Do Tomatoes Love Cinder Blocks?

GrowSeeds · February 16, 2007

Message to moderator.
Don't know which forum this should be posted in.

I went to one of the local feed and seed stores looking for ways (materials) to stake and items to plant tomato plants in. When leaving a person said to me that they plant tomato plants in the holes of cinder blocks. Said to sit the block onto the earth ground hole facing ground and up fill with compose and soil etc then plant the plant in the center of the hole.

Has anyone done this - if it works I have a lot off fence area I could use them to grow a lot more tomatoes.

Here are some images with demensions of cinder blocks which one would best be used if this is a usable ideal?
http://www.newhollandconcrete.com/de...id=ss%2012inch

Suze · February 16, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrowSeeds

I went to one of the local feed and seed stores looking for ways (materials) to stake and items to plant tomato plants in. When leaving a person said to me that they plant tomato plants in the holes of cinder blocks. Said to sit the block onto the earth ground hole facing ground and up fill with compose and soil etc then plant the plant in the center of the hole.

Did the person that told you about this give specific reasons they thought using the cinder blocks would be beneficial?

I suppose this might be a similar concept to planting in bottomless containers, like Mantis and a couple of other posters use for some of their plantings.

It's kind of like mini raised beds. The soil is warmer, and also better, so the plant gets off to a good start.

Dunkel · February 16, 2007

I use concrete blocks as a border for all of my raised beds. I loosen the soil about 5" below soil level then border the beds with concrete blocks hole side up. The blocks I use are 7 5/8" tall when positioned this way. I then fill the empty 7 5/8" inside the border with soil, compost and aged manure mixture. That way I have 12" of loose soil for them to grow in, which in my rocky soil would be nearly impossible without a raised bed. I fill the holes on the ends of the borders with the same soil/compost/aged manure mixture and plant basil in the holes. That works great. I would think the 5"X5" holes would be too constrictive for a tomato plant to grow a good root system. Just my opinion.

Tomstrees · February 16, 2007

I wonder if the blocks warm/retain heat for the maters >

~ Tom

feldon30 · February 16, 2007

The hole of a cinder block will contain barely 1 gallon of soil. So basically it's just a frame to support the tomato plant as it grows down into the soil underneath the cinder block. Unless the soil beneath the cinder block is fantastic soil, you are going to get very poor results. And it would seem to me that the cinder block would impede fertilization of the plant.

If your soil is not suitable for growing tomatoes (many folks are in this boat), then you can do a raised bed. Raised beds are typically 3-4 ft wide by 8-16 ft long with 1 or 2 rows of tomato plants. You can use cinder blocks, or 8"~12" wide lumber nailed or screwed together and filled with soil. If you can get a soil or landscape company to bring garden soil, that would be the least expensive. Make sure you check out the product before you buy it, since there are no laws or standards for any of this. What I received was very loose, sandy stuff, but there was really no compost or "meat" to it. So I had to add many bags of compost to it to get it where I wanted.

I would read Earl’s Hole Method of Growing Tomatoes.

Note that you should use very different soil whether you are growing in a raised bed or a container.

A container like a Homemade EarthBox is 2 Rubbermaid 30 gallon tubs inside each other with some modifications to allow drainage and bottom watering. You can plant 2 determinate tomato plants in each Earthbox.

In a container, spudleafwillie suggested I use 20% each of: Peat Moss, Sand, Sheep or Composted Cow Manure, Potting Soil, and Broken Pecan Shells (for drainage and they break down over time). After each season, he dumps out all his containers into a pile and adds more compost to the pile and then mixes it all together and lets it sit for 5 months, turning it periodically. This refreshes the soil so it's usable again next spring.

Some folks have had results with growing tomato plants in a hay bale, and there are lots of other ideas out there of course.

Tomstrees · February 16, 2007

I thought they would use the blocks as a border - and not a planting hole - a planting hole ??? No way !!!

~ Tom

feldon30 · February 16, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrowSeeds

I went to one of the local feed and seed stores looking for ways (materials) to stake and items to plant tomato plants in. When leaving a person said to me that they plant tomato plants in the holes of cinder blocks. Said to sit the block onto the earth ground hole facing ground and up fill with compose and soil etc then plant the plant in the center of the hole.

Re-read it. I think someone was pulling his leg.

daylilydude · February 16, 2007

Well now i'm gonna stick my 2 cents in here ! My father had done something similar up until he couldn't garden anymore ! He always used the single block and first he would plant the plant in the garden than he would put the block over it and it would grow up thru . He told me that he had done it for a couple of reasons one if he planted out a little early the block would help keep it warm on cool nights . Two he said it saved him from a whole lot of watering just fill the block up so he didn't have to water where there was no plants and three that's just how his father had done it.Now i'm only talking about 20 or 30 plants . And my brothers and sister can tell ya we always had lots of tomatoes in our house while we were growing up .

amideutch · February 16, 2007

We do it here in Germany but our bricks are a lot bigger. Give it a shot and see what happens, but like feldon said you need to prepare the ground under the brick because when you put the seedling in the hole it will be only a few inches from the bottom. Or use the stretcher block and knock out the center portion between the two cavities.
Ami, getting ready to do it on the other side of the pond.

GrowSeeds · February 16, 2007

Quote:

Did the person that told you about this give specific reasons they thought using the cinder blocks would be beneficial?

Suze Here is what I remember from the conversation. The added height help with the bottom leaves from not touching the ground. Most of the time no weeds to weed out. And watering was easier and less splash up from the reg ground soil.
Here we lime some - sometimes - and said to put some lime in the mix at the base of the hole. Mentioned something about adding some type of leaves to the mix also but I do not remember what kind.
I did some checking here on cinder blocks and unless they where special ordered there are two the reg type and the header block and they both have the same size hole.

Thanks Dunkel on the bottom prep of the soil.

Thanks feldon27 detailed info and the links.
Just a note it's not the soil it's finding extra space areas for planting.

daylilydude tyanks do you remember what size the holes are on the cinder blocks?

amideutch thanks - LOL sounds like big cinder blocks you have a link of an imge of them?

amideutch · February 16, 2007

Ask and ye shall receive. Ami
http://www.lutz-baustoffe.de/produk/...sit/waflor.htm

dcarch · February 16, 2007

I think this can be a reason:

Cinder block contains lime and calcium which leaks gradually into the soil.

dcarch

GrowSeeds · February 17, 2007

amideutch those are some nice looking cinder blocks

Sure could design some beautiful walkways with them.

Quote:

I think this can be a reason:

Cinder block contains lime and calcium which leaks gradually into the soil.

dcarch

Thanks dcarch.

flowerpower · February 19, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by amideutch

Ask and ye shall receive. Ami
http://www.lutz-baustoffe.de/produk/...sit/waflor.htm

I really like those blocks. They are a nice size too. They look like they would be great for herbs.

amideutch · February 19, 2007

They use them for everything. From building retaining walls to lining walkways. They plant them with everything from evergreens to herbs you name it. A coworker up at the site planted tomatoes in his last year and the results were good. They come in different sizes so you can let your imagination go when setting them out in your garden.
Ami

February 16, 2007	#1
GrowSeeds Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Somewhere in the Universe on planet Earth in the USA in Alabama - zone 8 Posts: 113	Do Tomatoes Love Cinder Blocks? Message to moderator. Don't know which forum this should be posted in. I went to one of the local feed and seed stores looking for ways (materials) to stake and items to plant tomato plants in. When leaving a person said to me that they plant tomato plants in the holes of cinder blocks. Said to sit the block onto the earth ground hole facing ground and up fill with compose and soil etc then plant the plant in the center of the hole. Has anyone done this - if it works I have a lot off fence area I could use them to grow a lot more tomatoes. Here are some images with demensions of cinder blocks which one would best be used if this is a usable ideal? http://www.newhollandconcrete.com/de...id=ss%2012inch

February 16, 2007	#3
Dunkel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West By God Virginia Posts: 245	I use concrete blocks as a border for all of my raised beds. I loosen the soil about 5" below soil level then border the beds with concrete blocks hole side up. The blocks I use are 7 5/8" tall when positioned this way. I then fill the empty 7 5/8" inside the border with soil, compost and aged manure mixture. That way I have 12" of loose soil for them to grow in, which in my rocky soil would be nearly impossible without a raised bed. I fill the holes on the ends of the borders with the same soil/compost/aged manure mixture and plant basil in the holes. That works great. I would think the 5"X5" holes would be too constrictive for a tomato plant to grow a good root system. Just my opinion. __________________ I plant... Therefore I am. - Dunkel What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds. - Will Rogers

February 16, 2007	#4
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	I wonder if the blocks warm/retain heat for the maters > ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

February 16, 2007	#5
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	The hole of a cinder block will contain barely 1 gallon of soil. So basically it's just a frame to support the tomato plant as it grows down into the soil underneath the cinder block. Unless the soil beneath the cinder block is fantastic soil, you are going to get very poor results. And it would seem to me that the cinder block would impede fertilization of the plant. If your soil is not suitable for growing tomatoes (many folks are in this boat), then you can do a raised bed. Raised beds are typically 3-4 ft wide by 8-16 ft long with 1 or 2 rows of tomato plants. You can use cinder blocks, or 8"~12" wide lumber nailed or screwed together and filled with soil. If you can get a soil or landscape company to bring garden soil, that would be the least expensive. Make sure you check out the product before you buy it, since there are no laws or standards for any of this. What I received was very loose, sandy stuff, but there was really no compost or "meat" to it. So I had to add many bags of compost to it to get it where I wanted. I would read Earl’s Hole Method of Growing Tomatoes. Note that you should use very different soil whether you are growing in a raised bed or a container. A container like a Homemade EarthBox is 2 Rubbermaid 30 gallon tubs inside each other with some modifications to allow drainage and bottom watering. You can plant 2 determinate tomato plants in each Earthbox. In a container, spudleafwillie suggested I use 20% each of: Peat Moss, Sand, Sheep or Composted Cow Manure, Potting Soil, and Broken Pecan Shells (for drainage and they break down over time). After each season, he dumps out all his containers into a pile and adds more compost to the pile and then mixes it all together and lets it sit for 5 months, turning it periodically. This refreshes the soil so it's usable again next spring. Some folks have had results with growing tomato plants in a hay bale, and there are lots of other ideas out there of course. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

February 16, 2007	#6
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	I thought they would use the blocks as a border - and not a planting hole - a planting hole ??? No way !!! ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

February 16, 2007	#8
daylilydude Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Iuka, Mississippi Zone 7b Posts: 482	Well now i'm gonna stick my 2 cents in here ! My father had done something similar up until he couldn't garden anymore ! He always used the single block and first he would plant the plant in the garden than he would put the block over it and it would grow up thru . He told me that he had done it for a couple of reasons one if he planted out a little early the block would help keep it warm on cool nights . Two he said it saved him from a whole lot of watering just fill the block up so he didn't have to water where there was no plants and three that's just how his father had done it.Now i'm only talking about 20 or 30 plants . And my brothers and sister can tell ya we always had lots of tomatoes in our house while we were growing up . __________________ Richard

February 16, 2007	#9
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	We do it here in Germany but our bricks are a lot bigger. Give it a shot and see what happens, but like feldon said you need to prepare the ground under the brick because when you put the seedling in the hole it will be only a few inches from the bottom. Or use the stretcher block and knock out the center portion between the two cavities. Ami, getting ready to do it on the other side of the pond.

February 16, 2007	#12
dcarch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,618	I think this can be a reason: Cinder block contains lime and calcium which leaks gradually into the soil. dcarch __________________ tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato

February 19, 2007	#15
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	They use them for everything. From building retaining walls to lining walkways. They plant them with everything from evergreens to herbs you name it. A coworker up at the site planted tomatoes in his last year and the results were good. They come in different sizes so you can let your imagination go when setting them out in your garden. Ami