[QUOTE=Fusion_power;320404]Have you tried reflective plastic mulch?

Also, grafting is tricky to match scion to rootstock. If you start with a low producing less vigorous scion, then a high vigor rootstock seems to increase production the most. The converse is true with a highly vigorous scion, a generative rootstock makes the best crop.

Are you using double layer plastic for your greenhouse covering? I've seen it cut heating bills by 50%. You lose a bit of sunlight but gain so much on heating bills that it is worth it.

DarJones[/QUOTE]

No reflective mulch as the plastic the coir is in is white and I don't want plastic on the floor as it's deadly when wet!
One of the reasons I did not graft this year is I am trialing so many new varieties. I need a year to see how they perform and what their growth characteristics are like. I will narrow down this years trials to the best of the best for next year and be able to choose the rootstock that best suits what I decide to grow.

Yes, the greenhouse is double poly that is inflated with a small fan for about 8-12 inches of dead air space between the layers. Not only does that insulate(ok, maybe not, it's just plastic!) but it also adds a tremendous amount of strength by being stretched so tight. The wind and snow don't damage it when it's inflated. A single layer will sag between bows and I have seen it collapse entire structures when the weight gets to be too much for the steel to carry.

Ron

Ron, would you mind posting the varieties you are growing? I'd be interested and am sure others would too.

Thanks,

DarJones

Using "The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" song in your video?:)) Priceless!

That's just some gorgeous stuff! Thanks for sharing.

[QUOTE=livinonfaith;320475]Using "The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" song in your video?:)) Priceless!

That's just some gorgeous stuff! Thanks for sharing.[/QUOTE]


Thought it was fitting. Record production out of the greenhouse last Fall. I would no sooner finish picking and have to start all over again. Not that I am complaining!

Ron

[QUOTE=Fusion_power;320460]Ron, would you mind posting the varieties you are growing? I'd be interested and am sure others would too.

Thanks,

DarJones[/QUOTE]


It's a long list but lets see.....

Ananas Noire, Black Crimson, Black Ethiopian, black from tula, black prince, black, black heart, carbon, Cherokee purple, Cherokee chocolate, Cherokee green, chocolate stripes, Indische fleish, nyagous, paul Robeson, black zebra, cskos botermo, mortgage lifter bi color, northern lights, striped german, yellow stone, marz, mr. brown, KB, mandarin cross, orange plum, orlov yellow, pink grapefruit, pink lemon, mexico, Russian rose, zhefen, temptation, makari, Nebraska wedding, sunsugar, sungold select, black cherry, bear creek, black brandywine, lush queen, cascade lava, yellow spot, solar flare, blonde boar, pineapple pig, b&b boar, red boar, large barred boar, red boar, pink boar, sweet Solano, sweet carneros pink, porkchop, beauty queen, pink BTD, BTD, and probably 4 or 5 others that I had laying around from samples.

Ron

Thanks for the updates, Ron.

Can't wait to see these grow out.

That's quite a list. :?:

As an experienced flower grower and a new 'serious' tomato grower, I have a few questions about the 1 or 2 heads you do with your plants Ron.

I'm convinced that pruning so much is a great way to make more tomatoes, larger tomatoes since the energy of the plant is in the fruit not all the extra foliage. I'm going to try it this year.

Some of the other gardeners aren't so sure about this idea, they think it is better to have lots of leaves to help prevent sunburn and that the plant just needs all those leaves. We grow outdoors. So that may be something to be concerned about? I want easy to pick tomatoes. Last year we lost so many due to very overcrowded overgrown plants. The suckers didn't even get pinched off. You couldn't get around the plants either, it was an overwhelming jungle. Gardening is a learning hobby. I love it.

How can I tell inexperienced mostly new to gardening folks and a few with much experience that 2 vines growing really works? We all work at a sort of community garden.

[QUOTE=zeroma;320669]As an experienced flower grower and a new 'serious' tomato grower, I have a few questions about the 1 or 2 heads you do with your plants Ron.

I'm convinced that pruning so much is a great way to make more tomatoes, larger tomatoes since the energy of the plant is in the fruit not all the extra foliage. I'm going to try it this year.

Some of the other gardeners aren't so sure about this idea, they think it is better to have lots of leaves to help prevent sunburn and that the plant just needs all those leaves. We grow outdoors. So that may be something to be concerned about? I want easy to pick tomatoes. Last year we lost so many due to very overcrowded overgrown plants. The suckers didn't even get pinched off. You couldn't get around the plants either, it was an overwhelming jungle. Gardening is a learning hobby. I love it.

How can I tell inexperienced mostly new to gardening folks and a few with much experience that 2 vines growing really works? We all work at a sort of community garden.[/QUOTE]


A lot depends on what type of tomatoes you are growing. I only grow indeterminate varieties as they are best suited for my situation. I need a consistent amount of tomatoes each week over a very long period. Growing indeterminate varieties and keeping them at one or two heads allows me to do this. All suckers are removed once or twice a week which leaves the main stem with (usually) three leaves and a fruit truss, three leaves, another fruit truss, etc. Pruning the fruit trusses to a specific amount of fruit depending on variety also helps with sizing and consistent ripening.

Ron

Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse is NOT the same as growing them outdoors. Thit can be subtle or obvious or both.

DarJones

So DarJones, are you saying that growing outdoors isn't a good place to use such drastic prunning?


[I]"All suckers are removed once or twice a week which leaves the main stem with (usually) three leaves and a fruit truss, three leaves, another fruit truss, etc. Pruning the fruit trusses to a specific amount of fruit depending on variety also helps with sizing and consistent ripening." [/I]

Okay Ron, If we remove suckers once or twice a week, the parts left will just be three leaves and a fruit truss? (We are growing mostly indeterminates this year.) When do you start to prune out the suckers, at what point in the plants growth, right from transplant size?

Thank you both for explaining the art of tomato growing. I already know how to eat 'em!

Staking indeterminate outdoors works equally as well as in a greenhouse. You are still going to need to follow proper cultivation techniques and know when to terminate the head of the plant and not let it set any more fruit. Depending on the variety and your growing season, I would suggest 8-10 weeks before your normal first frost for termination. Suckers need to be removed as soon as they form so you don't take any energy away from the main stem and fruit. Depending on the variety, you will want to limit the number of fruit per truss. Larger fruited varieties should have fewer tomatoes left to mature than smaller fruited varieties.

Ron

Weekly update. It's been three weeks since these were planted out. The strings/first clips are all no on the plants and weekly clipping and sucker removal has begun. Should see the first flowers on the early varieties opening any day now.
It's been a week of below freezing temps and fogged in solid until yesterday. 23 this morning and the fog was back so everything outside is coated in white frost but it's still 78 inside the greenhouse! Another 1000 gallons of propane delivered on Friday. Hoping this time it lasts a week or two longer.

I have tomato envy, your operation is amazing.

Ron,

I assume you get your heirloom/OP seeds from various sources. Do you do any pre-plant seed treatments (bleach, hot water, dry heat, etc,...) to eliminate pathogens? What is your biggest disease threat?

Thanks,
Steve

rain gutters
 

I have a few questions about you rain gutters. Are these standard 4 or 5 inch rain gutters like these.
[url]http://www.lowes.com/pd_12066-322-RW100_0__?productId=3009950&Ntt=vinyl+gutter[/url]
What kind of soil do you use in them, water with drip irrigation, do you drill holes in the bottom for drainage? What kind of spacing on the plants do you go wider then normal because of how narrow the gutters are? Just something I have never seen and would like to try.

[QUOTE=Heritage;322575]Ron,

I assume you get your heirloom/OP seeds from various sources. Do you do any pre-plant seed treatments (bleach, hot water, dry heat, etc,...) to eliminate pathogens? What is your biggest disease threat?

Thanks,
Steve[/QUOTE]


I did use new sources this year. Most of which were found through this site.
I don't use any pre planting treatments and have not had any disease problems so far.
The biggest disease threat I face in the greenhouse would be botrytis. It's always in the air and if you let the conditions in the greenhouse get to appoint where it can start growing, it can get bad real fast. Botrytis loves dark, cold, humid conditions which can easily happen if you turn down the heat and turn up the humidistat which I have seen too many people do over the years thinking they are going to save money. Unfortunately, it always ends up costing a lot more than if they had left the setting where they should be. Another problem with turning down the heat and turning up the humidistat is that you end up with a lot of condensation on the plastic which then drips on to the leaves and if it sits overnight like that, late blight can devastate a crop in a matter of days.
The best prevention is to keep the environment where it needs to be and not get caught up in "I could save some money if I turn the heat down" theory and things usually go pretty well.

Ron

[QUOTE=CrazyMtn;322658]I have a few questions about you rain gutters. Are these standard 4 or 5 inch rain gutters like these.
[URL]http://www.lowes.com/pd_12066-322-RW100_0__?productId=3009950&Ntt=vinyl+gutter[/URL]
What kind of soil do you use in them, water with drip irrigation, do you drill holes in the bottom for drainage? What kind of spacing on the plants do you go wider then normal because of how narrow the gutters are? Just something I have never seen and would like to try.[/QUOTE]

Yes, those are the ones I use. Be sure you get the standard and not the "K" style.

They are completely empty, no growing medium used at all. There is a 4' drop over the 100' length of the rows. At the low end, I use a bog Rubbermaid tote as a reservoir with a small pump in it. I run a 3/4" line up to the far end where a drip line with no emitter is placed in each row. Gravity returns the water/nutrient back to the reservoir. It runs 24 hrs/day. I made lids out of sheets of corrugated plastic and drilled 2" diameter holes every 8 inches. For lettuce and basil, this is the appropriate spacing. When I put other crops in like peppers and melons, I use every other hole to give them more room.

Ron

Thanks for the info, Ron.

So it's been around 4 weeks since the last update. Things are really busy and the plants require a lot more daily maintenance now.

Wonderful setup! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, videos and photos here, I've greatly enjoyed them all. Now, I need to figure out how to setup a gutter like you have to go with my little aquaponic system. You made it sound easy!

FreyaFL

Looks like a clean, well run operation.

Nice work, Ron.:aprd:

Its been a pleasure watching the progress, thanks.

Paul R

Thanks everyone. Just placed my first order for bumblebees for pollination. They will get here on Thursday and take over that chore at least. Still a lot of varieties with no open flowers but I am expecting to see them open soon. First open flowers were on Temptation which always seems to be the first ripe every year. Looking forward to picking the first of them in about 4-5 weeks!
Interestingly, blonde boar has open flowers already and it was 2 weeks behind the majority of the varieties this year. I have not grown it before but am hoping it does well along with the other varieties I got from Wild Boar.

Any updates Ron? Love to see a new picture showing how it is going.

Hi Granite26. I will get some new pictures this week. Things are crazy busy this time of year. I started selling at the farm market on Saturdays a couple of weeks ago and am trying to keep up with everything by myself. I have been picking Temptation and Sunsugar for a couple of weeks. All the heirloom varieties are still a couple of weeks from ripening it appears. They are not as productive in the low light as some of the greenhouse types I usually grow but I am sure they will be worth the wait. The English Cukes are producing huge amounts and so is the lettuce. Picked the first basil to sell yesterday morning before the market and have picked a few zucchetta in the last week too. If we could get a few sunny days, things will really take off.

Ron

Sounds like things are going well! Hope you get some sun. Our week looks like it will be dismall here.
Hope things continue to go well. Dont worry if you are too busy to post up photos. I was just amazed by your set-up and was curious. Thanks