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Starting Tomato Plants...I am going to try this | Forum

Topic location: Forum home » General » Homemaker
Jstnona
Jstnona Mar 10 '15
Easy and inexpensive way to start tomato plants...

https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/03/grow-tomatoes/
spectrumAU Moderator
spectrumAU Mar 10 '15
So simple.  Well seems to be anyway.  Must try.
Jstnona
Jstnona Mar 11 '15
Wind, your method of extracting seeds is what I learned from my grandfather as a child.  With all the hybrid tomatoes, it is no longer predictable.  I wonder how many of the grape/cherry tomatoes are hybrid.
The copper wire....is this just tor prevent funghi?   I have more of a problem with cracking and something eating my tomatoes.
Jstnona
Jstnona Mar 11 '15
Wind, I use self watering containers for my tomato plants...so they have a consistent water supply.  And they are well mulched.  So that is not the problem.  I do live in a very hot and humid climate though. 

Yes there are sources for heirloom seeds available here also.

What does your copper wire, around the stalk, treat/prevent?
Jstnona
Jstnona Mar 12 '15
I think you are right about the stressors.  They do develop thick skins.   Even when I had them in raised beds.
In Florida the soil is almost pure sand.   I raise earthworms, to get castings to enrich my soil.  You have to add a lot of ammendents, to have close to loam. So, just to plant in the the ground is not the best way to go. 
Because of the high humidity, roses suffer here.  I shall try the copper wire trick with them and see what happens. 
Jstnona
Jstnona Apr 9 '15
I started plum and cherry tomatoes, using the above method.  The cherry tomatoes have not sprouted yet.  These are the resulting seedling, from the plum tomatoes.  Will thin them....as soon as they get their second leaves.
Jstnona
Jstnona Apr 10 '15
I shall
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Apr 16 '15
I want you to know after reading this, and seeing the pics, Nona.... I ran out to the local box store with a garden shop and bought a 6 inch tomato plant for the garden. Simple, with the pot made of cardboard. Just plant it in the ground and water it. Did that about a week ago and its looking good now. I'll post pics as soon as figure out how to do so with this silly phone I just got

Edit to add: I can't figure out this XXXXing phone. But the young'n told me just take the card out of it and put it in the PC. That works !!!

It might be a little too close up, but it is only about 6 inches above ground.
The Forum post is edited by billyHill Apr 16 '15
Jstnona
Jstnona Apr 17 '15
Looking good, Billy.  Will be awhile before mine are that large LOL
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Apr 28 '15
Is it normal ( typical) for these plants to "follow the sun" like a sunflower does?  Every day this plant is leaning towards the west. It does get a lot more noon- dark sun than it does dawn-noon sun.

I think because it gets more PM sun, It won't go back enough in the AM to "straighten it out" again. so is it OK to just let it lean? or should I tie some string around it to kinda "force" it to stay more upright??
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Apr 28 '15
well, I loosely tied a string from the plant to a piece of bamboo, to keep it upright.... and noticed some yellow flowers on it now

are the flowers just like say my lemon tree and if they get pollinated then they are ready to grow fruits?

The lemons are all ready about the size of golf balls or large eggs right now But they won't harvest until December or so.
Jstnona
Jstnona Apr 29 '15
Billy, I make a cage with bamboo stakes.  As Wind said, the stalk becomes quite thick and the plant very heavy, as it fruits.  Will break easily.  I use twine to around the stakes.   You can buy tomato cages...but I like the natural look of the bamboo.  And it is free for me LOL.  
I do not know if I will get lemons this year.  My blossoms all fell off.   Joseph got some really large lemons and limes on his tree last year.   I had bought him a grafted Meyer Lemon and Lime tree for his birthday.
The Forum post is edited by Jstnona Apr 29 '15
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Apr 29 '15
Thanks Wind and Nona.

That cage you speak of Nona, kinda looks like an upside down ice cream cone??  I think I've seen them.  I'm with you on the "if its free its for me" concept, though... I don't have enough room here as it is, more crap means more room to store the crap.

The bamboo I have is only going to be good while it is short, but I do have a regular trellis that I'm sure last time we had tomatoes we used it to help support the plant with.

At least today it hasn't leaned over and touched the ground with  the stake and string around it.

I also have tons of "zip ties" used mainly for wrapping wiring together for some reason... I have them in both indoor and outdoor applications.

I am careful not to tie anything too tight, as I know to allow room for the plant to grow, and it needs to be able to move around a little, anyhow.
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Oct 10 '15
ya know, my tomato plant has grown, but has only come to fruit 4 tomato's. Often it doesn't even seem like the flowers will open up completely, they just bud, and go away.

am I doing something wrong? or is it just that some plants harvest more than others??
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Oct 12 '15
Thanks for the answer, Wind..... I'm half happy to hear it is strange. I've never had anything like that happen with tomato's .....

my lemons grow very well. they blossom in February, and most every flower gets pollinated. Very few just up and fall off the tree with no bud left behind for a fruit.

It seems like the tomato plant flowers don't open at all, or don't open long enough to get pollinated. I have tons of bees that love a lot of the cactus flowers in the garden, so I'm sure they'd love the tomato flowers too.

The lemons are the only other fruiting plant I have right now, that I know of. Lia planted some type of "fruiting tree" ( her words), but  she can't remember what it is. Its only been in the garden a year or 2 now, and its about 3 feet ( 1 meter) tall. I don't know how many growing seasons it will need before it starts flowering/ fruiting. Not too many fruit trees grow fruit in the first year or 2. her tree grew from seed to about 6 inches the first winter, then when spring came in this year it went from 6 inches to 3 feet in the past 6 months or so....

all the cactus, roses, and lemon trees grow well, and need pruning regularly. (at least annually) on the roses and lemon tree. I prefer to let the cactus grow until the neighbors complain they bother them

edit to add: I forgot Lia had also planted a "bitter gourd" ( Asian squash) vine last summer. It grew and fruited so much she couldn't give the fruits away before they went bad. that plant's life is now over, and she'll have to remove about 50 feet of vine is has spread all over the garden before she starts more plants in that area of the garden
The Forum post is edited by billyHill Oct 12 '15
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Oct 13 '15
well, she obviously didn't like the tomato plant.

She pulled it today and said "the roots were not far enough in the ground"..... ( I have a greener thumb than she does).....

it looks like the bitter gourd also made its way to the dump, along with the 50 feet or so of vine that grew from it....

I'm working right now from before sun up to after sun down, so its kind of tough to get a good grasp on what is happening here.... but maybe Tuesday or Wednesday will be my last day of these hours for a week or two.... Unfortunately, I never know when work will start or stop.
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Oct 14 '15
yes, I am happy to have the work.... all though I must say there are times I wish I was born rich and not good looking 

enjoy your time @ home, wind.... the day will come when you will rue the days you can't be there
billyHill Moderator
billyHill Apr 8 '16
gee wind, that looks like enough tomatoes to feed a small town for a few months. Do you can and freeze them along the way when they start to ripen?? or are you going to give some to a food bank or something like that? Make tomato wine??  ( I've never heard of veggie wine, only fruit)...

what are the little brown pod like things they are growing in? is that a plant-able base that the roots can grow right through when they go in the ground??
billyHill Moderator
billyHill May 8 '16
so how are the veggies going now, Wind??  its been a month with no update from you...  Inquiring minds want to know.
billyHill Moderator
billyHill May 8 '16
wow, it still goes below freezing there at night?? I'm so glad I live at a lower latitude

Glad they are doing well. Keep us posted for when they start outgrowing you
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