Tomatoes? Anyone know how to grow ''em?

[Aloros]

I planted three tomato plants in our atrium last week. I''m keeping them in large pots, since I''m not sure when we''ll be moving (STILL waiting to hear back on that short sale I posted about way back when!).

I planted Roma, Early Girl, and Mr. Stripey. I noticed yesterday when I was watering them that the Roma plant had begun to flower. It''s only 6-7" tall! Should I pinch ''em off or leave them or...what does it mean?

I''m new to this whole gardening thing. I have a rosemary plant in the atrium as well, but I can pretty much forget that thing exists and no harm done. FI and I are really excited about starting our own vegetable garden once we find the right house. Is there anything special I can do to help my plants flourish?

Thanks!

 

[neatfreak]

Flowers are where the tomatoes come from. It is a good thing! Make sure it is over 55 degrees in there at night or else the tomatoes won't set fruit.

ETA: If these are REALLY early flowers and you don't think the plant is big enough yet, you can pinch them off to allow the plant to have more energy left to set it's roots.

 

[Independent Gal]

Nope. No idea.

Oh, I guess that's not too helpful. Sorry!

But how hilarious is it that there is a tomoato called "Mr. Stripey". Did I read that right?!?

 

[dragonfly411]

I would probably pinch them off at that plant size. I''d be afraid of the tomatoe fruits weighting the entire plant down to the point of possibly killing it. Give it time to grow and then allow the blooms to flourish.

 

[erica k]

i just ordered an upside down tomato planter, which is supposedly easier. my mom always had a hard time growing tomatoes in the yard. make sure you don''t over-water them, and keep them out of the extreme heat if possible.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I''d pinch them out - it''s a little early for flowers and fruit setting yet. I''ll check with DH when he gets home though. I''ve never met someone so keen on growing tomatoes. Last year, I had to buy a bigger freezer to accommodate the volume of tomato soup and sauces.

Jen

 

[Aloros]

Thanks for the advice! I''ve only had the plant for a week, and it''s small, so I''ll probably pinch those flowers off when I get home. I live in Northern California, so I don''t have to worry about it getting too cold. It does get really hot here, so I''ll have to watch out when the weather heats up!

Independent Gal - Yes, it''s called Mr. Stripey. How bizarre is that? Stepson wanted yellow tomatoes, but they were all out of those, and they had one Mr. Stripey plant left, so nabbed that. I''ve seen the fruits, and they''re streaked with red, orange, and yellow. Very pretty, but from what I hear, the taste is just ok. Oh well. I think kids taste partially with their eyes, and partially with their tongues.

I can''t wait until I start getting some tomatoes! Homegrown tomatoes taste, to me, 1000x better than the ones in a grocery store. I could eat ''em off the vine!

 

[Independent Gal]

I don''t think I could eat something that had a proper title. You know, like "Mrs. Chicken!" or "Mr. Stripey!" or "Herr Doktor Potato-head" I''d feel like a cannibal!

OK, kidding.

 

[Linda W]

YUMMMMMMMY!!! I LOVE home grown tomatoes, there is nothing like them. I have never had luck growing them. Too hot in our backyard. Luckily, we get them from our neighbors, who shade their backyard some, to grow them. I love tomato sandwiches

Linda

 

[movie zombie]

http://loveapplefarm.typepad.com/growbetterveggies/about-love-apple-farm.html

this is just about 5 miles from our house. rummage around her website: she recently did a blog on how to grow the love apple.........

movie zombie

 

[Linda W]

Thank you MZ, looks like a great site.

Linda

 

[Nicki]

Date: 4/24/2008 12:51:08 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
I''d pinch them out - it''s a little early for flowers and fruit setting yet. I''ll check with DH when he gets home though. I''ve never met someone so keen on growing tomatoes. Last year, I had to buy a bigger freezer to accommodate the volume of tomato soup and sauces.

Jen

We''re tomato nuts, too. For the last two years, we''ve made sauce and soup from around 150lbs of tomatoes. Our garden isn''t huge, but tomatoes are what we grow. We keep heirloom varieties only...you''ve not lived until you''ve had a good heirloom tomato. Store bought tomatoes are nasty in comparison. The funkier the tomato, the better. Last year, we had yellows, golds, a couple varieties of purples and a really nice green cherry. The heirloom varieties are often like fine wines...deep, complex flavors full that you just don''t find in regular tomatoes.

For those of you that grow and get tomato hornworms. Check the worms for what look little coccoons on their backs. If you see any, leave the worm alone...DON''T kill it. The coccoons are eggs from a parasitic wasp. The wasps are GOOD insects to have around. They prey on pest caterpillars. The females lay their eggs on a caterpillar and the larvae will hatch and burrow into the caterpillar''s body, eating it from the inside out. The parasitic wasps look nothing like nasty black wasps or yellowjackets. They''re actually quite tiny and look more like small flying ants. Like ladybugs, they''re the kind of bug you want around.

 

[zhuzhu]

Nicki,
Since I am about to plant my empty new yard too, would you please suggest a few places where I can order good and easy-care heirloom varieties for planting?
Thanks!!
zhuzhu

 

[Nicki]

Date: 4/28/2008 2:50:49 PM
Author: zhuzhu
Nicki,
Since I am about to plant my empty new yard too, would you please suggest a few places where I can order good and easy-care heirloom varieties for planting?
Thanks!!
zhuzhu

You don''t happen to live in Massachusetts, do you? There''s a FANTASTIC place near me that sells hundreds of varieties of heirlooms.

If not, I''d recommend: http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/

It''s too late now to plant seeds, so you''re going to have to go the seedling route. That website gives a nice description of the various types they carry and what they''re typically used for. It''s pretty hard to go wrong with any of the brandywine varieties...reds or yellows. If you''re just starting out, I''d stay away from the oxheart varieties. They tend to be more finicky than others. Carbon is a really nice complexly flavored black tomato. It''s not fussy to grow, either. The German Giants are a nice variety, as well. I prefer the gold German Giants, but the reds are nice, too. The yellow Pineapple is a really nice complex beefsteak variety.

You may be able to find heirlooms locally, as well. They''re becoming more popular, so a really good gardening center will probably carry some.

 

[LitigatorChick]

I''m in Canada, so my growing season for tomatoes only starts by end of May/early June to September. So I buy my plants in gallon buckets, so they are a good size when I transplant them. Any variety works. IMO, the key is fertilizer. I love Miracle Grow, and they get a shot of that pretty regularly.

 

[Aloros]

I''ve been checking on them every day. Boy, they grow fast! I planted them with Miracle Grow potting soil. I''d read that they enjoy a lot of direct sunlight, but I''ve had to pull them into the shade for the past few days. It''s been really hot here, and they got a bit wilty in the sun. Thankfully they seem to have sprung back pretty quickly.

Mr. Stripey is lagging behind the other two a bit, but seems to be doing some catch-up. He was pretty small and yellow around the edges when I bought him.

Wow! I''m actually NOT killing these plants (yet)!

Now I have to remember to water my indoor Areca Palm and spray it with some more bitter apple spray. My cat likes to eat it.