Neat idea to grow tomatoes?

[R.R.]

Have you ever tried something like this before?

http://www.realfarmacy.com/one-mans-genius-idea-grow-tomatoes/

 

[Chuck]

Have you ever tried something like this before?

http://www.realfarmacy.com/one-mans-genius-idea-grow-tomatoes/

I am sure it would work as stated IF you soil drained rapidly. If I put that much water on a weekly basis my plants would become waterlogged and the soil turned into a mud hole

 

[R.R.]

I guess we'd have to figure out the amount of water needed for our type of soil.

 

[Chuck]

I guess we'd have to figure out the amount of water needed for our type of soil.

I tried something very similar to this using an 18" x 4" pvc pipe. I would fill it with water about every 10 days. It held about 1 1/2 gallons. It worked ok

 

[zigs]

Looks a bit of a nightmare to pick from though, might be worth a go if you side shooted the plants as they grew.

I've got a tree next to the plot that sends roots in to suck all the water out, so it could be useful here. You could add feed to the reservoir too

 

[Chuck]

Looks a bit of a nightmare to pick from though, might be worth a go if you side shooted the plants as they grew.

I've got a tree next to the plot that sends roots in to suck all the water out, so it could be useful here. You could add feed to the reservoir too

Believe it or not Zigs that's what tomato plants are supposed to look like over here. Its the only way to keep them from getting sunscald.

 

[zigs]

Aah, didn't think of that Chuck, over here we cut back the leaves so the sun can ripen them.

 

[ChanellG]

I'm with @zigs, how do you harvest the fruit in the center? Not only that, with the plants all bunched up like this they are going to be more susceptible to various things like leaf diseases and pests like hornworms, snails and slugs, will have plenty of space to hide. I wouldn't do it.

@Chuck, what is sunscald?

 

[R.R.]

I thought about the harvesting of tomatoes in the center. I probably wouldn't plant so many around the bucket (or pvc pipe).

 

[Chuck]

I'm with @zigs, how do you harvest the fruit in the center? Not only that, with the plants all bunched up like this they are going to be more susceptible to various things like leaf diseases and pests like hornworms, snails and slugs, will have plenty of space to hide. I wouldn't do it.

@Chuck, what is sunscald?

Have you ever noticed on the top of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants a tan colored area that is soft to the touch and sometimes a little wrinkled? That is sunscald. What it is, is a bad case of sunburn and the way to prevent it is to have a lot of foliage around the fruits to keep the intense July and August sunlight away from the fruits. In my area I haven't seen a slug or a snail in 20 years. Hornworms generally start on the outer portions of newer growth. That picture shown is 4 plants. What you don't see is the interior of those plants. There will be a drastic reduction in the foliage on the interior because of the lack of sunlight. I don't agree with the number of plants planted in the picture but the theory of the bucket and compost is sound. I have done it with pvc pipes. As far as harvesting the fruit all you have to do is look and reach in and pick it. My tomato plants look just like that and sometimes a tomato will try to hide but a bright red color is easy to see among the green. And when you check your plants every day you will soon know where every last tomato is.

 

[zigs]

Probably best to fill the bucket with compost water, then lower a small child into the bucket with a punnet. The incentive to pick could be that they'll be pulled out of the bucket when the punnet is filled

 

[R.R.]

I like your thinking, Zigs

 

[ChanellG]

Have you ever noticed on the top of tomatoes... That is sunscald. What it is, is a bad case of sunburn and... In my area I haven't seen a slug or a snail in 20 years.

I can't say that I have ever seen anything like sunscald before. The sun must be pretty intense where you are. I wish I could say I've not seen a slug or a snail; they are the bane of my gardening existence. I am constantly picking them out of pots, off of plants, or evicting them from my greenhouse - they are such a pain!

It is so moist here that is impossible to eradicate them. At least where hornworms are concerned, if you cover/isolate the plants to keep the moths off of them, you don't have worms. In July and August most people here don't see fruit on tomato plants. Because of the heat, the plants don't continue to flower and set fruit. You just have to work at keeping the vines alive until fall when it cools off again. If you're lucky, you get tomatoes into the winter.

 

[Chuck]

I can't say that I have ever seen anything like sunscald before. The sun must be pretty intense where you are. I wish I could say I've not seen a slug or a snail; they are the bane of my gardening existence. I am constantly picking them out of pots, off of plants, or evicting them from my greenhouse - they are such a pain!

It is so moist here that is impossible to eradicate them. At least where hornworms are concerned, if you cover/isolate the plants to keep the moths off of them, you don't have worms. In July and August most people here don't see fruit on tomato plants. Because of the heat, the plants don't continue to flower and set fruit. You just have to work at keeping the vines alive until fall when it cools off again. If you're lucky, you get tomatoes into the winter.

You and I aren't that far apart in terms of latitude. I am probably a little farther north but our temps aren't that much different. You live in a much wetter place though, thus the snails and slugs. I used to live in Houston so I can feel your pain. The majority of the tomatoes we grow are determinate varieties that ripen before the blistering heat arrives or we grow indeterminate cherry varieties that rarely get sunscald anyway. But if you grow the large indeterminate varieties which take much longer to ripen or even the medium sized varieties, the more foliage you have the better.

 

[ChanellG]

You and I aren't that far apart in terms of latitude. I am probably a little farther north but our temps aren't that much different. You live in a much wetter place though, thus the snails and slugs. I used to live in Houston so I can feel your pain. The majority of the tomatoes we grow are determinate varieties that ripen before the blistering heat arrives or we grow indeterminate cherry varieties that rarely get sunscald anyway. But if you grow the large indeterminate varieties which take much longer to ripen or even the medium sized varieties, the more foliage you have the better.

I'll try to keep that in mind for the future. For now I am just going to stick to the cherry tomatoes. I tried creole in garden #2 last year, but the plant never produced. There was one tomato on it when I got - late in the season - and it never ripened. I eventually cut if because some critter got to it. I had it in a really large flower pot that had a built in drip pan on the bottom. Self-watering containers are not a good idea for outdoors in Louisiana. Lesson learned.

I have some heirloom Cherokee seed saved from last year. I may give it to my mom, she has more space, time, and better success with tomatoes.