I cant get a concensus on growing tomatoes

[FarmboyBill]

on U Tubes. Everybodys vids say different things. Different spaceing of the plants, some say don't water the leaves, some do. Many have different fertilizing methods and formulas. They all say theres is the best way to grow them, and usually are standing by the proof of that statement.

[Kasota]

There are all kinds of ways to get from point A to point B. Tomatoes seem to be one thing in particular where people have their own system that works for them. Often enough it seems there is a bit of friendly competition (at least in my neighborhood) to see who gets the biggest most flavorful tomatoes first. LOL!

The best way to learn is to simply do it and figure out what works for you.

Up here in my neck of the woods I try not to water on the leaves. I have to water when I get home from work so it is later in the evening. Even in summer, it can cool off here quite a bit at night and that makes for a grand environment for mildew. Other places where I have lived it has not been so much of an issue. I could water after work and it was still warm enough that any water on the leaves would dry just fine and would not linger all night. I also have better luck up here when I space them out a little further so that they get good air flow between the plants.

Some will depend on what kind of soil you have and what kind of drainage, what your sunlight situation is, etc. And keep in mind that even an urban yard has micro-climates. I have some plants that thrive in my front yard but would die in the back yard.

Dive in and try a couple different ways and see what works for you. Keep a notebook and jot down what you're doing so that you can compare and improve the next year.

[rags57078]

I place plants 2 ft apart and have 4 ft isles , I try to keep the water on the ground and try to stay off the leaves, as for fertilizer I give them a shot mid season

[haypoint]

Wire baskets are good, but costly. Stakes with cord wound in and out between the tomatoes, add more twine as they grow. Hoop house helps, too. But drip irrigation and black plastic really helps. Pinching suckers ain't worth worrying about. Fertilizer, sun, heat, water and keep the weeds away.

[FarmboyBill]

I saw where one grower pinched off the limbs a foot off the ground, once they are around 2ft tall. Guess that helps keep from watering the leaves.
Ive been growing tomatoes for 45yrs on my own, but im always wanting to try something different.

[po boy]

Originally Posted by haypoint

Wire baskets are good, but costly. Stakes with cord wound in and out between the tomatoes, add more twine as they grow. Hoop house helps, too. But drip irrigation and black plastic really helps. Pinching suckers ain't worth worrying about. Fertilizer, sun, heat, water and keep the weeds away.

Make your cages/baskets out of concrete wire and attach those to a strong wire running down the row. Will last for years.

[bigjon]

hmmm,wire cages&stakes-yes,i never water until the suns going down.

[haypoint]

Originally Posted by bigjon

hmmm,wire cages&stakes-yes,i never water until the suns going down.

Sun is always down under the black plastic.
Cheap, disposable drip hose, rolls out with the black plastic.
Tie a cord around an end stake, then pass it on the north side of the first tomato plant, around the next stake and the south side of the next tomato plant. and so on. Put your first line a foot off the ground. Add twine as the plants get taller, going on the opposite side of the plant each time. Drive 6 foot stakes a foot into the soil. FBB can prune them when the plants reach 6 feet tall.

[FarmboyBill]

I have over 100 concrete reinforcement wire cages, held in place with 5ft rebar. Im not really crazy about them as I think, in the summertime that the wire here gets so hot that it burns the plants where they touch it.

[wr]

Originally Posted by FarmboyBill

on U Tubes. Everybodys vids say different things. Different spaceing of the plants, some say don't water the leaves, some do. Many have different fertilizing methods and formulas. They all say theres is the best way to grow them, and usually are standing by the proof of that statement.

How have you previously planted them and have you had good results? If you're interested in trying other methods, why not try a few plants with different techniques rather than changing everything?

[FarmboyBill]

wr I started out planting them with them being in a bush like setting. I didn't stake them. I did that for around 20yrs till I came here. This was all cotton country, and the fields used to be full of what was called cotton rats. When I first farmed my bottom ground, I set a paremeter of fire around the field. Rats came out by the hundreds, ALL heading North, which was to a creek. I had fire on 3 sides of the 10 acre field. We clubbed hundres of them. Havnt hardly seen one or 2 a year since then.
ANYWAY. I once noticed a cotton rat standing up and drinking a tomato that was on the ground. That's when I decided to start trellising them up.
Other than laying them down sideways when planting, and pruning them when I am hardening them, thats all that I do. Ive never picked off the suckers before, and im going to do that this year. ive never fertilized them every 2 weeks, and im going to do that this year. Ive never planted them in my former 10sq flower garden which is covered with old particle board I cut out the holes of today for the insertion of the plants. I expect to get 14 in there with them a foot apart. Ill plant the rest of the 21 in the garden. Ive never tried to control bugs by planting a pepper plant in between the tomato plants, but ill try that this year. Lack of water is my main concern.

[DebLit]

My mom used to go out when they were blooming and beat them with a broom. She would tell me that it would make them panic and think they had to reproduce before they died lol. We live on a hill so no need to spread the pollen around where I live now . We also can not get water on the leaves because we have too much salt in our water, but mom would always just use a sprinkler and her gardens were beautiful.

[FarmboyBill]

Never heard of beating the maters lol. I use a sprinkling can here.

[Brighton]

Originally Posted by FarmboyBill

Ive never planted them in my former 10sq flower garden which is covered with old particle board I cut out the holes of today for the insertion of the plants. I expect to get 14 in there with them a foot apart.

This does not make any sense to me at all, you drilled holes to plant them in a garden covered with particle board?? That should work well.

[Earthling]

I agree, there is much conflicting advice on tomato growing. One website says tomatoes need lots of fertilizer and the next says that tomatoes are not heavy feeders so use a minimum amount. The truth is always somewhere in between. I've found that tomatoes are not nearly as delicate as some would have you believe. They don't need to be babied with just the right amount of this or that to grow and be healthy. A little bit of common sense armed with a modicum of knowledge is all that is required for a good harvest.

Water on the leaves when the plants are reaching maturity is established as a no-no however. Droplets on leaves will allow disease spores floating around to adhere to the leaf surface and infest your precious plants. This why overhead watering is bad ju-ju.

I whipped up a page on growing tomatoes back when I was nursing an injury. Maybe you'll find it useful or you can pick it apart just for fun.

http://www.goldfinch-acres.com/Tomatoes.html

[geo in mi]

If you think getting concensus is bad with tomatoes, go over to the gardening board and look at some of the potato threads. Phew!

geo

[oneraddad]

I don't fertilize, I just till in compost/straw/chicken poop then plant.

[FarmboyBill]

Brighton I wish youd READ EXACTLY WHAT IVE WRITTEN BEFORE commenting on it. I DID NOT say had drilled holes. I said I had CUT holes around 6in X 12in. Once planterd, I will take particle board to cover up the holes till they are around 4 X 6in.

Whats the difference between cutting holes in old particle board to plant tomatoes, than to lay out black plastic, and punch holes in it to do the same thing??????????????

[FarmboyBill]

Earthling, ill sure look at your notes.
Ive NEVER been totally satisfied with my returns. Hence the planting of large numbers of plants, 50 to 80 in the day, to get a satisfactory harvest.

[FarmboyBill]

Eling. Read it, enjoyed it.