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Re: Tips for those of you who grow tomatoes... 

By: hydro_gen in POPE 5 | Recommend this post (2)
Fri, 05 Jul 19 2:46 PM | 74 view(s)
Boardmark this board | Pope 5 		Msg. 35608 of 62138
(This msg. is a reply to 35601 by Decomposed)
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Decomposed: All of these are good advice and if I may add my .02 as a kid raised on a farm in the hills of NC and as a master gardener (whatever that is LOL): #4 yes!! When you have your planned garden area (raised or not) may I suggest getting a couple of cattle panels from Tractor Supply to address #7. Cattle panels are 4' x 16' and are $20 each (roughly) and made from galvanized steel. Arch them between T-bars and have them about a foot above ground. Two side by side (tied together with aluminum chain link fence ties or wire of your choosing) will make a nice trellis and provide excellent support if you train your tomatoes - assuming you are growing heirloom's - most of which are indeterminate vines.

I am not sure about the rationale of the 90 degree bend referred to in #8 unless someone cannot dig a deeper hole. Tomatoes will actually create roots from everything planted below the soil. Speaking of soil - if you have not done so already then I am sure you are planning on testing your soil. I am lucky that here in NC our AG goes it for free during in the off peak. NH is not free yet $20 is reasonable. http://extension.unh.edu/resource/pricing-list-all-soil-test-options

Lastly, when I plant my tomato seedlings I always add a mixture of worm castings and Epsom salt to the bottom of the hole before transplanting. The Epsom salt provides magnesium for better tasting maters' (add some calcium nitrate also to avoid blossom end rot) and worm castings dramatically help with the plants nutrient uptake. I downsized from 70+ plants over the years to only 18 planned this year. Early Girl (volunteer from last year), Potato leaf Brandywine, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Mexican Midgets (super sweet cherry) and my favorite Paul Robeson. I also make my own foliar sprays - worm casting tea is a favorite - to help with plant health.

I am an urban farmer now as I have commandeered what my city calls a paper alley that is 200 x 15 and 100 x 15 has full sun. Here is a pic of my tomato trellis:
Uploaded Image

One more thing - get a patch ready to grow some garlic!!

Have a great day all.

PEACE


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The above is a reply to the following message:
Tips for those of you who grow tomatoes...
By: Decomposed in POPE 5
Fri, 05 Jul 19 7:35 AM 		Msg. 35601 of 62138

I think my garden has about 35 tomato plants, plus some volunteers from last year. The sad thing is that I'm throwing away another 50 that I raised from seed and didn't have room for. My bad. I was supposed to expand the garden this year but never did.

35 plants is respectable, though, so I've been watching videos on youtube for tips on raising them. A few of the tips were noteworthy. I'm passing them on for those of you who might benefit:

1) Once your plants are robust, cut off all branches less than four inches from the ground. It might be heartbreaking to do it, but the plants will grow taller as a result. More importantly, fewer leaves will come in contact with the soil, making them less susceptible to blight.

2) Don't water your plants from above. Most plants will sunburn if you get water on their leaves. More importantly, watering from above will splatter dirt onto the leaves. Again, this leads to blight.

3) Clip portions of branches that still come in contact with the ground. Same reason. Blight.

4) Where a branch emerges from the stalk, you'll often also have a second smaller branch. This smaller branch is called a "sucker." It can grow tomatoes, but you're better off without it. Snip it off. Strong branches are more important than numerous branches.

5) Tomato horn worms are a common malady and they have ferocious appetites. (Ironically, I have yet to find one in my garden.) You'll know you have them if you have branches with chewed up leaves or even branches with no leaves. Finding the worms is difficult UNLESS you search for them at night with a black light. Then they're easy to spot since parts of their body glow. Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-1OnAgKC9U if you don't believe it.

6) Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, meaning that the flowers don't need the help of bees in order to bear fruit. When the yellow flowers tip downward, they are positioned properly for this. However, it's not very efficient and many of the flowers will not grow a tomato. You can help by tapping the downward facing flower pretty hard with one finger for ten seconds. According to the video, just about every flower you do this to will grow a tomato.

7) Stakes are better than cages. Most cages will not keep a tomato plant upright in heavy wind and rain. Tie the plant to the stake with cloth, not with string, and tie the plant with a loop that's larger than the stalk so as to not strangle the plant.

8 ) When transplanting your tomato seedlings to your garden, gently bend the plant so that the roots are 90 degrees from the stalk and then bury as much of the stalk as possible up to the first branch. Tomato plants grow roots from whatever stalk is in contact with soil, so you want to get as much of it in the soil as possible while not putting the original roots too far down. Bending the seedling in this manner makes for a healthier and faster-growing plant.

That's all I can think of, except that raised beds seem to be preferred by people who grow a lot of tomatoes. My garden does NOT have raised beds. Maybe next year....

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