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how do you grow tomatoes?
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Posted by stillmanz QLDAust (My Page) on Sat, Sep 24, 05 at 19:07
| How do you guys do it? I am curious to know who prunes? who stakes? Who uses cages or trellis? Who grows in pots, who uses raised beds and who dosn't? who's growing in hydro set ups? Who fertilizes and who dosn't? I find seeing what works for others is the best way to pick up good ideas.
For me I grow in raised beds I don't prune too heavily and I use a hybrid trellis/ cage frankinstein set up which gives two sides of support and lets your plant get nice and tall.
I want to know all your secrets!!! lol |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Don't know, nobody grows tomatoes on this forum. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Very funny wicky! I only prune the vining types (indeterminates) if they get out of hand and I never prune the bush types (determinates) as they fruit on terminal buds so pruning those reduces yield.
As for support, I've tried stakes and cages. I prefer stakes but this year will try a kind of stake/cage hybrid. I mulch well.
Some years they get lots of attention - regular spraying with seaweed extract, plenty of mature compost. In other years I ignore them. They seem to prefer to be left alone, or perhaps they just don't like me!. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Come now Ray, your not developing a tomato complex of some description I hope.
I grow them in bottomless pots mostly, but also directly in the garden and in free standing pots.
I stake some, cage some, and train some up ropes strung between posts at the ends of a row.
I never know how much to fertilise them so it varies from year to year. But I do try to hold off until they set their first fruit before feeding them to much.
If you click on my nick above their will be a link to my web page that shows some of my setup. Cheers Mantis |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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I cut 44 gallon drums in half, make four holes about 100mm from the bottom to keep the white ants and others in check, the drums are
spaced about 500mm apart, on top of the drums I place concrete reinforceing mesh, the sheet mesh usually comes in 2.4mx6m these are cut to 1.2x6m and put on top of the drums with star pickets to hold in place, and the rows are north south to get the maximum sun. I normally only have four lateral branches and the rest of the robbers are pinched out. I try only to grow inderminates.
The bottom half of the drums are corse sand and dirt mixture for good drainage and the top half is the comppost, mulch, manure mix that has been breaking down over the wet season. My growing season is from the start of March through to the end of July. I've only just started growing OP varieties this year after coming across Garden Web and getting on to all the great tomatoe sites, before this I use to grow in raised beds in the ground but because of the wilt and namatode problem I had to find another way. This year I have 56 drums with 24 differant varieties which I have just pulled up at the start of September, and found only three with namatodes.
It seems I'm doubling the amount of plants and drums every year, I do this to relax, Its even getting in the way of fishing, now thats saying something, but thats tomatoes for ya. Keith |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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- Posted by seonau Adel SA Aust (My Page) on
Sun, Sep 25, 05 at 10:07
During winter here in Adelaide I grew my toms in a glass house. I use hydroponics. I simply set up a PVC. channel and six times a day fed the toms. It is a automatic recycling, pump system, so the excess nutrients returns to a storage container buried in the ground. The plants grew to the very top of the G.H., 2.1 mts. Very successful. No sprays at all.
My toms for summer are already flowering, not bad for Adelaide at this time of year. Because I am new at this I am experimenting a bit and after seeing Princes P.Ps set up last year thought I would try some thing different and follow her lead.
I have used 20lt plastic drums filled with coco fibre and in them drilled a 10mm hole 50mm up from the base of the drum. I feed nutrient to them every three days and make sure the pots are flushed each time I feed them. I have placed a small stake in the drums also.They sit in the G.H.
It is my intension to pick them up. pot and all and move them into the yard once it gets hotter.I will continue to grow them in the wild using hydro.
The temp inside the G.H. last year in summer reached 150 F I expect to be picking in about a month to six weeks time. I have also already set up a P.V.C. channel around the outside of the G. H. and have seeding in plastic cups growing. Once the weather warms up I will transfer these to the channels. I hope to have both early and late toms in this way.
I am certainly no expert in all of this and I am learning what's best to grow when and how. So far no loses at all and top results. Its a fascinating game this hydro.
Seonau |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Thanks for shareing your growing set ups. So Seonau what sort of tempretures can tomatoes take in a green house are all your tomatoes in hydro set up?
Keith I combat nemitoids by growing french marigolds around my plants but it looks like the drums work well for you. I think I'm going to get some re-bar to make some big cages when I get some time of work. Mantis I had a look at your link very nice I haven't seen bottomless pots used before I might experiment with a few. Raymondo I 'm not a big fan of fertilizing either. my beds are always built up with manure and lucern I usually give them a drink of fish emulsion when they start to bud as well.
I think I'mm going to go out and start construction on my super tomato bed today. the backyard slowly disapears into garden. I Love it. Mick |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| last year I brought in four bales of sugar cane mulch and covered most of the garden in about 60cm of the stuff - - I put a hand full of potting mix where I wanted to grow my tomatoes and just let them sprawl all over the place - had a good crop until the grass hoppers decided they liked them (and just about everything else) this year I've mostly got them staked and growing in the much improved soil
one is growing over a curryleaf plant, several are growing up my pea/bean trellis (chook wire strung between three stakes) some are "tied" to my bananas, one is supported by a rose and there are a couple of wild cherry tomatoes growing along a chain mail fence in the front yard She Who Must Be Obeyed goes around and pinches out the wee growth in the fork of the plants - encourages vertical growth and stops them from getting too many small fruit |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Paradisi, I often thought of just letting them grow as they are. Must work i reckon. If I just put straw under them, they would be fine. Save a hell of a lot of work.
They are a vine after all. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Is it possible to grow them in the polystyrene boxes or is that an urban myth? If so how large would you recommend and is ordinary (good 5 ticks) potting soil enough or would I need to add some garden soil as well as compost? Thanks Cathy |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Personally I don't think polystyrene boxes are deep enough. Try big (60cm) pots with the bottom cut out like Mantis does. Ray tried putting the pot inside a cardbox to provide insulation & it worked quite well.
The potting mix should be ok, but they do need plenty of water. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Not too much Nitrogen, very nice moisture-retentive soil, loads of mulch. This means I water maybe twice a season using my concealed sub-mulch leaky hose. Without oodles of water the flavours are concentrated and there is less problem with evaporation, humidity and leaf diseases such as early blight. I have had good success growing tommies in beds that have had nitrogen-thirsty crops in them immediately beforehand, things like lettuce and the cabbage family. But just make sure the soil retains moisture. The longer you till in compost the better. But don't plant straight after putting bags of cow and mushroom compost (equal amounts please) on your beds. Wait for some weeks for the nitrogen to leach out. And water so the weeds come up. Then pluck them out for the chooks. Then plant , mulch heavily, and sit back for several months. Don't prune. Establish good support early on. And really make a point of securing the plant to the stake. Don't crowd and pick a sun-drenched possie with plenty of airflow, ie, north facing. Deal with fruitfly, grubs and leaf diseases before they are an impossible problem. Take lots of pics and post them here. Above all, enjoy. And if you have a dud season for whatever reason, alugh it off. :) |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Did you have a few red wines with tea fella LOL. No paragraphs and "alugh it off". But seriously, all you said is good advice.
I water more than that and I do prune off weak leaders. Until this year I have pruned all leaders, apart from the main and the one below the first flower truss. This year I am letting one or two leaders that are strong looking, go from the bottoms of the plants.
One Gregoris Altai has three very strong leaders from its base and is powering away with two at the top. This appears to be a very strong plant, so more leaders are justified.
I have weaker plants that I have pruned all the bottom leaders off to give the main ones a better chance.
I figure that if the plant is growing really well it can handle more leaders and set more fruit, but if weaker , I prune it back to get some fruit.
Sorry I am getting a bit carried away here. Must be the rare sunny day we just had and the obvious growth of my plants in one day.
Cheers Mantis  |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Mantis,
I was enjoying a Coonawarra shiraz with my post-dinner diatribe. I just let the plant form whatever shape it will, however, in humid Sydney, the lower branches invariaby get nipped off coz of yellowing and then Early Blight. I don't think they need that much help. I will fess-up: I'm behind this season and bought two Sweet Bite cherries. Bad, I know. but SB tastes a-ok for an early. I went up the wee backyard, found two pots with last year's potting mix in them and lots of volunteer parsely bubs, pulled mulch to one side, stuck tommies in, watered and that is that. So this is the second year in the same potting mix (I wouldn't do it to a good Heirloom) and the SB's are setting fruit already. Too easy if you want it to be. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Yeah I know what you mean. I got sucked in by a really healthy looking grafted Grosse Lisse which has gone in my main bed. I really have to stay away from nurseries :-) |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| So how many have you got on the go? You must have 40 or something already. I think you need to go to Tomatoes Anonymous. You are addicted, nq ;) |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Whaaaht, I only have 45 varieties up and 50 plants planted out. Got the grafted ones and the oldies to go yet.
BTW first fruit is set on a Big Beef and is looking good. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| I will be lucky to get frit for Xmas this year. But I might have one of the last laughs with my late ones. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| You should get fruit from your Russian Reds at least. You are getting warmer weather up there than we are. My outside toms aren't doing much most days, but on the odd warm day you can see them grow over a day. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| I should have Polar Babies to munch on before Christmas. Yeah! It's cold here and I feel sorry for my seedlings in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is falling to pieces and the wind is chilling everything inside. It had to survive some hailstorm during the night, too. So far, so good, though. :) |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Wicky I'll swear those almost overpowering fumes that come off tomato weeds oh I mean plants :p has some kind of drug in it that make you want to grow them more and more, it's best just to stay well away from them at all times, talking about monster weeds can you email me with your address again so I can send you these Capulin Cherries before they take over Victoria |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| ... and not even the slightest hint of an "excuse me" for being off topic. I don't know, Mexican fruit growers today. You'd swear there was something in the water. Would you like some tomato seeds, Frog? Best with your endeavours, :)Grub. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| What are Capulin Cherries? |
cherries
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| Please ignore previous question. I have just done a bit of googling and found out more. Interesting. What you learn in this forum. Thanks. :) |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Spatz I can't be bothered to google, what is a capulin cherry please????? |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Last year i had quite a good year with don burke in soil rich with sheep manure.
I also went up to the mountains and found a creek that had been in flood at some time and dug 2 trailer loads of very fine rich soil and grew grosse lis in there with very good results. But the best results came from tomatoes i grew in 25 litre potting mix.
I put 3 or 4 cuts in the bottom of the plastic bags and in turn placed them in sand bags, placed a stake in that and then placed the plant in the bag.That way they can be moved around with the sun. |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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Sorry frog, *If that IS your real name:)*, I will email it to you, thanks. I think all these tomatoes are just a SMOKE screen *get it? tiddy boom*, for what's growing between.
Hooch cookies, steak a la hooch, green eggs and hooch, spam spam spam hooch and spam.
SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM, SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM...wonderful Spaaaaam |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Sarah, Capulin is a fake cherry :), it's good for people that can't grow real ones. Since I can grow real ones, I'm not exactly sure why I have a capulin tree, well I did have one, but it had some fruit last year and the birds ate it, now there seems to be hundreds! all over the property...... at least :p ooops oh well the birds will be fat and happy, I expect there will be capulin trees all over the country if they spread this good, lots of people have them planted so it wont take long for the capulin forests to converge into each other and make the whole country a capulin forest. :p You might think I'm exagerating it's weed potential but I'm not : ), it's very impressive |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Have you eaten any? Are they nice? Or do only the bird have that privilege? |
RE: how do you grow tomatoes?
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| Spatz my tree doesn't taste that good yet (supposed to get better with age (and yeah it is getting better each year) but alot of people say their's taste great. I think the better ones are growing in Peru and Ecuador. The ones here in Australia might be duds although Daleys nursery says they taste good and I got mine from there so I really don't know what to think about them yet. But they look good, will fruit from seed in 3 years and can grow 6 foot in a year also they are supposed to make great pies. Mine is going to open it's flowers in a week or two, I'll take a picture. Louis Glowinski has a really big tree in his backyard but I'm not sure how his tastes either |
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