to get the best tasting tomatoes - don't water them!

Wow we sure do get passionate about our tomatoes. I'm in Nashville. Every year I experiment and try new things with mine. This year was seeds dropped on the ground in one bed in december and left alone to do as they will. And in 2 other beds seeds saved from last year dropped in april. I let all the sprouts grow for about a month then thinned out any scary or weak looking ones. Saved about 90 - 100 plants. All beds started with about 12" of compost and were mulched after thinning. I didn't have to water but it has been a wet year. The seeds that were left out all winter produced the best looking plants and more tomatoes.

So there is my 2 cents. What works for you, works for you.

With some of Paul's threads and videos, I've sometimes been one of the first to find fault and jump all over him. This time there's nothing wrong since the basic ideas have already been established elsewhere. The medium that the tomatoes were planted in will do exactly as claimed and tomatoes grown under such conditions are indeed superior. The goal of most gardeners usually is to attempt to obtain the same results. Some already know how, some want to know how, and some are still looking around for the popcorn vendor.

Martin

all I know is I never water mine, I get more toms then I can ever use, and they are indeed very flavorful. The only trouble is that they all tend to crack after a dry spell if we get any rain at all.

Can you tell us about your soil conditions? Lots of organic matter? (the tomatoes in the vid had a LOT of organic matter) Lots of clay? (clay, when mixed with organic matter, can hold a LOT of water)

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I had no idea that the topic of growing tomatoes could get so hositile.

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