Earl's Faux in compost bin

Earl · June 4, 2008

I wish this compost bin was about 50 feet long. Anyone else growing Faux?

rnewste · June 4, 2008

Yep, Earl's Faux has the prime sunny spot in EarthTainer #1 (first on the left):

EF is now setting fruit, with lots of new blossoms:

First time growing it and I am really looking forward to one of your famous BLTs, Earl.

Ray

Earl · June 4, 2008

Ray
Fantastic looking plants, and you're to be commended for your work with the Earthtainers. I'm looking forward to a sandwich from 'anything' out of the garden. Sure has been a long dry spell for mater sandwiches.

hunter · June 4, 2008

Earl-

I've got two of your Fauxs growing and they look amazing!

Ruth_10 · June 4, 2008

I have several EF in. They are looking good. My very favorite tomato. My garden is so wet from all the rain, it might as well be hydroponic. Here's hoping the EFs eat water-logged soil for breakfast.

rnewste · June 4, 2008

Thanks Earl, a photographer from the San Jose Mercury News will be here Friday to take pictures (I'll make sure he focuses on Earl's Faux in the picture

) for Holly Hayes' article on how they conserve water, and no weeds.

Timely, as our "Governator Ahrnold" just today declared a statewide drought for California and issued an Executive Order mandating water conservation. I estimate I am using 75% less water per plant this year as compared to my raised bed of last year, so maybe he can trade in his Hummer for some water-saving EarthTainers to use at the Statehouse in Sacramento.

Ray

dcarch · June 4, 2008

I planted two EFs for the first time.
One of them set fruit before all the others, including Stupice, Sophie's, Siletz, etc.

Could it be possible I have a Faux Earl's Faux?

dcarch

ddsack · June 4, 2008

I've got four EF plants, wouldn't be without 'em! Of course mine are way behind you guys in warmer places.

Dcarch -- I don't remove blossoms when planting, and I did have some fairly early Earl's to eat last year, though they did not beat Stupice to maturity. Seem to have misplaced my list of DFE ... date first eaten --(Ha!) from last year.

tomatoguy · June 4, 2008

I grew EF for the first time last year. I was happy with everything except the production. Container plants tend to play out earlier here, especially when the temps reach 100 every day for a month like they did last year. So, this year, EF has a primo spot in the main garden. Ditto Cuostralee.

mater

ctx00978 · June 4, 2008

I have an earl's faux plant that I purchased online, along with some others, but it (as well as 3 others) arrived very small and for some reason, haven't grown a lick. I'm hoping it rallies (although I do have over 100 tomato plants I grew from seed), as I've read so many wonderful things about it. Believe it or not, just in case it doesn't, I purchased seed from tomatogrowers.com as a back up (fall crop). We'll see. I really do want to try it as it sure sounds like a very nice tomato from a very nice man.

Stacie

eta that Ray, you're tomato plants look tremendous! It just doesn't seem right that a person can grow a tomato plant better out of ground, but you sure have. Mine look so nice but have done battle with flea beetle's, mites, and aphid's. I started out using neem oil, moved to pyrethrum, and after a couple of days they still re-populated. So, I'm afraid that I'll have to move on to the malathion (sevin), as they are just neverending. Today, I actually picked off my first little green worm (don't know which), so I used BT. Have you had fewer problems with pests in your earth trainers?

rnewste · June 4, 2008

stacie,

Don't want to hijack Earl's thread here (although he was responsible for the aeration holes I eventually drilled in the prototype EarthTainer, thank-you Earl), but after 25 years of growing vegetables in raised beds, I am totally blown away with "bottom up" watering rather than the traditional top down approach.

Case in point; I planted sweet corn in conventional containers using top down watering. I planted this 8 weeks ago on April 6:

On the same date, I planted the same sweet corn seeds in an EarthTainer with bottom up watering. Here is what I am seeing 8 weeks later:

In addition, the bottom up watering is using much less water than what is being applied to the top down container. So, with California water rationing on the horizon, I believe I will be prepared. Think about what EarthTainer principles could do in a village in Ethiopia.

Ray

remy · June 4, 2008

Hi Earl,
I was talking about you and your tomato on Sunday. It was the local plant(all kinds of plants ornamental and edible) swap party, and a few people who came to the Buffalo-Niagara tomato party were there. They of course mentioned how their Earl's Fauxs were doing. Seems most everyone who went to the party took seeds home from the prize winning tomato

.
Remy

duajones · June 5, 2008

I grew EF for the first time this year, great tomato with my only gripe being production

creister · June 5, 2008

I grew 2 EF's last year, and was pleased with plant heartiness, production was good (had a very cool summer which may have helped) and the taste was outstanding.

I have one in a raised bed, the production is less, but we lost 3 weeks of good weather (80's & 60's) to this heatwave. We have been 90's & 70's since mid May.

Needless to say, I have 9 fruit, and they all look like they are going to be 1lb plus. They are the largest of any of the large fruited varieties.

June 4, 2008	#3
Earl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,278	Ray Fantastic looking plants, and you're to be commended for your work with the Earthtainers. I'm looking forward to a sandwich from 'anything' out of the garden. Sure has been a long dry spell for mater sandwiches. __________________ "Seriously think about what you're about to do/say before you do it and the outcome will always be better." Earl

June 4, 2008	#5
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	I have several EF in. They are looking good. My very favorite tomato. My garden is so wet from all the rain, it might as well be hydroponic. Here's hoping the EFs eat water-logged soil for breakfast. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

June 4, 2008	#6
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Thanks Earl, a photographer from the San Jose Mercury News will be here Friday to take pictures (I'll make sure he focuses on Earl's Faux in the picture) for Holly Hayes' article on how they conserve water, and no weeds. Timely, as our "Governator Ahrnold" just today declared a statewide drought for California and issued an Executive Order mandating water conservation. I estimate I am using 75% less water per plant this year as compared to my raised bed of last year, so maybe he can trade in his Hummer for some water-saving EarthTainers to use at the Statehouse in Sacramento. Ray

June 4, 2008	#7
dcarch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,618	I planted two EFs for the first time. One of them set fruit before all the others, including Stupice, Sophie's, Siletz, etc. Could it be possible I have a Faux Earl's Faux? dcarch __________________ tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato

June 4, 2008	#10
ctx00978 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Missouri Posts: 82	I have an earl's faux plant that I purchased online, along with some others, but it (as well as 3 others) arrived very small and for some reason, haven't grown a lick. I'm hoping it rallies (although I do have over 100 tomato plants I grew from seed), as I've read so many wonderful things about it. Believe it or not, just in case it doesn't, I purchased seed from tomatogrowers.com as a back up (fall crop). We'll see. I really do want to try it as it sure sounds like a very nice tomato from a very nice man. Stacie eta that Ray, you're tomato plants look tremendous! It just doesn't seem right that a person can grow a tomato plant better out of ground, but you sure have. Mine look so nice but have done battle with flea beetle's, mites, and aphid's. I started out using neem oil, moved to pyrethrum, and after a couple of days they still re-populated. So, I'm afraid that I'll have to move on to the malathion (sevin), as they are just neverending. Today, I actually picked off my first little green worm (don't know which), so I used BT. Have you had fewer problems with pests in your earth trainers? Last edited by ctx00978; June 4, 2008 at 10:58 PM.

June 4, 2008	#4
hunter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 213	Earl- I've got two of your Fauxs growing and they look amazing!

June 4, 2008	#8
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I've got four EF plants, wouldn't be without 'em! Of course mine are way behind you guys in warmer places. Dcarch -- I don't remove blossoms when planting, and I did have some fairly early Earl's to eat last year, though they did not beat Stupice to maturity. Seem to have misplaced my list of DFE ... date first eaten --(Ha!) from last year.

June 4, 2008	#9
tomatoguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rockvale, TN Zone 7A Posts: 526	I grew EF for the first time last year. I was happy with everything except the production. Container plants tend to play out earlier here, especially when the temps reach 100 every day for a month like they did last year. So, this year, EF has a primo spot in the main garden. Ditto Cuostralee. mater

June 4, 2008	#12
remy Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Coordinator Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Z6 WNY Posts: 2,354	Hi Earl, I was talking about you and your tomato on Sunday. It was the local plant(all kinds of plants ornamental and edible) swap party, and a few people who came to the Buffalo-Niagara tomato party were there. They of course mentioned how their Earl's Fauxs were doing. Seems most everyone who went to the party took seeds home from the prize winning tomato. Remy __________________ "I wake to sleep and take my waking slow" -Theodore Roethke Yes, we have a great party for WNY/Ontario tomato growers every year on Grand Island! Owner of The Sample Seed Shop

June 5, 2008	#13
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	I grew EF for the first time this year, great tomato with my only gripe being production

June 5, 2008	#14
creister Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Abilene, TX zone 7 Posts: 1,478	I grew 2 EF's last year, and was pleased with plant heartiness, production was good (had a very cool summer which may have helped) and the taste was outstanding. I have one in a raised bed, the production is less, but we lost 3 weeks of good weather (80's & 60's) to this heatwave. We have been 90's & 70's since mid May. Needless to say, I have 9 fruit, and they all look like they are going to be 1lb plus. They are the largest of any of the large fruited varieties.