James 2014 Season - June snapshot

[JamesL]

Season is setting up well! Tons of flowers across the board and I believe a lot have set in the last week.
Planted out the weekend of May 17th.
Weather on the whole has cooperated nicely and growth seems to be exponential.

58 Tomato Starts
21 Grafts
Kept 21 plants, gave the rest away and received a Momotaro tomato grafted on M as a gift.
Rootstock – Maxifort (M) and Estamino (E)
Ungrafted (U)
Brandywine Suddath – M & E
Goose Creek - M & E
Cherokee Purple - M & E
Dester – U, M & E
Pineapple - U, M & E
Joe’s Pink Oxheart - U, M & E
Momotaro – M
1 “Triple Play” graft (Black Cherry, Riesentraube, Sungella)
The rest
Riesentraube
Black Cherry
Sungella
2 Mystery Blue 75 -F3

6 Poona Kheera Cucumbers
6 Bell Peppers
1 Ratund Pepper

May 30th




June 8th



June 14th





Lots of flowers on Brandywine


Riesentraube


Poona Kheera


Pineapple – This tomato set before it was planted


Cherokee Purple – a double or triple fused blossom


Local law enforcement observing the proceedings

[rnewste]

James,

Your plants are looking very healthy!!

I assume it is also due to the Texas Tomato food?

Raybo

[Ice Angler]

That looks awesome.

What is the purpose of a tub inside of a tub?

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by Ice Angler

That looks awesome.

What is the purpose of a tub inside of a tub?

Ice Angler,
Thanks. They are subirrigated. See Raybo's Earthtainer guide for the "how-to".
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16694

[rnewste]

James,

Are you investigating a fertigaton system to add to your AWS for the TTF?

Sprinkler Warehouse seems to have the best price under $50. for the model I have:

http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/EZ...-End-s/507.htm

Raybo

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by rnewste

James,

Are you investigating a fertigaton system to add to your AWS for the TTF?

Sprinkler Warehouse seems to have the best price under $50. for the model I have:

http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/EZ...-End-s/507.htm

Raybo

I am halfheartedly looking.
Would love to know how you are using it and if it working well.

I think I would prefer to have it as a constant pressure installation for continual feed and would need the 1 gallon version.
I also looked at the Mazzei Venturi injectors.

Really want a "set it and forget it" option!

[JamesL]

Thanks Ray!
TTF gets partial credit. They got TTF exclusively the last few weeks before plant out and have received it as a supplement twice since.
They also got Ami's pre-plant dip (Biotamax, Actinovate and Mycogrow) and there is a Bio-tone Fert strip in the Tainers.
The exception is the cukes and the peppers. No Fert strip, just TTF.

[luigiwu]

Wow James! Just awesome!!! Everything looks so lush and healthy! I think you planted out a week after I did but I think your plants look larger and fuller. Are you doing any pruning/sucker-removal?

[Delerium]

Everything looks great! How is the triple play working out?

[dfollett]

Looking great. I'm about 10 days behind but not getting near the growth. Still low 40's & high 30's at night. 35 is forecast for Tuesday. Ten-day forecast always shows 50's & the 5-day lows in the 40's - been that way for over two weeks - go figure.

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by Delerium

Everything looks great! How is the triple play working out?

Thanks! The Triple looks great, I was late with it so it is a little behind the others but it has some blossoms forming.

Originally Posted by dfollett

Looking great. I'm about 10 days behind but not getting near the growth. Still low 40's & high 30's at night. 35 is forecast for Tuesday. Ten-day forecast always shows 50's & the 5-day lows in the 40's - been that way for over two weeks - go figure.

Thanks DF. We had that same weather for the whole month of April. Now it is really starting to warm up. Going to hit high 80's this week.

[aclum]

Hi James,

Your garden set-up and tomato plants look really great! Really nice selection of varieties and I love that you've got so many "complete sets" of variety grafts for comparison purposes.

As you know, I've had my share of disease and pest problems in the garden this year. I've lost most of the ones I set out March 15, and most of my newer plantings are only a foot or so high - so you're way ahead of me! Of the surviving plants from the original plant-out, I've noticed a dramatic difference between my grafted Dona (17 large green fruits) and ungrafted Dona (no fruit yet), and grafted Goose Creek (11 large fruits starting to blush) and ungrafted Goose Creek (one smaller sized fruit). It'll be fun seeing how all of yours compare to each other.

Anne

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by aclum

Hi James,

Your garden set-up and tomato plants look really great! Really nice selection of varieties and I love that you've got so many "complete sets" of variety grafts for comparison purposes.

As you know, I've had my share of disease and pest problems in the garden this year. I've lost most of the ones I set out March 15, and most of my newer plantings are only a foot or so high - so you're way ahead of me! Of the surviving plants from the original plant-out, I've noticed a dramatic difference between my grafted Dona (17 large green fruits) and ungrafted Dona (no fruit yet), and grafted Goose Creek (11 large fruits starting to blush) and ungrafted Goose Creek (one smaller sized fruit). It'll be fun seeing how all of yours compare to each other.

Anne

Anne,
Thanks! Glad to hear you are getting something going as well!
I know what you are going through and I feel your pain. It is mentally damaging to go through all of our gyrations with grafting, etc. and then just get taken out of the game.

This time last year I was in the same boat. It was a Battle Royale the minute I planted out. 18 inches of rain in May and June, storm damage, roundup damage, aphid infestation, cucumber beetles, mildew, mold, early blight and probably septoria. Sounds overblown but I think sprayed more than Bill down in Alabama!
Came real close to pulling the plug on the whole year and breaking out the fishing pole. It would have been a lot less stressful. Managed to have a pretty good season in spite of it all.
Right now I am just holding my breath and dreaming of big giant July BLT's.....

[Worth1]

James the tomatoes look nice as always great job BUT--------------.

In the first picture there is a big pink bush in the background.
Is it a crape myrtle, hydrangea or something else?

Wonderful plant.


Worth

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by Worth1

James the tomatoes look nice as always great job BUT--------------.

In the first picture there is a big pink bush in the background.
Is it a crape myrtle, hydrangea or something else?

Wonderful plant.
Worth

Worth,
And the winner is - Rhododendron! I took some pics at its height, I need to move it this fall. It is going to the right of the green garage in the first picture into my neighbors yard.