2016 NJ urban tomato garden

[Fiishergurl]

Hi Ella,

I mostly only read threads that i already participated in and dont see the rest of the forum due to lack of time so I am just now seeing this thread. Your tomatoes are magnificent and I love the weight tallys along with them also. So informative. Thank you for sharing all of this. The blacks were my favorite and now I am leaning towards pinks as well after over doing it on the dark tomatoes.

Love the posts.

Ginny

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[efisakov]

Thank you, Ginny.
During the school year I get so busy some times that I do not read anything on TV or just check threads that I am part of as well. It is when I have time off the work, I do look for new things to read about. I only read some of the Florida thread. So, we are alike.

The two pinks I favor this year is Grightmire's Pride (thank you, Marsha) and Elgin Pink(thank you, bcbf). They have good taste and production. And that was true for them last year as well. They are midseason faves. For the late season pinks last year I liked both Cowlick and Brandywine Sudduth. Have to see this year. I planted them next to each other. They are both big plants. They have to fight for the space. That is a real test. So far Sudduth is winning. Year is not over yet.

[Fiishergurl]

I started seeds of Grightmires Pride for my fall garden. Heard so many good things about Elgin Pink as well.

Do you use fish carcasses in your garden?

Ginny

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[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

I started seeds of Grightmires Pride for my fall garden. Heard so many good things about Elgin Pink as well.

Do you use fish carcasses in your garden?

Ginny

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As gross as it may sound, I do. We clean fish and all that is normally disposed I put in my tomato beds and containers. Plants love it. Guts decompose quickly, bones and heads take longer, but they still do. Apparently fish has all the things tomatoes need to grow well. I dig a hole 1 foot deep and make hill of soil above. During the time I can not do that (freezing temperature outside or when tomatoe roots have taken entire bed) I freeze fish in small conglomerates to add to soil once I can. Every respectful fishermen has a freezer for the fish they catch and the bait (we freeze fish whole to prevent freeze burn, though not all varieties taste good frozen anyways, we never freeze fluke or stripe bass).
Early Spring/late Fall I put fish in the middle of the tomato bed, because the plants are going in two rows, so if some parts are still decomposing, they are in a middle and serve as food for both rows. In containers I put fish to the side, because plants are going to be in a middle.
When tomatoes are planted and I have more fish to add I do that in small amounts between tomatoes on the side of the bed.
That is why they are growing so tall and with many side shoots. I only prune bottom 1-1.5 feet.

Expect to get a problem with so much fish added. The plants will love it. There are no smell, as many think will accompany fish burial. But the ANTS will come. I purchased borax recently. All other things deter them but not kill them.
I am not given up on the best food for my plants just because of the ants. Plus that food is free as we fish ourselves and otherwise would be disposed.
Besides fish we add lobsters and shrimps parts. Crustaceans are great for tomatoes. There is something in chitin that helps them to fight diseases, or at least there are claims of that on some websites.
Hope it helps.

[efisakov]

I was not planning to post pictures of this NOT Tarasenko 6 fruits. T6 suppose to be red tomato and I have pink. But...
First picked fruit was 9.2 ounces and next 3 are EACH above a pound.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by efisakov

As gross as it may sound, I do. We clean fish and all that is normally disposed I put in my tomato beds and containers. Plants love it. Guts decompose quickly, bones and heads take longer, but they still do. Apparently fish has all the things tomatoes need to grow well. I dig a hole 1 foot deep and make hill of soil above. During the time I can not do that (freezing temperature outside or when tomatoe roots have taken entire bed) I freeze fish in small conglomerates to add to soil once I can. Every respectful fishermen has a freezer for the fish they catch and the bait (we freeze fish whole to prevent freeze burn, though not all varieties taste good frozen anyways, we never freeze fluke or stripe bass).
Early Spring/late Fall I put fish in the middle of the tomato bed, because the plants are going in two rows, so if some parts are still decomposing, they are in a middle and serve as food for both rows. In containers I put fish to the side, because plants are going to be in a middle.
When tomatoes are planted and I have more fish to add I do that in small amounts between tomatoes on the side of the bed.
That is why they are growing so tall and with many side shoots. I only prune bottom 1-1.5 feet.

Expect to get a problem with so much fish added. The plants will love it. There are no smell, as many think will accompany fish burial. But the ANTS will come. I purchased borax recently. All other things deter them but not kill them.
I am not given up on the best food for my plants just because of the ants. Plus that food is free as we fish ourselves and otherwise would be disposed.
Besides fish we add lobsters and shrimps parts. Crustaceans are great for tomatoes. There is something in chitin that helps them to fight diseases, or at least there are claims of that on some websites.
Hope it helps.

Thats exactly what I was wondering... how often and how much. We have a huge freezer as we are respectable fishermen also.. lol. We keep bait for our crab traps (fish carcasses or bait fish we caught) and also the fish fo eating, cleaned crab and shrimp in it. I have used fish in the ground but only put it in once a year (thought I had to bury it two feet down) but you have inspired me to use more and try to grow more plants in the ground.

Do you add any other fertilizer at all? Do you always put it 1 ft down?

Did i read correctly that you use it in your pots?

Thanks for all the detailed information. Fish carcasses, crab shells and shrimp heads are something we do not have a shortage of and we do try to use them, (for example using the fish carcases in our crab traps).

Ginny

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Thats exactly what I was wondering... how often and how much. We have a huge freezer as we are respectable fishermen also.. lol. We keep bait for our crab traps (fish carcasses or bait fish we caught) and also the fish fo eating, cleaned crab and shrimp in it. I have used fish in the ground but only put it in once a year (thought I had to bury it two feet down) but you have inspired me to use more and try to grow more plants in the ground.

Do you add any other fertilizer at all? Do you always put it 1 ft down?

Did i read correctly that you use it in your pots?

Thanks for all the detailed information. Fish carcasses, crab shells and shrimp heads are something we do not have a shortage of and we do try to use them, (for example using the fish carcases in our crab traps).

Ginny

I do not add any other fertilizer, just mix peat moss to help soil keep its moister and Epsom salt at the begging of the season. Peat moss I add only if soil is too hard.
I do put fish about 1 ft down but I make a little hill above it. It helps me to remember where the fish is, so I do not over fertilize one bed and have nothing in the other.
After big fishing trip we sometimes have half a bucket of fish parts to compost. It is better to make a trench instead of one big hole. That would be good for a bed that has 8 tomato plants 4+4 with trench in a middle.
I experimented with big containers (20 gal.) with adding fish parts. It works great. Did try with a small container one time. I have Amaryllis in a 2 gal container and it needed a boost. Was refusing to flower for the second year. I put a bit of guts in the container. Lets, say it was not deep enough and flies were all over it. But, it bloomed. Thank god weather was warm outside, otherwise it would be goner.
I read somewhere that Native Americans always put a head of fish under each tomato plant. They knew what they were doing. And no, I had never had any flies until I did not bury it deep enough. 1 foot seems to be enough.

[Fiishergurl]

Is it possible to put too much fish?

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[efisakov]

I did not do any research on that, but so far no side effects. Some of our friends were afraid that the tomatoes would smell like fish, they do not.

[salix]

Ella, I am envious - even at almost 2 feet deep the bears can smell and dig up the heads etc. Usually leave some berry-seeded poop behind as evidence...

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by salix

Ella, I am envious - even at almost 2 feet deep the bears can smell and dig up the heads etc. Usually leave some berry-seeded poop behind as evidence...

Is there anything that can kill the smell for bears. Cilantro, peppers, neem oil, ashes,...? Do you know anything they really dislike?
The first time I did that I had some cilantro growing in the garden and put it on the top of the soil to deter raccoons that pass by once in a blue moon.

[Nematode]

Originally Posted by efisakov

I read somewhere that Native Americans always put a head of fish under each tomato plant. They knew what they were doing. And no, I had never had any flies until I did not bury it deep enough. 1 foot seems to be enough.

munnawhatteaug or menhaden or bunker as we know it is what was used.
It was the native word for fertilizer. Good bait too.

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Nematode

munnawhatteaug or menhaden or bunker as we know it is what was used.
It was the native word for fertilizer. Good bait too.

We use fresh bunker when fishing for stripe bass and I do use what left after fishing trip as fertilizer.
Bunker does not freeze well, gets mushy. Plus, lately there are plenty of bunker schools around. It was harvested for fertilizers in the past but not anymore. Bunker is important fish in a food chain of many species of fish. We have seen stripe bass, bluefish, dolphins, and whales feeding on it.

[Nematode]

Ella,
There is a way to "make your own" fish fertilizer.
Phosphoric acid can be added to a barrel of leftover fish parts.
The acid will break down the fish and the low ph will prevent bacterial infection preventing the worst odors.
Farmer friend has done this but decided that it was too much work, if you can buy neptunes harvest by the 55g drum its pretty cheap.

[efisakov]

Thanks Nematode, that is really great price for farmers. I prefer for my small garden just use fish as is. I know my saltwater fish is a clean product. I eat it and trust its quality. Plus, otherwise I would be just disposing it. This way its cheep fertilizer for us.
btw, in California (San Diego) we noticed such abundance of kelp on the beach near where we were vacationing and were surprised no one was harvesting it for gardening.