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Anybody grown yellow pear tomatoes? Indeterminate. I wasn't even going to try tomatoes but my wife got the seeds. https://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/tomato-yellow-pear-prod001024.html Roof deck gardening here, Northern Virginia, about to start seeds. I figure large pot + some rocks or pebbles in the bottom, normal soil, put it in the corner for railing support on 2 sides + some stakes. People say stakes are better than cages, yeah? I actually don't have a lot of experience with tomatoes.
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Feb 17, 2016 17:29
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Cages are probably better if you're expecting a lot of weight. There's advantages and disadvantages to the different tomato support methods.
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Feb 17, 2016 20:24
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There's a good chance they'll cascade over the balcony if they're not contained. I let mine do that deliberately so I don't have to cage/stake them but I can reach the top of the balcony railing from the ground - you probably don't want yours going off in directions you can't reach to prune/pick/check for bugs and disease. Also, be prepared for the vine to grow bigger than the estimate.
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Feb 17, 2016 23:59
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Morning glories have reseeded through multiple polar vortex winters for me so don't rely on a freeze to get rid of them.
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Feb 18, 2016 21:30
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Atrocious Joe posted:Morning glories have reseeded through multiple polar vortex winters for me so don't rely on a freeze to get rid of them. Yeah it gets down to low negative degrees here every winter and my mom's morning glories just keep spreading.
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Feb 18, 2016 21:34
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THEY CAN NOT BE STOPPED
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Feb 18, 2016 23:41
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Has anyone grown huge pumpkins? I scored 2 big pumpkin seeds from some ginormous pumpkin fan club (this must be them) at a recent garden expo. Apparently, these things are supposed to be started early indoors, and planted somewhere where there's nothing else for 25 feet in any direction.
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Feb 19, 2016 02:36
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I hate morning glories with a vengeance. They should all die a horrible death. Useless weeds...
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Feb 19, 2016 02:36
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Atrocious Joe posted:Morning glories have reseeded through multiple polar vortex winters for me so don't rely on a freeze to get rid of them. Same for me. I'm not sure what whoever mentioned hard freezes killing them off was talking about but wasn't about to argue over something like that. I planted them along my garden fence 6 years ago and they come back every year. Zone 5b. We've been getting 15 and under strings of days down to negatives on occasion for the entire time. I'm sure I could get rid of them mostly if I pulled them after they sprouted and before the flowered/went to seed......but I really like them where they are and it's basically 0 maintenance deer salad.
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Feb 21, 2016 00:57
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We had a nice day here in Wisconsin so I thought I'd get a headstart with some of my gardening plans. This is my first year making my own seed starting mix and creating soil blocks.  Planted some german winter thyme, takrima leeks, orient express eggplants, valerian, and jersey knight asparagus from seed. Chicory fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Feb 22, 2016 |
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Feb 22, 2016 01:08
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hey guys, I'm in the early planning stages thinking about growing some DWC Hydroponic cherry tomatoes by themselves in spacebuckets.. I'm wondering - will they flower and fruit by themselves? Do I need to grow multiple? So new at this. Thanks.
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Feb 22, 2016 02:39
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dhrusis posted:hey guys, I'm in the early planning stages thinking about growing some DWC Hydroponic cherry tomatoes by themselves in spacebuckets.. I'm wondering - will they flower and fruit by themselves? Do I need to grow multiple? So new at this. Thanks. Tomatoes are pollinated by movement - either wind or the movement of pollinators like bees. You can replicate the process with an electric toothbrush if you'll be growing them somewhere wind and pollinator free or just give them a gentle shake every now and then once they start to flower. Make sure you get a determinate variety as vines can grow enormous. The determinates will produce for a shorter period because they set most of their fruit at one time but trying to keep a vine contained can be a nightmare. My cherry tomato vines got to well over 10 feet each this year despite me having topped them at 4 feet - tomatoes will send out side suckers all over the place and they can grow very long very quickly. Lolie fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Feb 22, 2016 |
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Feb 22, 2016 03:24
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Lolie posted:Tomatoes are pollinated by movement - either wind or the movement of pollinators like bees. You can replicate the process with an electric toothbrush if you'll be growing them somewhere wind and pollinator free or just give them a gentle shake every now and then once they start to flower. Many thanks! I'll research the best one to grow in a standalone bucket. Does anyone know the best organic fertilizer and associated nutrient ratio for Dwc Tomatoes? I can and will google, but I prefer experienced goons k)
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Feb 22, 2016 15:34
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dhrusis posted:Many thanks! I'll research the best one to grow in a standalone bucket. Oh I just poo poo right in the planter and cover it with some hay.
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Feb 23, 2016 05:22
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dhrusis posted:Many thanks! I'll research the best one to grow in a standalone bucket. Have you grown anything hydroponically before? I can give you a run-down of what you would need to do, but it's going to assume that you have all of the things you need to culture plants hydroponically like a source of deionized water, pH testing equipment, EC/TDS testing equipment, light fixtures with different color temperature bulbs and timers to run them, etc. Going straight into tomatoes if you've never done any hydroponics is going to lead to frustration, but if you have some experience under your belt you too can make your basement look like a jungle:  These were homemade bato buckets of perlite fertigated with a specialized timer. Space buckets are cool, but for anything larger than a head of lettuce or dwarf 2' tomato plant, it becomes pretty unwieldy to work with them. I can prattle on and on but give me a bit more information first
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Feb 23, 2016 13:36
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I'm going to be starting a variety of plants from seeds this year for my small garden, 12'x4' bed. Can anybody let me know if I've got holes in my general plan for getting my seeds -> plants to my garden? 1) I've got some potting soil, garden soil and plain yard dirt on hand. Should i make a mix of the 3 for the seed growing process or just use potting soil (I've heard it can burn seedling roots)? My natural yard soil (Loc: Indiana) is pretty good I believe, last year I planted from 4"-8" starters because I didn't move into my current house until June. The plants grew like crazy, the only thing that didn't work out was the peppers, because I started too late. 2) I've got little plastic planter cups to grow these guys in, I'll cover them to keep a humid environment ~75 degrees until they begin to sprout, at which point they will be put by my window to get sunlight 8~10 hrs a day. Should I stick an LED bulb in a lamp and make some kind of aluminum foil lined lamp shad to reflect the light to the plants as well? 3) I'll use a water sprayer a couple times a day to keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. When the last frost has passed, I'll drop em in the ground.
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Feb 23, 2016 16:09
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extravadanza posted:I'm going to be starting a variety of plants from seeds this year for my small garden, 12'x4' bed. Can anybody let me know if I've got holes in my general plan for getting my seeds -> plants to my garden? Some things depend on what you're starting, but I'll assume peppers and tomatoes. 1) You'll probably want to buy some seed starting mix, instead of trying to mix dirt. Once the plants sprout, you can transplant them into good potting soil. I usually put some potting soil at the bottom of the sprouting cells, and top them off an inch or so of seeding mix, so that the seeds are in the sprouting mix at first, and have some actual soil with real nutrients available once they start to send down roots. This gives me a little buffer for transplanting them to bigger pots, too - I don't worry as much that if I don't transplant them RIGHT NOW, they'll be stunted from lack of food. 2a) Little plastic cups are 2b) 8-10 hours of light seems a little low. I mean, I know that's what they'd be getting if they were outside in the wild, but in nature, they wouldn't be growing in Indiana. This also means they would have a longer season to fruit. And, they'd be wild types, who could handle themselves in the real world better than your pampered, domestic cultivars. Anyway, the more light, the better, but you need the right kind of bulbs. I don't know anything about LED lights except that they're very expensive. With fluorescent bulbs, you want to get cool light for sprouting (see other posts in this thread for details), and the bulb should be as close to the plants as possible (like, within an inch or two). Plan to constantly adjust the height of the light relative to the plants. I just leave my fluorescent lights on 24/7, though I'm thinking about hooking up a timer this year to give them a break each day. Also, you need to move your plants to their well-lighted spot as soon as they sprout - otherwise they can get leggy in just a couple of days. This should be fine if you have them in different cups, but if you have a tray of 6, and three sprout before the other 3, you'll need to move the tray to the window right then. If you can keep the remaining 3 warm on the window, they may still sprout, too. Also also, fluorescent bulbs apparently need to be replaced every couple of years. Somehow, they burn out the specific wavelength you want, even though the bulb still works in general. 3) Keeping them moist is good, but a bottom tray to hold water will make your life a lot easier, once the seedlings have enough roots to soak it up that way. Here in southern Wisconsin, tomatoes are supposed to go in the ground no earlier than May 15th, and a week later is safer. When you get close to mid-May, check the extended forecast to see how things look. You can always cover them if you have a late cold snap, but that's a pain in the rear end. Peppers go in a couple of weeks after tomatoes. For any plant you start indoors, you need to harden them off before planting outside. That just means you start a week ahead of time, putting them outside in the sun for an hour the first day, a couple of hours the next day, etc., until they're used to the sunlight. For me, this is the most annoying part of seed starting, because I have to move a hundred or more plants in and out every day for at least a week. I've been told that, if you use LED lights, the hardening off is more important, and needs to be slower. If you have your plants in a window with direct sun the whole time, this step may be less critical. Peristalsis fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Feb 23, 2016 |
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Feb 23, 2016 16:38
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Peristalsis posted:Some things depend on what you're starting, but I'll assume peppers and tomatoes. Thanks for your comment. I'll pick up some sprouting mix and find a couple cool flourescent bulbs... I've got some on my bathroom vanity, but I don't know how long they've been in use as we rent. I suppose I should have listed what I'm growing. Mostly tomatoes, some brocolli, squash, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, basil and oregano. Good to know about the hardening period. I'll work that into my schedule.
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Feb 23, 2016 17:00
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extravadanza posted:I'll pick up some sprouting mix and find a couple cool flourescent bulbs... I've got some on my bathroom vanity, but I don't know how long they've been in use as we rent. Make sure to look around to figure out the right kind of bulbs to get - I can never remember, and have to spend15 minutes on Google every time I go out to buy some. Some people get one warm bulb and one cool one, but I've read in a couple of places that, if you're strictly starting seeds, the warm is unnecessary, as it's there to promote blooming. extravadanza posted:I suppose I should have listed what I'm growing. Mostly tomatoes, some brocolli, squash, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, basil and oregano. I've never started squash or cukes indoors. I suspect you'll only want to keep them indoors for a couple of weeks. And even here in WI, they sort of burn out by the end of the season, which is to say that I'm not sure it's worth the extra effort of staring them early. I don't think you'll get any more produce off of them, you'll just get it earlier (which can be good in its own way, of course). On the other hand, having the plants more established before they're attacked by slugs and other vermin might be good. Basil grows so fast, I don't think I'd bother setting it outside. I'm growing some right now in my office window, but I just figure it's a houseplant that I can eat until it dies, and I'll plant more seeds outside when the weather is warm enough. Good luck! Edit: One more note: Most tomatoes should be planted indoors 4-6 weeks before you set them out. Peppers usually say 6-8 or 8-10 weeks, I think. Check your seed packets for details. If you plant them too early, you'll end up with very unwieldy plants in your window - plants that desperately want to get outside to take root and reach for the sky. Peristalsis fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Feb 23, 2016 |
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Feb 23, 2016 18:05
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In the process of building some raised beds in the yard. Four 4'x12' beds, really. That would essentially double our area. My family had mild success last year, but really enjoyed the food we got from the yard, so we are again expanding our efforts. Everyone gets a bed. It'll be my first time trying out some leafy things. Lettuce, cabbage, kale, etc. I'm sure that will be fun. Also scaling way back on peppers because they never really did great aside from one year here in zone 6B. Things I've learned from last year: Impatiens work well as an indicator of dry soil. They'll start wilting at the slightest bit of dryness. gently caress japanese beetles. Horseradish, scallions, and garlic are laughably easy. Large, strong trellises make life with tomatoes and cucumbers much more bearable. The county gives away compost for free. Well, it's leaf mold. And it doesn't contain any pesticides or heavy metals or poo poo. Rotten Cookies fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Feb 23, 2016 |
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Feb 23, 2016 18:58
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Thanks again for more information, Peristalsis. edit: text removed, Menard's inventory tracking sucks. extravadanza fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Feb 23, 2016 |
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Feb 23, 2016 19:41
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The Costco near me now has dwarf and semi-dwarf citrus in #5 containers for $19, picked up a semi-dwarf Minneola Tangelo. Might go back for a blood orange too. 
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Feb 23, 2016 21:25
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Rogue posted:Have you grown anything hydroponically before? I can give you a run-down of what you would need to do, but it's going to assume that you have all of the things you need to culture plants hydroponically like a source of deionized water, pH testing equipment, EC/TDS testing equipment, light fixtures with different color temperature bulbs and timers to run them, etc. Going straight into tomatoes if you've never done any hydroponics is going to lead to frustration, but if you have some experience under your belt you too can make your basement look like a jungle: I've never grown anything hydro, but I've done a lot of research. I've also done a lot of work on setup. Here's what I've got. I'd love any feedback: I have access to RO water and tap water, Started seeds in PH Balanced Rockwool cubes under a T5 jump start light 2 days ago Advance Nutrients Iguana Juice 4-3-6 flower nutes PH UP/Down and test Electronic TDS and Electronic PH tester Great White mychorrizae Washed hydroton I currently have plans / piloting 2 growing areas. The first one is my organic lettuce/arugula grower. The plan is for it to be light tight and completely indoor. I eventually want to do 2-3 of these types of totes if it works out. Lettuce / greens every day, etc. It is a 27 gallon tote DWC reservoir which currently has 10 gallons of tap water, 1/2 strength nutes (above), 1tsp of Great White, 4 air stones and an air pump. It's currently ph 7, but I plan to bring it down to ~6.0 before the plants go in. Currently nothing is inside, just doing water testing. I got it going 2 days ago and let it dechlorinate, then I added the nutes a day later, and then the mychorrizae after that. It went from smelling like bat and fish poo poo to an aquarium type smell after I put the bugs in. I guess that's the mychorrizae taking over. The other growing area for my tomatoes will be a DWC space bucket with LED side lighting and a 4x23W CFL setup on top with 2x120mm fans. Lighting on the tote is going to be 2x 4 port CFL 23W lighting bulbs. 8 bulbs total, 200 CFL watts for an equivalent of 800 regular watts. I'm going to mount them on the bottom of another flipped over 27 gallon tote, and then fasten them together so that they are a light sealed unit. The top tote is lined with mylar for reflectivity. I'm doing this by attaching the top covers back to back so that the bottom and top will lift off easily so I can access the light top and the bottom whenever I need to. I am going to install an intake and exhaust fan on the sides of the top so air flows through, cooling the lights and providing resistance/stimulation to the plants. I cut 15 holes for 3" net cups that will receive the lettuce in a few days time I hope. I haven't put the plants in yet, I'm letting it go and waiting for the seedlings to catch up, letting the pump burn in and watching what happens to the water PH (nothing so far.. I thought the mychorrizae would change the PH but not yet) So I feel like I'm in pretty good shape but not sure yet.. Any thoughts? The bottom is done but the top isn't yet. I mocked it up so you could see whats up.   dhrusis fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Feb 24, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 01:52
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For those of you who want to grow blueberries but don't have acidic soil, I recently discovered the Honeyberry or Haskap berry. It is suppose to taste like a cross between a raspberry and blueberry. Hardy down to zone 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rvratVNc_E I just picked up three, transplanted them to #5 pots, and will see how they do here in Northern California.
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Feb 24, 2016 04:00
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Do goons have any recommended tomato varieties for hot climates? I live in the very south of Texas, zone 9b, where summer temperatures are usually in the 90's and reach 100 a few days out of the year. Determinates are preferred, but really I just want something tasty, shape be damned.
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Feb 24, 2016 04:20
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Rollofthedice posted:Do goons have any recommended tomato varieties for hot climates? I live in the very south of Texas, zone 9b, where summer temperatures are usually in the 90's and reach 100 a few days out of the year. They originate from Mexico so really anything that's not bred specifically for colder climates should do pretty well, even those will probably do alright. Although there are some varieties that handle really hot weather/less water a little better.
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Feb 24, 2016 04:47
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Rollofthedice posted:Do goons have any recommended tomato varieties for hot climates? I live in the very south of Texas, zone 9b, where summer temperatures are usually in the 90's and reach 100 a few days out of the year. Black Krim and black cherry all the way. Indeterminate but tons of fruit and they taste amazing. Mine were still setting fruit until it was consistently hitting the triple digits (and then the squirrels got them).
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Feb 26, 2016 03:25
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Fozzy The Bear posted:For those of you who want to grow blueberries but don't have acidic soil, I recently discovered the Honeyberry or Haskap berry. It is suppose to taste like a cross between a raspberry and blueberry. Hardy down to zone 2. I'm curious to see if these do well and how they taste. Also how well the berries last after picking. I'm ordering some cold hardy blueberries this year and prepped my soil last fall for blueberries but the honeyberry was on my substitute list if the blueberries don't turn out.
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Feb 26, 2016 13:34
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Shifty Pony posted:Black Krim and black cherry all the way. Do they work in wicked high humidity as well? I got nothing from my two HEATMASTER starts last year, 9a here, never went into the 100s but it's pretty uniformly +90°/90% in summer.
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Feb 26, 2016 14:16
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Rollofthedice posted:Do goons have any recommended tomato varieties for hot climates? I live in the very south of Texas, zone 9b, where summer temperatures are usually in the 90's and reach 100 a few days out of the year. Also, you want to water them at the base, not spray all over them with a sprinkler or handheld wand, etc. Water left on the leaves in the morning will sunburn them badly, and water on them at night can encourage funguses, molds etc. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Feb 27, 2016 |
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Feb 27, 2016 02:10
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Suspect Bucket posted:Do they work in wicked high humidity as well? I got nothing from my two HEATMASTER starts last year, 9a here, never went into the 100s but it's pretty uniformly +90°/90% in summer. They did ok. Every tomato is going to have problems with pollination when you get hot+humid because the pollen gets sticky. Both were so prolific with flowers that I think they would be able to compensate for low rates through sheer numbers.
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Feb 27, 2016 15:19
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coyo7e posted:
A good way to set this up is to sink a couple of 2 inch plastic pots into the soil either side of the stem when you plant them out. You're going to be trimming away bottom leaves as the plants grow anyway and watering into the little pots helps keep water off the leaves/stem.
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Feb 28, 2016 02:06
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Shifty Pony posted:They did ok. Every tomato is going to have problems with pollination when you get hot+humid because the pollen gets sticky. Both were so prolific with flowers that I think they would be able to compensate for low rates through sheer numbers. I'll keep an eye out then. I want tomatoes this year. I had some luck with the cherries, but I want big canning and saucing tomatoes! Oh, by the way, Fozzy The Bear posted:The Costco near me now has dwarf and semi-dwarf citrus in #5 containers for $19, picked up a semi-dwarf Minneola Tangelo. Might go back for a blood orange too. KEEP THE CITRUS LABELED. Or you end up like me with mystery citrus. I got two weird massive mutated testicle limes on the end of a stick of a tree that out of morbid curiosity I can not bring myself to trim or pick. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Feb 28, 2016 |
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Feb 28, 2016 04:15
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^^ With the larger tomatoes, you want to really make sure you've got good support, the big one on the ground will ge tall gross where they touch the dirt, most of the time.Lolie posted:A good way to set this up is to sink a couple of 2 inch plastic pots into the soil either side of the stem when you plant them out. You're going to be trimming away bottom leaves as the plants grow anyway and watering into the little pots helps keep water off the leaves/stem.
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Feb 28, 2016 06:13
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coyo7e posted:It's really more that you need to keep up on the water, possibly checking twice a day. The heat won't really bother them as long as they get a drink, but if you slack on the watering even for a day or two, the fruit will split when they finally do get a good drink. great, thanks One more question, goons: I have a (former) rose garden that hasn't been tended to for years and has now reverted to clay. Do any of you have recommended methods for improving soil? I've looked online but there seems to be some conflicting advice on the benefits of adding sand, peat moss, gypsum, etc. 
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Feb 28, 2016 15:48
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I used peat moss, lime, and a bunch of compost. In retrospect I honestly wish I had done raised beds. Every year it's a battle to reclaim the edges of the garden from the clay.
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Feb 28, 2016 15:57
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coyo7e posted:^^ With the larger tomatoes, you want to really make sure you've got good support, the big one on the ground will ge tall gross where they touch the dirt, most of the time. Can you expand on this? I was always told you should trim any leaves that could potentially droop and touch the ground, to prevent fungal infections.
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Feb 28, 2016 18:22
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vonnegutt posted:Can you expand on this? I was always told you should trim any leaves that could potentially droop and touch the ground, to prevent fungal infections. No that's pretty good advice, it's not strictly necessary but it's not a bad idea at all. Also try not to splash water from the ground to the leaves when watering, a lot of spores are spread that way. Although I guess what he's getting at is if you're diligent enough you can make it so you don't need to worry about tomato pathogens by putting them in a place that hasn't had tomatoes before. Those fungi are pretty ubiquitous though so I'd still take precautions like I said. my kinda ape fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Feb 28, 2016 |
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Feb 28, 2016 19:39
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Rollofthedice posted:great, thanks The answer to pretty much any soil problem is to add compost, adding a small amount of gypsum would help too, but that would take years of re-applying to improve soil.
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Feb 28, 2016 19:45
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vonnegutt posted:Can you expand on this? I was always told you should trim any leaves that could potentially droop and touch the ground, to prevent fungal infections. The other reason I trim them on tomatoes and peppers is that they serve no purpose. They're too low down to provide shade for developing fruit so they just consume nutrients which could be going to more useful leaves or fruit. I don't prune back my plants as ruthlessly as commercial growers, but I've become pretty brutal about it in recent years and found that it definitely improves yield.
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Feb 29, 2016 00:26
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