Veg How in the world do you grow tomatoes?

[Firebird]

For years I have tried to grow decent tomatoes. Growing in the garden directly in ground, raised beds, individual pots etc...... but no luck producing more that 2 or 3 fruit per plant. It shouldn't be this hard! Any insight would be appreciated. My region is north central Florida.

 

[packyderms_wife]

For years I have tried to grow decent tomatoes. Growing in the garden directly in ground, raised beds, individual pots etc...... but no luck producing more that 2 or 3 fruit per plant. It shouldn't be this hard! Any insight would be appreciated. My region is north central Florida.

are you removing the suckers from the plants, and the very bottom branches?

 

[greenhart]

Some people like me who can't wait to get his tomatoes in the ground has found it does not pay to plant too early. As a tomato does not like cool damp weather. Now, that being said, Tomatoes will not do good if it's too hot. Temperatures from about 65 to 85 are good but anything above that will stop fruiting. Perhaps you are planting at the wrong time otherwise I have no idea.

 

[imaginative]

Hey I have a bunch of 8 ft tall plants!

One of the biggest detriments that I run into when folks complain that they cant grow tomatos is a nearby presence of Black Walnut trees. They emit a spore which makes the entire photosynthesis process useless; they wont grow.

Is that the case in your AO?

 

[packyderms_wife]

Hey I have a bunch of 8 ft tall plants!

One of the biggest detriments that I run into when folks complain that they cant grow tomatos is a nearby presence of Black Walnut trees. They emit a spore which makes the entire photosynthesis process useless; they wont grow.

Is that the case in your AO?

sigh, there's one right across the alley from my tomato plants, lest than 25 yards away.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Some people like me who can't wait to get his tomatoes in the ground has found it does not pay to plant too early. As a tomato does not like cool damp weather. Now, that being said, Tomatoes will not do good if it's too hot. Temperatures from about 65 to 85 are good but anything above that will stop fruiting. Perhaps you are planting at the wrong time otherwise I have no idea.

we had several weeks of 95+ temps during the day and lows of 68F or higher, which makes for poor tomato growing weather.

 

[greenhart]

we had several weeks of 95+ temps during the day and lows of 68F or higher, which makes for poor tomato growing weather.

Sigh That's what I'm going through now. But we're supposed to cool down and get rain.

 

[TerriHaute]

sigh, there's one right across the alley from my tomato plants, lest than 25 yards away.

My property is full of black walnut trees, thanks to the squirrels, and I have no problem growing tomatoes. The closest trees are much closer to the garden than 25 yards. The substance in black walnut trees that retards tomato growth, juglone, is in the leaves, roots, and wood parts of the tree. There is no spore as far as I know. As long as you do not put black walnut leaves in your compost, plant where a black walnut was grown, or plant in close proximity to a black walnut tree, tomatoes will not be affected. We have so many black walnuts that the squirrels completely ignore the bird feeders. I pull dozens of black walnut saplings out of my flower beds every summer.

 

[TerriHaute]

For years I have tried to grow decent tomatoes. Growing in the garden directly in ground, raised beds, individual pots etc...... but no luck producing more that 2 or 3 fruit per plant. It shouldn't be this hard! Any insight would be appreciated. My region is north central Florida.

Now is a good time to plant tomatoes in your area. Get a bag of organic garden soil to work into your tomato bed and plant your tomatoes at least two feet apart where they will get a minimum of six hours of sun. Tomatoes are sun lovers but do not grow well at temperatures over 85 degrees for any length of time. Throw in a couple of tablespoons of epsom salts in the planting hole, which will give them a phosphorus boost and help prevent blossom end rot. Try to resist over fertilizing which can cause lots of foliage with little fruit. Tomatoes actually thrive quite well with a little benign neglect. Good luck and don't give up. Home grown tomatoes are worth it.

 

[BinWa]

Firebird... Just sharing what I do...
Good fertile soil is SO important... make your own compost. I do this year round and in the Fall/Spring add that to my soil. I use grass clipping and leaves. Thru the year I add ground up kitchen scraps (vegetable/fruit peels/eggshells etc..) and worms..many worms as I find them. I start my seeds in Jan/February in a greenhouse and bring them out in May if the temps stay warm enough. I grow mine in a raised garden bed. I do deep watering rather then frequent. Pinch off any suckers or leaves touching the soil. I use crushed eggshells and sprinkle around the base of the plants. Bees...make sure if bees are scarce around you that you plant flowers and the like that attract the bees for pollination. When I put my garden boxes in I did so next to wild growing blackberries that are buzzing with bees all day long. I also planted lavender and others that would attract them. If the temps here (Wa. State) get above 85 I use a shade cloth. Every year I have had tremendous results but this year looks to be even better. One year when I first moved here to this place, I had planted in the ground and in a different area where they are planted now and had horrible results!! Like you, I would get just a few tomatoes from each plant. So I changed the location after realizing part of the problem was to hot/much sun. I also changed from in the ground planting to raised garden beds and started to make my own compost. The results are excellent. So my own problem was soil and location for a crappy crop. Now I get so many tomatoes I can't use them all & I give away a lot to family. I should mention all the vegetables I grow are Organic and I never use fertilizers.

 

[Hognutz]

Don't overwater, and feed them horse manure...works good for me.

 

[byronandkathy2003]

i just plant them in the middle may and keep them watered and i get more tomatoes than i know what to do with

 

[Wilbur]

We have to plant tomatoes in the middle of February. I planted in March this year and have had a HORRIBLE crop! The tomatoes we harvested had lots of splitting and just did not seem to ripen properly. They turned yellow and - most - did not turn red but stayed yellow then began to spoil.

 

[minkykat]

During this heat wave, I've been hand watering the tomatoes every morning . Now the leaves are turning yellow and some if the tomatoes have blossom end rot!

Too much water?
Too much heat?

 

[LC]

A few ideas for you:
1. speak with your local Extension Service or go on line to the state site. Usually listed under county or state in your phone book
2. choose varieties especially suited to your area. Extension can help with that.
3. plant at the recommended time for your area

 

[Bud in Fla]

My region is north central Florida.

There's your biggest problem! We moved near Ocala 4 years ago and it's been a STEEP learning curve to grow a garden here! Nothing but sand here - almost no organics in the dirt around here. I did some adjusting on my garden this year that I'll post in a separate thread so it won't get lost

 

[Wise Owl]

During this heat wave, I've been hand watering the tomatoes every morning . Now the leaves are turning yellow and some if the tomatoes have blossom end rot!

Too much water?
Too much heat?

Both. Try shading and backing off on the water a bit. You can also give them some epsom salts to help with the blossom end rot. I put a bunch on my tomato plants this year along with some really great compost from our local nursery and I have tomato trees.....lol.

 

[LC]

Minky, watering every day means you are likely either over watering or shallow watering. Tomatoes will do better with deep watering every few days as needed. And yes to the epsom salts. Blossom end rot is a problem of uptake of calcium, usually caused by uneven watering and/or a shortage of magnesium (epsom salt). Calcium and magnesium work hand in hand in balance.

 

[West]

Second the don't water to much. And stress them a bit. We seem to grow more than we can use to, if we can find them in the weeds. Bugs get half of ours. Every year we also get volunteers.

 

[Bud in Fla]

I always add garden lime to fix blossom end rot. BER also affects yellow squash but the zucchini and pattypan squash didn't seem to have a problem.

The problem I had this year was the tomatoes looked fin one day and were half rotter the next day. I'm not sure but I think it was Anthracnose.

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato_Anth.htm

 

[Jeff B.]

This will probably not be what you wan to hear, but it is how things are here at my place.

I plant tomatoes every year in large containers. They do OK. I get as many tomatoes and sometimes more from volunteers that pop up all over in the side yard where I garden. The volunteers are extremely hardy adn produce as good or better than my "planted" plants.

Jeff b.

 

[Firebird]

Thanks for all of the tips. From what I have read:
It's always over 85 degrees here
Maybe I didn't remove enough suckers
I should consider growing them fall/winter since always hot here
No black walnut trees here, but lots of hickory nut trees. Similar issue?

 

[Firebird]

I need to try the Epsom salts too

 

[minkykat]

How do I do the Epson salt? Sprinkle in a ring around the plants? Dilute in water?

Thanks!

 

[packyderms_wife]

How do I do the Epson salt? Sprinkle in a ring around the plants? Dilute in water?

Thanks!

I sprinkle a tablespoon or so around the base of each plant and then water heavily.

 

[packyderms_wife]

No black walnut trees here, but lots of hickory nut trees. Similar issue?

Yes, they produce a similar toxic compound.

 

[Illini Warrior]

we had several weeks of 95+ temps during the day and lows of 68F or higher, which makes for poor tomato growing weather.

tomatoes aren't ripening - tooooo cool - 80s won't get the job done - and it's freaking raining like it's April - looking like we'll have green grass all the way thru summer - first time I can ever remember that in my lifetime ....

 

[naturallysweet]

It hasn't rained in 41 days. During that time, I watered my tomato plants twice. I never trim branches.

Plant them Deep. More roots equals more tomatoes.

 

[Rabbit]

Firebird, you might want to try using some earth boxes with a good quality growing mix. There are some good ideas for homemade boxes on Pinterest.

Also, I know that of late the rage in homegrown tomatoes is heirloom, but they do not always produce as well as a tried and true hybrid. Don't limit yourself to just one variety.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Firebird, you might want to try using some earth boxes with a good quality growing mix. There are some good ideas for homemade boxes on Pinterest.

Also, I know that of late the rage in homegrown tomatoes is heirloom, but they do not always produce as well as a tried and true hybrid. Don't limit yourself to just one variety.

we have a combination of both heirlooms and some hybrids, do this every year.

 

[Dennis Olson]

I HATE the fact that they won't grow well down here. Tomatoes, fresh from the vine, are my absolute favorite things.

 

[Great Northwet]

Maybe I can help. Soil is a lot of it, but so is temperature. Tom's like heat and direct sunlight. They also attract lot's of critters. The soil needs to be moist.

Here's how I do it: I build a new Tom box every other year-dimensions are 50"x 14"x 14" depth. Paint it a pretty color(purple is what I had one hand this spring) and cover the entire rim with copper tape(ants, slugs, etc won't cross that line. I use untreated plywood, but I'm not sure it matters. I drill a few 1/4" holes in the side and bottom for ventilation.

I fill it up with Miracle-Gro potting soil that is specifically for vegetables and flowers. Once the aggregate night time temps are above 50 degrees, I plant from starts the I get at a grocery store-normally about 6-8". I do SunGolds, another type of cherry, Early girl all in the same box evenly spaced. In the case of Tom's, the leaves don't need the water, just the soil so I stick the watering can in under the leaves to do it. If I stick my finger down in the soil 2" and it feels dry, it's time to water.

The reason I build a new box every other year is because it's fun, lol, and the wood deteriorates because of all the rain. I also have to move the dirt around to the other raised beds because of the risk of tomato rot. Garlic bed soil goes to tomato bed, that soil goes to sugar pea bed and so on. It's a pain in the ass but I want good yields so I do it every Autumn.

i hope that helps-I'm in region 9 all the way up in the NW corner.

 

[big kumara]

Minky, watering every day means you are likely either over watering or shallow watering. Tomatoes will do better with deep watering every few days as needed. And yes to the epsom salts. Blossom end rot is a problem of uptake of calcium, usually caused by uneven watering and/or a shortage of magnesium (epsom salt). Calcium and magnesium work hand in hand in balance.

Do not use Epsom salts for blossom end rot. Excess magnesium will bind calcium in the soil and actually cause BER. Added magnesium will not improve calcium uptake. Add calcium to your soil ahead of time if it's deficient, otherwise just water evenly. BER is usually self correcting, except in calcium-deficient soils and in containers.


Tomatoes don't bloom or pollinate well in hot weather. You need to find varieties adapted to your climate.

 

[Dennis Olson]

It's still 100:deg: right now. Tonight's low will only get down to 80. It's like that for over half the year here.