Tomato Talk

[Tesla'sMom]

[Mods- change/delete the thread as you wish- I thought we needed a place for general tomato cultivation issues]

I've got about 20 going and I'll be canning all August if things go according to plan.
Planted them in the general garden spot, with Miracle-Gro transplant food and put a spoonful of pelleted fertilzer in each hole. We had a very rainy May, but it's hot and dry the last few days.

Got a pamphlet advertising a book by Jerry Baker and he puts mixed up powdered milk on the tomatoes! Has anyone tried this? Sounds like it puts calcium in the soil. I wonder if mixing up powdered lime in water would do the same thing?
I'm east of the rockies on a well and we run the water through an acid neutralizer.

[Alder]

I just finished re potting my tomatoes yesterday. Too early yet in the North to plant out in the garden. I usually put in about thirty plants, and yep, it makes for a busy September for me with all the canning! :)

Adding calcium to the soil is supposed to help prevent Blossom End Rot. I haven't tried the powdered milk thing...but picked up an organic solution from "Garden's Alive" that seems to help. Consistent watering is also a big factor.

Good luck with your 'maters!

[SheWoff]

I put the tablespoon of miracle gro in the holes also when I plant tomatoes, but I add a teaspoon of Epsom salts too. It helps keep them from getting blossom end rot. I have used this for the past two years so far and neither year did I end up with the blossom end rot where I had been getting it every year. The conditions I grew them in were about the same for all years too, so I don't think that had anything to do with it. It was a drought and we watered the same time all through it.

But now this year, we are getting rain way into what should be our dry time. It's raining now...again lol. I am more worried about molds and such now than blossom end rot. I just hope the sun comes out soon and dries things off or I wont have any tomatoes to can this fall.

She

[momof23goats]

Epsom salts is good for them that is for sure.
I got about 50 plants out so far, got about 30 to go.
I am going to have mators up the ying yang this year. but I will make every thing with them. plus dry a huge amount. so I will be in the good.
I got a ton of everything out. well, I started seeds and well, they all took, so I am putting them all out. I am going to have tons of everything, Good Lord will'en and the creek don't rise, wil have a good year.
I got to make pickles this year, of all kinds, and relish too, dill and sweet.
and got to grind my horseradish, but guess I will do it this fall after first freeze .

[SheWoff]

I just have dill pickles to do this year and some sweet squash relish too.

The maters are looking good! They are dark green and bushing out this year instead of shooting striaght up. I think my yeilds on them are going to double from past years. But I can handle that, we need katchup and bbq sauce and such this year. Keeping my fingers crossed...

If I get time tomorrow, I'll get a picture and post it.

She

[Joe America]

I have planted tomato seed and nothing has sprouted.
I have planted 6 varieties and done so in at least 10 different ways and have gotten nothing. Heck, even the guaranteed to grow ones haven't sprouted.:???:

Everything else I planted by seed has sprouted just fine. I tested the soil for acidity/Alkaline. Moisture and such. All seems fine, but still no sprouts.:cry:

I don't have a clue....

[goatlady]

IF you planted them outside, but since you don't show WHERE you live, I can only guess and suggest the soil in not warm enough yet for the tomato seed to sprout. Most all of us start out tomato seed inside and then tranplant the seedlings when it's warm outside.

[Tesla'sMom]

Joe: I start my seeds in the peat pots- cost about $1 for a dozen. But people start tomato seeds in eggshells, coffee cans-whatever. They come up pretty quickly given warmth and light. I've got a warm East facing window, so I just put things on the windowsill. The tomato seed did fine this year, but my cabbage seeds didn't come up.

If it's getting late in the planting season where you live, maybe you could cruise by the garden center and pick up a couple of six packs of tomato plants. It's worth the cost just because there's no comparison between home grown and store bought tomatoes!

[Summerthyme]

I agree with goatlady... tomatoes and peppers especially need WARM soil. I start mine indoors (when the snow is on the ground) and put them on a heat mat (on a rack, so the soil doesn't get TOO warm). Soil temps between 75 and 85 will usually pop those seeds up fast. I agree that it's likely past time to simply buy a pack of plants... better a common commercial variety than no tomatoes at all!

OK, now... for THE best tomato variety I've ever grown (and I've tried hundreds over the years)... try these:
http://rareseeds.com/seeds/Tomatoes-Red/Royal-Chico

It's an old time open pollinated paste type, but it's juicy and flavorful enough to eat fresh. It's TRUE advantage, for me, is it's amazing toughness and disease resistance.

I have a terrible time with blight here. About 4 years ago, I planted several varieties, mostly heirloom or OP, but even a couple of "new, improved, disease resistant" hybrids. I planted them scattered all around the garden, rather than in a single row, to try and keep blight from spreading down the row like it often does. I had a lot of nice, healthy plants until we got a two week stretch of very humid, hot weather, with rain almost daily. That hit every plant with blight, and within 2 more weeks, they were pretty well ruined. EXCEPT, the Royal Chicos. They kept producing tons of healthy fruit. They finally DID get blight... but then, when the weather improved, they GREW OUT OF IT. I couldn't believe it... in early October (we had a nice late fall that year), the Chicos had about a foot of nice, lush, dark green healthy new growth- and a bunch more fruit. All the other plants were dead and gone by then.

If I could only grow one variety, this would be the one. Since I'm not limited in space, etc, I also grow several others- Principe Borghese for drying, and Pantano Romanesco, a large beefsteak type heirloom which is SO tender and juicy you can't "pick" them... you have to snip the stem off the plant. If you try to grasp one to pick it off, your fingers go right through the fruit! But the flavor is incredible. I always add a few of them to my Chicos when making my tomato soup... it really makes a difference in the richness and flavor.

(oh yeah- "tough" Royal Chicos... this year, I managed to COOK all my tomato plants... didn't get out to the greenhouse early enough to open it up one morning, and it hit about 140°. The flats of tomatoes all turned white and limp. Almost all were certifiably dead. The Chicos were truly sad looking, and I did buy a bunch of plants at a local Amish greenhouse, figuring that even if they recovered, they'd be WAY behind for the year. Ha! In 3 weeks, the Chicos almost all are lush, dark green and growing remarkably well for "dead" plants. Of the other varieties, I lost about 3/4, and most still are pretty sad.)

Summerthyme

[Limner]

I put the tablespoon of miracle gro in the holes also when I plant tomatoes, but I add a teaspoon of Epsom salts too. It helps keep them from getting blossom end rot. I have used this for the past two years so far and neither year did I end up with the blossom end rot where I had been getting it every year. The conditions I grew them in were about the same for all years too, so I don't think that had anything to do with it. It was a drought and we watered the same time all through it.

But now this year, we are getting rain way into what should be our dry time. It's raining now...again lol. I am more worried about molds and such now than blossom end rot. I just hope the sun comes out soon and dries things off or I wont have any tomatoes to can this fall.

She

She, what kind of Miracle grow do you use? I have the sort that you put a tablespoon in a gallon of water and water everything once a week or so....is THAT the sort you are talking about, or do you get the tomato kind? I'll try the epsom salts, too.....

[Tesla'sMom]

http://www.thetreeofliberty.com/vb/picture.php?pictureid=657&albumid=101&dl=1243624124&thumb=1For the past two years, I started tomatoes from one packet of Burpee Heirloom Tomato assortment. Lots of fun, because I didn't know what I'd get. We got 'maters of all sizes and colors. This year, I got Green Zebra and Mule Team (a red one) from Heirloom Seeds. Also a few Beefsteak and just for fun planted the last of those Burpee seeds for the mystery.

I was putting tomato, onion and peppers through the food mill with the idea of making tomato sauce with a batch. Then I had an "I wonder..." idea, So I heated up that tomato puree and added half n' half and some salt- it turned out to be the best tomato soup ever!

[Joe America]

Thanks for the link Summerthyme. I'm gonna use it.

goatlady, I am in southern California at this time. Northern Idaho in a few years.
Will you tell me what type of soil to put into the peet moss cups for starting tomato's?
I don't want to have to rely on electricity to heat my seeds for starting.

Thanks

[goatlady]

Joe, you DON"T need soil to start seeds - all they need are warmth and moisture so most of us use a mixture of peat moss and vermiculite which holds the moisture next to the seed. the seed, itself has everything it needs to sprout and needs NOTHING except mossture and warmth to sprout. Once the seed sprout has it's first TRUE leaves THEN it starts needing nutrients so you transplant into a slightly larger pot of some sort filled with good rich soil or pure compost (which is what I use cause I have plenty available) Keep it moist, not soaking and give it CLOSE light and the sprouts will grow into nice healthy seedlings. I put my seed STARTING cups on top of the refrigerator for bottom warmth - haven't figured out HOW to get bottom warmth without any power yet although I'm playing with the idea of setting up some sort of shelving near the wood stove for the warmth for sprouting - just may work if I get the distance correct and since heat rises I'll probably make the shelves high. I quit using those peat cups for seeds, they just don't work well for me and they NEVER degraded in the garden when I transplanted them. I use styrofoam compartmented seed starting trays I got 15 years ago and they still work just fine. Other folks may use different methods, you just have to try out different ones till you hit on the one that works for you in your situation. Good luck getting a good garden in Idaho! I left Western SD, high elevation just because I only had a 90 day growing season IF I was lucky! Root crops will do just fine but the only way I could get tomatoe and herbs was to build a 14 x 24 greenhouse, heated! No fruits except strawberries, no fruit trees will set fruit there, above ground crops are ral chancy, all in all a real challenge which I met for 17 years and finally said bag it!

[Joe America]

YEA!!! I GOT Sprouts!
Thank you goatlady! It was the lack of heat! I covered the planters with a black plastic trash bag, and two days later I got sprouts!
Thank you, for the info.

goatlady
Joe, you DON"T need soil to start seeds - all they need are warmth and moisture so most of us use a mixture of peat moss and vermiculite which holds the moisture next to the seed. the seed, itself has everything it needs to sprout and needs NOTHING except mossture and warmth to sprout.

[SheWoff]

She, what kind of Miracle grow do you use? I have the sort that you put a tablespoon in a gallon of water and water everything once a week or so....is THAT the sort you are talking about, or do you get the tomato kind? I'll try the epsom salts, too.....

Yep, that's the one. I tried the tomato one once, but returned to the regular miracle gro. It works just as well on the tomatoes as the other does lol.

She

[IRo]

We forgot to put the Epsom salts in the hole when we planted our tomatoes. Can we use a side dressing around the plants?

[A Simple Pine Box]

Hi Alder, I am also in Northern MN. Just finished planting tomato & pepper yesterday. Extended forecast looks decent, overnight temps in the 40-50's. Last year my tomatoes suffered blight. Still got a decent crop of tomatoes.

[goatlady]

Glad you got sprouts, guy. NOw keep those mater "feets" warm for a while.

[angelwing]

We're not allowed to plant anything where we rent, so our window sills have all of our plants. This Sunday we noticed 3 flowers on 2 of our tomato plants (we have 4 cherry tomatoes and 8 regular tomato plants)so I am hoping to get more.

This is the first time we are trying them from seed, along with peppers, radishes, dill, and scallions, hoping they all grow.

[Tesla'sMom]

Two years ago we had a bad drought and while we didn't get that much from the garden, the tomatoes we did get tasted amazing. I'm concerned about this year because it was a very wet May.

Any tips to share about dealing with a wet year?

[Nicho1]

IF you planted them outside, but since you don't show WHERE you live, I can only guess and suggest the soil in not warm enough yet for the tomato seed to sprout. Most all of us start out tomato seed inside and then tranplant the seedlings when it's warm outside.


Here's something to try: direct seeding. Using a 2 liter (clear only) bottle, cut off the bottom just above the curve, leaving a straight edge. Plant the seeds into the soil...2-3 seeds in each spot is adequate covering as you would any seed, otherwise you will have to separate them after they come up. Put the 2-liter bottle over the spot. Leave the cap off the bottle. THis will act as a miniature greenhouse. I have used this process for two years and it has worked nicely. This year, I used it to try to start a grape tomato called Cupid. It was prolific and delicious! At the places where plants are sold, I could find no Cupid variety. The ones I started are doing very well.

One of the things that I had done was to plant about 10 seeds under the 2-liter bottle. I leave them in there until they are trying to push out through the hole at the top. Then, I transplant to their final "homes." These, too, have done fine. I have just found that it is easier to only put a couple of seeds, then after they are up, determine which will remain and transplant the others or just pinch them off.

I'm in NC so I plant the seeds under the bottles in April.

[Boogaloo]

I live in W. Michigan and planted a bunch of tomatoes a bit over a week ago. They were looking so wonderfully green but in the ground they changed color and turned a dark green color. I dont like the looks of them. I hope that it is just shock, as it has gotten into the high 40s at night here.

Boo

[SheWoff]

We forgot to put the Epsom salts in the hole when we planted our tomatoes. Can we use a side dressing around the plants?


Yes, next time they need watered use about a tablespoon in a gallon of warm water and mix it good. Then water the tomato plants with that. They should be okay then and not get the blossom end rot. At least it works here in TN for us. :-D

She

[Tesla'sMom]

I know that what little veggies we get in dry years, taste so much better.
BUT
I'm concerned for my maters because it's already rained over 2" this week, and another 1-2" tomorrow!
Just too much of a good thing.

Some of the plants already have buds! Any first aid ideas for overwatered tomatoes?

[Ms. American]

Actually, tomatoes will grow even if they have no soil, and only water! If you break off a growth tip..you know, the kind that will sprout blossoms? Well, you can put that piece in water and root it, and then plant it.

Tomatoes do well with a lot of water. But the problem is drying out. They get used to the water level, and become dependant upon that amount of moisture. Then, after the rains are over and the ground starts to dry out, the plants begin to struggle. You have to ween them from the over abundance of water, gradually.

Blossom end rot isn't an exact science. It's thought that it is caused by not enough calcium in the ground, but a second theory is sudden shifts in water. If they go wet, then dry, then wet...
If they go from being slightly moist (almost dry) to sudden big influx of water, the tomatoe fruit will attempt to take on that water, and they will split. So, it's important to try to maintain just the right level of moisture, and keep it EVEN.

BTW, epsom salts do wonders for pepper plants too.

Dark green plants are just fine. You might want to check on the soil nitrogen levels. Too much nitrogen can cause lots of bush, but little fruit.

I have fallen in love with Miracle grow for Tomatoes. I've used all sorts of mixable foods, but nothing has ever done for tomatoes what this mixture is doing. Just check the NPK numbers and make sure that if you use a different brand, that the numbers are the same.

I've never put plants in the ground on May1, and had the thing loaded with blooms by May30, and I did this year.

I've got beefsteaks, rutgers, and a large cherry variety, and about 20 plants total.

[Tesla'sMom]

Yay! We got a true sunny day today!
I think I'll start a daily routine and give them all at least half a gallon daily....only skipping if it's raining buckets. I've got some Peterson's plant food (like Miracle Gro) so I'll put that in their cocktail today

[Tesla'sMom]

The harvest is starting! The Mule Team tomatoes are HUGE and just starting to turn red. The Green Stripe variety is getting ripe- picking a few every day. So far I've had enough to make batches of green salsa! I think it would be fun to put up some jars of green tomato sauce!

One thing though- most of the fruits are smallish- bigger than cherry tomatoes, but not by much. I think I cheated myself and relied too much on chemical fertilizer like Osmocote. I used dehydrated manure on the corn and potato patches, and they're growing like crazy.
Next time, I'll save more $$ for the garden and do things properly!

[Liberty]

My countertop is covered with tomatoes, and a full bag is hanging from the door. The next couple of weeks should have me swimming in them. It's been very, very wet here this spring/summer, but the only veggies that seem to have suffered are the squash.

Beets have been canned. Done.
Garlic, done.
I'm on my second picking of green beans, and have another 2 canner loads going right now. If this keeps up, I'll be wanting to spray weed killer on them in a couple weeks.

Tomatoes and okra going very strong!
Peppers and carrots look great!

[txs]

We save green bean and okra seed, I'm going to order some of those heirloom tomato varieties. Do you need to keep the different varieties widely separated to keep them from cross pollenating? I know I keep the blue lakes and top crops well apart.

[Summerthyme]

There isn't any real need to keep tomato varieties separate... most are almost completely self pollinating. I've grown pure strains of several varieties in a 6000 square foot garden for years, simply keeping them apart by planting each variety in pairs or groups of four plants at each end of the rows... which probably gave 40 feet of separation.

Beans aren't going to cross (easily, at least), either... they are generally pollinated before the blossoms even open fully.

Many crops really require a lot of protection from crossing if you want to save seeds, but tomatoes and beans (and peas) aren't some of them.

Summerthyme