Does anyone use that?
I guess this can get as complicated as one wants to make it
:)

Hmm and 'rock powders' and alfalfa - I can definately get my hands on some alfalfa hay - I guess you just mix it in

Step up your transplants in to 1 gallon nursery pots. Half gallon milk cartons, with drain holes added, work well. Hold these in a greenhouse or carry indoors until weather conditions are appropriate for planting.

Tomato plants will only flower when grown in full sun. The more sun the plant can get, the more fruit you can get. Jerry Prasons says "If there is a tree on the horizon, it's to close."

Work LOTS of compost in to the planting area. I use about a wheelbarrow full per plant, half mixed in, the other half as mulch.

Add about a cup of soft rock phosphate to the bottom of each hole. Set the bottom of the root ball directly into this material. This is the single most important amendment you can offer your new plants.

Consider adding micro-rhizal inoculants at this stage as well. These beneficial fungi will greatly enhance a plants ability to absorb water and nutrients

If you have any doubt about having enough earthworms in your garden, add a generous amount of earthworm casting as you back-fill in around your new plants. Awesome stuff...usually includes earthworm eggs as well. Cheap and excellent!

Set your plants at LEAST 3 feet apart. Tomatoes are susceptible to mildew problems if they don't receive proper air flow; think roses.

Set your plants 'green side up'.
Set your new plants deep. Pick off lower leaves and set so that only two sets are above soil level, with about an inch or two of stem exposed.

Look in to 'rock powders'; greensand, lava sand, basalt and granite, added to your garden soil, these provide long term stores of trace minerals making for stronger and healthier plants.

Corn meal is a fantastic fungicide; A small handful mixed into the soil at planting, and a couple more around the base of the plant can be an inexpensive prevention for a number of early diseases.

DON'T over-water. This is the single most frequent mistake made. An established tomato plant will perform at its best when watered DEEPLY every ten days or so. You cannot give a plant too much water, but you can do it too often.
Use ground cedar mulch on top of your compost to help deter root rot nematodes. I also like alfalfa hay as mulch. I like the golden color it turns, the earthy smell, and all the nitrogen it adds!

Foliar feed regularly, about every two weeks. There are many recipes for foliar sprays and all have merit. Seaweed extract and molasses are probably the two most import ingredients to look for. This practice will eliminate 99% of spider mites and do a great deal to bolster overall plant health.

Use a 'tea' of corn meal; soak about half a cup in a gallon of tap water overnight; strain. Spray after long rainy periods to ward off or control powdery mildew and many other diseases. Works like magic!

Weve been playing with straight 3% hydrogen peroxide as a spray for early disease control. Also, a new product called 'Plant Wash' is proving very effective as a prevention/curative for man 'mater ills.

Use a Bacillus thuringiencus product if necessary to control hornworms. Spray only the plant with an apparent problem. Hornworms usually twitch violently when sprayed with water. If you notice a damaged plant, spray it down (in early morning) and watch for the Âdancing wormÂ. These are easily picked and discarded by hand.
Cage up, trellis, or string guide indeterminate tomato varieties. This will give much needed support, and aid in fruit production. I would be disappointed if my plants didn't grow to at least 15" length each year.
Seriously consider the use of grow web fabric, if you don't already. There are way too many benefits to list here.

Grow several tomato varieties; you can never tell which will excel from one year to the next with our typically inconsistent weather.
I like to plant a few bush beans at the foot, on the western facing side, of my tomatoes. All legumes add nitrogen to the soil. I will also grow snow peas and bluebonnets in my tomato beds as winter crops.
Keep an accurate garden journal. You will be amazed how often you will refer back to this useful little tool. Include planting dates, plant variety names and sources, soil amendments, etcÂ

We set aside any moldy bales of alfalfa. We then run it through the chipper shredder. This make a GREAT soil additive as it is a legume, high in nitrogen and decomposes fairly quickly. If you use it just as mulch, it can get pretty slimey and stinky. The worms find nirvana in the places where we have rototilled the shredded alfalfa.
It would be worth it ta ask around at stables to get free (or buy cheaply) molded alfalfa hay. Anyone who feeds it is going to have some mold in the occasional bale (it is interesting to note that apfalfa bailed too moist can actually simmer and spontaneously combust. Had a friend who lost 100 tons and her barn!) Cows can eat some moldy hay but horses should NEVER be fed moldy hay.

Has anyone out there used corn meal as an fungicide, as recommended above?

Also, where can one get soft rock phosphate and earthworm castings?

Thanks for the ideas Brokenbar - I will certainly incorporate some shredded alfalfa

I don't know Cleo88 - a bait shop?
Maybe a feed store?

Wonder what that 'fabric' he speaks of is?

I just called Marshall Grain and Feed here in Texas -
Cleo

and they carry the phosphate and earthworms (tho sold out til the next shipment)

So maybe there is a similiar type place where you live

all the best
a

I wondered that too, blessedfrog,so i googled it and found out it's another name for Remay or floating row cover.

I saw earthworm castings in the garden center at Walmart. Right in with the bagged soils.

And I don't know if I like all that he mentions about nitrogen. That's definitely NOT what you want a lot of, if you want good fruit production. Higher on phosphorus and potassium, lower on nitrogen is what I've heard.

You bring up an interesting point, catman. I was thinking about growing some hairy vetch among my maters this summer and tilling it under in the fall, but then I wondered if the soil would be too nitrogen-heavy. I'm sticking with my compost for now, but I wonder if other people have thoughts on green manures being too "nitrogeny".

OH right jll0306

it is the remay

ok thanks!

Excuse me, a "professional" but would you mind sharing what degrees, experiences or business experiences give you the right to call yourself a professional?

I've grown tomatoes for decades and never have done most of your suggestions but still have harvested bushels of fruit. Can you quote studies or experiences where your methods show an increase in production.

For instance, perhaps you've seen greenhouse operations where toms are grown in a 1 foot area? Sort of destroys your "expert" advice they need nine square feet of space. Even in my garden, I would never waste that much space.

Post your figures, some of us want to see real data and not just musings.

Mike

Yep earth worm castings are pretty cheap at walmart. Try the vermicomposting forum here for home bins. I've got a lb of hairy vetch seed for winter crop but I am companion planting borage, basil's, and nasturtiums w/ all my toms. Yes from what I've read cut back the N when fruiting starts.

Is planting the seedlings right on top of a big pile of rock phosphate a good idea? I know they need phosphorus, but it seems like a bit of overkill...

Many of the varieties listed at the site are not heirlooms. A quick look at cherry toms shows Juliet, Sweet 100, Sweet Million, and Sun Gold listed, all hybrids as far as I have seen. I don't think the site claims they are heirlooms, but the descriptions do not mention they are hybrids. With a site name like Heirloom Tomatoes I'd expect hybrids to be clearly identified.

Many people have great ways to grow fine tomatoes that differ from the suggestions at the site. But I see them as mere suggestions, and perhaps ones that are very good for Texas growing conditions. Right now I'm looking at a predicted low of 13 F. for tonight. For now, ripe tomatoes seem like a far off dream no matter how I try growing them :(

Lots of growers have lots of methods. And many suggestions will simply get the money out of your pocket. Best to stick with the basics if you are just starting. Good soil, prudently fertilizing and watering, plenty of sun and some careful observation will usually do quite well for your tomatoes. :)

Hello Mike

I am certainly not a profesional.

That site is from a purveyor of heirloom tomatoes in Texas.
He was written up in the Fort Worth Telegram - which lead me to his site.

He evidently does a big business in the tomatoes as well as the plants and seems to have a fine reputation.

He sells out of his plants by the first week of march and then grows his own tomatoes for sale - as I understand it.

He - from what I read - has a lot of respect in the community.

I just thought what he suggested was interesting and worth looking at.

Had you taken a look at the site - that would be clear.
Those are not my personal tips.
I have never grown tomatoes before.
And was looking for information myself.

have a nice night

I guess growing tomatoes has been his 'profession' - he is in business - for ten years.

Other than that I know little about tomatoes or him.
He was recommended in an article in the paper - and I looked into him.

This is from his site

About us...
I have been growing heirloom tomatoes for over a decade now. When I first started growing my own tomatoes to offer to my friends and customers, I decided to grow for flavor rather than productivity. This is where my search for the heirlooms began. The reputation for producing high quality, fresh eating fruit preceded them. In the following pages you will find just a handful of the varieties of the heirloom tomatoes actually available if you choose to grow your own from seed. My choices for growing out were based on personal experience, the recommendations of countless others, and catalog descriptions of varieties that sounded too good to pass on. A few hybrids of exceptional quality are also offered in their own category.

This site is my attempt to make available several choice varieties of these marvelous heirlooms to people who don't have the time, patience or proper growing facilities to start their own transplants. I love growing tomatoes and I am sure you will see my devotion in every plant produced. Each seed is set out by hand, one at a time. I mix my own soil, fertilize with natural fertilizers, and water every plant myself, throughout the entire growing season. I practice chemical-free gardening and likewise encourage everyone to get involved. There is absolutely no advantage to a chemical based program and actually several reasons that it can be a very unhealthy practice.

Hi naturegirl -
don't worry
spring is right around the corner

yes i guess you are right
you can get as complicated or as simple as works for you

I will try to keep it simple and stay attentive

Different things might work in different regions etc.

Like I said
there is some 95 year old coot down the street who grew amazing tomatoes in one gallon dutch boy paint cans last year - who knows

Right Jalirancr
I guess a lot of that just serves for big business

Tho I am hooked on buying earthworms :D

Compensations for poor Texas caleche soil.

We have the totally awesome soil, as we feed most of the plane here from this minor chunk of land, but of course we don't have the long growing season, and leaching rains you get down there near the gulf.

Texas growing is a bit different from up North here.
Maters like warm soil.
I trench plant, meaning I dig a shallow trench lay the mater plant horizontal, leaving four true leaves. Planting, this method the maters get warm soil all the time, plus maters grow roots along their stem.

I make my "magic mix" for the trench, mix up ground eggshells, soft rock phosphate, kelp meal. Toss in a handful to the trench, then cover the stem and tilt the mater plant top so it stands straight, if it isn't straight it will be a a day or 2.
If you stake your plants, now is a good time to do so, so you don't cut a stem in half later.

All the while I am digging mini trenching and tossing magic mix in the trenches the maters are soaking in an Epsom salt bath..

I foilar feed with Fish emulsion at 6 inch stage and water in July with rabbit compost tea.

All my beds, either floral or veggie get a dose of cornmeal and dry molasses in March. Alfalfa, I get pellets and soak them overnight and incorporate into the soil.
My shredder does NOT like straw or hay for some reason even when I mix it with twigs or leaves.

I also use BT for the tomato hornworms. As pretty as the hummers they produce, they can strip a pepper or mater plant to a stick overnight.

I don't sell my maters so I guess I cannot be called a professional, I have Blue Ribbons, the one year when Daisy my Auraucana hen sat ontop the mater cage I won for heaviest maters.. 3lbs a piece they were.
I have hardly any blossom end rot.

I won't age myself stating how long I have done this, lol

thanks for the input BUSYLIZZY

I guess everyone does it differetly
and location makes a big difference

I am just trying to learn

and appreciate everyone who shares their knowledge and experience

thanks!

alissa

"Foliar feed regularly, about every two weeks. There are many recipes for foliar sprays and all have merit. Seaweed extract and molasses are probably the two most import ingredients to look for. This practice will eliminate 99% of spider mites and do a great deal to bolster overall plant health."

I need more information about the use of molasses for foliar feeding. Anyone have anything to offer? Does this work for plants other than tomatoes as well?

To me, molasses is for shoofly pie (a staple here near Amish Country). But, how does it work for plants?

eaglesgarden - you'll find many discussions about it and its various uses over on the Organic Gardening forum if you want details.

But the usual bottom line is "add 1 once of unsulfured (dry) molasses to [compost tea or foliar spray] to provide a food source for the beneficial microorganisms".

The theory being that the beneficials can then better control the harmful ones.

Dave

BF

While I understand that getting started is a fun venture and the more you can learn about how to grow tomatoes, the better, But I'm pretty sure you won't find any more professional advice than here on GW's tomato forum. There are individuals who post here and are certainly tomato professionals who have lots more experience growing tomatoes than 10 years!

The truth is that there are many many ways to successfully grow tomatoes, not one "professional" or best way, though there are some principles that everybody pretty much agrees about.

What I'm trying to politely say, though probably badly, is that one "professional" opinion is worth as much as the next one, even when they give different advice. The internet is crowded with advice about growing tomatoes, some of which is just flat-out wrong. You'll discover what works best for you when you try various growing or watering methods or fertilizers or amendments or mulches or soils or whatever else strikes your fancy!

Most of us have come to recognize that tomatoes are like weeds, so unless we do something terrible to downright kill them, we're usually satisfied -- they'll thrive under amazingly poor conditions, but that doesn't keep us from trying to improve their health and production!

So enjoy it and see what works for you. Discover what steps most of the advice has in common and then experiment with the rest.

With my ambient indoor temperatures in the 80's *F , when making aerated worm castings extract I do not put molasses in when brewing this fertilizer "tea.".
Monitoring the stage at which the desired aerobic (oxygenated) condition, favoring the multiplication of beneficial micro-organisms, reaches saturation and risks subsequent swing into an anaerobic (depleted oxygen) environment is not worth it, to me.

Well said anney I agree.

It is fine to review advice and to get advice from multiple sources, but the bottom line is you have to find your own way.

I follow some of the tips cited. I disagree with some of the tips. That's what works for me. I have success I'm happy with (see hyperlink below).

Good luck.

Randy

p.s. No I do not recommend triple stacking cages. Yes, I almost fell off the ladder on more than one occassion.

p.s.s. Give them everything they need and then some, but not too much.

Trench planting tip. Drive your stakes on the East (downwind) side of the plant. Spread the roots towards the West. The prevaling West wind will blow the plants towards the stake, rather than hanging on the ties. Make a habit of this method so you'll always know where to drive the stake.
Doug

OH Anney - I totally agree and see what you are saying. I feel ya.

I just thought what he said was interesting to consider and discuss.

I am flying blind. I am enjoying just seeing them grow each day.

I hear you tho.

Oh and I wasn't advocating his advice or trying to convince anyone - h+ll - I've never grown tomatoes before ! I just found it and got excited :)