Holy Moly I Might Get Tomatoes This Year

[jyl]

Most summers I try to grow tomatoes and every time the result is I harvest a small number of the earliest-maturing cherry tomatoes and the rest are still green when the rain starts.

This year I tried again. Instead of planting them in the ground, I used containers and mixed in lots of manure, coffee grounds, fish emulsion. I gave up on germinating my own seedlings, and bought plants that were at least 4” tall. I waited to set the plants out until the end of May, so they only got one slightly chilly snap. The containers are in the sunniest if also the most cramped part of the yard. I’m fertilizing and watering diligently. Play jazz music to them.

The progress so far is the best ever. Plants are growing well, lots of flowers, some cute little fruit already.



Hey, I’m in the PacNW and am gardening-challenged.

[smadsen]

Just one word - Miracle Grow! & not too much water

[cabmandone]

I'm feeling the same excitement. Seems like every year something happens to our plants and I'm stuck buying them at a farmers market. This year they seem to be doing well and I should have two or three ready for eating in a week or two.

[p911dad]

Congratulations on your harvest! Last year I had my first ever great crop of tomatoes and our local squirrel population decided they love green tomatoes and wrecked most of them in a few days. Still, I have a crop near harvest soon, I think our local hawks have scared off the little critters.

[flatbutt]

Congrats. Spring was too cold here so my plants just gave up early. Even my apple tree dropped its flowers early.

[wdfifteen]

Glad to hear you’re getting a good harvest. This is the second year in a row that the weather has wrecked our tomatoes. Last year it was too much heat in mid-summer. This year it was cool and wet until 90 temps and daily thunderstorms rolled in last week. Most tomatoes won’t set fruit until night time temperatures stay above 50 degrees and daytime temps are below 90. In a normal year we’re getting tomatoes from the 4th of July plant by the last week of June. This year the fruits are about the size of large marbles and still dark green.

[jyl]

How much water?

I got my drip system working - it needs to be fixed every year, seemingly - and currently have it set for 30 min drip at 6 am 3X week.

If too much water, signs are yellowing leaves? If too little, signs are droopy leaves, collapsing stalks?+

Summers are getting hotter and drier here in Portland OR - distinctly so, over the 20 years I've been here - and while that mostly sucks, there should be a side benefit to my tomato aspirations.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

I've gotten lots of Roma's this year, my best ever crop. It all came from some old Tomato's from last year I buried.
Homemade Tomato sauce up next.