Growing Tomatoes

This should be a good thread. OK folks what is the best way to grow tomatoes? I know some people will only grow organic but does everybody think this way? I myself have tried organic for the past three years and I have to say I had just as much luck with triple 13. Organic gardeners say tomatoes taste better. What do you think? Thank You

Organic! I grow everything that way. When planting tomatoes I dig a hole about a foot across and a foot deep, add compost and old manure, add about half the soil, mix well. Then I take leaves and stems off the plant until there is just about 4 or 5 inches of the top left, lay it down in the hole and cover all that bare stem, leaving just the top with the leaves exposed. Water, and in a few days the top will be standing upright. I always put a stake in before I plant so I know how far the roots go. Then I put stakes around the plant,(remember where the stem is!) add a wire cage, and wire the cage to the stakes (strong wind here) wrap some clear plastic around it, add a few milk jugs full of water to help the plant stay warm at night, and stand back! After the soil is really warm I add mulch. One year I mulched soon after planting, growth was real slow. Never did that again.

Vernon,

I don't think there is a "best" way. There is the way that works best for you.

I usually repot tomatoes twice before planting. That is, I start the seeds, three to a cell, and thin to leave the strongest one. When the first true leaves show, it gets repotted into a larger cell. Then, later, into a larger individual pot (I'm going to be trying the newspaper pots this year). All of this, I feel, produces a stronger seedling.

After hardening off, the plants go in the ground. I dig a fairly deep hole. Into it goes the contents of a book of matches and a tablespoon of empsom salts. This is covered with a handfull of soil/compost mix, and the seedling set in place. I like to bury the seedoings well up on the stem, often trimming the lower leaves away to accomplish this. Doing so promotes good root growth.

Like I say, this might not be the best way. But it's the way that works for me.

Whoops! Left out part.

The hole gets well watered before setting the plant. And well watered again after the plant is in place.

Final stage is to sprinkle a handful of powdered mild around the plant, and set the wire tower in place.

If you're using towers or cages you can get away with some delay putting them in place. If you stake, it should be done the same time as you transplant. Otherwise there is danger of damaging the roots.

I start all my tomatoes from seed and of course grow them organically. I think the key to great taste is variety and the fact homegrown tomatoes can fully ripen on the vine.

Brook, In your second post you mentioned -powdered mild- what is this?

He meant to say "powdered milk". Typo.

Dave

Thanks for fixing the typo, Dave.

I was in a rush, heading to New York for a wedding, and didn't proofread the post.

Nice wedding, ugly city.

I live in northern michigan and I am starting my tomatoes this week. I start the in-determinate kind. Important, I keep them from getting bushy. As the tomato gets taller and taller I replant them deeper and deeper but NOT in a wider pot. After they are a foot or more I plant the entire plant in a piece of PVC pipe (the pipe must be cut into length wise and hel back together with tie wraps) filling it full of dirt and leaving only the top pair of leaves out. Oh and cutting off all the rest. You can also wait till the plant is tall and just plant it deeper in the PVC. My goal is to have a total tomato length of 3 feet by the time I plant it out in my garden.
When planting it out I dig a trench about 12 inches deep and more than the length of the entire plant. Before placing the tomato in the trench I trim off all but the top set or two of leafs then bury it. DO NOT have the trench go into your path as that will pack it down. The idea of all of this is to provide the tomato with a HUGE root system (you won't be able to pull it up come october). The reason you plant it in a trench and not a hole is so that the tomato can get water and nutrients from a 3ft x however wide the roots grow area as opposed to a tomato stuck straight in the ground only being able to get water and nutrients from a small circle directly around the stem. I know it might sound and look crazy but it works!

My last frost date is may 28 and the first frost date is sept 20 (this year we had 3 frosts in august). The tomato plants I do that with get bushy and 10-12 feet tall every year! My goal this year is to get a 20 foot tomato plant really wish'n for a 30 footer! I want a picture of me in my local newspaper standing on the top of my ladder picking tomatoes! I have seen 20-30 foot plants in the south but I have never seen even an 6 foot plant in northern michigan.
The tomatoes I use are just regular burpee super sweet 100 hybrid I buy at walmart, nothing fancy at all. BTW everybody loves the taste of them. I don't like to eat tomatoes so I can speak for myself.
I grow anywhere from 40 to 120 tomatoes plants in at least 5 different varieties and the super sweet 100's are everbodies favorite. I only grow about 6 of the super big plants a year due to a lack of space.
I don't do anything special at all just some 12-12-12, Miracle Grow and water.

I have a question for seasoned tomato growers out there. This is my first year growing tomato plants from seed, inside my house. When my seedling developed true leaves I transplanted them into 16oz plastic drink cups about 10 days ago. The cups have four drainage holes. I used Miracle-Gro potting mix and watered them with plain water. Now the leaves are turning a light greenish yellow in the center. Some of the leaves are looking a little spotty with this yellow. I have some about 2 - 3 inches from fluorescent shop light with cool bulbs, and some about 12 inches from incandescent durotest grow light bulbs. Both sets of plants are having the same trouble! CAN ANYONE HELP!

Jan,
How much are you watering them? Is the soil wet, damp, moist or dry? Are you watering/spraying the leafs? It sounds like you are overwatering them. I would move the light further away from them also. How long are you leaving the lights on them?
I also would have waited to transplant them until they had 2 or more pairs of true leafs. If all you are starting is a few I would have just place 3-4 seeds in each cup. After a while I would select the strongest in each cup and cut (NOT pull) the others. I would then leave them alone in the cups til spring.
To be honest with you if unless you are trying to get huge plants like I described in the posting above you or are wanting tomatoes plants that they don't sell around you I would just buy the plants when you are ready to plant them. I use to start 3-4 flats of them every spring for years. But I came to realize that it was easier to just buy the plants when I was ready for them. I now spend all of energy raising trees, shrubs and perennials. In the last 2 weeks I have started over 30 trays and I will be starting another 10-15 in the next 10 days. And about april/may I will be starting probably over 30 more. Of all of those trays I have only planted 12 tomato plants. By the end of feb. I will be keeping only the best 6 plants to grow on for the super tall plants I talked about above.
If you need for help send me an e-mail.
Sari

Jan,

I'd agree with Sari that it sounds like you are overwatering the seedlings. The soil should be just damp, and you should not water again until the surface dries out somewhat.

I've found that after the first repotting it's a good idea to bottom water only.

I would not move the lights any further away, however. If they are too far from the seedlings, the plants tend to get leggy as they try and reach the light.

This is my first attempt to grow tomatoes.
Brook & Sari-
Why do you plant the plants so deep, covering up most of the stem?
Thanks,
Tim

Tim,

That's simply to help the plant develop a strong, massive root system.

Anytime the stem is covered, new roots develop there. The better the root structure, the easier it is for the plant to obtain nutrients from the soil. Plus a strong root network helps anchor and stabilize the plant.

If you follow Sari's approach, that is, to have a really big plant before transplanting it, be advised that you are likely to have blossoms set before you transplant. It's a good idea, when that happens, to remove those flowers so that plant energy goes into establishing the root system in the ground.

Understand, too, that Sari's approach produces large, strong plants. The only reason you don't hear much about it is because most home gardeners do not have the room for starting plants that way, so the literature ignores it. But if you have the room and time, it's really a great way to grow strong, healthy plants.

Another aspect, if you're looking for the best possible plants, is to learn about pruning. There are several approaches to this, and it's controversial among tomato growers. But you should look into it, then decide for yourself whether or not it makes sense for you.

Tim,
I Ditto everything Brook says.
However, I don't get blossoms as I keep them pruned to only the main stem and leafs (I kinda keep it looking like a palm tree).
IF you do decide to buy tomato plants at the store buy tall spindly ones and you can still do what I do with my huge plants.
BTW NEVER buy plants that have little tomatoes on them. And ALWAYS pinch off all of the blossoms before planting. The plants need time to establish theselves before blooming and setting fruit. Same goes for ALL veggie plants. Not doing so cause the plant to be stunted.

Thanks Brook-Sari!

When I transplanted them from 4" pots to the ground last week, I only covered up to the the old soil level. I treated them like any annuals, keep soil level below the crown to prevent crown rots.

Since they were transplanted only last week, is it safe for me to dig them up and plant deeper this weekend?

Tim

Safe? Other than the possibility of additional transplant shock, probably so. But unnecessary.

You can mound soil up on the stem, and create the same effect as if you had planted them that deeply. And you won't chance transplant shock.

Or just leave them be. Many people transplant just the way you did, and are happy with the results.

Sari & Brook
I think you're both right about overwatering. I have the tomatoes crowed onto three trays without much air movement. I think I will take your advice, Brook, and only bottom water until I get these outside in the next few weeks. Sari, I admit I spent way too much energy on these tomatoes. But I did want to try several heat tolerant heirlooms varieties that they don't sell around here. But next year I may plant again, but not nearly so many. Thank you both for your advice.