Big Beef Tunnel Grow a Few years Back

[Hellmanns]

[Stvrob]

That is awesome

[BigVanVader]

How big is your tunnel and how many plants? I built one and still debating what to plant in it. Looks great!

[Cole_Robbie]

Here is my Big Beef high tunnel grow from last year: http://i.imgur.com/IvVWiwN.jpg

I am going back to compact determinates this year. I like Big Beef a lot, but the indeterminate plants took a lot of work to trellis. I had them on 4' tall cattle gates hung about a foot off the ground, and the vines still overwhelmed them.

[AKmark]

Nice pictures of the jungle Cole, thanks for sharing those with us. Let us know what you find with the determinates, I am trying several this year too.

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

How big is your tunnel and how many plants? I built one and still debating what to plant in it. Looks great!

That tunnel is no longer there, I replaced it with a prefab 20'x 96' a couple of years ago. But, to answer your question, that tunnel was aprox. 15'x 84' and contained 150 plants. Those 150 plants produced better than 4000 lbs. of grade tomatoes that year..

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Here is my Big Beef high tunnel grow from last year: http://i.imgur.com/IvVWiwN.jpg

I am going back to compact determinates this year. I like Big Beef a lot, but the indeterminate plants took a lot of work to trellis. I had them on 4' tall cattle gates hung about a foot off the ground, and the vines still overwhelmed them.

Nice. Do you do any pruning? I keep mine to 2 leaders until they come into production.

[BigVanVader]

4k lbs wow! Mine is only 12x24 as I am a backyard grower and didn't have that much area to use for a high tunnel. Do you grow without the tunnels? If so what would you say the % difference in production is from the tunnel to the field? I have considered covering all my tomatoes so I can better control their moisture levels. We have been getting so much rain the past few years its really hard to stop cracking/splitting. I laid out my beds in a way so I could later add high tunnels rather easily but wonder if the investment would be worth it and if it is less or more labor?

And very nice Cole, you guys seem to be at the place I'm trying to get to as a grower.

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by Hellmanns

Nice. Do you do any pruning?

lol, obviously I didn't prune enough. The vines would grow up to the 8' ceiling of the high tunnel, break off, then do it again.

Pruning and trellising are such a huge amount of work that I am trying to avoid indeterminates. Here is a thread I made about picking out high tunnel determinate varieties to grow: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=25071

[Starlight]

Nice tunnels both of you and beautiful plants. I imagine alot of work went into your tunnels and even more into your production.

Maybe one day I will look like that. I can dream.

Enjoyed the link Cole-Robbie too.

[BigVanVader]

Robbie I read the post in your link but didnt see where you had decided on which determinate your going to use this year. Have you made a decision yet? I've never grown a determinate tomato but some of Tatianas suggestions look interesting.

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks.

Yellow is easy - Taxi. It's simply the best early yellow tomato. One packet from Johnny's is now my 25 or so strongest seedlings.

For orange, I really like Orange Blossom F1. But I didn't order it this year; I'm trying BHN-871 on the recommendation of another market gardener as a determinate orange slicer. It will probably be the only hybrid in the high tunnel. I am trying two orange heirloom determinates against the BHN-871; they are Oranze and Qiyanai Huang.

Mountain Princess and Ballada are the two heirloom reds I am trying. I also have a lot of other early red varieties, but they are mostly smaller tomatoes. I have tried a lot of hybrid varieties that are red determinate slicers, but they have all been the overly-firm commercial types that I don't like to eat. That's what I liked about Big Beef - the tomatoes taste good. I looked at Bobcat F1 as a similar determinate to Big Beef, but from what I read it is not anything like Big Beef in regard to flavor.

My plan is to rip out the first planting in July and re-plant cherry varieties for a fall crop.

[barefootgardener]

Originally Posted by Hellmanns

That tunnel is no longer there, I replaced it with a prefab 20'x 96' a couple of years ago. But, to answer your question, that tunnel was aprox. 15'x 84' and contained 150 plants. Those 150 plants produced better than 4000 lbs. of grade tomatoes that year..

Very nice tunnel and tomato plants! Are you continuing to grow Big Beef in your prefab?

Ginny

[barefootgardener]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Here is my Big Beef high tunnel grow from last year: http://i.imgur.com/IvVWiwN.jpg

I am going back to compact determinates this year. I like Big Beef a lot, but the indeterminate plants took a lot of work to trellis. I had them on 4' tall cattle gates hung about a foot off the ground, and the vines still overwhelmed them.

Very nice tunnel Cole. I read your post about the compact det. varieties you are growing this year. Are you growing out any BB at all for market this year?

Ginny

[BigVanVader]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Thanks.

Yellow is easy - Taxi. It's simply the best early yellow tomato. One packet from Johnny's is now my 25 or so strongest seedlings.

For orange, I really like Orange Blossom F1. But I didn't order it this year; I'm trying BHN-871 on the recommendation of another market gardener as a determinate orange slicer. It will probably be the only hybrid in the high tunnel. I am trying two orange heirloom determinates against the BHN-871; they are Oranze and Qiyanai Huang.

Mountain Princess and Ballada are the two heirloom reds I am trying. I also have a lot of other early red varieties, but they are mostly smaller tomatoes. I have tried a lot of hybrid varieties that are red determinate slicers, but they have all been the overly-firm commercial types that I don't like to eat. That's what I liked about Big Beef - the tomatoes taste good. I looked at Bobcat F1 as a similar determinate to Big Beef, but from what I read it is not anything like Big Beef in regard to flavor.

My plan is to rip out the first planting in July and re-plant cherry varieties for a fall crop.

Thanks for that info, I think you have convinced me to buy some determinates for the hoop house. Have you had any experience with the variety Skyway (F1) they have at Johnny's? It looks nice and says its bred for the South, but its back ordered and rather expensive.