The tomato rule, potatoes, and some other stuff.

[ApidAdi]

I listen to You Bet Your Garden using the iPhone Podcasts app, and Mike has mentioned something he calls "the tomato rule". It goes something like: don't plant tomatoes in soil that was used to grow tomatoes for at least two years. I'm assuming it's because of disease, (Fusarium?) but can you plant potatoes in that soil? Is it limited to container gardening? I know potatoes are in the same genus, so I gotta ask.
And a couple followup questions: Can you grow potatoes in a 30 gallon tote if you poke/drill holes in the bottom? Will it hurt anything if the tote is clear plastic?

I want to grow some vegetables over winter and I'm trying to find an inexpensive way to outfit my house with some grow lights. My thoughts were throwing some of these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3IYI6KQQAJ0M9 onto one of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Your-Zone-PL1058-Your-Zone-5-light-Floor-Lamp/21674362 and crowding my pots/hydroponic buckets around the lamp, maybe line the shades with tin foil to better direct the light. Think it will work?

 

[Chuck]

I listen to You Bet Your Garden using the iPhone Podcasts app, and Mike has mentioned something he calls "the tomato rule". It goes something like: don't plant tomatoes in soil that was used to grow tomatoes for at least two years. I'm assuming it's because of disease, (Fusarium?) but can you plant potatoes in that soil? Is it limited to container gardening? I know potatoes are in the same genus, so I gotta ask.
And a couple followup questions: Can you grow potatoes in a 30 gallon tote if you poke/drill holes in the bottom? Will it hurt anything if the tote is clear plastic?

I want to grow some vegetables over winter and I'm trying to find an inexpensive way to outfit my house with some grow lights. My thoughts were throwing some of these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3IYI6KQQAJ0M9 onto one of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Your-Zone-PL1058-Your-Zone-5-light-Floor-Lamp/21674362 and crowding my pots/hydroponic buckets around the lamp, maybe line the shades with tin foil to better direct the light. Think it will work?

I think the tomato rule is a crock of crap. I have been growing tomatoes in the same spot for almost 20 years and I NEVER have any diseases except early blight and I can control that. You can plant potatoes just about anywhere and in any thing as long as the soil is deep enough. Growing vegetables in the winter under lights? Maybe but I would think your electric bill will be up there with the space station.

 

[ApidAdi]

I think the tomato rule is a crock of crap. I have been growing tomatoes in the same spot for almost 20 years and I NEVER have any diseases except early blight and I can control that. You can plant potatoes just about anywhere and in any thing as long as the soil is deep enough. Growing vegetables in the winter under lights? Maybe but I would think your electric bill will be up there with the space station.

I wonder what his deal is then? Maybe he's just talking about containers and recycling potting mix.

Well I would be concerned about the power bill if the lights I was thinking of using weren't LEDs. My fish tank has an LED strip/grow light on a 24 hour timer (on 12, off 12), and I didn't notice a change in my electric bill after I installed it. I did notice a spike in my water bill, though.

 

[Chuck]

I wonder what his deal is then? Maybe he's just talking about containers and recycling potting mix.

Well I would be concerned about the power bill if the lights I was thinking of using weren't LEDs. My fish tank has an LED strip/grow light on a 24 hour timer (on 12, off 12), and I didn't notice a change in my electric bill after I installed it. I did notice a spike in my water bill, though.

I think you were thinking about root nematodes instead of a disease. Some places have them, I don't, but some do. They are easily taken care of by applying beneficial nematodes and by using trap crops.
I have never grown indoor plants with lights. All I have ever seen is on TV and the internet where marijuana is being grown commercially and their lights are big and bright. I guess you could grow a few things if you had enough led's.

 

[ApidAdi]

I think you were thinking about root nematodes instead of a disease. Some places have them, I don't, but some do. They are easily taken care of by applying beneficial nematodes and by using trap crops.
I have never grown indoor plants with lights. All I have ever seen is on TV and the internet where marijuana is being grown commercially and their lights are big and bright. I guess you could grow a few things if you had enough led's.

Thanks for the advice. None of the gardeners I know have said anything to me about them, so I guess we're in the clear where I am. Which is great! I've never grown vegetables before, so I'm trying to make sense of all the contradictory information I'm finding. Thank you for your advice, I appreciate it.

 

[roadrunner]

I don't grow potatoes, per se, but I do harvest potatoes every year; I know it sounds like bit of a riddle

Here's the answer....I compost in my main garden during the winter months, so the potato cuttings grow into plants in the beginning of the growing season and fairly close to my tomatoes. I haven't noticed a problem yet and both the tomatoes and potatoes are tasty