Signs that your Tomato obession is out of control

[SueCT]

Sorry to see what happened! But you are not alone. I am seriously thinking of moving my driveway, which goes behind my house into the front. It has certainly occurred to me that it would allow me to expand the garden for more tomatoes!

[Father'sDaughter]

More tomato plants is always a win!

And lesson to all -- before hiring ANY contractor to do work for you, ask for proof of insurance. And don't just take their word for it! It takes their insurance company two second to send you a certificate, so don't be afraid to ask for one. And, also ask for proof of worker's comp. insurance to make sure they are covering their employees for any injuries sustained while working on your property. Even if you live in one of the states that requires it by law, there are shady companies out there that are not purchasing it.

Glad your tree company is insured and you won't need to file a claim with your homeowner's insurance company!

Sooooo, what varieties are you now going to add to your grow list???

[Sun City Linda]

Originally Posted by peebee

I lucked out when a strong storm recently took out a large native tree in my back yard. Hubby was disappointed as we were all fond of this tree, but inwardly I was doing a happy dance cuz now I can plant 2 more tomatoes in the area that is not shaded anymore. Whooo-Hoooo!

[Labradors2]

40 more plants is nothing to sneeze at! Cool!

I don't know if you could do this, but we installed a retractable awning over our deck which is WONDERFUL and makes it pleasant to sit outside in the heat of summer. It also keeps our sunroom nice and cool. Another benefit is that I can drag my container tomatoes under the awning when it rains so that the poor babies won't get their leaves wet!

Linda

Originally Posted by natural

LOL! I think I can squeeze another 40 or so plants in the new sun-filled area. The other benefit is that it opened up the area that serves as my temporary greenhouse for plant starts in the spring. That is the real key.

The downside (and it is a big one) besides the expense is that we lost the afternoon shading for the corner of the house where my home office is located. It is really going to be cooking in my office this summer.

One of the trees was a willow oak that the original owners had planted less than 15 feet from one side of our house. It was over 60 feet tall and the branches had reached the side of our house. The roots were invading the septic lines and the tank. Been there, done that before. REALLY going to miss the shade!

[natural]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

40 more plants is nothing to sneeze at! Cool!

I don't know if you could do this, but we installed a retractable awning over our deck which is WONDERFUL and makes it pleasant to sit outside in the heat of summer. It also keeps our sunroom nice and cool. Another benefit is that I can drag my container tomatoes under the awning when it rains so that the poor babies won't get their leaves wet!

Linda

That is a good idea. I'll check into that.


FathersDaughter, I haven't decided which varieties to add to my grow list.

I have convinced a friend of mine (a farmer) to grow around 300 plants. I plan to give him the plants and my return will be a few tomatoes off of each plant for seed saving. This will allow me to refresh my seed stock for 100 to 150 varieties. I still have to finalize my multiple grow lists.

[Ed of Somis]

some very funny people here... glad everything is working out, natural. The house is not that important...more sun for the maters is important!

[Stainless]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

For once I was pleased that Dutch Elm disease took out two big Elm trees that were growing close to my veggie garden. Not only did they shade it at mid-day, but the roots were sneaking up into the garden and stealing nutrients and water. Now the garden gets full sun all day!

I had the same issue last Summer. My Elm tree was about half dead from the disease so we removed it. Now my entire back yard has sunlight. I had grass late summer over my entire backyard where I usually had bald spots. Looks so much better. Now I have a lot more room to grow!

[Lindalana]

ohh, I have huge oak next to my house that needs to be removed, it is pushing house gutters more and more... sheesh better make sure company is covered, my entire house will need to be rebuild if they drop anything.
Will be sorry it to go as it decreases my air condition bills in half during the summer...
Last summer we lost an ash tree, did not give me more sun anyway...
Lucky that at least you get more garden usable space!!!

[Sun City Linda]

I had three big Fruitless Mulberry trees jammed in too small of a space too close to my house. Their roots created a $5,000 plumbing repair for me right after I moved in. When I finally got rid of them year before last, it surprised me how much my house WAS NOT hotter. I expected a big difference.