Re: Tomato Tuesday 2016

yolos 5/20/2016, 1:50 pm

Windmere wrote:
yolos wrote:Windmere - pretty neat idea. I just try to cut of the bottom branches. Of course that only works when the get enough upper branches to keep the plant healthy. When I have very few branches, I just cut off the part of the branch that is touching the soil.
Our area being what it is, I'm am always terrified of cutting any branches. Here's why: It might be my imagination, but it seems like the minute I do that... blight, blight, blight.

Yea, I worry about that also. I have even thought about getting some of that stuff you put on trees after you cut off a limb to keep it from getting diseased or insects taking over. But that is a little too much for me and probably dumb thinking.

Windmere 5/20/2016, 2:24 pm

yolos wrote:Windmere - pretty neat idea. I just try to cut of the bottom branches. Of course that only works when the get enough upper branches to keep the plant healthy. When I have very few branches, I just cut off the part of the branch that is touching the soil.

I know what you mean yolos. I've also contemplated your idea... but I never pursued that either.

In some cases I have both standard wire cages and ultomato cages to support my tomatoes. Of course, that's major overkill. However, these past years, my friends and family have learned that the perfect gift for me is either a tool or something for my garden. Sooo.... overkill it is. Wink

**trolleydriver** 5/20/2016, 2:37 pm

I'm about to go out to my garden and put in the tomato stakes in the regular soil beds where I grow them. I gave up on tomato cages. I use 8 foot long 2x2 lumber hammered into the ground about 18 inches or more. I grow indeterminate tomatoes and take off the suckers allowing only the main stem. I have to tie the stems to the poles but it's not a big job since I do not grow that many tomato plants. Last year some of the plants reached the top of the poles and beyond.

Example.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 DSCN9064_zpsllsqcryp

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 DSCN9064_zpsllsqcryp

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 DSCN9058_zpsmudhnsy5

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 DSCN9100_zpsjwbu392c

**trolleydriver** 5/20/2016, 3:48 pm

Update: After hammering in those long stakes for the tomatoes I am just about done in. I think next year I will move to an EMT conduit and nylon mesh system as per Mel's SFG system.

countrynaturals 5/20/2016, 8:37 pm

Yikes! I'd have to stand on a step ladder to harvest those puppies. Laughing

Lookin' good, though. sunny

**sanderson** 5/22/2016, 12:27 am

trolleydriver wrote:Update: After hammering in those long stakes for the tomatoes I am just about done in. I think next year I will move to an EMT conduit and nylon mesh system as per Mel's SFG system.

Glad you added this. I was wondering why you did not use EMC slipped over rebar pounded into the ground.

I'm trying to figure out how you have red tomatoes and mine are just flower or with a few green ones. thinking

**trolleydriver** 5/22/2016, 1:45 pm

sanderson wrote:
trolleydriver wrote:Update: After hammering in those long stakes for the tomatoes I am just about done in. I think next year I will move to an EMT conduit and nylon mesh system as per Mel's SFG system.
Glad you added this. I was wondering why you did not use EMC slipped over rebar pounded into the ground.

I'm trying to figure out how you have red tomatoes and mine are just flower or with a few green ones.

sanderson ... Do not be deceived. Those photos of my red tomatoes are from last year to show how the tomatoes grew with the stakes as support. I haven't even got this year's transplants in the ground yet! Concerning the wooden stakes. it's the way I have done it for several years and with success. But as I get older, it is too much work to pound them into the ground while balancing on a step ladder. This year I will add another SFG type trellis to one of my other SFG boxes. Next year I will convert the tomato supports to SFG type trellis. Smile

**sanderson** 5/22/2016, 5:07 pm

Oh, last year's photos. Of course.

**trolleydriver** 5/22/2016, 7:16 pm

sanderson wrote: Oh, last year's photos. Of course.

And now introducing this year's tomato plants. They were started indoors and transplanted into the garden late this afternoon. I don't plant very many tomato plants due to space restrictions. We will have 3 Big Beef and 3 Roma in the regular soil. And we will have 1 or 2 Sweet 100 in the SFG. I've never grown tomatoes in the SFG before. Anyway here are some photos of what happened today.

Three of the transplants ready for action.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 IMG_1782_zps3nfnshej

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 IMG_1782_zps3nfnshej

Checking for depth. I take off the lower leaves and plant deeply.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 IMG_1780_zps9lfbl5pn

All done. I put wooden skewers around the stems to prevent cut worms. In past years I used collars cut from plastic cups. I hope this works.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 IMG_1783_zpsbi2w7whm

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 IMG_1783_zpsbi2w7whm

**sanderson** 5/23/2016, 4:17 am

Nice. These are in the old row garden, right?

**trolleydriver** 5/23/2016, 8:37 am

sanderson wrote:Nice. These are in the old row garden, right?

Absolutely. I turned that part of the row garden into two 4x4s but they have regular soil. Another part of that same row garden was replaced by two 4x4 SFG boxes plus paths last year.

I did not dig the regular soil over this year but did rake in some amendments in the top couple of inches. I also added compost & peat moss into the tomato planting holes. Wondering if I should put a grid on these 4x4s to make them look like the SFG boxes. But a grid will not work well with three tomato plants across the back of each bed.

yolos 5/23/2016, 8:46 am

Wow, those are some big transplants. Good job.

**trolleydriver** 5/23/2016, 9:10 am

yolos wrote:Wow, those are some big transplants. Good job.

Thanks. I was surprised at how well they grew. When they were under the grow lights I kept the lights very close to them so they dd not get leggy. When I up potted them from starter mix into MM in 3 and 4 inch pots then they really took off. The main stems are quite thick as well.

CapeCoddess 5/23/2016, 12:09 pm

Mine go in today during my lunch break.
CC

**sanderson** 5/24/2016, 3:39 am

I just noticed that one of my determinant tomatoes has 2 stems of flowers at the terminal end of the main stem. No sign of the stem continuing up. Does that mean that this variety is self limiting in height? Thank you

**trolleydriver** 5/24/2016, 9:15 am

sanderson wrote:I just noticed that one of my determinant tomatoes has 2 stems of flowers at the terminal end of the main stem. No sign of the stem continuing up. Does that mean that this variety is self limiting in height? Thank you

Determinates are usually more like a bush of limited height. The size is determined by the variety. They set all of their fruit at about the same time. They work well for those who want all the fruit at one time for canning, making sauces, etc.

Indeterminates will keep growing and producing fruit until frost in my area.

**Turan** 5/24/2016, 9:29 am

Sanderson, I suspect your observation is correct, that a stem terminating in 2 flower stems means it will grow no further. I wonder if you cut the those off (don't but just as a thought experiment) if that would urge the plant to grow that stem further? However one stem's behavior is a good sample size. We can not tell from that if this is the norm for that bush or variety, yet. Let us know how it progresses, and what is the variety? Very Happy

I have noticed that there is not a definite line between determinants and indeterminants. You can urge them one way or the other with how you prune.

CapeCoddess 5/24/2016, 12:14 pm

Planted last night out using Lay-me-down method: Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 00511

countrynaturals 5/24/2016, 12:23 pm

Cold and wet here for most of the last week, so my maters have only grown an inch or so. Next week I should see some serious progress. sunny

**sanderson** 5/24/2016, 3:29 pm

The variety is Sun Gold, a determinant. There are several good suckers doing their own thing with flowers, plus many potential suckers, so I'm not worried overall. Just the first time I have seen this happen. Lots of little green tomatoes.

CapeCoddess 5/24/2016, 3:36 pm

My Sun golds are indeterminates. Did you mean hybrid?

**sanderson** 5/24/2016, 4:35 pm

Package states Hybrid, indeterminate. Well, it's an indeterminate now. Next year I will read the packages better! Embarassed

CapeCoddess 5/24/2016, 4:54 pm

It may also be a dud...a lost leader. haha. get it? loss leader/lost leader? I just made that up.
Oh man, I'm over worked & punchy, and need to go home now...
Wink

PS I had a lost leader once and it produced one beefsteak tomato and no more. Plant the suckers...you may have better luck with them.

**Scorpio Rising** 5/24/2016, 5:54 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:It may also be a dud...a lost leader. haha. get it? loss leader/lost leader? I just made that up.
Oh man, I'm over worked & punchy, and need to go home now...

PS I had a lost leader once and it produced one beefsteak tomato and no more. Plant the suckers...you may have better luck with them.

cute!

I used the lay me down method this year!

yolos 5/25/2016, 7:54 am

A couple tomato pictures.

Just put my extensions on top of the tomato cages. The tomatoes are now 5 feet tall and still growing.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 Tomato25

This is my attempt to string tomatoes. I was trying to keep two leaders. I messed up again. This one now has 4 leaders.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 Tomato26

Gilbertie setting a nice truss of fruit.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 Tomato27

Big Beef with a few getting close to ripening.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 5 Tomato28

The bottom leaves were all cut off because of diseases.

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