Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[kurt]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

Have you tried their beneficial nematodes? I thought about it but did not do it since I was not sure how they would really work. I have several insectary gardens set up to get beneficial insects. The only time I have bought them from Arbico was to get Assassin Bugs. I have not been able to get them to come from what I have done. I am so fascinated with them and consider them true garden ninjas. It was fun watching the eggs hatch and they went to work right away. I will work on trying to get them here without buying them but if not I would buy again.

Always grow in containers inside a screened in pool enclosure.All on concrete.I know at our local Fairchild Tropical Gardens they tout the beneficial s in their community garden classes.The local farmers here use Steam Soil Sterilization if they get a bad infestation.It is very expensive for large tracts of land.But for smaller parcels it makes "cents"They inject steam into soil with massive boiler/pump contraptions and it does kill nemos up to 3-4 foot down in soil.They re amend soil after testing to get the balance back.I watched them do it on a small plot for demonstration and every critter,rodent,insect came flying out of the soil,very impressive.

[Barb_FL]

In the Chuck - looks good and so tidy. What's going in the white buckets? What tomatoes are you growing?

Kurt - That steam sounds so cool. I would have loved to see that.

[Fiishergurl]

Wow, ImTheChuck... love your set up!!! So neat.

Ginny

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by kurt

Always grow in containers inside a screened in pool enclosure.All on concrete.I know at our local Fairchild Tropical Gardens they tout the beneficial s in their community garden classes.The local farmers here use Steam Soil Sterilization if they get a bad infestation.It is very expensive for large tracts of land.But for smaller parcels it makes "cents"They inject steam into soil with massive boiler/pump contraptions and it does kill nemos up to 3-4 foot down in soil.They re amend soil after testing to get the balance back.I watched them do it on a small plot for demonstration and every critter,rodent,insect came flying out of the soil,very impressive.

I'm curious where the market might be for this kind of soil treatment. As you say not for larger fields. Commercial growers would simply opt for a variety with lots of letters behind the name which includes nematode resistance. Possibly smaller growers growing heirlooms or maybe someone who needs to grow organically for that market. Hey, first just boil everything alive then grow organically!
Larry

[kurt]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

I'm curious where the market might be for this kind of soil treatment. As you say not for larger fields. Commercial growers would simply opt for a variety with lots of letters behind the name which includes nematode resistance. Possibly smaller growers growing heirlooms or maybe someone who needs to grow organically for that market. Hey, first just boil everything alive then grow organically!
Larry

Looks like this company has been around for a while.Upoun further reading they have a variety of trays flats and all kind of goodies.

http://www.usgr.com/soil-sterilization/index.php

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by kurt

Looks like this company has been around for a while.Upoun further reading they have a variety of trays flats and all kind of goodies.

http://www.usgr.com/soil-sterilization/index.php

Sterilizing raised beds would be interesting, especially if it killed fungus which result in Early Blight, etc. I drenched a couple of beds, a year or so ago, with a mix of water and food grade hydrogen peroxide. I really couldn't tell if it done anything beneficial or not.
There is a lady in Oakland FL which has posted quite a lot of photos on Garden Web. She used compost, probably significantly improved in 15 gallon containers. She cleaned her pots every year and put in completely new mix. She grew some beautiful tomatoes. I don't have that kind of time or ambition. Anyway I think I'd use SWCs before I'd go to that effort. Thanks for the link.
Larry

[Fiishergurl]

Larry - I was just thinking if you wanted a really economical way to try container growing, either the home made grow buckets would work if you can get some used buckets for free from a grocery store or hotel. My friend is the Director of Purchasing for a large hotel in Orlando and they had more 5 gallon pickle buckets than they knew what to do with. I used to get them all the time for free and we used them on my family's horse farm but at the time I wasn't growing in containers.

Or use the Walmart bags... I think they are 50 cents each and set them in a kiddie pool ($10). You can go on youtube and see how other people have been successful doing that with the Walmart bags in a kiddie pool. I would do it where I am except the owner of the RV Park would have a fit.

Ginny

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Larry - I was just thinking if you wanted a really economical way to try container growing, either the home made grow buckets would work if you can get some used buckets for free from a grocery store or hotel. My friend is the Director of Purchasing for a large hotel in Orlando and they had more 5 gallon pickle buckets than they knew what to do with. I used to get them all the time for free and we used them on my family's horse farm but at the time I wasn't growing in containers.

Or use the Walmart bags... I think they are 50 cents each and set them in a kiddie pool ($10). You can go on youtube and see how other people have been successful doing that with the Walmart bags in a kiddie pool. I would do it where I am except the owner of the RV Park would have a fit.

Ginny

I've had great luck with the Walmart $.50 bags. The big surprise is they last more than 1 season. I mainly put the WMT bags in a Dollar Tree laundry basket ($1) - they last multiple seasons too. I am growing 3 types of cucumbers this way this fall. I initially placed them in a saucer but now that they are bigger, I have them in the bottom of a rabbit cage with holes really close to the bottom.

On the downside, I have 2 kiddie pools, and they worked fine initially last spring, when it was drought-like and no rain. But when it rains in Florida, IT RAINS, the plants stayed too. I use an empty Tollhouse Cookie dough container, and drill lots of holes in it, then put it upside down in the WMT bag so not all of the bag bottom is exposed to water (wicking).

[Zone9b]

Ginny
Thanks for your suggestions. In time I hope to look at SWCs. For now I've got about all the tomato plants I can handle. I have 16 plants in raised beds, 19 in 10 gallon grow bags, 11 in 6 gallon pots, 12 in 3 gallon pots and 12 in 1 gallon pots for a total of 70. Not counting all the rest of the stuff I have in raised beds and native soil or heading for raised beds or native soil. Ultimately I hope to grow less tomato plants as a result of more consistently growing varieties that work well. I am hoping this season will help me reach that goal.
Looking at the 10 day weather forecast it looks like tomato loving weather is about to arrive. Starting Oct 2nd I see a string of days with forecasts of daily highs between 83 and 87, and daily lows from 66 to 69. Looks like tomatoes blossoming and setting fruit is about to happen.
Larry

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

Ginny
Thanks for your suggestions. In time I hope to look at SWCs. For now I've got about all the tomato plants I can handle. I have 16 plants in raised beds, 19 in 10 gallon grow bags, 11 in 6 gallon pots, 12 in 3 gallon pots and 12 in 1 gallon pots for a total of 70. Not counting all the rest of the stuff I have in raised beds and native soil or heading for raised beds or native soil. Ultimately I hope to grow less tomato plants as a result of more consistently growing varieties that work well. I am hoping this season will help me reach that goal.
Looking at the 10 day weather forecast it looks like tomato loving weather is about to arrive. Starting Oct 2nd I see a string of days with forecasts of daily highs between 83 and 87, and daily lows from 66 to 69. Looks like tomatoes blossoming and setting fruit is about to happen.
Larry

Whoo hoo!! Tomatoes for everyone it sounds like... :-) My neighbors laugh because I have so many plants but if I don't grow that many they complain there aren't enough tomatoes... lol.

Ginny

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

Ginny
Thanks for your suggestions. In time I hope to look at SWCs. For now I've got about all the tomato plants I can handle. I have 16 plants in raised beds, 19 in 10 gallon grow bags, 11 in 6 gallon pots, 12 in 3 gallon pots and 12 in 1 gallon pots for a total of 70. Not counting all the rest of the stuff I have in raised beds and native soil or heading for raised beds or native soil. Ultimately I hope to grow less tomato plants as a result of more consistently growing varieties that work well. I am hoping this season will help me reach that goal.
Looking at the 10 day weather forecast it looks like tomato loving weather is about to arrive. Starting Oct 2nd I see a string of days with forecasts of daily highs between 83 and 87, and daily lows from 66 to 69. Looks like tomatoes blossoming and setting fruit is about to happen.
Larry

Bring on the cooler weather; I think we've been in the 80s this week, but the night time temps are still 74+.

Larry - what tomatoes are you growing in 3 gallon pots? and 1 gallon pots?

Did you ever see AKMARK's tomatoes - he had a couple of plants in a 1/2 gallon pot, and maybe a pint pot with big tomatoes on it.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Bring on the cooler weather; I think we've been in the 80s this week, but the night time temps are still 74+.

Larry - what tomatoes are you growing in 3 gallon pots? and 1 gallon pots?

Did you ever see AKMARK's tomatoes - he had a couple of plants in a 1/2 gallon pot, and maybe a pint pot with big tomatoes on it.

I have 10 Tiny Tim tomato plants in 1 gal containers. Tiny Tim is said to be a micro dwarf. I believe I read where Container Ted had 2 Tiny Tim plants in a single 1 gal container. I find the Tiny Tim plants to look really nice in the 1 gal pots.
I have 1 Extreme Bush plant in a 1 gal pot. So far it doesn't look crowded.
I have 1 Terenzo plant in a 1 gal pot. It looks a bit leggy but is blossoming and has
set 1 tomato.
I have 6 Extreme Bush plants in 3 gallon containers and 6 Terenzos in 3 gallons.
The Extreme Bush plants truly look like a dwarf and have a few blossoms. The Terenzo look more like a small bush tomato and are blossoming more than any other variety I have planted and have set a few tomatoes.
I definitely will check out some of AKmark's posts, which sound interesting.
I don't know why I planted so many Tiny Tims. With the 1 gallons it just takes a second to fill them with compost and I direct sewed the seeds. I had 10 pots done before I knew what I was doing.
Larry

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Bring on the cooler weather; I think we've been in the 80s this week, but the night time temps are still 74+.

Larry - what tomatoes are you growing in 3 gallon pots? and 1 gallon pots?

Did you ever see AKMARK's tomatoes - he had a couple of plants in a 1/2 gallon pot, and maybe a pint pot with big tomatoes on it.

Note: I copied what AKman said in his response to your questions>
"Barb 100 plants two vines, 100 first trusses for me, I get a truss before a fork in the stems. 200 plants, single vines, 200 first trusses, gain of 100.
I also drop my plants now and coil the vine after fruit is harvested, it is tuff with two vines. My friends already do what I am talking about, I have resisted, but the light bulb went off, and I realized my lost potential.
The single stem plants will be grown in 6-7 gallon plastic bags, or old smart pots filled halfway. I do not try to avoid watering, I want to water, with continuous feed they grow like chickweed if you have to water multiple times per day."
Also from AKman "Zipcode, it used to be around 20- 30lbs for an average plant from a good yielding variety, but this year I am doing something completely different that I learned about a few years back, but never tried it.
When I harvest a truss of fruit, I trim the leaves off to that point, and I lower the plant by coiling the stripped stalks around the container. This is an awesome technique for long season growers to keep their plants producing at full potential, or close. Now, I don't know my yields, but I can say, my plants started in January are still looking good and are pumping out fruit."

I don't quite understand exactly what he is saying, probably because I am not that knowledgeable of a tomato plant's physiology. However, I think his statement is probably quite profound and I want to refer back to it as I learn more.

If you have a good handle on what it is he is saying, please explain to me.
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

If you have a good handle on what it is he is saying, please explain to me.
Larry

Larry - I do now that someone pointed out the obvious. Go back and read the thread.

In 2014, AKMARK had amazing tomato pictures; I will try to find the tomato pics in the tiny pot and post later.

Off to transplanting.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - I do now that someone pointed out the obvious. Go back and read the thread.

In 2014, AKMARK had amazing tomato pictures; I will try to find the tomato pics in the tiny pot and post later.

Off to transplanting.

I don't think the reason was obvious to us because we don't grow as many tomato plants. A lot of people cut that first truss off that grows below the main stem because they think it gives the plant more energy to grow more in the long run (I'm not saying it does or doesn't... I personally leave the first truss). But it seems amazing that you could get an extra 500-1000 tomatoes (100 times however many tomatoes are typically on that first truss) by doing 200 single stem plants rather than 100 two stem plants. Fascinating!!

Ginny