Front Stoop Tomatoes (as of May 1)

[leshachikha]

Hi everyone! I don't have anything particularly impressive, given that I am a total beginner, but I wanted to share some pictures of my stoop "earthtainer" garden.

I planted out my Black Krims about 3 weeks ago, and despite the cool temperatures (Philadelphia's flirted with the low 40s at night), all 3 of my plants are blossoming and one has 2 itty bitty nascent fruits!

When the fruits get bigger, I'll find a better camera than the awful one on my phone, lol.

How do they look?

[tlintx]

My first thought when I saw the pictures was that the plastic was snow, and I was like, man, those are definitely tough Philly tomatoes!!!

Also, you are gonna need some bigger cages.

Congrats on the fruit, may they be the first of many!

[leshachikha]

tlintx: haha, they may not have frozen, but they did survive several storms with winds in the 45 mph range! The streets are mean out here.

And oof, I dunno what I'm going to do for cages later. The tomato on the far right of the pictures is already getting close to outgrowing its cage (I swear, just three days after these pictures it's gotten visibly larger!), and I'm working within pretty strict limits on budget/space.

lakelady: Thanks!!

Dak: But what do you call stoops then? Are there simply no stoops? I bet you guys have "terraces" and "patios" and "porches converted to edenic solariums with bountiful citrus trees," don't you?

Stoop growing is such a great West Philly thing. I'm a pretty new resident, but I'm just drinking in the 20-something-urban-gardening culture here. I met one of my neighbors as I was watering my plants, and we got to talking. I'd noticed her incredible lettuce crop growing on her stoop. She mentioned that the tomatoes she started had all died (thanks to a marauding cat), so I gave her four of my extra seedlings, and now they're growing in 5 gallon buckets on her stoop. It makes me smile every time I walk past.

Vespertino: Wooho! I saw your pictures! They look so great. You have made incredible use of your space!

[Dak]

Originally Posted by leshachikha

Dak: But what do you call stoops then? Are there simply no stoops? I bet you guys have "terraces" and "patios" and "porches converted to edenic solariums with bountiful citrus trees," don't you?

And don't forget the stereotypic hot tub we all have... but then that would be in the back on the patio or the deck.

Most houses are more on a ground level, a few steps up maybe, but not enough to call a stoop.

A couple of 1/2" rebar on either side of your pot may work, with some twine to keep it upright. Awkward to carry home from the hardware store, but good price.

[lakelady]

very cool.....had to laugh at the "tough Philly tomatoes"...yup, they don't fool around in Philly!

Congrats and great looking plants, wish you the best this season!

[Dak]

I saw the word "stoop" and knew you were on the east coast! (we don't have stoops here in CA, LOL) Tomatoes look very happy!

[Vespertino]

Looking good! I'm a beginner too, I also used earthtainers.

[livinonfaith]

Looks pretty impressive to me, especially for a stoop garden!

yeah, the cages for those things seem to be the biggest challenge. You might want to take a look at some of Raybo's earthtainer posts. He has a pretty sweet setup and you may be able to do one this year and one next year.

[whistech]

Those plants look extremely healthy. Congratulations and keep us updated with pictures.

[BucksCountyGirl]

Looking great! Here is to a good tomato year in Philadelphia and the surrounding 'burbs!

[Deborah]

What is a stoop exactly? A big porch? An enclosed porch? Wait, I think that's a veranda?
Our patios are mostly a slab of cement. Some people have decks.

[Vespertino]

It's a small entrance to a house usually with cemented floor with steps leading up to the front door- sometimes covered like a small porch but not always, especially in the urban areas. There's a little room on either side of the door for something green and pretty to grow

[Deborah]

Oh ! Thanks.

[leshachikha]

Thanks for all your comments and encouragement, everyone! Dak, I like the idea about the rebar. That would be a pretty cheap way to go. Looking at how much my plants have grown in just about a week, I really think I need to start doing something soon, or else they'll sneak up on me.

And Deborah, Vespertino nailed the stoop definition, lol. I do have a porch, kinda, but it's just off the stoop. My stoop is a bit less classically stoop-y than many in this city.

And now... update pictures on this gray day...

I had my first strawberry yesterday, and it was delicious! I nestled a little plastic pot in the hanging basket so I could root one of the runners a day or two ago as well, so hopefully I'll get it to take. The basil's taking off and my jalapeno is blooming.

Only problem is that 2/3 of my tomatoes have a touch of leaf curl/roll. You can see it a bit in one of the pics. I'm hoping it's just physiological because of the relatively cold weather. The plants seem to be blooming alright and everything, so we'll see.

[Deborah]

I have one ripe strawberry too. What a crack up. I'm saving it for dessert tomorrow.