I cant get a concensus on growing tomatoes

we have rich soil, so with a bit of fertilizer we can grow tomatos fairly close together. Poorer soil needs wider spacing.

Our summers are not too humid, so fungal diseases are of much of a problem. In very humid areas it is the custom to remove some of the foliage to allow the light into the center of the plant.

Where I grew up in California the growing season is long and the soil stays warm year round, and nobody took off the lower leaves of the tomatos and planted them in a trench and buried the seedlings up to the leaves that were left. Here is Kansas the growing season is shorter and the soil deep down is cold in the spring and a LOT of people do it!

Every area has its own growing customs, and usually for very good reasons!

I guess I was thinking you came up with the idea from somewhere. Is there some reason you're being surly when we are trying to helpful?

Well, in the old days, farmers used to use alfalfa and clover fields as plow down to return a green manure that had legumes in it. Guessthat's where I got it.

Adding un-composted green material will not really do any good. It needs to break down before it becomes useful. Maybe next year but it is just ties up other nutrients while it is decomposing.

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I totally agree, and it seems like it's not just the tomatoes! It's made learning how to garden very confusing LOL
Now I've resigned myself to just trying different things and sticking with what works for me.

Well, Ill say this. The next person who gets in my face to tell me how to container garden, better look good in a bikini, or they'll get a poke in the nose lol

You are an authority on container gardening or it doesn't work well for you?

Im definatly NOT an authority on container gardening. Ive got 3, I think of those black plastic bands that you form into a hoop, that are covered with 3in holes. Tried strawberries in them No go. I got a 40 gal barrel. Tried taters in it last year. No go. Got maybe at least a doz 4ft by 3ft rectangular boxes that have hinges on the corners, and guides so that one can stack them. tried taters in one last year, and 2 this year. No go.
Does that sound like an authority to you lol

I never water the leaves. The one year I watered from above I ended up with blight. Always water either before the sun comes up or after its down.

I tried the stakes and cord thing last year and it ended up being a mess with the weight of the plants pulling the cord down and getting wrapped around everything...most of my tomatoes bloomed on the ground and I lost some. This year I might try something more solid.

yup. I always try to water in the evening, cause here in Okieland, it gets so hot that IF one waters in the morning, by 10 00 the plant is getting steamed.

I can understand that. I successfully raise rabbits for years and somebody suggested I switch to cages instead of the colony system I was using and I darned near went broke.

yup, I always wanted to try the Colony system, But I was running 150 rabbits at one time, and just couldn't figure out how to do it. AND, like you, I darned near went broke. Didja go back to CR?

I was selling about 100 rabbits a week and as soon as I went back to the colony system, the world was good and I sold the stinking cages just to be sure I never tried it again.

FBB, when i was a kid, the neighbor took produce to Dallas Farmers Mkt weekly. For tomatoes he planted Porter and Improved Porter. Porter is a small cherry type, Imp is a bit bigger than an egg. He said they were the only varieties to grow in this area. Both were developed by a seedsman in Stephenville, TX.

I always have good luck with the Porter, production slows in the heat but they come on back when it cools down. Imp I have had problems with blossom end rot last few years, not on other varieties just those. The large fruited ones don't usually do well, although some years they do.

I always plant yellow pear to. My Grandpa and his BIL tossed the seed in with the cotton seed when planting. They would then be a source of refreshment in the field. I grow them more for the memory, but they do make a good hot day snack when I'm working outside.

I use some cages made from old woven wire, but mostly let tomatoes sprawl. That give a chance for the plants to form more roots as the heat builds. Spidermites in the heat of a dry summer will cause me to spray the plants with water, usually in the morning so the water dries before the full heat of the sun beats down in the afternoon.

I build berms around plants, rows or clusters of plants and water inside the berms. I put a metal fence post in, plant a plant at the points of the compass, cage and tie cage to post, then berm.
Where I don't cage, I plant in rows and berm the rows, water is put on the ground on the uphill side to soak under the plants, don't water much but daily or every othe day as soil drains fast and more is wasteful.

Ed

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Ed I planted the YPs right by the steps to the house for a quick snack.

wr Ive looked at all the u tubes on colony rabbits didn't see anything over a couple doz. How did you handle that many on the ground. You said you sold a 100 a week. that ment you had to be keeping around 400 does, and a couple doz bucks.

Bill, I was selling under contract multiple markets so I was running three colonies. I was selling a certain amount (in three sizes) to stores specializing in reptiles, which brought in great money. One colony was for pet quality rabbits, also contracted to pet stores and the third was meat rabbits, which brought in less revenue because they take longer to finish.

I was also raising finches and budgies by contract as well. As a single parent, pet stores and a few other things payed the bills and allowed me the luxury of only working away from home part time.

I always use good compost in my soil, and plant my 'maters deep as I can, for good root systems. Fertilize w/ fish emulsion, coffee grounds, Epsom salts, eggshells in the soil, never get the leaves wet if I can help it! Plant Marigolds ,Nasturtiums & herbs around them... I turned our old dog pen into a greenhouse this year, working out well. When it warms up I will take the plastic down & it will be one huge tomato cage!



Few years ago...

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wr, How many did you have in the colonies each? Seems like they would be way too big to move around easily to new grass.