Growing Tomatoes

Privatteer

Try some cuttlefish if you're near the beach. Calcium carbonate. I have some crushed in the bed the toms are in.

Got some seeds last year from "The lost seed". Burwood prize is going fairly well for me and the plant is smaller/more compact.

mattyoga

Nice toms mantis - yeah came to the same conclusion - not a big fan of romas so won't do them again - not enough acid for my liking. will try the cuttly - better to catch a fresh one - yum!

H&ROrganics

We have pretty good luck with AP tomatoes, only problems we have had was high PH levels which started to yellow the plants a little bit. But now we are getting great production.

Willem Bot

Hi guys I am starting a tomato only AP system in your opinion what would work best constant flood or flood and drain?

Regards Willem

Gabe

I find my tomatoes that is planted closest to the inlet pipes in the growbeds does best. Tomatoes are greedy feeders and needs lot of water - particularly when it is hot. I would suggest you keep them constant flood.
You will need to keep close watch as they have tendency to block your beds with their rampant roots.

Willem Bot

Thanks Gabe I have seen that, got one in a 20L bucket with flood and drain and I need to clean it out at least once a week. I am not going to put them in beds they gonna be in separate containers (one plant per bucket).

savarin

This is two plants, tropic variety. Basil at their bottom end.
Very heavily pruned. I use little hooks in the netting to hang the stalks from.
No extra additions but my nitrates are only 5ppm.
They dont go the red colour seen in the supermarkets but taste very nice.
Anyone cook green tomatoes?
We thickly slice them, marinade in balsamic vinegar oregano and garlic for a couple of hours.
Dip into thin pancake batter and panko bread crumbs and shallow fry both sides in oil deep enough to come halfway up the slice. Awesome done in Jade oil.

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Thats only two parsley plants in the front.
The empty beds have been laying fallow whilst I got the aphids under control but are now being planted with bok choy, mustard greens etc.

toffee

Newbie question for growing tomato:

I would like to plant them one each per pot, then just continuous flow. Questions:

1. Is continuous flow idea for growing tomatoes?
2. How big pot? would 5gal pot be enough? or 15gal pot be more suitable? Would depth be an issue?
3. Media? what type.
4. Drain at the bottom or brain say 1-2" from the bottom thus a small reservoir?
5. Would like a beef cake plus a cherry tomato.
6. Water from a goldfish pond.

Thanks for helping.

Fishy John

While doing all the pruning try a cloning bucket with an air stone. produce transferable fruiting plants in about a week or two. google it, great fun.

Hoosierdoc

Seems like Dutch bucket is the way to go for tomatoes. I'm hoping to get some started in a week or two to experiment.

I will try some as single stem and some as double.

Anyone ever pull their vines down and wrap them in a circle as they grow? I saw a commercial greenhouse that does this. Said their plants get 50' tall but fruit is always at comfortable height for a standing person.

scotty435

Hoosierdoc wrote:

Anyone ever pull their vines down and wrap them in a circle as they grow? I saw a commercial greenhouse that does this.

I've seen that too, it's pretty neat. I would have guessed that they had to go toward one side first and then back the other way after they have enough stem to work with. Most places unless you have a greenhouse the tomato plant won't have the time to get this big. Even in a greenhouse it sometimes makes sense to restart the crop because it's either not cost effective to compete with field grown or to reduce the pest levels.

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