16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

New code for free shipping fs347 !

Edited to add: OOPS! It is for $50 or more order!

This post was edited by wertach on Tue, Dec 16, 14 at 11:36

NYFS15

That's the code for free shipping from Burpee that is good today 12/30/14. No minimum order is listed, so it probably works for everything or anything from them.

PC

my only real hope for continuing to grow these giant tomatoes is to plant the next generation of seeds.

Well, that depends how many seeds you have. It also depends what your object is, in growing Big Zac.

Perhaps you intend to plant all the seeds at once, in a go-for-broke attempt to win NZ's giant tomato contest (if there is one).

Or perhaps you simply assume that all your seeds must be planted this year or they'll "expire." Some folks aren't aware that tomato seeds, if kept from high temperatures, can last a dozen years or more.

Then again, this is mid-summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so perhaps you've planted all your Big Zac seeds already....

Thanks. I only had one small pack. I did hold some back and that should get me another year at least. But I've heard so much about these that I was hoping to hold on to them. Guess I'll try planting some of the seeds next year and see what happens :-)

I don't know about the ground temperature issue. Actually heat comes up from the ground too. And it is warmer deeper in the ground than on/near the surface early in the season. Besides that, when planted vertically, deeper, the buried portion of the stem will grow root as well

see the picture

Seysonn

I'll try to play around with deep planting and trenching next summer - see how it goes...

Fireduck
Your soil mixture is almost identical to what I use in containers and I have high yields of tomatoes compared to most people I know. Something that I should have been doing from the beginning though is a good one to two inch layer of mulch to keep the moisture in and the top layer of soil from baking in the sun. I just use pine bark and it's made a huge difference.

W...you make an excellent point about mulch. My area is much cooler in the summer than you. However, I think the mulch would definitely be an advantage for me, as well. I have lots of wood chips from the local tree people. I might consider straw, however. It might be easier to remove if I want to re-work my soil at a later date.

Thank you Suncitylinda for your reply also. I don't worry about the growing in buckets, we will probably do that as well, just mostly concerned about the pesticides/fungicides, etc.

I've gotten through about 75% though "Epic Tomatoes" and find it very useful for the novice tomato grower. All aspects of tomato growing is covered in good detail and written in laymen's terms that any aspiring gardener would understand.

The layout of the books contents is done extremely well. CL provides charming stories with all of the tomato varieties he highlights and I found his guidance on creating your own varieties of particular interest.

The photos really brighten up the layout of the book (just in case you weren't totally jazzed about tomatoes in the first place) making your eyes open with wonder with every eye popping tomato variety or growing guidance photo CL provides.

I wish I read this book 5 years ago. Many of the mistakes I've made, could have been easily side stepped if I had this book to guide me.

Well done CL! I'm sure this book will make anyone not already addicted to tomato growing at the very least charmed by your experiences and instruction.

Love the information and the explanations....I have a little to share, and much to learn! I am trying to not have the maters control me...so I try to limit myself. I replace the duds quickly (the next year). I agree about the EG's. Mine grew well, made OK salsa, and tasted fair at best. I so love my Cherokee Purple's! I am moving slowly from containers to raised beds (containers did well, even with indeterminates). More learning needed....

Whenever there's a post about Red Robin I'm interested. I hope CaraRose comes back soon !

Some of us can not rotate. I rent community garden space and even if I move around a bit most of my plants are nightshades- eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes ...

I can grow "other stuff" at one end and tomatoes at the other. Other stuff was bush beans, pole beans, cukes, garlic, beets, and other nightshades.

I grew tomatoes at one end for at least 4 years, then planted them at the other end last year for a great fresh start, only to get Late Blight (or was it that grey mould?) I never saw anything that looked mouldy and it wasn't fast-moving, but had patches of black on the stems and some of the fruit looked decidedly Late Blight-ish.

What the heck should I do next planting season????

Linda

I never post here. I just read. I thought some viewpoints were missing in this thread. I have no opposition to drip irrigation, but I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the efficacy of wicking beds in general that are exemplified within this thread in particular.

It's always difficult to play the "which is better" game because it's usually a trade-off of benefits and considerations. So don't take this as an endorsement of one over the other, just some added perspective.

Wicking beds can be made to serve deep rooted plants and even trees:

http://www.waterright.com.au/Wicking_bed_under_construction.pdf
(Note the second photo explanation in this link).

Wicking beds are well suited to arid regions, but this does mean they are problematic in high water regions. All wicking bed designs should include a drain component to them. This can be done in a variety of ways including creating a natural run-off. In fact a high water region would have advantages as the new water would rotate wicking water automatically.

http://www.waterright.com.au/Weather and wicking beds.pdf

Since good wicking design also involves soil with good capillary action and thus proper drainage, it is not likely to prove a disadvantage in high water regions. If a person is having problems with growth due to too much water, they should take a critical examination of their drainage and soil compaction issues, not wicking bed concepts.

http://www.waterright.com.au/newletter march 2013.htm

In terms of water conservation, I don't know that one is over the other. While the value of wicking beds is known for arid regions, dripping is also of noteworthy for the same. Both are noted for advantages beyond water conservation.

If wicking beds boast one major advantage, it is that they are effective in maintaining a self regulating soil moisture conducive to healthy growth. This is done without repeated adjustments or replacement of components.

wicking disadvantages, include the risk the build up of anaerobic bacteria in the water and many first timers, often buying a retail or E-Bay product have experienced this without understanding why. It comes down to good aeration of the soil and the water, preferably the soil.

They also are noted for build of concentrations of calcium, salt and other minerals in the bed. This comes from areas with hard water and high evaporation (arid regions tend to have both). So While they can hold water for extended use, there are times when running water into them and flushing them is wise. I can't say how often, but I start for a once a month period. This is why such beds in high water areas are actually an advantage.

http://www.waterright.com.au/newletter 12 Jan 2014.htm

It also impacts the use of plant supplements that are often surface applied with water, which may also contribute to mineral buildup. So using a wicking bed with inorganic mulch (provided by some retailers) and a surface applied plant food isn't going to bring you joy.

However, there are solutions to these just as there are to drip irrigation problems. As I said at the start, it's not about one over the other, it's about trade-offs and understanding them.

It's also not just about understanding the delivery of water. It's about understanding the soil for that method. All of the alternate methods to traditional agriculture partner with views of soil, and nutrients. that need to be taken into account.

I am working with my first wicking bed implementation now. I am taking a different approach by using a continually moving water flow based on ideas in an aquaponics forum.

http://aquaponicsnation.com/forums/topic/8090-the-ultimate-growing-system/

I am hopeful the disadvantages will be overcome this way. However, I am also going to experiment with a rudimentary drip system in the sub-surface that utilizes wicking bed concepts.

That's more than two cents worth and should satisfy my need to post for a couple of years at least.

This post was edited by tripster2001 on Thu, Dec 25, 14 at 3:06

Thanks! Great info!

I don't know anything about PR, but I have seeds ordered for Azoychka and Willamette (both mentioned above) .

Seysonn

EDIT:
@ PC : N-C WA has a totally different climate than we have in N-W WA. They have shorter season, colder winters and hot summers. But here in PNW our temperatures are tamed, We have long frost free season but cooler temperature. 90F is rare around here.

This post was edited by seysonn on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 7:15

Grew PR 2 years ago from seeds I bought in Italy. It was average in growth, yield, and taste, With no outstanding special qualities, I have not grown it since then.

Get your self some 4' shop lights, T8, and put 32W 6500k bulbs in them. Home Despot carries the bulbs for as low as 3.33/ea if you buy a box of 10. Valdemart, Home Despot, and Menards all carry cheap shop lights that will do the job. You want a T8 fixture that will hold 2 32W bulbs, as narrow as possible so you can fit as many as possible on each shelf. Make sure they are T8 fixtures and not T12 - the cheapest fixtures are generally T12.

Get some wire shelves that are 4' long and 18" to 24" wide - it is super easy to hang fixtures from those wire shelves by the chains that (usually) come with the fixtures.

Unless you don't mind wiring in a power cord, make sure the fixtures you buy come with a pre-wired power cord and plug.

You will not believe the difference it will make to your seedlings. Even one dual-bulb T8 fixture will help - 2 of them per shelf (for a total of 4 32W bulbs between them) will solve all your seed-starting woes.

Check out megagreenhouse.com for plant trays that will fit on your shelves - to catch any drips or spills. Also planting flats and pots.

Set up an oscillating fan in front of your grow shelves - to protect from overheating due to the heat from the lights, to keep the air moving so fungus doesn't get a start, and to strengthen the stems of your seedlings.

Get varieties acclimated to your super hot climate. Look for heat resistant varieties and varieties with a short maturation. Cherry tomatoes and paste types allegedly do well in your climate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Tomatoes in Arizona

As noted in a recent posting, just plant them SIDEWAYS. Yep, just lay them down in a trench and cover the stems with decent soil. Leave the leaf end above the soil where you want the plant to be. For the plants growing an inch apart in the same pot, just transplant the whole pot in the middle of the bed, extend the trenches in different directions, and lay each plant along a different trench. If the stems aren't so old that they refuse to root, that'll guarantee survival and probably even production. No cutting.