Tomatoes: A Complete Planting Guide

The How Do Gardener ^ | 04/11/2012 | Rick Bickling

[orsonwb]

Complete planting guide for Tomatoes including state specific varieties, planting dates, nutrition facts, planting, watering, fertilizing, insect and disease control information...

[bgill]

Good one!

[Normandy]

Thanks for the link — I like the look of that system. Seems to make more sense to have the plant growing out of the top of a container than the bottom.

[DollyCali]

thanks . might try again one more year. Doing containers for about 10 years. Results less than good. CHEAP good produce at local roadside stands

[Normandy]

Thanks for the tip! Something to avoid :)

[Mr Fuji]

Yes, I’ve tried them and my answer is don’t do it! The roots get cooked and they don’t produce enough yields.

Don’t be afraid or intimidated to stake and grow tomatoes. It’s not that hard to do. If you are confined for space then by all means use containers e.g. 5 gallon buckets and bush variety tomatoes.

[painter]

The tree rats have been devastating most of my tomatoes lately.

I can help you with that. What I do is,I get the Hottest Hot sauce ( I use Dave's insanity sauce)and strain all the heavy stuff out. Then thin it with water and put it in a plastic spray bottle. Spray a coat of this hot sauce on the tomatoes. Keep it off the leaves it will burn them.

Squirrels will stay away from the tomatoes.

[poobear]

off ping list, thanks.

[Darth Reardon]

Thanks, I’ll give that a try. I read about using pepper spray in the garden to repel them by smell, but had no luck with that. Hadn’t thought about putting it on the fruit.

Actually, the tomatoes I don’t have a problem with are in pots covered with habaneros, which I planted after I caught squirrels crawling around in there.

[Sarajevo]

Yep. The roots get root-rot and also overheat, the soil settles and compacts around the roots. It may work in northern climate zones, but not in the south.

[Sarajevo]

It's a little late for my garden this year, but I'll save it for my second planting and next year's crops.

Thanks

[MWestMom]

Thank you! Excellent site!

[submarinerswife]

saving for later

[FreeInWV]

I typically dig a really deep hole. I put something that will hold water in the bottom (coconut hulls, peat moss, styrofoam peanuts, etc). I also use cornstalks or pine cones just because they are usually laying around handy. Water crystals are “AWESOME” to toss in too. This is so there will always be water down deep for the roots and the plants will never get water stressed. Then I toss in a handful of fertilizer (usually tomato-tone) and cover it with a couple paper towels. The roots will grow down into this. Then I add a few inches of manure. Then I add good dirt (usually miracle grow garden soil. I get good indeterminate plants that are stocky and about a foot tall. I pinch off all of the leaves except the very topmost one. Don’t feel sad. It will grow back like crazy!Then I plant it deep with only that one leaf peaking above the ground. The rest of the plant will turn to roots and give you one incredible tomato plant. I have had highly productive 12’ plants.

You should sucker it some, especially down low after its established so you don’t get blight. A little bit of lime while planting will help prevent blossom end rot.

I have my preferences on tomatoes. I’m kinda old fashioned. Costeluto Genovese for slicing. San Marzano or Super Marzano’s for sauce/paste. I do like Juliet hybrids for salads and sauce. They are larger than a cherry but smaller than a roma. They are really prolific. I’ve easily got 45 lbs from a single plant.

Try it and in the summer/fall let me know what you think.

[patriot08]

I don’t grow tomatoes. I just thought I’d throw that formula for tomatoes in there because its inventor, Dale Nelson, a local weatherman here is famous for his.
Thank you, though. :)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks JaDB. I’ve got some sprouts (indoors of course).

[SunkenCiv]

another one:

http://www.growingtomatosecrets.com/lp/3TomatoSecrets.pdf

[dervish]

“You should sucker it some”

What does that mean?

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

So I planted all my seedlings and they sprouted like crazy. Now I’m in a mad rush to get the bed prepared to plant the veggies.

But my spinach seeds have had a tough time sprouting. I planted a total of 10 pods with up to three seeds in each pod and only 4 seeds have sprouted.

Are spinach seeds always this tough?

[Daffynition]

Did you soak the spinach seeds first, B4 planting them?

[csmusaret]

Your soil is probably too acidic.......http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg0435.html.........http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowingbeets.html........http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-grow-root-crops.html