Silly I know but proud

I finally have the start of a tomato! The DH is rolling in the floor laughing at me because I'm so excited about this tomato. He doesn't understand this is the FIRST thing I've ever grown (the houseplants don't count cause I don't grow them I KILL them) DH grew up on a farm so is use to having veggie gardens etc but for me this is a first, and I'm so proud of my little tomato that I wish I didn't have to eat it...but I will anyway *G*

So here is a picture of the newest semi-temp member of the Sepulveda family. Excuse the B&W I just discovered my digital camera had buttons so now I must play with them all.

Saint

Congradulations on your first tomato! May it be the first of many. Now jump up and down three times, spin around twice, and throw your cowgirl hat in the air while letting out one of those good ol' Texas yells. Be proud! Ed

LOL thanks but I'm not a Texan I just live here...how do a cowgirl give a yell?

congratulations on your first tomato. its a great feeling, isn't it?? did you start the tomato from seed or did you buy the plant. if you bought a plant you have to try planting seeds and watching them grow.

Just like a cowboy, just a little higher pitch!

This plant is one of my better bush that I bought, but I have 6 uglies and 3 black pear I started from seeds that are growing like crazy. No blooms yet but I think by next month I should start seeing some.

Hey Saint,
I was just jumping up and down yesterday b/c I saw my first bloom on one of my Delicious mater plants. Tplant says I should go ahead and pinch off the first bloom and then let the rest go. My plants are only about 7" tall so I'm surprised to be getting a bloom already! My DH thinks I'm insane b/c I'm so excited abou the bloom. Haha.

I did yell like a cowgirl Ed!

I grew mine from seed and this is my first experience with growing tomatoes. I just planted carrot seeds and radish seeds today in the new tilled area that I just tilled this morning.

Yeeehaw! Michelle

I pinched off my first too, it about killed me *LOL* Our radishes didn't do well, I think next batch I'll get some ash and make some "tea" then mix it in the soil. *G* Our 21 day radishes so far are hitting the 40 day mark. I wish I could have a normal garden but I haven't the space so I guess it's either containers or nothing.

I got an early start. Would you believe January. I spent a lot of time moving plants in and out of the house. It wasn't worth it but I didn't know any better at the time. Now I have some pretty hugh plants loaded with maters. Grapes, Husky Cherry Reds and some patio indeterminates are the only ones that had anything ripe on them so far. Beefmasters, Mr. Stripeys, Better Boys, Fresh Market, and a couple of Bush Goliaths all have pretty good sized fruit on them so I should be seeing some red any day now. Ther Beefmasters have some hugh maters on them.

I just built a germination rack so I'll get to start from seed next season. Right now I'm just going to do some flowers.

Keep those blooms happy! Ed

That's pretty much what I have in mind for next year so I can have tons of tomatoe about this time. Just seems since the weather is nice and warm I should be eating fresh tomato. Course it also feels like I should be in a beach chair by the blue waters of the tropics with Antonio Bandares as a cabana boy but...I think I have a better shot at the tomatoes. *wink*

double wink! ooola-la!!! Congrats Saint! What a blessing to see your own food grow, isn't it? Tell DH to knock it off, he is a wise cracker I bet :-)

I have been getting blooms this week. Been doing the snoopy dance.......wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Well I fed a little this week and I've been watching the tomatoes like a hawk since I've seen some tracks of maybe a slug or something (you know the metallic trail type tracks) I use an organic spray for bugs and I look at the little leaves daily but so far they are doing ok. Now my problem is I've been told that when it starts to produce that to MUCH sun is bad. I don't know if I should move them to a shady part of the yard or what. *sigh* this is like having kids *G*

Saint

Hey Saint, what is this deal about tea in the soil for radishes? I'm late in planting the radish and carrot seed. Had to get permission from the DH to till more of the backyard. We are small on space too. Besides, my DH likes a straight shot when he mowes...doesn't like to mow around things. haha. He is such an engineer. Likes to edge things too...I have to move my caladiums or he'll edge them down! ;) It wil kill me to pinch off the first round of blooms too. ugh. How tall are your mater plants currently?

Tamara, you've been getting blooms too? cool. I saw it was in the 80's up there? nice after having that weird May snow, hu?

Ed, I saw this terrific thing at Sam's on Monday. my DH will never go for this...but it is a big fiberglass (I think) green house thingie. It had racks along one side where it was all clear fiberglass and then area on the other side for storing gardening tools and whatnot. It ONLY cost $1,889! LOL! Boy, would I love that thing. It was really cool.

Michelle

Michelle my Better Bush is about 1 1/2 ft tall with my Celeb Bush only being about a foot. My uglies are running 8-10" and the black pear bringing in the rear with about 7-8" It's amazing how the seedlings are growning now by the time they start to flower I'd expect them to double in size. You can notice the amount of growth day to day and I'm having a blast watching them. I've taken a few pic's for you to see. As you'll notice I'm no Trois with the camera.

Saint

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Hey Saint,
those are some pretty nice plants you got there!! Do you think I should feed my maters today? They've been in the ground for 3 weeks and I have only given them a very small bit of weak food about 2 weeks ago. It is gonna kill me to pinch off those blossoms. Do I do it now while they are still in bud form, or wait until they actually open into a flower? Thanks for sharing your pictures. Michelle

Mine were in flower form. So not sure about that...might better ask one of the "old" guys. I remember reading someplace not to feed until 2 weeks after you've planted (Is this right guys?) I also feed on the weak side since I don't want to over feed, I only have one plant that the DH says needs nitro so I gave everything a mircle grow watering after I watered yesterday. I can't wait till I make a earthbox I think it will take so much of this guess work out of it. I counted while I was out taking pictures and the better bush has like 16 little flowers or buds on it. I've let the "killer" out to protect them (she's on patrol in the pictures) but with my luck I'll have a tomato eating puppy.

Saint, your killer poodly-boots is cute. That is what a friend of mine calls all dogs: poodly-boots. funny.
I fed them just a bit ago...the maters. I think they were in need. we will see. what happens to them if you over feed them?

well one you can burn them and two I've heard they won't produce if over fertilized.

LOL...I call mine pissy poo. Her name is Zapita so don't ask me where I came up with it.

Hey People --- Don't cut off any buds if they developed after you planted them into your garden !!!! Take the buds off only if they had buds or flowers before transplant.
araness --- What are those orange boxes with the tomato plants in them ? Are they the "Gardeners" boxes that are self-watering ?

No Tplant they are Dollar General specials *G* Cost me 4 dollars and have great drainage. I started all of this on the fly so I didn't want to spend tons of money. (Lets NOT tell the DH how much we have in potting soil it's our little secret)

I've done a terrible terrible thing...I bought another plant. It's a bush goliath, here is the bad part it has a tomato on it *ducks before Tplant whaps me* I couldn't help it. Home Depot had it on sale for 1.50! Should I take the buds and tomatoes off? *WAILS*

Ah..thanks for the clarification Tplant. Yes, my maters have been in the ground for almost a month. So I will not pinch them off. I thought they had to be more mature at about 12" before I let buds stay on. I have plants ranging from 8" to 10" so I thought they were still too young to keep their buds. I do hope you are feeling better and gaining strength and are 100% soon.

Saint, hahaha. No self control hu? Well, I tell ya...who could resist $1.50?? I am out of room or else I'd be right there with ya.

lol...I had one pot left from a raspberry that didn't make it. Soo I had to buy another plant...right? *G* 11 plants two people + a dog...sounds about right to me. *LOL* DH told me he was going to make me sit on the side of the road and sell them...you have to know me to understand that is SOOOO not going to happen! He buys me an A/C RV with DSL hook up and a bathroom and couch for napping to sell them in and we've got a deal.

araness --- Why don't you leave the plant as is and see what happens ? This way you can consider it an experiment and won't have to de-flower(LOL) your Goliath. ( You weren't going to do it anyway !) LOL

lol..smarty pants if you told me to I would have. I de-flowered the last one on your orders even if I had to close my eyes to do it. BTW how long should I keep this dust on my plants? I posted the specs for the stuff I bought over on the Help! thread.

I mentioned this on a prior thread. Gently shake off any excess. I only had to apply once. Keep a close watch on your plants and I doubt if you'll have to re-apply.

Tplant your a Mater Master! Anything you need from TX you just let me know and it's in the mail!

Saint

Hi Saint, my sister and I were just over at Red Barn and they had all their maters 1/2 off (so $1.50). And there was a nice looking golden boy that was begging for me to buy him. Alas I resisted...my DH thinks that the plants we have is good enough and we don't have any room left anyway. But I told my sister about you and how I was having self control problem with the golden boy. ;)

What is this "dust" you and Tplant are talking about? Michelle

newatplants and araness. I happen to live about half way between the two of you. I am also a first time gardener. I have been reading several books and have read several posts. I am pretty familiar with the two of you and tplant after reading all of the posts. I will take some pictures this weekend and post them early next week. I am growing Better Boy, Better Bush, Bush Goliath, Lemon Boy, Celebrity, Husky Red Cherry and Cherokee Purple. I also have two other bush type tomatoes that I have not identified yet. They did not have labels on them at the nursery. I know they are bush type. I am trying go mostly organic. I am not using organic fertilizer (Osmocote). I just released 3000 lacewings into my garden. I have 20000 trichogramma wasps on the way. They are divided into shipments of 4000 every other week. My neighbor and I are splitting the bugs. I do know that aphids don't like basil. My lady bugs have been chomping away on aphids coming out of the grass. I have everything interplanted and in raised beds. I am also using some marigolds in the garden. I have read several books on companion and raised bed gardening. They are very helpful.

I forgot one - I am growing Patio Hybrid also.

Hey Foolcontrol! My sister and Bro in law used to live in Cypress..near Houston right? Now they live up here in Austin..technically Cedar Park. Wow...you've got some nice maters going. I am so lame...since it is my first time...I only got one 10cent packet of mater seeds (Delicious) from Big Lots and went with that. Next year, I will get different seeds and do a variety. What is a lacewing? Wasps? eeegad. That is a great way to garden though. We have tons of lady bugs and they are getting fat on the aphids...thank goodness. Now if I can keep the Crackle birds from eating the lady bugs...we'll all be happy.

BTW...do you have any Barn Swallows? I have two that insist on building their mud nest on the back porch's security lights. What is up with that? What kind of home is that? Don't they know that when that light comes on it is going to heat up their little nest and kill their eggs? I've knocked the nest down 3x and they keep coming back. They are gorgeous little birds...but they dive bomb me and get pretty upset when my DH and I walk out the back door. Not sure what to do about these guys. Maybe leave the light on so they can feel the heat and maybe go somewhere else?

Here is a link to what the barn swallows look like: http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesSH.asp?curGroupID=1&shapeID=970&curPageNum=5&recnum=BD0251

This message was edited May 13, 2005 4:50 PM

LOL ok everything Foolcontrol said went way over my head. Although I did catch he's got lots of plants and a heck of a lot closer than Charlie *evil grin and pokes Newie* I feel a road trip comin on if my maters don't take.

Saint, I checked today and several of my buds are opening up into little yellow flowers on my mater plants. woohoo! this is exciting. can't wait to see some fruit! If it goes awry, you and I can meet up at either Charlies or Foolcontrol's and eat theirs. hehe. wink wink nudge nudge. Oh, and I noticed I have some darn vermin munching on my mater plants. I found a bright green worm/caterpiller on one plant and then I saw the leaves that look like yours with those leafminers. ugh. Michelle

If you find the leafminers hurry and pinch off the leaf. I know I'm seeing the little buds on my plants I started from seeds getting bigger and about to start showing flowers, I still think they are to small but Tplant says to leave em alone.

I'm watching you !!!!!

LOL....I'm doing everything you say Tplant :P~ So far the Goliath I bought seems to be doing pretty well, hasn't had any break downs and I haven't caught it mumbling to itself and chain smoking in the back of the yard so maybe the stress level is ok and I can leave those maters on. *wink*

Hi Saint, yep...i saw what carolyn & tplant said regarding the leafminers so I pinched those leaves off. I had no clue what that was and didn't worry about it until I saw your picture and posting. Great pictures by the way! I have our camera out today and will take some pics for y'all. I want no one laughing at my garden...it is definitely small and a beginner garden! If I hear laughing out of you peeps in Florida or South Texas...I'll hunt you down!

Does anyone else use old panty hose for tying the mater plant to the stakes? My sister does that. She uses old panty hose and puts in in a figure 8 around the plant and the stake. Hmmm. is she insane? ;)

Doesn't sound insane and has to be easier on the stalks than this twisty tie stuff I bought...Humm do I even HAVE any old (or new for that matter) hose? You won't hear any laughin from me, heck I have a tomato planted in a trash can here so nothing to poke run at. (It was only .99 at Big Lots so I said what the heck!) I can't believe how much the plants are growing and I so can't wait to have fresh tomato, beans and cucumbers. Next year with my EB's watch out I'm going to go nuts.

Saint