My Garden Plans

[Alpinejs]

Ted....I get my buckets (5 gal.) from two oriental restraunts. They get soy
sauce in them and amazingly, I get about two pails per week from each
and have gotten about 45 buckets so far. I gave them some tomato
seedlings last spring. I need them as I do all my Canada gardening on
floating docks in the lagoon. I have no unshaded areas on land due to tall
pine trees.

[Too Tall Toms]

Originally Posted by dipchip2000

I agree completely with Ted on the upside down planters. Dont waste your money. Because plants grow up seeking light, they will turn up and grow and when they get heavy with fruit will bend down and break off ruining the plant and fruit.
What I have found that works great for smaller plants like cherry tomatos is as follows
Use a plastic 5 gallon sturdy bucket.
Cut 3 holes around the sides close to the bottom equidistant from each other. Make the holes about 3inches across in an arc using the flat bottom of the bucket as the diameter.
Place the Tomato plant on its side with the roots and a couple of inches of stem into the hole. do this in all three holes with with 2 more plants. You can use all one variety or 3 different varieties. I like to use Sungold, BlackCherry,and Rose Quartz.
With bucket sitting on the ground with all three holes filled with plants, gently fill bucket about 3/4 full of good potting mix.
Water the plants from top of bucket about a gallon til water runs out the holes.
Hang bucket from sturdy hook in good sunny location
Water twice weekly till water drips from holes
I water every other time with liquid fertilizer
This will produce more cherry tomatoes than you can consume

Works for me

ron

Hey....can you show me a picture of this?? I'm having trouble visualizing this bucket.

[Too Tall Toms]

I've been hearing nothing but great things about sungold. I had black cherry one year and it was pretty good.

I am going to definitely add those two to my list of tomatoes to grow. I've been doing nothing but thinking of this tomato thingie of mine and I do want them, and I also am considering the Cherokee Green.

Wow....this is almost an illness!

[tgplp]

I know how you feel, Too Tall. I set a goal for only fifteen varieties per year (that's how many i have room for), and when the seed catalogs come pouring in my door about this time of year, I seem to buy fifty or more seeds. Not to mention all the new varieties I got from a recent trade. Oh, and don't forget the fourteen dwarfs I just HAD to have from Tatiana's Tomato Base.... So now I am super excited about this bucket Idea from Ron, because it means that I have three more slots open using just one bucket! Don't know how I will be able to hang the weight of a ten gallon container (I've got about five ten gallon buckets from Home Depot, do you think I could fit more than three plants in those?) Thanks Ron for clarification on drilling holes in them! My dad told me he'd help me with it in the spring. I'm excited for the project. Anyhoo, getting back to my point: Too Tall Toms, the love of tomato varieties is definitely an illness, and it seems to be very contagious.

Taryn

Tomato seed hoarding is a recognized illness. At least it is on tomatoville and other gardening forums. I once sought a cure, but the doctors I consulted couldn't agree if it is a psychiatric, medical, or chiropractic condition. I've been unable to find a physician willing to treat me. Most I've consulted only ask which seed vendors don't charge shipping for seed orders. A few in California offered to send me a prescription for a nominal fee. Supposedly, the prescription would allow me to purchase a green, leafy substance which could alleviate my pain if used regularly. I would still be a seed hoarder, but I wouldn't care. I have lost all hope of finding a cure and have become resolute in acceptance of my condition and my future life as a tomato seed addict.

Ted

[Too Tall Toms]

LOL....And for the longest time I thought there were maybe 3 dozen or so different varieties.

[Too Tall Toms]

I've been wanting to grow 12 tomato plants in raised beds that I have to build. I figured on having two plants of each of the following varieties:

1) Omar's Lebanese
2) Box Car Willie
3) Brandywine Red (Landis Valley)
4) Mortgage Lifter
5) Bloody Butcher

Then I would have one plant of each of the following:

1) Cherokee Green (thanks to Alpinejs)
2) Wapsipinicon Peach

I don't know why but I thought I should have two varieties of those first plants I listed just because....no reason in particular.

I've grown tomatoes in the past but I've never wanted to go at it with this much enthusiasm.
Is two plants per variety a good idea or should I go with 1 plant per variety and have a total of 12 different varieties?

Oh and this doesn't count the cherry tomatoes I'm putting in those buckets that dipchip2000 suggested. The cherry varieties would be:

1) Sungold
2) Black Cherry
3) ??? (not sure yet)

Too Tall,

It seems we sometimes treat tomato varieties as "the flavor of the month". Some new variety will be on everyone's wish list and some older, highly desirable; variety will be kicked to the side due to space limitations. I grew Mortgage Lifter last year and it was the best tomato in my garden in all ways. I also grew Box Car Willy for the first time with results which were not so good. I believe my problems with Box Car Willy were my fault and not the fault of the variety and I will try it again.

I believe the "?" in your cherry tomato list would be well filled with Jaune Flamme. It performed well in my garden this year with Sungold F1 and Black Cherry. The fruit is slightly larger than most cheery varieties.

Ted

[Too Tall Toms]

how were the bad results of Box Car Willie your fault?

Originally Posted by Too Tall Toms

how were the bad results of Box Car Willie your fault?

One small corner of my garden never produces well. I planted the Box Car Willy in that corner. The plant grew well early but as the season progressed, didn't grow well and didn't produce well. I suspect it simply didn't get enough sunlight or water.

Ted