't seen such rocky soil since I tried planting perennials in a high corner of our Connecticut yard that gave every evidence of being primeval glacial moraine -- and that was many decades ago.)
Yep, that looks like CT soil. But what's eating the leaves?
matthew - if you're in CT, CAES will provide free soil testing.
Here is a link that might be useful: CT Ag Experimental Station soil testing
I like how you put that, homegardenpa. "While I enjoy gardening and it's benefits are many, I don't want to use that as an excuse to toss money into the wind." Same here.
Jaybob, I answered your question in the Vegetable forum before I saw it over here. I'd assigned positive intent to your DW... thinking she might have wanted to keep track for boasting purposes when her friends ask her what it's like to have a crazy gardener for a husband. ;) I have the sort of personality that likes knowing tidbits like that, too, so I understand your willingness to oblige. It's hard to keep up the tally, though, when you're busy with big harvests. Good growing!
Think of how much you are saving in therapy!
I posted a reply on the veggie side, but didn't think to add how much enjoyment I get out of it. I love doing my pruning or weeding, and my hens keep me company. One of my friends keeps saying 'but it looks like so much work'. Maybe, but it makes me happy, when plants start blooming, etc.
The three numbers in a fertilizer description tell you the amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (otherwise known by the chemical symbols N-P-K). Note that the three elements are in alphabetical order: that's how to remember which is which.
The numbers refer to the percentage of each element in the fertilizer. So a 10-10-10 fertilizer has the same balance as a 3-3-3 fertilizer -- but the first has more of each and so would probably cost more. 70% of the first and 91% of the second are something other than N, P, and K.
As for why plants need these elements, here's what BHG has to say:
http://www.bhg.com/advice/gardening/basics/what-do-nitrogen-phosphorus-and-potassium-that-are-contained-within-fertilizers-do-for-plants/
momof5sons: Sorry, I forgot to explain the bit about organic fertilizer.
Whether or not the fertilizer is organic depends on what the manufacturer used to make it. Some 10-10-10 fertilizers are organic, others are not.
Here's a thread on the Organic Gardening forum which talks about organic sources of phosphorus.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg0216391932711.html
Thanks a lot homegardenpa & missingtheobvious,
I don't have pictures right now, may be i can have few with in few days from a friend of mine. I will post them if available.
I must add.
I am talking about open field commercial tomatoes. Due to being cultivated in coastal areas the watering intervals through forrow irrigation stays around 8-15 days.
I must add.
This environment does't effects two hybrid varieties. Rest, none of any variety survives this environment.
Those are:
1: 1359 F1 Hybrid by Syngenta Seeds.
2: Dominator F1 Hybrid by Seminis seeds.
I could not figure out what characteristics these both varities posseses that enables these two varieties to survive the environment.
What you say?
I am looking for more hybrids that can fullfil seed consumption in our area & to come over the actual problem.
looking for any help.
If your weather is good enough that the plants will keep setting fruit all summer, you can pull the fruit if you want.
If they were mine I wouldn't, because it's about to get really hot here and the plants won't set fruit when it gets too hot. If I were going to keep the plants I'd want to keep all the fruit I could get.
Gary,
It's OK, I am NOT infallible. LOL! I made the unwarranted assumption that kdup had grown those plants from seeds. Silly me. My apologies for snapping back, it was uncalled for.
kdup,
Since you are unsure of the history of those patio plants, it is possible that a mercy killing might be in order. That is of course entirely up to you. Personally, I don't think it is necessary. Let me explain.
The unaffected leaves look nice and green, the stems are stocky and appear healthy. I'd even go so far as to say that the seedlings had probably been hardened off prior to your being "gifted" with them. I suspect the black spots might be where the plants got some sunburn when they were first exposed to the great outdoors. Sunburned tomatoes will turn white, then the area will die and blacken. (Been there, done that.) That could also account for the crispy edges on the leaves, as could overloving with fertilizer.
The yellowing of leaves is a classic symptom of overwatering, see the link below.
What I would reccomend if you want to try the plants:
First: Get some of those 20 ounce plastic cups, make two or three 1/4" holes in the bottom, and pot the tomatoes up in a quality "soilless" growing medium. Don't use moisture control types, they don't drain well in containers. Make sure it does not say on the package that it is "Not for use in containers" or "Soil".
Second: Water well, but don't leave them standing in water more than 30 minutes (I water my baby tomatoes by putting water in the bottom of the tray they are in and after 30 minutes I drain off any that has not been absorbed.) Wait until the cups are fairly light until you water again. It will vary with the size of the plants, the ambient temperatures and humidity. If the leaves start to droop, you waited a tad too long, but they will recover if you haven't waited too long. **Smile**
Third: Restart the hardening off process. Give the plants a few days to adapt to potting up, then put them out in the shade for a couple of hours and increase the time they spend outdoors every day until they are out most of the day and spend some of the time in the sun.
You can trim off the leaves that have the damage on them if you want to, and you can actually do it at any time, just be aware that if you take too many of the leaves, the tomatoes will be longer in recovering.
Once the plants have been in the larger plastic cups for 10 days or so, I would evaluate whether or not they look like plants you want to save.
That's
Betsy
Here is a link that might be useful: Signs & Symptoms of Overwatering Tomatoes
I think it might help if I link to the article I was referring to b'c there are many many variables that are involved with the statistics of cross pollination, etc. and while I could discuss them, there's no reason to b/c the article does an excellent job of doing so.
That link is below.
I also encourage folks to look at the articles in the FAQ's before they post b/c some of the most asked questions here at GW in this Forum are answered in some of those articles.
Which is why they were written in the first place. ( Smile)
The search feature is at the bottom of the page and sometimes you have to use different words to find something, that I know.
And Google is your friend if all other sources don't tell you what you want to know.
Just a bit of history here.
Initially tomatoes were discussed in the vegetable Forum but it got to the point that that Forum was being clogged up with tomato questions, so Spike, the original owner of GW, started this tomato Forum and at the same time put up the Pest and Disease Forum as well as the photo Gallery and the Seed Exchange, which is supposed to be an exchange for tomato seeds only.
Now I see more and more pest and disease questions being asked in this general discussion Forum rather than the Pest and Disease Forum, and I don't know why. I haven't been to the PEst Forum in a long while and that b'c I spent many years there, along with a few others, answering questions and doing so for sometimes several hours each day.
I figure I've made my contribution as far as pests and diseases go and it's time for others to step up, learn from others and share. There's still the Problem Solver in the Pest Forum which can be and has been helpful to many.
GW is not the main place where I read and post, which is true for some others here as well, but I like to stop by from time to see if there's any threads where I can help/
So please do take a look at the link below re cross pollination. And if you have time, the other articles in the FAQ section.Forget the one about varieties b'c it's way out of date and Tania's website is the best place to go for that IMO, but not for F1 hybrids, with few exceptions, just OP's, some heirlooms, some not and she features pages for way over 3,000 varieties now.
Thanks.
Carolyn
I mention this
Here is a link that might be useful: Cross Pollination
was nipped off at soil level with the top of the tomato just laying there on the ground.
I'd put my money on cutworms instead.
Will they come back? Maybe, some of them. It all depends on how strong the root ball is. But it will be slow. Rather than start new seeds I'd root cuttings off the remaining plants. That would put you at least 6 weeks ahead of new seeds.
Dave
It certainly sounds like cutworms. But either an army of them or your bunch are super-efficient.
But not seeing them isn't an argument against cutworms. I've never seen any lurking near the scene of a recent crime.
Yes, you can plant the stems. But plant them with some protection from cutworms.
Some people cut a soda straw into short lengths, slit each piece lengthwise, then slip a piece around each young stem. I use toilet paper rolls, cut in half, those halves slit lengthwise, then wrapped around the stem. Someone (I think it was Carolyn Male) places a twig next to the tomato stem; apparently cutworms expect a simple round stem, and when they circle the stem and bump into an obstacle, they give up in confusion.
Does the rabbit fence extend underground? If not, they can and will dig under the wire.
I have been thinking the same thing, Ohiofem.... the farmer's market is open again on Saturday, and honestly I got the Roman Candle only because they did not have any of the paste tomatoes I wanted in stock last week. Maybe it's a sign.... I did cover the poor bare stem with a milk jug. If it's sprouting and growing by Saturday, I'll call it another sign. If not, I'm going to head back on Saturday to try and pick up an Opalka or a San Marzano.
Sunnibel, good to know about the hornworms... and there are PLENTY of birds around, so I'd be happy to know they're getting munched. I hope the dipel isn't too harmful to birds.
Excited more than anything to finally have my new raised bed in the ground and to have tomatoes growing!
Lucille,
My experienced guess would be on deer or rabbit munching. The Repels All should be a good choice to thwart a mammal critter. The plant will be slow and stunted, but should grow and produce. I had any number of critter problems including curious birds until I put a Wall 'O Water over each seedling. Not necessarily to extend the season but to protect against gusting winds and curious critters. -Randy
I've notice the exact same symptoms on one of my cherokee purples. A few days ago I hacked off all the lower limbs and all the effected leaves and have not noticed any new yellowing. The top of the plant still looks a bit droopy compared to the others but it is still adding height and setting new fruit. I have a close eye on it and plan to pull it if it continues to develop yellow leaves. I am afraid it is some sort of bacterial wilt since I have seen cucumber beetles around. Don't want to risk letting it spread.
Bigpinks, where did you get your EML from? Was it - oh shucks, I forget the nursery's name - the one in Huntington that's been carrying them forever? If so, the reason yours might not be doing as well this year, Aunt Mary Lou Estler told me that after she took the little seedlings to them they didn't pot them up into the bigger containers for several weeks. She is VERY upset with them.
Oh, but, get this: she told me she was poking aroung the basement a few weeks ago and ran across some Mortgage Lifter seeds marked 1964. She thought, "Oh what the heck" and tossed a bunch of them in seed starter. Guess what? 2 of them came up!!!! We can't wait to see how the tomatoes from those plants compare to the tomatoes off the others.
Happy gardening!
Edie
"Chuck, some apple growers put ziplock sandwich bags around their fruit to protect from insects. IIRC, they snip through the zipper for a close fit around the stem. I think they also make a tiny cut across the lowest corner so water doesn't collect inside."
Ha, that's a funny coincidence. I was just recently struggling with birds eating all of my strawberries, so out of desperation, I used nylon wedding favor bags (which I originally bought for blossom bagging) to protect the strawberries and it's worked like a charm, keeps birds and insects from the fruit. Also, since they are made of nylon mesh, they breathe. If they were bigger, they'd probably work wonders for peaches too.
The newspaper seems to be working out well. I put down some shredded paper around some of my tomato plants as well. I've got lots of people that are very happy to provide me with the contents of their shredder buckets, lol.