16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Hi misstheobvious, thanks so much for your response! I do stake my plant - I actually tied a couple of branches to the stake too; however, I think the extra 'resistance' actually helped the wind to break it!
I really hope you are right about the new growth! The snipped off branch looks quite stumpy. There are no leaves left whatsover as the entire branch and its leaves went, so any suckers went along with that :(
It was so hot in Oklahoma that not many tomatoes made it thru the Summer. I usually have a crop of SuperSweet 100's and Jelly Beans in the Fall, but this year the Supersweets had lots of fruit, but it got too cold for them to ripen.
I have better luck carrying over container plants rather than in-ground plants.
I prune my plants severly during the Summer, removing all non-productive stems and bigger leaves, and removing bunches where there is more than one bunch on a stem.
The only cherry tomatoes that I was able to harvest this year were a couple of SunGold, which had quite a few that ripened. I had to move the containers into the garage a couple of times when it got down to freezing, but did get the satisfaction of harvesting some sweet tasting cherries in November. I also am harvesting some Celebrity tomatoes that are larger than the Spring ones.
Here's a pic of a Sungold taken November 8th:
Yes, that looks a lot like mine. Long vines with the action up at the ends of them.
So I guess the idea, during the heat of the summer, is to start pruning them to give suckers lower down a chance to thrive? The stems lower down have become pretty woody by this time, though, so there aren't a lot of suckers that want to come out down there. Maybe there is a way to encourage such suckers to sprout?
I just started mine since I got obsessed with growing tomatoes in my small lot in Seattle this summer.
Here's the link:
Pacific Northwest Gardener blog
I blog about tropical, unusual and impossible plants and seed germination
Here is a link that might be useful: Medusa's Garden
Yes you can use the top but a Better Boy should have lots of suckers on it-unless you have intentionally removed them all?
And rooting cuttings in moist potting soil, not water, is recommended. Water roots are not the same as nutrient roots and it is the latter you want.
Dave
Well yeah I did remove all my suckers because that is what I have been told will produce bigger tomatoes. But that�s good to know about the cutting having the same genetic material as the original. Hey does that mean I can keep cloning the same plant indefinitely? I also have four Brandywine tomato plants that I am hoping will not drop its blossoms. I was able to remove two cuttings because my better boy forked in two. I removed the blossoms on one and let the other keep them. I will see which one does better. By the way the plant that I grew in water and later put in dirt seems to be doing o.k. but will it develop future problems?
I used to have a real, basically solar, greenhouse and could get ripe toms in to Feb. sometimes later. I Over wintered one for several years and it was still producing when I moved. They were great in the summer, OK during the winter.
They were better than store bought, but not as good, as tracydr stated.
I am experimenting with some red robins this year, not in a greenhouse, but a sunny room, new home. They are very healthy at the moment and I see a few flower buds starting to form.
I will update later on my results.
Present temps here in SoCal are 60's daytime, 50's nighttime. I just picked a ripe Glacier and it was delicious.
Last year we picked Paul Robenson till January (40's nighttime) and they were still very tasty.
May depend upon the varieties that you plant, Stupice and Glacier are two of my best fall/winter performers.
For larger tomatoes, I would pick Siletz and Siberian.
You mentioned opening windows so it appears that you either have a glass partition greenhouse or have end wall windows. With the glass units you have options of spraying a light blocker onto the glass which should help. With a plastic film covered unit I think roll-up sides are a must to keep temps low unless you install an expensive ridge vent system. I ignore the end wall exhaust fans in mid summer and leave the sides rolled up day and night. Themperatures inside may still reach 100F but most varieties seem to handle that extreme. Heirloom varieties will be affected sooner than most hybrids and there are a few newer varieties that should set fruit at higher than normal temps (see 2012 Twilley seed catelog).
Opening up the greenhouse is a good idea to let in as much cool air as possible,I would also place some shade cloth over the greenhouse to reduce the direct sun to the plants during the hottest part of the day.The tomatoes should still produce fine.Good luck!
I would agree then that lack of nutrients is the primary problem but would still recommend a soil test to check the pH. They are available from your local county AG extension office for $10-15.
As I mentioned manure, while good for the soil and does provide a small amount of nutrients, isn't enough. And the nutrients in the potting mix are minimal and quickly used up despite what the manufacturer claims.
Tomatoes require regular feedings throughout the growing season - approximately 4-6 weeks apart. What fertilizer you use is your choice. I agree that Tomato Tone is good but so are many others. Organic brands are great IF your soil has been well amended first with lots of compost to boost the soil bacterial levels but an intermittent dose of a non-organic can also be of great help.
Many will amend the planting holes well at planting time, feed again just after first fruit set, and then feed again monthly after that. Others prefer to feed a diluted 1/2 strength dose weekly when the water. Either works but the point is to do it regularly.
Dave
Other small fruited early varieties seem to hold on producing longer every year for me also. 4th of July, an earlier producer than Early Girl, is often my first and last producer. I'm still picking substantial amounts of cherry varieties in my high tunnels that I started harvesting from in late May (transplanted mid-March). Other varieties might have a tomato here and there.
The reason might just be in the ability of these small fruited varieties to set fruit in cooler ambient temperatures. Also the disease resistance is often superior in the small fruited varieties.
Taryn, all tomato seed wants and offers should be posted in the Seed Echange, and that link is at the top of this page just above where the first thread starts.
Spike, the former owner of GW set up that tomato seed exchange many years ago so that seed wants and offers and trades wouldn't be posted in this main Forum.
So, just a gentle suggestion from one who has been a GW member for many years and has seen what happens when seed stuff gets posted here.
It might interest you and others to know that originally all the tomato stuff was in the Vegetable Forum and when it got to the point that tomatoes took up most of the space on that Forum, this one was formed.
Carolyn, who suggests that you might post in this thread, after you've cut and pasted your offer list to the Exchange Forum, that folks might want to go there to participate.
And I didn't take the time right now to go look and see if you already did post there b/c if I do now I lose this post and I don't want to do that. ( smile)
"Watering 2-3 times a week" can still be too much if the plants don't need it. The soil moisture content determines when the plant needs water, not any set schedule. If the soil down at the root level is kept too wet then the roots rot and the leaves turn yellow. Learn to stick your fingers deep into the soil to check for moisture before watering.
And every time you water the nutrients wash out of the container with the water. Container plants need regular and consistent feedings to replace the lost nutrients. Spikes aren't going to provide that for long.
Organic fertilizers only work if there is enough soil bacteria to convert them to a useable form for the plant. In containers filled with sterile potting mix there is little if any soil bacteria.
Dave
Hello again Dave.
I think your right about over-watering. I just went out and looked at my plants again and the romas, which are in a plastic container, are a lot more yellow than the yellow pears which are in a ceramic pot. Basically when I planted them, I looked on CA Tomato growers website which said that once a tomato plant has fruit on it, it likes a little water every day (which seemed like a lot to me) but I was waiting until top soil felt dry to water (hence 2-3 times a week). Apparently I need to feel farther down into the soil. And the spikes claim to work for 6-8 weeks but they may be over estimating? Thanks for the advice! I've never had a green thumb but I'm trying. So I'll try less watering and more plant food :)
Tom I have 6o ft rows and I am very happy with 8ft landscape timbers for end post (4x5) and t post every 10ft between. I plant heirlooms that grow from 6 to 8 ft tall. I have to have 4ft between plants as I train them to grow side to side, better for control of plants and easier to spray. we have trouble with all the leaf disease know to man and need room to spray leaves on both sidfes. I think we live in the same area, if I can help more feel free to call. GOOD LUCK Bill