Spring Tomato Garden 2006 - 2

The Spring Tomato Garden 2006 part 1 was getting too long. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/578652/
Part 2 is the continuation of that subject.

Let's see your maters!!

Michelleb

Take a look at Earthbox Tomato Growers and you will see what I picked this morning.

I saw them Tplant...wow!! I made the best salsa from my Delicious last summer. Everyone raved about how good it was. Funny, no one would think to use that type mater for salsa...but I had plenty of them and thought, why not? None of mine got as big as they were suppose to b/c the poor plants struggled in our very hot summer.

Here is a picture of my very leggy Sweet 100. My sunroom is a disaster area. DH can't wait for me to plant these babies so he can have his sunroom back.

When this thread first started , I couldnt make up my mind what I wanted to grow except I knew I was growing Big Beef.
Some how I ended up with a list.
For My self I am growing:
Big Beef
Better Bush
Burpee Delicious
Early Girl
Rutgers
Hawaiian Pineapple
Pineapple
Sweet Million Cherry
Brandywine
Big Boy
Lemon Boy
Better Boy

Growing 1 of Each for myself except the Big Beef. I grow that one for the produce stands. last count was 504 plants of big beef for spring crop.

I have most of those tomatoes started already except the pineapples and burpee. Pineapples are germinating and sowing burpee monday.

They all will be container grown.
Don't know where at or what container yet. TPlant says his did bad in the 7 gallon flower pots that you can buy at walmart for $5. Now I am twidling my thumbs.
ahhhhhh geeeee TP. I have 12 tomato varieties and 12 pots. I just got to use them for the tomato varieties. All the same color pots. Would look nice and neat.
I am arguing with myself here.

Cricket

Cricket
I'm planting in pots, also. Please let me know what you decide. I have some 5 gal buckets from HD as I've been told they do nicely. Also have some self watering pots from WM which I'm going to try since I couldn't afford EB's. Figure they'll be similar to EB's since I'll be watering from the bottom. Have you grown from containers before? Any suggestions you have are appreciated. Am planting out next week-end, hopefully. Will be watching our weather. :)
... Elaine

Yes I grow my produce tomatoes in 5 gallon grow bags.
They do wonderful.
Posting a picture of tomatoes in 5 gallon grow bags.
So surely they will grow good in 5 gallon buckets.
Just make sure you put plenty of drain holes in them.
ONe year I only stabbed the bottom of the buckets to let water drain. The stabbing wasnt enough. They rotted.ekkk.
I have never grown a tomato plant in the large flower pots that have watering trays. It will be a new experience. My brain just keeps saying if the 5 gallon grow bags grew so great then why not use the flower pots.
Its gonna be a fun year for sure.

Cricket

Big Beef in 5gallon grow bags. these grow bags are shaped like a five gallon bucket with lots of drain holes.

ooooooch! you'se guys & gals are still really killin' me

These are the same plants at 21 weeks old. from sow date.
They were trimed to one stem per plant. Thats why they grew so fast.
This year will try 2 stems per plant.

Where did you get those? Oh, do you stake them as usual?

cricket....... They LOOK GREAT in the 5 gallon grow bags!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LD

Tplant..... GOOD to see you posting!!! What a BEAUTIFUL tomato!!!!!!!!!
LD

I use twine and tie them to the top of the greenhouse perlins.---did. past tense.
If you dont have a large frame like my greenhouse then you can build a clothes line. Clothes Line Method. Just run the heavy duty clothes line wire like you were gonna use it for clothes to dry. Put your tomatoes under the lines. Use twine to tie up your tomatoes to the clothes line. IF they grow too tall then cut the twine and add more twine to it then lower the vines down and re tie to clothes line. This is the method I will be using this year cause i also ordered Tomahooks. They are pretwined rolls of twine that easliy let you lower the vines without having to untie or add to the clothes line. Tomahooks at http://www.hydro-gardens.com

I bought the grow bags from http://www.hydro-gardens.com
But they only sell by the bulk of 500. Costing me after shipping $130
But gee you will spend that much on 23 large flower pots.
I like flower pots for the home area and grow bags for the greenhouse area.

Cricket


This message was edited Mar 22, 2006 6:27 PM

Thanks for the info!

Elaine,
is it raining out your way? I hear the rain (wonderful to have rain!) that came to us last night is headed your way. Along with cooler temps. I can't believe it is only 40 right now and will be 35 tonight. I may have to bring in some plants if it is going to freeze. Freeze in late March? hmmm. odd. Especially since we were in high 80's low 90's for last part of Feb and beginning of March.

I'm planning on tilling the garden this Satuday as it is suppose to be high 60's and sunny. My babies need to be planted soon!

Thanks for the good pictures Cricket.

Michelleb

Yes yes we have rain and it feels so cold here today. It's 54. I want my sunshine back and those nice warm 80 degree temps please!
... Elaine

I've used these "wash tub" containers for several years with very good luck. The cost is about $8 each. I use them to get an early start for my tomatoes. This is an Early Girl that was set outside on April 10th here in KY. As you can see, I wrap them in poly for protection, then if a frost is predicted, I just set a gallon jug of hot water inside the poly for the night. They also can be covered if needed but I've never had to.

Here's a better picture of the plant taken on May 11th, one month after they were set out.

Here is the same plant on June 7th, not quite 2 months from setting out.

These were raised organically, with a potting mixture of 1 part each, composted manure, peat moss, and garden soil. They got a feeding of compost tea about every two weeks.

This is a bad picture of my Early Girl Bush...........it is hard to get a picture of the plant because it's in a "tunnel"...............I am glad I used the tunnels because we may get a freeze tonight.........I will fill jugs of water, and turn on a flood light inside the tunnel, and I hope i am O.K.................Crickett....What is a "grow bag"??........and it looks like you have a big tunnel w/ sides that roll up...........I am impressed can you explane??

Michelle I know you said maters 06............but I have to show you all a mater I grew last year.............I think you all will get a kick of of this "unusual mater"............As you can tell I don't have a green thumb.............I have a red thumb........

This message was edited Mar 23, 2006 11:54 AM

Well this year as soon as I get the back garden rebuilt, I'll be growing (or at least trying to :-) ) the following:

Black from Tula
Black Krim
First Lady II
Fourth of July
Gold Medal
Green Zebra
Jaune Flammee
Seattle's Best Of All
Siberia
Stupice

This year will be my first trying a few heirlooms since I normally grow whatever I find for sale in the local greenhouses.

Yes i have hoop houses/ tunnel houses.
They are 8 feet tall in the center.
I buy them from http://www.atlasgreenhouse.com
Yes it had side curtains that i let up in early spring.
When it got truely too hot i just took the plastic off the top too. We had to move in Feb and take down the houses. This time I put the side curtains 6 feet up the side of greenhouse hoping that i dont have to take the poly off the top. Doing it like that leaves just enough poly across the top to keep the rain and hell storms from beating up the plants and controlls my watering. I just hope it works better this way. Hoping it doesnt get too hot.
In addition I will be making a Clothes line method trellis for a second crop of tomatoes Out side in the open weather and hope they dont get disease.ekkkk. The third crop of tomatoes will go in another hoop house to be protected during the fall cool temps.

Grow bags . They are uvr protected material. They last longer than regular plastic. They have holes for drainage. They look like mini trash bags. Heavy duty. You can reuse them several times. These are the size of 5 gallon buckets. Will try and post better pics


Big REd---nice healthy sturdy plants--and like that tub too.
Horn---i am the one impressed and jealous over your tomato plant there. 6 more weeks and you should have a ripe mater . :P

Dont yall just hate these late cold fronts. Messes all the gardening plans up. We are expecting the lows to be at 30 for the next 4 days. That sure puts a damper on my gardening plans.

Cricket

this is the bag folded before use

This is a Tomahook

You untwine the left side when you first tie up the tomato vine. You see the hook at the top is the part that hooks over the Main line running hortizonally. (clothes line). As the vine grows too tall you untwine the right side lowering the vine and moving your tomahook down the clothes some a little.
hope that made since.
You can order tomahooks pretwined or no twine and twine it yourself.

These are 8 out of the 12 varieties that I am growin in the tomato garden.

Left to Right
Brandywine, Better Boy, Big Boy, Early Girl
Celebrity, Lemon Boy, Sweet Million, Better Bush

4 weeks and 5 days old ( from sow date)


This message was edited Mar 23, 2006 12:36 PM

Thanks Cricket........ya' made my day..............Has anyone grown Early Girl Bush..............if so what can I expect??.........I grew Early Girl last year, and I was very impressed................

Cricket - Looked at their tomato seeds they carry. All I got to say is WOW! My guess is you don't grow ANY of them!!!

In the first section: all but one are >$5 for only 10 seeds! Other one is $2.98 for 10 seeds.

Second section lists tomato seeds, at: 30¢ to $2.21 per seed!!! They must be lunatics!!!

~ Suzi :)

A room for tomatoes perhaps? with sweet peas and a rangoon creeper......What to plant in from of them? decisions, decisions......
(1 black prince, 3 jubilee, 1 azoychka, 1 green zebra)
Debbie

A close up of green zebra and jubilees...

Suzi----no i dont buy their tomato seeds or any other seeds. I did try the Trust tomatoes one time. They were ok. I was not impressed. I like the Big Beef better. I even grew some big beef in the greenhouse while i grew the Trust tomatoes and still the big beef was prettier green, better looking tomatoes, and still better flavor.
1000 big beef seed is $20 estimated---compared to Trust $350 for 1000 seed. ekkkkkkkk.
Their seeds are hydroponic seeds. Hybrids for growing in greenhouse conditions. I grow regular tomato plants just fine in the greenhouse.
But i like the hydroponic supplies.

Debbie----Nice plants there --bet they smell so good.

Cricket

Cricket--thanks! Yes they do smell very "tomatoey". Debbie

You all have been posting a lot since I was out running around all day yesterday.

Horn...I think a red thumb is even better than a green one. haha. Love the pics. My parents grew Early Girl...not bush I don't think. Lots of maters but the taste was a bit bland for me. They live in Fredericksburg and have a huge garden out on their ranch land. Lots of sheep poo for the plants that make them gigantic. Anyway...loads of EArly Girl, but I was not impressed with their taste..but like Flip said...good to have an early one to hold you over until the real yummy ones start giving you fruit. Those are usually the types that say 80 days on them! I have a bunch of cherries to hold me over until my Delicious, CHerokee Purp, etc. get to doing their thing.

Cricket...you are brilliant!

So we didn't get over 48 yesterday. Whatssup with that? At least, that is what our atomic clock's gage said. I was afraid of a light frost so I brought in ALL my plants into the sunroom and into the house. I woke up and it was 33. So no freeze, but close. I gotta get my babies outside!

Michelle..........you are correct................I do believe I would rather have a red thumb.........We got a freeze last night.............it was 31 deg on the patio..................the water in the bird feeder was frozen solid...........but the temp. in my tunnels was a toasty 36 deg this a.m.......I watered all of my mater beds last night...........and placed gal. jugs filled w/ warm water b-4 I came in last night...........Daaaaaaaayyyyymmmmmm what's up w/ this crazy weather.........it's almost April ...........so your folks are from Fredricksburg.............I love Fredricksburg............my in laws have 35 acres w/ a 7 acre spring fed lake in Kerrville........It is beautiful place........lots of deer, antelope, and black bass........

This is what we do for those nasty last minute cold fronts at our hosue...and boy is the DH THRILLED!

He told me this better be the last one or I was in serious trouble...

Youch thats alot to hawl indoors but worth the labor.

I think we will get one more cold spell. The black berries are just now showing their bloom buds and we normally get a cold spell shortly after the blackberries bloom. Blackberry Winter.

I am impatient to watch this PL Brandywine bloom and produce tomatoes. I normally only grow RL tomatoes and its goin to be neat for me to see tomatoes produce on this PL type plant. Even my grandfather has never seen a PL tomato and he is 76 yrs old. He loves growing tomatoes. I don't tell him but --his tomato plants are so ugly. Poor grandpa.
He has a memory of a man who grew a Big Boy ( i think he really forgets what kind it was cause he tells the story differantly every time.) But anyway--he said the man had the same tomato plant for 10 yrs. He grew it in a large TUB and in the fall he would cut it back and bring it indoors to a window. Kept it alive all winter and let it start branching out in Feb. Every Spring he would remove several inches of the top soil and renew it with new composted cow manure. Papa said the truck of the tomato plant was big around as a 2 liter bottle. So for some reason he wants me to grow one and do this. I think memories keep him alive so i will do it. Only I dont want to use Big Boy cause it isn't as disease resistant as some others.


Any opinions on what you think I should try?

Cricket

I remember a year ago last December when I brought in over 100 four to six inch seedlings and had them in the family room. I had to do that twice within a couple of weeks and the wifey was not a happy camper. Funny thing was, I thought low/mid forties would hurt the seedlings; the temps weren't even freezing.
At least I didn't have to lug in those hefty EB contraptions. Your DH should make you be reeaally nice....

he'd rather I not $*%&^ than be reaaaaaaallly nice *G* really nice goes away pretty fast the other can last for months *evil grin*

Thought I'd post a pic of my spring mater garden. 10 plants that have been in the ground from 4-8 weeks - Mortgage Lifter, Kellogs Bkfst, Dr Carolyn, Omar's Lebanese, J. Flamee, Mini Capri Pink, Snow White. (there are also some onions, cukes. a pepper and the one left over fall mater in the back corner - Yellow Bwine)

Here's a pic of one of the fall mater gardens - originally sprawlers, there's six of the original ten left. They've all been trimmed back and tied to the fence - kinda ragged lookin' but still producing pretty well - (r to l) Eva Purple Ball, Mortgage Lifter, OTV Bwine, Brianna, Red Bwine.and J. Flamme.
Flip