Just showing off.

[Fiishergurl]

Carolyn in the grow bags are the reservoirs packed with dirt for wicking or how to do you have set up?

Ginny

[CarolynPhillips]

Ginny
I cut a hole in the bottom of the grow bag and put a net cup through it and then set the net cup in the reservoir hole , then I filled the net cup and the grow bag with soil.

[Fiishergurl]

Ok makes sense.

Amazing was you are doing! Just incredible results.

Ginny

[CarolynPhillips]

I forgot to mention that I applied a tiny pinch of calcium nitrate to each single vine tomato plant 4 weeks ago to give them growth boost til they started taking in the organic nutrients.
That is the only thing that hasn't been organic and I haven't given them any more of that since then.
The plants are now loaded with blooms and tiny tomatoes.
Been 12 days since the last photo was taken.

[CarolynPhillips]

A Big Beef Open Pollinated plant had a megabloom with 5 fused blossoms. (exciting)

[CarolynPhillips]

The Big Beef Open Pollinated (sold at tomatofest) has a mixture of both beefsteak blossoms and smooth single rounded blossoms like the big boy.

The Big Beef Hybrid (cross of beefsteak and big boy) has 99% smooth round fruits like the big boy.

[CarolynPhillips]

AA Cherokee Purple had a megabloom. It looked like 4 fussed blossoms. Unsure.

[cherokee]

Thanks Carolyn, I will be running around 200 Tomato plants this year, I water the plants with a drip system ea. dripper emits 2 GPH. I had kicked around the idea of injecting a soluble fertilizer into the head of the line and let it feed as I water, (Fertilization to be as needed not every watering). However there may be too many complications for that approach? I will use a 5-20-30 for root growth when I transplant to the Garden side dress as needed with a 20-20-20. I had a soil test which called for 1.5 tons of lime per acre which is no problem. You have a Beautiful setup great plants pictured so, from North Alabama to you may you have a great and productive season. Again thanks for your answer any further help will be appericated —LAUS DEO! from Cherokee

[newgardener_tx]

I am so amazed by your setting up and the beautiful plants. I have never thought a 4 gallon pot can have such produce. Encouraged by your method I am growing big beef in 5 gallon pots. Using half Pro-mix BX and half compost with blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal, green sand and epson salt. I grow them outside though. I have a question that I have wandered for a long time: When you say single stem per pot, Do you cut away all the side shoots/branches? Only leave the major stem with flowers? From some of your pictures I see some side shoots though. And for some tomato types after they grow to certain height then the major stem will split to two equally branches. Do you cut one out or leave both on? Could you explain a little more? Thank you!
Wendy from Texas

[CarolynPhillips]

Wendy, Sometimes I let the one plant have two vines as you mentioned where the plants seems to naturally have two strong vines and looks like Y . Sometimes I only let the plant have one single main vine. You can grow Two single vine plants in the 5 gallon pot or you can prune one plant to have 3 strong vines which would be the "main vine" and a secondary below the first fruit cluster and a secondary just above the first fruit cluster. Those branches/vines produce the largest and best fruits.


yes, single stem/vine is cutting away all suckers and only growing the main stem/vine and it's fruit clusters..

[newgardener_tx]

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. I am excited to watch mine grow.

[CarolynPhillips]

I want to see how big I can grow a tomato fruit in a 5 gallon global bucket. I chose Big Zac.
It looked like 3 fused blossoms but it might only be 2 fused blossoms. unsure


3-19-14 about 3 days after pollination





3-25-14 about 9 days after pollination. Turning out to be a pretty tomato.

[CarolynPhillips]

I've been gradually removing all the other blooms from this Big Beef OP with the 5 fused .blossoms. Growing really fast. About 10 days after final pollination

[luigiwu]

Carolyn, only one pinch of calcium nitrate. I remember you used to do weekly dosages! you are doing things more organically this year - how are you doing it? your plants look awesome!

[CarolynPhillips]

I will have to move these 25 gallon potted tomatoes out of this heated greenhouse in about 10 days. They go to an unheated greenhouse until after blackberry winter (end of April) Then they get moved outside and a 2nd cage is attached on top of the first one.
I think they will grow taller than the first cage before I can set them outside for the 2nd cage. They only have 18 inches of cage height left .
They are currently growing about 2 inches per day and I know their growth will slow down once they are loaded with fruit but they might not slow down enough. I don't want to move them outside.....but what if they grow taller than the 2 cages (10ft) If I leave them in the unheated greenhouse with two cages, I won't be able to move them later. Sooooo undecided.
They don't have too much nitrogen. They are loaded with blooms and tiny fruits and all the blooms are pollinating correctly.