GoBigs 2009 Tomato Journal

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Here will be my post for my 2009 progress I will try and put updates every 2 weeks to a month.

So far I have been planted out for about 10 days and decided to use miracle grow potting mix with moisture control.... more to come on this it seems to stay to wet but we have not had many days over 70 so I hope it does well when we get the heat.

I have 12 varieties in containers on the ground level and upper deck and 5 in my 2nd year woods project (going with mostly cherries there this year)

The first pick is from 4 weeks ago 2 weeks prior to plant out about 50 seedlings and most found a happy home that did not make it in my garden.

Second pic is my is my hybrid side left Brandy Boy, middle Big Beef, right Sun Gold.

Third pic is my Heirloom side. Left front Black Cherry, Aunt ginny purple, Indian Stripe (made a comeback), Cherokee green, and Eva Purple Ball.

Fourth pic is the left two plants on my upper deck first is Heatwave II and second is Goose Creek.

Fifth pic is right two plants up my upper deck first New Big Dwarf second Solar Set.

Last pic is the woods project got ripe tomatos there last year but not many so went with a few cherries and then F2 cross for seeds and then an extra solar set. In order closest to farthest is: Black Cherry, Sun Gold, Yellow Pear (free store bought tomato plant) A volunteer F2 of my not cherokee green I just hope to harvest some seed, and an extra solar set.

My transplants suffered from being to wet prior to last re-pot with the miracle moisture control and are coming out of it now and I hope they continue to improve. Will post more pics in a few weeks happy tomato growing.

Craig

[Barbee]

They look good Craig.
FWIW, I have not been impressed with the MG moisture control potting mix. I pulled 2 peppers out of their pots and dumped over half of the moisture control out and mixed what was left with regular potting soil then replanted. The stuff stays way too wet for peppers unless you would have total control of the amount of moisture a plant receives. After a week of rain here, the pepper pots just smelled like they were rotting when I had the straight MG mc soil in there.
I will not be using that product again LoL

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

I am really kicking myself for going with all MC, I should have tested it first before going all in with it. I just hope the summer heat comes soon I think a half and half mix of MC and regular would be better. I just hope it is not a diasater as it cost allot of money to fill those pots I am thinking I should have stayed with what worked in the past. I hope it turns out ok in the end but right now I am really worried.

Craig

[recruiterg]

Craig, your plants look great!!!

I am experimenting with self-watering containers using plain Miracle Grow (non-mc) and I am amazed how much better my plants look in the SWCs vs. the in-ground plants. They are also way easier to maintain. The Earthtainer has such a huge water reservoir you could water every three or four days and things would be fine.

Pat

[dice]

You might try some reflectors under the woods project plants.

Even something as small as an aluminum pie plate under one
can make a difference to a plant in a slightly dim spot.
(I cut from the edge to the center, cut out an inch or so hole,
bend the edges of the hole down, slide it around the stem,
and I let it sit on a few small, walnut sized rocks, so that it is
suspended an inch or so above the soil. That way rain water
can run down through it and spread out on the soil around the
stem.)

dcarch uses flat, square pieces of some kind of aluminum on
the ground on the sunny side of the plants to reflect light up
into them.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Updated picks most everything has their first blooms about 2 more months till tasting I posted in the same order as the first post. I have fruit set on the free yellow pear in the woods that I picked up at the nursury with a coupon. Man do they change allot in a week.

Craig

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Ok been 3 weeks since last update and most plants have gotten very large and have set fruit the onlyplant left to set is Cherokee green which should have allot of sets in the next couple of days as it had lots of blossoms and weather has been good. I have noticed that the cherokee green has a pale yellow flower versus all the other plants bright yellow is that normal? Pics of those attached not sure the light was right for the pictures though but they are noticible lighter then aunt ginny's, brandy boy and the rest of my plants.

I do have a few plants with what maybe a virus and the closest I could find is possible TMV or CMV and I attached some pics of the leaves that appear to have mosiac and tendril leaves (goose creek plant with lots of pictures). I pulled the Indian stripe which has appeared to be infected for at least 2 weeks (forgot to take a pic) and had taken a big beef cutting and rooted that and planted it in the same pot that the IS was in. Thoughts welcome on what I have and if i should let them continue to grow and also wondering about seed saving from the affected plants.

Last are pics of all of the plants currently out there same line-up except aunt ginny's moved to the spot of the IS and black cherry moved to the AG spot with the small big beef closest to the house.

So pictures in order are: Cherokee green flower, Eva Purple ball flower, Goose Creek over head shot virus?, another goose creek shot, goose creek up close, goose creek up close, goose creek up close, Hybrid side (sun gold, big beef, brandy boy), heirloom side, woods project, upper right two, upper deck left two, and one more shot of the heirloom side notice the small big beef cutting on the left.

[dice]

The Goose Creek definitely looks infected in the individual
leaf shots. I would pull it. Everything else looks quite healthy.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

My Brandy Boy which is not in the same grouping of plants is starting show the same signs on the new growth as well as possibly my aunt ginny's. I have never had any issues in the past and the only thing different this year is I bought the miricle grow with moisture control and I do not like it but I do not think that is causing the issues with the plants. I have not seen any bugs on any of the plants either.

Thanks for the PM's Dice I am not sure what I am going to do at this point.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Updating my journal with what I posted on another thread I had started:

Originally Posted by dice

From the CMV sticky thread at the top of this forum:

http://tomatopalooza.org/CMV08.htm

It could be some other virus or viroid, too, but it definitely
looks related to me.

Maybe you could hang an electronic bugzapper beside it
(no guarantee; the bugs that carry the virus might ignore
it).

That sure looks like what I "had" pulled the goose creek and most fruits were showing signs of BER. I also pulled the brandy boy and but in it's place my big beef rooted cutting. On watch are NBD I am thinking it has it and Aunt ginny's to early to tell if it is going to develp it. All others look healthy so i decided to bite the bullet since it is garbage day tomorrow and pull the two most affected ones.

So that means 3 pulled plants out of 17 (5 of which were a gamble in the woods anyway) very disappointing.

It hit me tonight thinking about this that I did have issues with my Indian Stripes not looking good at the seedling stage and infact I did have to toss during a transplant to larer pots a IS that looked exactly like what the new growth looked liked on the 3 pulled plants. My only hypothisis is that may have been the source or source plant anyway and the strees from the miricle grow moisture control left plants suseptible to the virus.

At this point I just hope it does not ruin the season but a very strong bleach solution on the pots stakes and cages will be in order this fall.



Craig

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Well things are sure getting big and full of green tomatoes now. Only have had ripe sungolds so far but have a black cherry and big beef blushing now.

First two are of the hypbrid side left to righ big beef cutting, big beef, and sungold.

Pic 3 and 4 is the heirloom side and left to right on around is black cherry, aunt ginnys, cherokee green, and eva purple ball.

Pic 5 is the woods plants and from left to right I have black cherry, sungold, yellow pear, mystery cherokee green cross F2, solar set.

Pic 6 is of the upper deck where I have from right to left solar set, new big dwarf, and heatwave 2.

Pic 7,8, and 9 are close ups of the ones on the upper deck in the same order as above, solar set, NBD, heatwave2.

As for updates chorekee green was the last to set fruit but is now loaded with fruit and some approaching tennis ball size. Overall the size of the plants are normal (huge) but the size of the fruit seems to be on the small side of what the average is for each varity.

Still waiting for my first BLT out of my garden but that should come in the next week or so with the first ripe big beef.

Craig

[veggie babe]

very nice looking plants, you will soon have that BLT hang in there.

neva

[dice]

It looks like they recovered fairly well from the early season
problems.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Yes they have but my wifes flower boxers all have white flys and afids and sprayed them yesterday with incecticidle soap but they may be done for at least they are keeping them away from my tomatoes.

Originally Posted by dice

It looks like they recovered fairly well from the early season
problems.

[rnewste]

Go-big,

Too bad about your Goose Creek. It has turned out to be my most prolific and disease tolerant plant this season. Also the best tasting, in my personal opinion. Hope you give it a try next season.

Regarding MG potting mix, I have come to the conclusion in containers that it simply retains too much moisture. I am experimenting with my Fall crop by blending various combinations of potting mix with Perlite, Cactus Mix, and Turface to find a good balance of moderate moisture level that the tomato plants will thrive in:



Ray