Share your TOMATO growing tips (Spring 2021)

General Gardening
#21

Forgive me if you’ve already talked about this, but it looks like you have your plants on some kind of rebar type fencing. Are they supported by T-posts, and if so, how high are the posts?

Also looks like you do a single stalk with your plants, and deleaf (or de-branch) anything within a foot of the ground? That looks like you can have a pretty high density tomato patch.

I work in a big greenhouse growing tomatoes, and I’d like to try to incorporate some of what they do with my tomatoes this year. My plants end up with multiple branches and I end up having to stake about 5-7 of them per plant, a big mess. I’d like to try a different strategy this year. I might try a trellis system.

We never plant out our tomatoes into the garden until late May, we’ve had freezes that month enough to wait a few weeks, usually around memorial day.

#22

@subdood_ky_z6b ---- I have some very nice tomato cages… but recently decided to go back to pruning my tomatoes… instead of just letting them go and grow all they want in cages… too much foliage can make blight symptoms much worse… and with pruning larger quality fruit.

Last spring I tried something different that worked well. As you can see… I used a 10 ft long piece of cattle panel… think it was 55" tall… and I supported it with 3 tpost…and had the bottom of that panel set just above the plants so that they soon grew up to it… then I just trained them up that panel.

After first bloom… I pruned them to two stems… and they filled that panel space to the top and went on up to near 9 ft… until a summer storm blew them over… off the back side… and they continued to grow and produced fruit until fall.

Nice sized big beef tomatoes too. 2 stems works well for big beef… more maters… still plenty of size.

The tpost I used were probably 6 foot… I have several of those.

TNHunter

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#23

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These are big beef mostly… one evenings picking… canned most of those.

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Some nice big beef… I normally get mine in ground end of April… first of may… have first ripe fruit end of june.

TNHunter

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#24

how did you get 9 foot on 55 inch panels? did you use 2 panels or turn it 90 degrees?

#25

@ggrindel — I checked my panels… and they are actually 50 inch. The Tpost I used were 6’6".

I drove those Tpost in around 14"… just enough to get those flat things sub soil a little to stablize.

I put the top of the panel up at the top of the Tpost… around 62-64 inch high.

The plants had to grow 12-14 inch to get to the bottom of that one panel.

Yes they grew on up above the support 3 ft or more… with some calm weather… then a summer storm blew them off the back side.

They hung of the backside and the tips turned up and grew up again…

When I grew in tomato cages made from those same panels… they would just grow out the top and then hang over… and keep growing.

I had no problem with how that worked last year… and plan to do the same this year.

TNHunter

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#26

Tpost flat things sometimes referred to as flukes.

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#27

Thanks Larry… could not recall what those were called.

Flukes… sounds like a fishing lure to me :slight_smile:

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#28

Tip #1 Start with good genetics. Big Beef is an excellent hybrid. There are plenty of open pollinated tomatoes with outstanding flavor. If you want a genetics discussion, we could do that separate. I’ve already listed several on another tomato thread. For extra early tomatoes, Bloody Butcher, Glacier, and Stupice (all golf ball size) mature in 55 days. Gregori’s Altai and Sasha’s Altai are larger tomatoes but mature in about 65 days. Most of the common varieties grown mature in 75 to 95 days.

Tip #2 Make a raised mound of well tilled soil in your garden and cover it with black plastic mesh. The soil will get warm earlier. This eliminates the cold soil penalty most of you have encountered. I can’t emphasize this tip enough. It is literally the difference between having healthy large tomato plants as early as possible and having yellow leaves and stems until a month too late.

Tip #3 Heavily amend the soil with organics. No amount of commercial fertilizer will make up for the soil loosening and enriching effect of composted manure or worm castings.

Tip #4 Plant them far enough apart. Indeterminates like Big Beef need 16 square feet per plant. That is a 4’ by 4’ square or a rectangle of similar size. Determinates need about 9 or 10 square feet. Dwarfs can go down to 3 or 4 square feet. One caveat, in very heavily amended soil it is possible to grow at closer spacing.

Tip #5 Don’t take chances with the weather. Tomato plants suffer from temperatures below 45 degrees with most of the detrimental effects associated with the stem of the plant. If the temperature is going below 35 degrees, the plants definitely need to be covered up to keep frost from forming on the leaves.

Tip #6 Lay very tall plants down sideways and cover them with 2 or 3 inches of dirt. Do NOT bury them a foot deep in the soil. Laid sideways, the plants will develop roots all along the stem. Don’t be an idiot like me and dig a few of them up with a weeding fork. They are shallow for a good reason.

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#29

Thanks, I’ll keep this in mind. I have a few Tposts that I could use. I did use some of them to support some 16 gauge 4ft fencing to let some of my beans to vine up on last year.

#30

I can see how that would work. Keeping them away from temps in the 30’s is key. I think that you would give up a lot of the advantage by transplanting such large plants, though.

Wall o’ Waters have worked very well for me. I think that they especially useful in a desert environment where there are big diurnal temperature swings.

Unlike other frost protection, they do more than protect your plants from freezing. Given an overall good temperature situation they equalize temps and produce a good environment,

I used to harvest my first Brandywine tomato on May 1 in Phoenix.

#31

I’m not sure if it matters for tomatoes, but clear plastic will warm the soil more than black plastic. But I imagine it needs to be removed earlier to, as it will torch the tomatoes in the heat of summer. It might allow for even earlier planting though.

#32

I put it down to sterilize the soil periodically

#33

Do you have problems with tomato blight? If so, what do you use to fight it?

#34

To inquire about “tomato blight” is about like asking if a person has ever had a case of plague.

We have septoria leaf spot which usually decimates tomatoes throughout the southeast. Septoria thrives in warm humid climates … which describes Tennessee to a T. We have early blight, late blight, gray leaf spot, plus numerous soil borne pathogens such as ralstonia and nematodes and fusarium and verticilliium. So yes, you could say we have “tomato blight”.

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#35

@Cabescove - Yes Linda here in TN… we sure do get tomato blight.

Now I am all organic and really spray nothing, with nothing… that’s just me. I have used some seemingly safe organic solutions in the past to pest, and have tried sprays with baking soda to help deter tomato leef blight… but for the most part I do nothing now days except keep the infected leaves removed.

You might notice in my first tomato pic above how all of those first bloom arm tomatoes are just right out in the open… getting some good air circulation for sure… and that is the result of removing those first leaf/branches where the tell tale sign of leaf blight was starting…

Also notice that under my tomato plants they have a nice mulch of hay… that was a good 8" deep and put down as soon as I planted them in the garden May 2.

It seems to help some if you can keep the dirt from splashing up on those bottom leaves when it rains, or when watering…

I always try to start with very heallthy plants, that helps, give them the proper spacing… The new method I tried, last year… i think I had them a little too close. this year I plan to eliminate 1 tomato, to give them a little more room and see if that helps (get more air flow thru the plants)… when the leaves get wet and stay wet… that is when fungal issues start accumulating.

When it does show up, be quick about removing infected leaf branches… I take then way across my field and discard them in the woods, or you could burn them.

Below is a very simple organic formula that you can easily find with a Goog Search.

Baking soda has fungicidal properties that can stop or reduce the spread of early and late tomato blight . Baking soda sprays typically contain about 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved into 1 quart of warm water. Adding a drop of liquid dish soap or 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil helps the solution stick to your plant.

PS… I have 8 big beef plants - started in gal black pots, and 6 rutgers… .and have them in my little hot house (protected area). I could tell by looking at them yesterday that they have grown nicely already - looking very good. Last night they were predicting mid 40s here… and I covered the top of my little hot house with a couple bed sheets, and a old blanket… If they start calling for temps below 40… which they are showing in our long range now… I will actually bring those tomato plants into (the garage) for the night… the put them back out in the hot house once the temps get back up to around 50, and sunny.

Not planting them in ground too early, and giving them the best start (like I am doing) by planting them in those gal black pots, where they will thrive extra well for 2-3 weeks, getting off to a extra good start… I think that helps too.

Good Luck with your tomatoes this year !

TNHunter

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#36

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Got these 4/14 from a coop in neighboring county. Put them in those black gal pots with my sweet compost and organic fertilizer mix on 4/15… been in my hot house location for just a few days and growth is zooming.

A couple nights down near 45 and I covered my little hot bed location with some old blankets for the night. If it gets much colder than that I will move then to the garage overnight.

Looking GOOD so far… they will be huge in a couple weeks. Giving some of those to my daughter… those are Big Beef and Rutgers.

TNHunter

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#37

Thanks! I am like you. I have tried various organic “fixes” but mostly I just plant more plants than I need so I get the canning done before the plants slow down. I mulch deeply and remove bottom leaves as well. And I don’t get too uptight when the blight hits.

I just learned about Regalia, and am going to try it this year on the tomatoes. I bought a gallon and am splitting it with friends, so it is not so expensive. And am also using it on my fruit trees and bushes - I wouldn’t buy it just for tomatoes. I wonder if anyone here has tried it on tomatoes. I will report my results. If it helps, it would be nice to try some heirloom tomatoes again.

Your baby plants are gorgeous! I have a friend with a little greenhouse so I let her baby them and I pick them up when it warms up a bit. Can’t wait for that first bite!

#38

Had a low of 46 here last nigth… did not cover them… looking great now. Growing super fast.

I reached down and felt of one of those black pots yesterday evening and the outside was very warm… warm pot… warm compost mix… tomatoes GROW.

TNHunter

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#39

They are calling for 35-37 here tonight… per the News just now Snowing in Paduka KY.

I brought my little tomato starts into the garage for the night. Got to take a close look at them and man they are looking so healthy, getting big and stout. I will be glad when these cold spells are over.

TNHunter

Update… two mercury thermometers on the back porch, one shows 39, the other 41.

Update 2 - around 9:30 we got sunny and 50. Put them back in my hot spot for the day.
Now Nashville stations are predicting 34-35 for tonight… will put them back in the Garage again for the night. May have to do this again on Thursday, but Friday and Later is looking good.

Below is what my Big Beef looked like today… they were store bought seedlings 7 days ago.
So this is after 7 days in the black gal pots, with my compost mix and in the hot house location… soaking up the sun.

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Looking good…

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#40

Here are my pretty green tomatoes!!!

Later tonight I will place a electric blanket over them. Expected low tonight of -29F. :wink:

Tough tomatoes. In an another couple of weeks I will be eating ripe Better Boys!!! Another :wink:

I have trouble with my tomatoes stakes breaking though. Just can’t support those huge tomatoes. Still another :wink:

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