2013 tomato crop

[Rgold1963]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

Have you tried reflective plastic mulch?

Also, grafting is tricky to match scion to rootstock. If you start with a low producing less vigorous scion, then a high vigor rootstock seems to increase production the most. The converse is true with a highly vigorous scion, a generative rootstock makes the best crop.

Are you using double layer plastic for your greenhouse covering? I've seen it cut heating bills by 50%. You lose a bit of sunlight but gain so much on heating bills that it is worth it.

DarJones

No reflective mulch as the plastic the coir is in is white and I don't want plastic on the floor as it's deadly when wet!
One of the reasons I did not graft this year is I am trialing so many new varieties. I need a year to see how they perform and what their growth characteristics are like. I will narrow down this years trials to the best of the best for next year and be able to choose the rootstock that best suits what I decide to grow.

Yes, the greenhouse is double poly that is inflated with a small fan for about 8-12 inches of dead air space between the layers. Not only does that insulate(ok, maybe not, it's just plastic!) but it also adds a tremendous amount of strength by being stretched so tight. The wind and snow don't damage it when it's inflated. A single layer will sag between bows and I have seen it collapse entire structures when the weight gets to be too much for the steel to carry.

Ron

[Fusion_power]

Ron, would you mind posting the varieties you are growing? I'd be interested and am sure others would too.

Thanks,

DarJones

[livinonfaith]

Using "The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" song in your video? Priceless!

That's just some gorgeous stuff! Thanks for sharing.

[Rgold1963]

Originally Posted by livinonfaith

Using "The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" song in your video? Priceless!

That's just some gorgeous stuff! Thanks for sharing.

Thought it was fitting. Record production out of the greenhouse last Fall. I would no sooner finish picking and have to start all over again. Not that I am complaining!

Ron

[Rgold1963]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

Ron, would you mind posting the varieties you are growing? I'd be interested and am sure others would too.

Thanks,

DarJones

It's a long list but lets see.....

Ananas Noire, Black Crimson, Black Ethiopian, black from tula, black prince, black, black heart, carbon, Cherokee purple, Cherokee chocolate, Cherokee green, chocolate stripes, Indische fleish, nyagous, paul Robeson, black zebra, cskos botermo, mortgage lifter bi color, northern lights, striped german, yellow stone, marz, mr. brown, KB, mandarin cross, orange plum, orlov yellow, pink grapefruit, pink lemon, mexico, Russian rose, zhefen, temptation, makari, Nebraska wedding, sunsugar, sungold select, black cherry, bear creek, black brandywine, lush queen, cascade lava, yellow spot, solar flare, blonde boar, pineapple pig, b&b boar, red boar, large barred boar, red boar, pink boar, sweet Solano, sweet carneros pink, porkchop, beauty queen, pink BTD, BTD, and probably 4 or 5 others that I had laying around from samples.

Ron

[GnomeGrown]

Thanks for the updates, Ron.

Can't wait to see these grow out.

That's quite a list.

[zeroma]

As an experienced flower grower and a new 'serious' tomato grower, I have a few questions about the 1 or 2 heads you do with your plants Ron.

I'm convinced that pruning so much is a great way to make more tomatoes, larger tomatoes since the energy of the plant is in the fruit not all the extra foliage. I'm going to try it this year.

Some of the other gardeners aren't so sure about this idea, they think it is better to have lots of leaves to help prevent sunburn and that the plant just needs all those leaves. We grow outdoors. So that may be something to be concerned about? I want easy to pick tomatoes. Last year we lost so many due to very overcrowded overgrown plants. The suckers didn't even get pinched off. You couldn't get around the plants either, it was an overwhelming jungle. Gardening is a learning hobby. I love it.

How can I tell inexperienced mostly new to gardening folks and a few with much experience that 2 vines growing really works? We all work at a sort of community garden.

[Rgold1963]

Originally Posted by zeroma

As an experienced flower grower and a new 'serious' tomato grower, I have a few questions about the 1 or 2 heads you do with your plants Ron.

I'm convinced that pruning so much is a great way to make more tomatoes, larger tomatoes since the energy of the plant is in the fruit not all the extra foliage. I'm going to try it this year.

Some of the other gardeners aren't so sure about this idea, they think it is better to have lots of leaves to help prevent sunburn and that the plant just needs all those leaves. We grow outdoors. So that may be something to be concerned about? I want easy to pick tomatoes. Last year we lost so many due to very overcrowded overgrown plants. The suckers didn't even get pinched off. You couldn't get around the plants either, it was an overwhelming jungle. Gardening is a learning hobby. I love it.

How can I tell inexperienced mostly new to gardening folks and a few with much experience that 2 vines growing really works? We all work at a sort of community garden.

A lot depends on what type of tomatoes you are growing. I only grow indeterminate varieties as they are best suited for my situation. I need a consistent amount of tomatoes each week over a very long period. Growing indeterminate varieties and keeping them at one or two heads allows me to do this. All suckers are removed once or twice a week which leaves the main stem with (usually) three leaves and a fruit truss, three leaves, another fruit truss, etc. Pruning the fruit trusses to a specific amount of fruit depending on variety also helps with sizing and consistent ripening.

Ron

[Fusion_power]

Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse is NOT the same as growing them outdoors. Thit can be subtle or obvious or both.

DarJones

[zeroma]

So DarJones, are you saying that growing outdoors isn't a good place to use such drastic prunning?


"All suckers are removed once or twice a week which leaves the main stem with (usually) three leaves and a fruit truss, three leaves, another fruit truss, etc. Pruning the fruit trusses to a specific amount of fruit depending on variety also helps with sizing and consistent ripening."

Okay Ron, If we remove suckers once or twice a week, the parts left will just be three leaves and a fruit truss? (We are growing mostly indeterminates this year.) When do you start to prune out the suckers, at what point in the plants growth, right from transplant size?

Thank you both for explaining the art of tomato growing. I already know how to eat 'em!

[Rgold1963]

Staking indeterminate outdoors works equally as well as in a greenhouse. You are still going to need to follow proper cultivation techniques and know when to terminate the head of the plant and not let it set any more fruit. Depending on the variety and your growing season, I would suggest 8-10 weeks before your normal first frost for termination. Suckers need to be removed as soon as they form so you don't take any energy away from the main stem and fruit. Depending on the variety, you will want to limit the number of fruit per truss. Larger fruited varieties should have fewer tomatoes left to mature than smaller fruited varieties.

Ron

[Rgold1963]

Weekly update. It's been three weeks since these were planted out. The strings/first clips are all no on the plants and weekly clipping and sucker removal has begun. Should see the first flowers on the early varieties opening any day now.
It's been a week of below freezing temps and fogged in solid until yesterday. 23 this morning and the fog was back so everything outside is coated in white frost but it's still 78 inside the greenhouse! Another 1000 gallons of propane delivered on Friday. Hoping this time it lasts a week or two longer.

[casino]

I have tomato envy, your operation is amazing.

[Heritage]

Ron,

I assume you get your heirloom/OP seeds from various sources. Do you do any pre-plant seed treatments (bleach, hot water, dry heat, etc,...) to eliminate pathogens? What is your biggest disease threat?

Thanks,
Steve

[CrazyMtn]

I have a few questions about you rain gutters. Are these standard 4 or 5 inch rain gutters like these.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_12066-322-RW...t=vinyl+gutter
What kind of soil do you use in them, water with drip irrigation, do you drill holes in the bottom for drainage? What kind of spacing on the plants do you go wider then normal because of how narrow the gutters are? Just something I have never seen and would like to try.