Tomato Tuesday Thread (N&C Midwest)..

[BackyardBirdGardner]

Welcome, Midwesterners, to the Tomato Tuesday Thread for 2011's growing season. This should be a very fun idea to play around with until our frosts get us this fall.

The basic idea is to update the status of your tomatoes each Tuesday. Talk about what you want. What you are proud of; what you are puzzled by; etc. Any serious or "pest" type questions should go in a separate thread. This thread is for bragging about our maters, mostly.

This was a brilliant idea from Pattipan that I, and possibly others, are just straight copying/stealing. Almost all of us grow tomatoes. That makes this an easy thread to get everyone involved with. So, let's get active and let's post up our tomato reports.

One word of caution....keep next week's update in THIS thread. We don't need to start individual threads for people or weeks. This should be a huge thread by our autumn frost dates that we can all look back inside and see what a great season we all had.

Happy Gardening!

[BackyardBirdGardner]

Here we go with my update for Week 20 of the year, May 17, 2011.

I am currently growing 3 diffferent varieties of tomatoes. I'm not a fancy gardener. I grow what my family will eat. SuperSweet100 cherry tomatoes (well, and a grape variety that I consider the same for all intents and purposes), Beefsteak tomatoes (for slicing and putting on those burgers and sandwiches), and Better Boy (my tomato starts from seed that are also for salads and tacos and whatnot).

I can tell you that I used to plant deep....dig a big hole and plant up to the tip of the tomatoes. This year, I tried the horizontal method either mentioned in the book or elsewhere. I think it's great! Those plants popped right up and are growing straighter than if I planted them vertically...lol. I imagine this is largely because the MM is so loose. Those roots are likely taking off underneath the surface.

In this first view, I ran lengthwise down my 2x8 dedidicated bed for tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. I have a couple squares of broccoli in there that didn't have a home back in early March, so they landed here. If you look down the length, my BetterBoys are in the foreground next to the cucumber sprouts. Then, the BeefSteaks for three squares. Finally, the Cherries are the back two squares.



Low-angle shot to show a better idea of their size. They have been in the ground about three weeks now and have just taken off like mad...



And, finally, a quick shot of the front view of my BeefSteaks. The broccoli in the foreground is for size relation. The broccoli is around 18 inches tall as of today. The tomatoes are catching up fast...



Now, you go!

[Blackrose]

Ok! My turn!

My tomatoes are about 8 weeks old and are more than ready to get outside in the SFG! Now if the weather would just cooperate. They are getting sooooo big.



I'm also going to try planting them by laying them on their sides. They're so big though, I may have to figure out how I'm then going to get them up the spirals without breaking the vines. I may have to slowly work them towards the spirals.

[Smartchick]

Well, so far I have 4 rieties in the ground and one hardening off this week to join them. I have Fox Cherry (red cherry), Orange Van Goeijenbier (orange cherry), Isis Candy (yellow cherry), and two Amish Paste planted with two Sausage (long Romas) ready to go in the ground as soon as they are hardened off this week. I'm ready to make lots of spaghetti sauce and frozen tomatoes this summer (oh yeah, and eat some too). Right now they are still under their milk jug shelters for a few weeks - something my Gram always did and I do to. These are all starts that I grew from seeds from Wintersown. Woo hoo! They are all still alive despite two days of 90+ degrees followed by a frost. Gotta love Nebraska weather.

I'll take some pictures to show as soon as I'm comfortable taking the covers off. They are not too exciting right now!

[boog1]

heres a pic of the "organic" yellow pear in frount of the slider yellow are supose to be less acidic than red are least thats what the "other half" heard anyways. as the moment they are over a foot tall. these have been in frount of the south facing slider for a month. these were started on the 26th of march






heres a pic of the jet star hybred i bought last year i started almost a month later they are close to 8 inchs already. these i jus started on the under the grow light jus to see if the seeds were any good they spent the winter in the shed. not sure if you can see in the pic is the chew holes something got hungry. last year we planted 6 of these not knowing how big theyed get by the end of summer they were close to 5 foot tall and 3 foot around was not fun tryin ta stake and tie these things up, so this year i was thinkin of going with that thing called "esparing"< sp> tieing it to a trellis i guess is the best way to explain it. today is the only day theres just a chance of showers, the next 7 days according the weather channel is not lookin so bright mostly rain,rain, and more rain.







boog

[BackyardBirdGardner]

Great starts, guys. I can't wait to watch all of us through summer when things really get rocking!

Blackrose, good luck getting those planted deep w/o a backhoe! Wow, those are tall.

[Blackrose]

Great starts, guys. I can't wait to watch all of us through summer when things really get rocking!

Blackrose, good luck getting those planted deep w/o a backhoe! Wow, those are tall.

I know!!! I may have started them a little early.

Oh well. Live and learn. Hopefully they still give me lots of tomatoes!

[Amy T]

Good to know the vertical method works. Just curious- did you plant any of the side shoots like the book suggests & did it work? Everyone's maters look great! Good luck getting the tall ones planted- hope it all works out.

[nancy]

Here are my babies. I had every intention of getting them in the ground this past weekend; however, the highs the past few days have been in the low 50s. I thought that would have been mean since they have spent their whole lives in the kitchen windows and that would have been too extreme I felt. Hopefully this weekend...



Front left: Riesentraube, Baswraya, and Gold Medal
Back left: Big Boy, and Ananas Noire

The kitchen will lonely without them!

[Goosegirl]

My first round of tomatoes I accidentally crisped, so round 2 was planted in the little peat plugs about 10 days ago. Measuring at 2 inches tall and only seed leaves, I have:

For Sauce:

Banana Legs
Purple Russian
Russian Big Roma

For Fun:

Manitoba
Porter's Dark Cherry
Roughwood Golden Plum

Pics will come if they survive Hubby's care while I am on a 5-day hiking trip.

TC

PS - will miss next Tuesday post because I will be on the last day of the hike!

[randomsideizzie]

I just received my tomato plants in the mail.

Here is what I am planting this year:

3 Little Mamas
3 Steak Sandwich
3 2 Super Sweet 100s (one arrived snapped in half )

They will probably go in the ground tomorrow or Friday. I will take photos once they are not so sad looking and in their permanent home.

[WolfHeart]

better late then never

I took these shots of my maters on Tuesday this is just the first moment that i have had to post them.

This is my better boy mater:


and I got these from Marvin's Organic, they are San Marzano's a paste type mater:


I took a sucker off on of the maters and have it in water now...going to try to propagate it so i can have two of the same type just for fun

[BackyardBirdGardner]

Here we go. Not much has changed in the tomato garden, except the growth. I put up the trellis and they are reaching it now....about 8-10 inches off the ground. They are growing pretty quickly...

[boog1]

heres a couple pics of mine transplanted friday the 20th the first pic is one of the 'yellow pear' that was under the grow light for a month, then in the south facing slider another month then hardened off before getting tranplanted.






now heres what happens when ya get greedy/stupid or any combo of the two this was under the grow light a month, half as tall as the other didnt get hardened off an you can see how sorry it looks, more than likly wont make it.

[nancy]

Ours went into the ground last Thursday. The deer found them yesterday. First is kid's Bed #2



Front row: Ananas Noire, Marigold, Gold Medal
Middle Row: Marigold, Gold Medal, Marigold
Back Row: Big Boy, Marigold, Ananas Noire

The deer ate the Gold Medals. I will try to direct seed them in case they don't grow new leaves.

Here is the Summer Bed:



It has both Baswrayas, a Big Boy, and a Riesentraube, but I'm not sure which is which at the moment. The other Riesentraube is in Kid's Bed #1 and the 3rd Ananas Noire is at home. So far, so good. The weather has been great - warm & humid with great storms the past few days. Everyone seems very happy. I hope to spend some time with them tomorrow after work to "tidy" up. Happy Tomato Tuesday!!

[pattipan]

It has both Baswrayas, a Big Boy, and a Riesentraube, but I'm not sure which is which at the moment. The other Riesentraube is in Kid's Bed #1 and the 3rd Ananas Noire is at home. So far, so good. The weather has been great - warm & humid with great storms the past few days. Everyone seems very happy. I hope to spend some time with them tomorrow after work to "tidy" up. Happy Tomato Tuesday!!

Nancy,
I had to read that last paragraph twice. At first I thought you were talking about your kids, then I realized your were talking about your tomatoes!

You know you're a SFG'er when you talk about your tomatoes like they were your children! LOL!

pattipan

[nancy]

Sorry pattipan! I have a head full of yuckiness and I'm afraid I'm not making much sense to anyone right now. Ugh!!

I have one kid and she has two beds: Bed #1 and Bed #2. That's just how we refer to them. Hee hee.

[pattipan]

No need to apologize! I got a good laugh out of it! See this thread for more "You Know You're a SFG'er when" humor...

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t5647-you-know-you-re-a-square-foot-gardener-when

pattipan

[Smartchick]

Well, if we could get more than a day or two without hail in the forecast, I'd remove the covers from my maters so you could see them! Is it sad when you are standing at the sliding door yelling at the storm "stop hailing on my garden!". Tomatoes are doing good and all in the garden now. Added the two sausage tomatoes and a yellow pear that I was given. So far all of the ones I grew from seed are still alive and kickin' so I consider that a success in and of itself!

[busygirl]

Black Krim
Koralik Cherry
Brandywine
Caspian Pink
Martinos Roma
Thessaloniki

All heirlooms I started from seed. Don't know how to post pics yet, and haven't taken any for a week or so, but next time I have a chance to check out the help thread I will figure it out and edit this to add a pic or two.

Right now working on getting trellises up. My plan is to put one trellis between two rows and "double up."

[BackyardBirdGardner]

Awesome! Thanks for bumping this today; it almost got by me. I'm in the peak of my mowing season right now and things slip my mind even easier than usual.

Here is the update of mine. They are as tall as the broccoli now. I am suckering and using the trellis as they climb. Personally, I don't want to see fruit yet, so I am picking off blossoms until I get more tomato vine going in hopes of getting more fruit production later. But, around Father's Day I will let them set fruit, weather permitting.

That's another thing...today is in the 90s, and it will be all week. That's a little hot for the maters to set fruit from their blossoms. I feel I may as well pick them off and not disappoint myself with wishful thinking so early in the mater season.





Happy Tuesday, all!

[nancy]

Considering how hot it has been - and it hasn't rained since Thursday - my little corner of the world is doing really well. We bought knee highs & several bars of Irish Spring as Deer Remedy #1. So far, so good. Kid loved hanging them! I've been looking for pinwheels to add, but cannot find them. I'll keep looking. They sill be fun in addition to being Deer Remedy #2, which hasn't been needed yet.

Here is Kid Bed #2 aka the Tomato Bed. Both Gold Medals are coming back. We added a basil on the left. The Big Boy in the back doesn't seem very happy. It leaves are curled tight in a ball. I haven't seen that before.



Here is the Summer Bed. I added the stevia on the left. I can't remember if the cilantro and parsley were in last week, but they are in now. The lettuce is just begging to be picked! I had hoped to clean up and finish this bed over the long weekend, but it didn't happen. I didn't pull very many weeds, either. Ah well. When the pool calls, the weeds have to wait.



It's been upper 80s / mid 90s all weekend. The time / temp sign on my way home said 97* today. Ugh! Not very motivating. All I had time for tonite was watering & pictures. I really want more time down there to talk to my babies!

[MasonGarden]

Nancy, I saw 97 degrees on my thermometer as well and gulped. I got such a late start on my garden, that I hope that my transplants can make it. I transplanted a Cherry and a Cherokee Purple that I got from Glendale-Gardener (Thanks, Jennifer!), a Beefsteak from Marvin's Garden Center, and Yellow Pear, Matt's Wild Cherry, and San Marzano from seed on the 21st. I had to go out of town this past weekend, so my beds were a bit thirsty when I got back, but the seeds all germinated! (tomatoes are in the back row and on each end of the row just in front of that in the photo below) I don't have any flowers yet, but if any show up, I guess I'll need to pinch them off anyway. I do need to get a trellis set up though before they go through a growth spurt!

[Goosegirl]

I have 24 seedlings that will hopefully be ready to go into the ground by next weekend. Round 1 got crisped, so Round 2 is a bit behind, but considering my frost date just passed and I usually don't get my tomatoes in the ground until the middle of June due to scatterbrainedness, I feel ahead of schedule! My tomatoes are the last thing that needs to go into the ground until it is time for succession crops.

TC

[Aub]

I just noticed that my Super Sweet 100 has a little bud on it. Should I pinch them off when I see them? It's not very tall yet, maybe 10 inches. I'm so excited for them to do something I don't know if I could pinch them!
The Roma's are getting huge. And 2 of the 4 that I got as seeds from Dixie are doing great, 1 got eaten by a bunny and the other is only 3 inches tall. Hopefully I can get a picture up tomorrow morning.

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