Over-rating sunlight and fertilizer?

bigblue · November 19, 2013

OK. Maybe not.
Hi all. 2013 proved to be anticlimactic concerning my growing efforts. I had a few plants (three) that I had purchased locally. I live in a condo so I am not able to plant directly, and have little experience with containers. After traumatizing my plants with lack of fertilizer, all rebounded despite my homicidal efforts and eventually produced some fruit. The results however were sad, but still gratifying enough (probably due to a severe case of adult ADD) to try again this upcoming year. Maybe I am just a sucker for punishment but add to the equation none of my containers can receive full sunlight. In the best of circumstances, in midsummer, one area receives about 4 maybe 5 hours of direct sun in the afternoon/evening and the other receives about 3 to 4 hours of direct sun in the early morning. So my question is, has anyone had experience with or can suggest a variety (s) that can tolerate shady environment? I really have no other available options. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Dave

saltmarsh · November 19, 2013

It's hard to go wrong with good quality plastic tomato plants. Just pick a variety you like and let your friends brag on them every time they're over. Claud.

bitterwort · November 20, 2013

Start with cherry tomatoes of varieties that are not noted as being stingy with their fruit. Cherries seem to be easier for many people to grow in pots (they're less likely to get blossom-end rot than larger-fruited varieties) and they're earlier and likely to do better with too little sun than larger-fruited varieties.

saltmarsh · November 20, 2013

This is a double row of Rattlesnake Pole Beans growing on a 7 foot trellis. The picture was taken on Sept 6, 2013 just after they were picked for the first time.

While picking the beans, I noticed a volunteer tomato plant had sprouted between the bean rows. I left it in place, but didn't think it would do anything because it was completely shaded by the beans and also wouldn't have time to make tomatoes before frost killed it. After the pole beans finished their first crop, it got even worse because the beans put on new growth and made a second crop larger than the first. They were still making beans when we had our first killing frost on November 15.

But the little tomato grew in spite of the beans. It grew above the top of the 7 foot trellis before frost killed it and set several clusters of fruit.

In 2012 Sungold F1 was planted where the volunteer came up. The day before the killing frost, I cut the tomato stem with the two most mature clusters and put it in plain water on my kitchen counter. The only light is from a north facing window. As you can see they are ripening. Looks like I will have F3 Sungold seed to plant in 2014. Claud

The first 2 tomato pictures were taken on Nov. 14 when they were cut, The next 2 pictures were taken on Nov. 15, and the last 2 were taken on Nov. 19.

bower · November 20, 2013

hey bigblue,

I have to second Saltmarsh for Sungold. I had one in the greenhouse one year that continued to set tomatoes into January! True they were tiny but we're talking pretty much in the dark, here.....

I would also suggest Danko, which was setting and growing fruit this year in a very suboptimal position (mostly shade) and kept setting into the fall as well, the light levels drop off really fast in October due to the position of trees that are taller than the sun! Danko is quite a compact plant so very suitable for containers.

Keep us posted on your experiments in the shade, we all want to find plants that will grow in the dark y'know, especially up north.

Smithma · November 20, 2013

I also agree with Sungold F1, I planted one between a 8' tall tree and blackberry plants. It was shaded most of the day and it produced loads of fruit into October when I was tired of picking and dug it up. Still have 3 gallons frozen.

bigblue · November 21, 2013

Thanks for all the good advice, which I indeed will heed. I have to admit, the plastic plants sound like a sure thing but I wonder how they would be on sandwiches?

bower · November 21, 2013

saltmarsh · November 22, 2013

Use a good quality mayonaise like Duke's and warn them the bacon is a little tough.

November 19, 2013	#1
bigblue Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Michigan Zone 6a Posts: 35	Over-rating sunlight and fertilizer? OK. Maybe not. Hi all. 2013 proved to be anticlimactic concerning my growing efforts. I had a few plants (three) that I had purchased locally. I live in a condo so I am not able to plant directly, and have little experience with containers. After traumatizing my plants with lack of fertilizer, all rebounded despite my homicidal efforts and eventually produced some fruit. The results however were sad, but still gratifying enough (probably due to a severe case of adult ADD) to try again this upcoming year. Maybe I am just a sucker for punishment but add to the equation none of my containers can receive full sunlight. In the best of circumstances, in midsummer, one area receives about 4 maybe 5 hours of direct sun in the afternoon/evening and the other receives about 3 to 4 hours of direct sun in the early morning. So my question is, has anyone had experience with or can suggest a variety (s) that can tolerate shady environment? I really have no other available options. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dave

November 20, 2013	#3
bitterwort Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MN Zone4b Posts: 292	Start with cherry tomatoes of varieties that are not noted as being stingy with their fruit. Cherries seem to be easier for many people to grow in pots (they're less likely to get blossom-end rot than larger-fruited varieties) and they're earlier and likely to do better with too little sun than larger-fruited varieties. __________________ Bitterwort

November 19, 2013	#2
saltmarsh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: 2 miles south of Yoknapatawpha Zone 7b Posts: 662	It's hard to go wrong with good quality plastic tomato plants. Just pick a variety you like and let your friends brag on them every time they're over. Claud.

November 20, 2013	#5
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	hey bigblue, I have to second Saltmarsh for Sungold. I had one in the greenhouse one year that continued to set tomatoes into January! True they were tiny but we're talking pretty much in the dark, here..... I would also suggest Danko, which was setting and growing fruit this year in a very suboptimal position (mostly shade) and kept setting into the fall as well, the light levels drop off really fast in October due to the position of trees that are taller than the sun! Danko is quite a compact plant so very suitable for containers. Keep us posted on your experiments in the shade, we all want to find plants that will grow in the dark y'know, especially up north.

November 20, 2013	#6
Smithma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 67	I also agree with Sungold F1, I planted one between a 8' tall tree and blackberry plants. It was shaded most of the day and it produced loads of fruit into October when I was tired of picking and dug it up. Still have 3 gallons frozen.

November 21, 2013	#7
bigblue Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Michigan Zone 6a Posts: 35	Thanks for all the good advice, which I indeed will heed. I have to admit, the plastic plants sound like a sure thing but I wonder how they would be on sandwiches?

November 22, 2013	#9
saltmarsh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: 2 miles south of Yoknapatawpha Zone 7b Posts: 662	Use a good quality mayonaise like Duke's and warn them the bacon is a little tough.