16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

salthart, here are some sources for good tomato seed which have inexpensive S&H; seed prices vary but some are quite cheap and one is free! Most have quite a selection; I think TGS is the only one offering many hybrids.

Tatiana's Seeds. S&H is free if you order 8 packets, and $2.00 for less than that.
Order info is on the left; the catalog can be accessed on the right, about 1/4 of the way down the page.
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Tatiana%27s_TOMATObase_-_Heritage_Tomatoes
Be sure to check out the TOMATOBase itself: the best English-language database for open-pollinated tomatoes.

Marianna's Heirloom Tomatoes: S&H is $4.95.
https://www.mariannasheirloomseeds.com/

Tomato Growers Supply: S&H is $5.25 per order.
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/
They also have a paper catalog.

Sample Seed Shop. Shipping is $3.75 up to 20 packets.
http://sampleseeds.com/?page_id=65

WinterSown's Your Choice offer. 6 seed packets; you list your preferences, but there may be substitutions. Send a SASE business-size envelope with two first-class stamps. No other cost.
http://wintersown.org/wseo1/YourChoiceTomatoSASE.html

Sand Hill Preservation Center. Free for orders over $10.00; for smaller orders, S&H is $2.00.
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/seed_menu.html
They also have a paper catalog.

Yellow Pear

Thank you all!

I've added some organic fertilizer to the pot but it had a low nitrogen content so I supplemented with some 5:1:1 fish base liquid fertilizer to help give a nitrogen boost.

One more question - I'm thinking about adding some clover as a cover crop, partly to keep the direct sun off the soil and partly for the nitrogen fixing that clover does. Is this a half baked idea with lots of drawbacks or would there be some mileage in it?

Ascrius - it looks like potting soil - it has perlite in it. I don't think their garden soil has perlite (though I could be wrong).

Except for rare Y-forks, all tomato branches are suckers: they start between a leaf and the main stem, and they have a growing tip like the plant's main stem. If you remove every sucker on a tomato plant, you will have a single stem.

The side "branches" with leaves are actually leaves. Each "branch" is a single compound leaf. For instance, check out WinterSown's photos of leaves from different tomato varieties. Each photo shows a single leaf.
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/Tomato_Leaf_Scans.html

The side "branches" which bear flowers and fruit are also known as "trusses." Note that flower trusses almost never have leaves (a few varieties may have a leaf at the end of some of the clusters, and there are also rare varieties which have cluster that end in a growing point, but those are even more unusual).

So again, if you remove every sucker, you'll have a single stem with leaves and flower/fruit trusses.

simplyoranges,

You didn't say what variety of tomatoes you have. Do you know if they are determinate or indeterminate? To me those nodes between branches look pretty short, which means they could be determinate and should NOT be pruned. Also determinates will grow to a varietal height (in "optimal" growing conditions) and no amount of pruning will make them grow any taller.

Please let us know what variety you have.

Betsy

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ on Pruning Tomato Plants

Just to answer your specific question about trimming the plants back, I wouldn't do that. You want to keep the main stem growing because it will produce the biggest and earliest tomatoes. Some people top off their tomatoes near the end of the season, but never early in growth. It's better to shorten the plant by burying the stem much deeper.

No problem at all when they get tall like that. Deep planting works.....and the OTHER, just as good approach is laying them down sideways and bending up the last 4-5 inches above ground.

Dave,

Thanks for your comments. Sunlight may not be all the problem because past years have had good crops. Maybe over fert? It is possible that fertilizer from previous year is still there... How much fertilizer are you using in your EarthBoxes?

It is possible that fertilizer from previous year is still there

Doubt it although I suppose it is 'possible' since they are inside and so less exposed to the elements. Mine all winter over outside on the deck until time to move them into the greenhouse, recharge them and plant.

But don't rule out sun exposure completely because even mine started in the GH really kick into gear once they are moved outside.

As to ferts, when ready to re-plant I dump each box out on a tarp and let the mix (I use ProMix BX in mine and since it is already pH balanced I don't add any lime) dry out well, re-charge it with about 1/3 new fresh mix and I stir in 2 cups of time release fertilizer such as Osmocote, repack the box and plant.

I water as needed (I use drip irrigation down the tube) until first fruit set and after first fruit set I give the plants 1 gallon of mixed-up per label water soluble fertilizer each week in addition to the regular watering - just pour it down the tube. Some I have talked to use MG fertilizer at 1/2 strength, some prefer the MG Rose fertilizer, I prefer to use Earth Juice (Sea Blast Transition) on mine but any water soluble is probably ok depending on the nutrient ratings it has and if they need to be diluted or not.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Thanks guys,

Yeah I used a soiless mix, organic seed starting mix. They are about 12" tall; the camera was just really zoomed in on the stem.

They were all started together which is why it's so odd, and I've had a fan on them until the last 10 days they've been outside (planting Monday - Thursday)

I'll plant really deep with those guys because it can't hurt anything really. If they don't grow I guess I'll pull them after a couple months and plant something else.

Sincerely,
Martin

Yeah, don't worry too much about it. Just bury them with the ring below the new soil line and they'll catch right back up with the others.

homegardenpa, Actually, the salicylic acid (aspirin) is a good thing too. Salicylic acid is a plant hormone that regulates plant defenses against many pathogens. It has been demonstrated that adding salicylic acid at low levels to growing plants reduces disease. Here are a couple of reviews to get you into the literature:
http://biologie.univ-mrs.fr/upload/p189/salicylicreview.pdf
http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/bio/2009-0512-200821/NatChemBiol-Pieterse-2009.pdf

It seems Ms. Sandberg is ahead of the curve.

Her techniques are certainly not for everyone. She does strongly recommend soil testing. Kudos to you for doing it. Not enough people do it. If your methods give yields and quality that you are happy about AND at a price you like, why would you change?!?

Good luck with your tomatoes this year!

Carolyn - just got back from the farmer's market (I live in downtown Raleigh, btw) and brought home 3 dwarves - red robin, summertime green and sleeping lady; a Mexican Midget (of course!); black from Tula; rose quartz; and a speckled roma. Also a casper eggplant, and my boyfriend picked out a Vietnamese multi pepper and a NuMex heritage jalape�o. I'm excited about the dwarves (never grown a dwarf before) - already potted them into 6 gallon pots. Craig gave me the advice not to argue with you - said you're a teacher and you'll always be right. ;)

I'm with you on the pruning but mostly because I'm lazy. I will generally stay on top of the suckers and I'll prune all the lower leaves but I've found that Actin-iron, regular foliar application of Actinovate and mulch have kept disease down.

DWD2 - I think I'm going to use Carolyn's planting hole amendments. I'm a big fan of RootZone Mycorrhizal Fungi and I like the idea of the fish parts decomposing over time and continuing to nourish the tomatoes. My plants are about 18" tall so the hole will be pretty deep and I don't think I'll have to worry about scavengers. I'm doing all my eggplants and peppers in containers this year so I'll be able to give the tomatoes all the room they need.

Homegardenpa - I already have all that stuff laying around so I think I'm gonna do an experiment and plant a couple of the same varieties, one with Love Apple Farms' method and a control with my normal method (which, honestly, aside from the fish and aspirin is pretty similar).

well you did read it

There is a theory that pops up every so often that says you should remove all leaves on the vine except the top two (or something along that line). As the plant grows higher, you keep removing the older leaves. The plant is mostly bare stems.

I hope this is not what you read, ron2230.

There are two problems with this method. First, the leaves produce energy for growth and fruit. Fewer leaves ... less growth ... fewer fruit. The second problem is that without enough leaves to shade the fruit, there are likely to be sunscalded patches on the tomatoes:
photos of sunscalded tomatoes

I did a search on Anthrocyanins and found the following on wikipedia (yes I know that this may not be the best source): "Anthocyanins....are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue according to the pH. They belong to a parent class of molecules called flavonoids synthesized via the phenylpropanoid pathway; they are odorless and nearly flavorless, contributing to taste as a moderately astringent sensation.....In addition to their role as light-attenuators, anthocyanins also act as powerful antioxidants. ......Anthocyanins can be used as pH indicators because their color changes with pH. Anthocyanins are pink in acidic solutions (pH 7), and colourless in very alkaline solutions where the pigment is completely reduced."

SO, you may be able to determine the acidity of this tomato based on the color. This also may give clues to the developement of tomato acid/sugar balance in different climates. The J and L website states that: "The color is darkest in cooler weather and in full sunlight..." This statement suggests that tomatoes may produce less acidic fruit in cooler climates. Likewise anthrocyanins are used by plants as sunscreen, therefore darker in full sun. I happen to like the more acidic tomatoes myself, but the novelty is appealing.

Bosque Blue is a cross I made of OSU Blue/P20 and one of my favorite salad tomatoes. We have a farm so I try to breed new varieties for market which produce and sell well. I know several other people working on similar crosses and we trade seed and work to stabilize certain traits. That can take a while, but it is interesting and entertaining.

Can you also grow some winter cover crop, perhaps rye or favas? That will give you lots of organic matter that you don't have to buy or carry in.

Yeah, I can get rye. Favas is broad beans, right?

Oh, yeah, forgot to mention I had started them in the 50-cell Jiffy strips too, ripped those off (even though they took some roots with them) b/c I had planted densely (esp. the cherry toms - those seeds are tiny!) when I planted in bigger plastic cells (36 to a tray) and pots (what 4" pots I had). I also put them under 6500K CFL grow lights which I hadn't had them on before. I don't have enough grow lights to cover all my plants, so tomatoes get them for about 12-14 hours during the day and peppers get them all night (I try to move them about 6AM and then whatever time I think about it at night). All plants get some natural sunlight through a thermopane bay window (E-S-W facing) as well.

I was thinking about planting out mid-May, still may start moving them outside for a little during the day next week when it's in the 70's, but we've got a freeze warning tonight and who knows when the nights are going to get over 50 again so may have to wait til end of May.

HTH

We'll plant out probably around may 24 weekend. Yeah the tomato ones are the only ones worrying me right now... the peppers just started getting true leaves and look good, and the cukes I did too early I guess because they're just starting to look like the yellow flowers are coming out... They are pretty small still though so I think i'll be OK with those... The tomato's are starting to look a bit purple though now to....

and yeah in 4b (Ottawa, Canada) It's still way too cold to even consider planting out for at least 3-4 more weeks.