16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

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!

Thanks a lot Linda, I am taking notes to try and remember to do next yr.
Tammy

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

Early girl is a nationwide favorite for many reasons, it seems. This summer she was the -only- tomato that produced for me before the first week of November....

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)

I would be interested in your better bush, You need to set up
your e-mail.

"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 :)

I'm with you on the Juliet's hellbound. I grew them in full Arizona sun in Mesa and they never stopped producing. I've grown Yellow Pear and did not care for the flavor. I have done a lot of study this season and found a lot of people that agree with you who have grown in our kind of heat. Most of the Heat Set, Heat Tolerant varieties do not work. However cherry tomatoes do so I have been looking for large cherry tomatoes. In the process I found some 4-6oz varieties that some people have reported good success in states like Florida, Texas and a few other states that have a few hot months. These strains also have a good reputation for producing good looking marketable tomatoes. With any luck one or two of them will work out.

vgary, just wanted to say thanks again. I have also added Tropic from your list.

I also purchased Jaune Flamme AKA Flamme. I think I'm done for now.

My grow list for 2012

Tried and true...
Juliet
Sungold

Going to trial...
Sweet Million
Eva Purple Ball
Federle
Thessaloniki
Porter's Pride
Super Sioux
Jaune Flamme
Tropic

I really only have room for six varieties in the ground so I may not get to all of them this season.

One of the top varieties in the tests was Phoenix.
Phoenix is a medium-maturing variety that produces good yields of large and extra-large fruit. The fruit is firm, has less cracks and has a good-to-fair taste--depending on age of individual tasting and number of taste buds remaining. The plants are medium to large in size (depending on fertility) and have good to very good foliage.

Phoenix is an early mid-season hybrid hot-set tomato resistant to ASC, F-1, F-2, GLS and V-1. The determinate plant is vigorous with good leaf cover for fruit protection. The high quality, firm, globe-shaped fruit are uniformly-colored with jointed pedicles (the stem which attaches the fruit to the plant) and size from large to extra-large.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO GROW AN EARLY CROP AND A FALL CROP OF THIS VARIETY.

Phoenix tomato OVER-VIEW

Disease resistance: Phoenix is resistant to ASC, F-1, F-2, GLS, and V-1. (ASC= Alternaria Stem Canker; GLS= Gray Leaf Spot, Stemphylium; F-1 and F-2, fusarium 1 and 2; and V-1, Verticillium Wilt-1.
Fruit shape: Globe
Fruit size: Large to extra-large
Plant type: Compact determinate
Relative maturity: Midseason

What about starting seeds in a large pot as you are doing, but only filling the pot 2/3 of the way up at first. Then, as the seedling grows, add more soil to the pot to bury the stems. Seems like this would accomplish the same thing (eg strong root system) without stressing the seedling by digging and replanting.

It sounds like from what others have said that this may work if the tap root becomes damaged when it hits the bottom of the container, which should stimulate a fibrous root system to begin to develop at that time if they are correct.

Tom,
That is great that you've never had damping off, unfortunately many people do, or we would not know what damping off is.
I've never had a problem with it myself inside, and I've grown them for 20 years. Of course this past spring with being so incredible wet and cool here, as I said before, caused me to lose some potted up seedlings outside. So I know that even with knowing what you are doing, it is possible to have failure due to small root systems and damp soil that can not dry out quick enough.
Remy

In your opinion, can I just pick the tomatoes themselves, or should I bring the whole plant inside (buckets and all).

If they are totally green and no color break, then you have to bring the whole plant inside, buckets and all. If they have reached the color break stage, you can pick the tomatoes and let them ripen inside.

I think I have read here that some people wrap totally green tomatoes in newspapers and keep in boxes and they say they ripen, but if so, they are ripening from the ethylene gas they are exposed to being kept together. I doubt tomatoes ripened like that taste much better than a grocery store tomato.

But if you can't bring the whole plant inside, then that is what you will have to do.

Not sure, but I would think that a green tomato you had to bring in, that you grew yourself, would have to taste better than a grocery store. Reason being that you know the history of it, and that has a comforting effect. It truly is all subjective.

Long live Bill Hicks

Take care,
Travis

The spinach is yours Rane_grow. Thanks for the quick response.

Today I received seeds from "Highaltatransplant".