Tomato Expert

[AgentOrange]

Is it too early to talk 'maters? I have been thinking on it since last August.:welcoming:

I am not a tomato expert, but Chuck is.
For decades I have been growing more than I can eat, but this year going for better quality and quantity.

Having little Sun in my yard, have been growing them in pots on my dock for years. I have a 12v pump run by solar there and so lots of free water. I have not thought too much yet on a way to auto irrigate there, but my mind is working on it. I see one kit that could use a rain barrel, but it is too expensive. Suggestions are welcome and encouraged.

Chuck also grows on his dock. He has been doing better than me. I am not sure why as I have more Sun.
Here is Chuck years back:
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Here is Chuck now after he improved his dock garden:

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Chuck uses these pots which are 18" L x 18" W x 15" H:

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The Reservoir holds 2.5 Gallons of water and about 2 cu. ft of soil.

I ordered in 5 of the "Chuck Planters" last Fall. I have always used similar home made and store bought pots as the water reservoir is needed for pot growing. Even then, daily water is needed.


As my needs are different from Chuck am building supports for them differently. Pot separation is best, but I lack space. To that end my cage will be single file and 8' long.
I am going to use PVC pipe as it is cheap, strong, and light.
I am using 1 1/2" PVC because I already have joints for that. Cross rods will be garden stakes.
I hope to do a good job.

Chuck has made some great wire cages for his, I am going with less suport (lazy) and so will need more tying.

[AgentOrange]

Soil is important.
Tomatoes are big feeders.
Extra calcium is a plus. PH of around 6-7 so the plants can soak up nutrients they need is a plus.

I am going with this soil as it claims to hold 33% more water:
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I will be mixing 1 1/2 pounds of dolomite and the same of Tomato-tone into the soil.
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Dolomite needs a couple weeks to begin breaking down, so hope to have the pots filled by the end of March with April 10th as the planting time. Later might be better, will adjust due to weather patterns. What to look for is warm nights as best soil temp is 65+.

The recommendation for this system is a 2" trench filled with food, so going with about a pound or so of this:
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So, I have my plan and now must assemble the parts.:EXCITED

[Mike Kelly]

We've tried to grow tomatoes in years past. Some years great, some years a bust. I have a few questions here: First question: Are those plans patented? Whether they are or not I think I will borrow them this year. Second question: How many plants per pot? I think I will build a box like Chuck's and do a two pot system. That should be plenty for us if all goes well. I don't have a nice dock like you guys, but I have a deck on the back of my house for good sunshine. Thanks for the information!

[Chuck Farley]

Guys, I've been off the grid somewhat because of recovering from my 2nd knee replacement. I'm having a little more trouble with this one than with the first one. I'm flattered that y'all like the way I grow my tomatoes. I continue to refine the process. Mike, I just took some measurements and custom made those boxes. No patent, so copy if you like them. Somewhere I have the measurements I used when I constructed them. I have a bunch of those cages if someone needs a few. I used to grow a lot more plants than I do now. Mike, I only plant one plant per box. I tried two to a box several years ago and they don't do as well. I use the Miracle Grow potting soil with a slow release fertilizer. After a few weeks of growth, I mix up some Miracle Grow for Tomatoes and water them with that maybe once a week. I'm always open to suggestions as to additives, and will consider AO's above information.

[Marty Gass]

I am amazed

[Mike Kelly]

Thanks Chuck! With your and A O's expertism, I will will look like an expert in which I really am not. I follow the advice from what someone said many years ago somewhere: "It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than open it and release all doubt".

[AgentOrange]

We've tried to grow tomatoes in years past. Some years great, some years a bust. I have a few questions here: First question: Are those plans patented? Whether they are or not I think I will borrow them this year. Second question: How many plants per pot? I think I will build a box like Chuck's and do a two pot system. That should be plenty for us if all goes well. I don't have a nice dock like you guys, but I have a deck on the back of my house for good sunshine. Thanks for the information!

Mike, this is a system that is covered at the top to limit evaporation. It wicks water up from the bottom. It works well. The last years just used mulch on top of home made pots, going back to the plastic top this season. You can design your own, but $28 is hard to beat.

On your deck, might not need a stand unless like Chuck you require wheels. I'll be posting photos of my PVC deal soon which is not to hold the planters, but just to support the tomato vines so they don't flop around. I just need to get to HD for the pipe.

https://earthbox.com/gardening-systems/earthbox-root-veg/earthbox-root-veg-container-gardening-system


This is a good pdf:

https://earthbox.com/media/wysiwyg/PDFs/RV_EBX_Instructions.pdf

[AgentOrange]

I think I have a good water supplement plan.
I ordered this timer which needs zero pressure for $20.

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I already have all the tubing needed as I timer irrigate in the yard and on the deck.
I'll just run a 1/4 tube to each down pipe. The water and electricity are free, so over flow is no big deal. It just drains back into the lake.

I can hook it to a tub of water, and gravity will help me keep them watered. On my dock have no AC and no water. I use a solar pump to get water from the lake. I can just fill the tub every time I am down there. Of course I will still hand water, will set this to top off the reservoir at night, and to help if I get lazy with the watering.

For yall who have water, all you need is a regular timer and some tubes. Earthbox sells a deal to do this for $50 a pot!!!! :Money Unless a little overflow is a problem, you can do a hundred pots with a timer and some tube for $25.

[AgentOrange]

Guys, I've been off the grid somewhat because of recovering from my 2nd knee replacement. I'm having a little more trouble with this one than with the first one. I have a bunch of those cages if someone needs a few. I used to grow a lot more plants than I do now. Mike, I only plant one plant per box. I tried two to a box several years ago and they don't do as well. I use the Miracle Grow potting soil with a slow release fertilizer. After a few weeks of growth, I mix up some Miracle Grow for Tomatoes and water them with that maybe once a week. I'm always open to suggestions as to additives, and will consider AO's above information.

I just hate you are having problems Chuck. Hang in there, not much getting about with the kung flu anyway.:eek-new: I would think that walking less would have you more on the grid. As soon as we get our shots, will be over.

I used to have a few raised beds and grew a lot more maters and things, even some corn. I got shaded out.
Maters tend to come in around the start of July depending on cultivar. A couple plants provide more than one can use.

I agree on the one plant per box. Maters are heavy feeders and drinkers.
I have some of the long pots that came out years ago, and some of the large square pots. I have put two plants in those and did OK.

Last year put in a zucchini in a couple pots with the maters and that did OK. I'll put the zucchini in their own planters this season as they too are heavy drinkers/feeders.

Chuck do you pour the Miracle Grow mix down the tube?

[AgentOrange]

Here is a photo from last mater season.
This was the 3rd year of these 5 pots.

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I drilled a hole in the side several inches up from the bottom for drainage. That meant several inches at the bottom for water to stand. I mulched about 4" on top and placed in your standard tomato cages.

Every time I was down there, just sat in the swing and watered until water over flowed the pots.fishin'. As usual, got more maters than we could eat. As they drained several inches up and not at the bottom, worked well.

To the left are 4 of the store bought large square pots I have had for years. In those are Mums, peppers, and rhubarb. Used mulch with no cover, no down tubes, just watered often to over flow.
They also did very good.

This is a different type system from what I am doing this year.
"If it aint broke, don't fix it" is no fun.:devilish:
In these above you water the dirt like in a garden.
In the boxes I'll be using this season, no water goes on the top, it all comes from the bottom up via wicking.

[AgentOrange]

Here is an idea I accidentally came on..Pilsner

This pot system relies on "wicking". If wicking is absent, the soil will dry.

In these pots there is a tray to hold dirt up so water can be underneath (2.5 gal). I am sure lots of dirt sifts down, but ??. On two corners are holes to the bottom where you pack dirt to start the "wicking action". Packing the dirt in those corners helps remove some air to aid wicking.
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Why not add a little effort as you fill the pot with dirt and "pack" those corners to the top?
That is tip #1. :cower:

Is this tip #2? :indecisiveness:
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This week while putting away Christmas decorations ran across a bag of those large citronella torch wicks.
I am thinking why not add that to the back of the corner? I could slide one end under the tray and up the corner behind the dirt. Seems to me this would really aid the "wicking".

[AgentOrange]

My Pop and his many, many siblings were raised on a poor dirt farm.
All those kids became excellent at hunting, fishing, and farming in order to eat. Necessity/hunger is the best teacher.

By the time I met Pop he had a steady payday from the Mill to keep me fed.:fat:
Every year I knew him, he put in a small garden, mostly maters, cukes, peppers, potatoes.
He knew how to grow things in this great South Carolina red dirt because his Pop had taught him.
After he retired, I go by and he has expanded due to boredom! For a couple years he sold things to the local supermarkets as no way he could eat or give them all away.

One year I go by and he has just a few plants !?! :highly_amused:
He told me that being retired was keeping him too busy to grow more than what he can eat. He just did not have the time.

I am like Pop these days. I can buy cheaper than I can grow with no labor required.
Pop, "the kid", needed to grow things for the family to survive.
Pop "the man" saw it as a fun endeavor.

[AgentOrange]

I know for a fact that most expert advise one finds on the www is crap:No No NO:Stupid:STOP. One idiot posts something, many re-post it, then it is accepted as fact.ROFLMAO

I am a 'Master Gardener' trained at Clemson by professors with a Doctorate, so these classes were maybe better than what most receive:Head Scratch. It was a broad range education, not related to any one plant.
I encourage all to take this on. You meet a lot of nice folks.


Mater "tips" (copy/paste) I just saw on the web:
1 -- Tomates LOVE the Sun.

2 -- Warm the soil with plastic a couple of weeks before you intend to plant.

3 -- Plant Tomatoes Deeply

4 -- add a blanket of mulch! It helps to conserve moisture (tomatoes love their water!) and keeps soil-borne disease spores from being splashed up onto the plants

5-- red plastic has been found to increase fruiting by 12 to 20%

6 -- remove the oldest leaves from the bottom foot of the stem

7 -- tomato plants need 1 to 2 inches of water per week

8 -- If you must fertilize, side-dress the plants with compost or a dose of liquid seaweed or fish emulsion

9 -- tomatoes seem to thrive when planted with basil

10 -- pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches

11 -- Irregular watering leads to blossom end rot

12 -- Pinching off the tips of the main stems in early summer will encourage indeterminate tomatoes to start putting their energy into flowering

13 -- Wrap the tomato stems with a piece of cardboard or wax paper that extends an inch above and below the soil to protect them from cutworms

14 -- Use slow release fertilizer pellets at planting time to nourish young tomatoes. Tomatoes demand lots of fertility once the fruit sets, but too much early in the season will grow a large plant but with fewer tomatoes.

15 -- Water thoroughly but not too often -- twice per week



None of these "tips" are from me but the WWW.
Yall add comments on these and add your own tips.

[AgentOrange]

Apparently I have pissed off all who post on YC , so many are in "boycott'.:FIGHT

That will not silence me.

Here is a 'tip" I learned today --

If you go the Tomato-tone route, do not buy it early as did I.
The odor is off the chart.

[Chuck Farley]

I'm not familiar with the "Tomato-tone". I have, and still do, use the liquified seaweed and fish emulsion. Yeah, this is another off the chart odor.
I start my tomato plants from seed. A seed packet has many more than I really need. They will last a few years. I get seeds from Tomato Growers Supply Co. (https://tomatogrowers.com/) Last year I only grew tomatoes on my dock, but this year I plan on doing some cucumbers and peppers and doing fewer tomatoes.
Several years ago, I went crazy and spent money on this rig from Garderer's Supply Co.
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I'm glad I pay the bills and no other household members know how much I spend of this stuff.
Anyway, probably sometime in Feb., I'll be getting some plants going from seed.
YC, I ain't pissed off and boycotting.

[Mike Kelly]

I like to build stuff and the plant stand holders look nice. I will leave off the wheels. Good information here and I am excited and ready for Spring to be here.

[Chuck Farley]

I replaced all the boards on my boat dock several years ago. I added the castors so the water from the planters wouldn't rot the dock boards. I don't have it in me to tackle that project again. They were easy enough to build.

[AgentOrange]

Got my mater stand built, will post as soon as I get it painted and in place.:EXCITED

[Marty Gass]

I will never do this. Far too much work and I hate work. I am sort of lazy. Well maybe I am very lazy. I like to jog and I do that every day. When I retire some day I may just do more of that and ride my bike. I have thought about working on parts of my yard and get some good plants growing and get more of the yard cleaned out. I have already spent hours getting up leaves and I hate that. The big tree out front has still got leaves on it and it will not finish dropping them for another few weeks. All I have done so far is vac them up with my lawn tractor. I will do that two more times. I still have to blow all the leaves out of the front flower beds and clean them up. Making this worse is all the rain. I cannot use the lawn tractor with the ground being so wet.

I think all the tomato stuff is fantastic. I may show this to my brother. He has a world class wood shop and he may decide to make some of these but my son in law plants a really big garden at my brothers every year so I don't know.

[AgentOrange]

A hobby is not work, it is fun.

Neighbors rake leaves and burn. I don't, never have as that is work. Leaves are the "brown gold" that will decompose in a couple months and fertilize the land. Neighbors are encouraged to dump them all in my yard, as I am not offended by the sight of a leaf on the ground.

[Mike Kelly]

I on the other hand love yard work. I cut my leaves up with my John Deere lawn tractor and once they are mulched up, yard looks like the were raked gotten up. They have been chewed up into tiny little pieces and put back into the ground. I like the smell of oil and gas from the blower or weed eater and enjoy riding the mower. Lots of fun and when I finish, I can admire what I have done. Leaves are not meant to be burned either. That's what a lot of folks used to do in town. Most towns have banned that and will pick your leaves up now. I'll get started on my mater boxes next month.

[AgentOrange]

I on the other hand love yard work.

That sounds different from what you meant. It implies I do not like yard work.
I just choose to different things from you, different things move me to action.

What the neighbors or even the Bride thinks does not motivate me at all. I bet if I had worn my Garmin today it would say I did more than even Marty.

[Mike Kelly]

Sounds like Marty hates yard work. Your yard work is different from mine as we have different types of yards. My next yard project is to build a new privacy fence. The one I built 28 years ago is about all but gone. Looks bad. I will get going on it in the next few weeks and hope to complete before Spring. My Bride tries to motivate me by reminding me how bad it looks. I completed painting the outside of the house last fall which also required a lot of replacing facial boards and overhang which I did by myself. Also had to redo the outside of my shop building which I contracted out, but I did the painting. Only got one coat of paint on it before the cold weather hit. I will have to paint it again in the Spring. Bride wants a brick walkway which I have been putting off for sometime, but plan on working on that this summer. I know you like yard work, because you spend a lot of time outside. Your yard attracts many species of birds and wildlife which entertains you. You are generous to share the pics here for us for our entertainment. Also, this site is Yard Crap. It has the name yard in it. I guess yard work is a hobby of mine since I like it. Collecting small junk is another hobby of mine (old junk). Got to go over to my daughter's house now to put up a ceiling fan. I'm known as "Mr. Fix It". I like doing that kind of stuff too.

[Marty Gass]

For me it is all work. When my yard looks nice I like it. Right now it looks like crap. I don't care about what others think of it. I just don't like leaves killing my grass as it is hard enough to keep looking ok. It is the curse of living in a neighborhood like I do. We have actually started doing some things in the back yard as we look at it all the time and out back porch is all glass so it is nice to sit out there and watch the wild life and have it look good when the azaleas start blooming. Daffodils are already up about 6 tp 8 inches and will bloom soon. We have had large flower beds but you have to spend time constantly keeping them up and we work and I normally am gone most of the week and don't want to spend time working in the yard when I am home. I wish I still lived just off the park. I would spend much more time there walking and jogging as that is what I love to do. My wife on the other hands likes to do things around the house outside. She plants things and trims shrubs and does all manner of things. I have watched her spend 5 or 6 hours with the tiller when it was about 1000F outside. She gets an idea in her head and there is no stopping her.

[AgentOrange]

I like to build stuff and the plant stand holders look nice. I will leave off the wheels. Good information here and I am excited and ready for Spring to be here.


I can buy tasty fresh maters around here on the roadside. Me trying to grow better is just fun. Every mater I might get will be at a cost of $1K. It aint just about having maters.
Keeping busy at foolish things helps keep me off heroin.

Like Mike, I enjoy building with wood. I only do rough cut things. Everything in my yard including the CatBird House I am sitting in was built by myself.

For my mater stand, was looking for easy, and light. The 5 pots of water heavy soil cause my dock to dip some as I had them sitting on the edge. On fun, busy days some waves would top. There was no danger of sinking, but no need to add more weight.

Wind often will gust over 20mph off the lake. That or the dock jumping up and down can turn a large plant over. Not all need a stand, but I do.
Chuck has none of that to contend with, we have different needs. No way casters would work on my small dock.

I wanted tall, light, and easy. PVC is that and also cheap. Marty, if you ever played with Tinker Toys, it is exactly like that, even a 3 year old can do it.
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Indeterminate maters tend to grow tall so wanted a tall cage to keep them upright in the Sun and breeze. Only time will tell if this is a good design. If not, I can modify. A ten foot 1 1/4" section is just $6.
I will lay cross supports as needed, made from the garden stakes you can see in the photo. I already have 20 cut at 2ft and clips to hold them.

Here is a photo:

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[Chuck Farley]

That looks like a good design. I'm sure it is much lighter in weight than mine. I can see those round spots on your dock from where you had the plants last year. That's why I chose to use to castors, to get the planters off the dock. But, the new pots you got have feet on the corners, so you should be OK.
Another thing I did - I enlarged the drain holes on my planter boxes and put in a rubber grommet. Then I used some tubing to run the drainage into the lake to further protect the dock. Probably an unnecessary precaution though.
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This picture doesn't show it, but with "T" fittings, these hoses were all connected together to one drain hose.

[AgentOrange]

I am poor, have a one level dock. Wood rots, but I have kept mine protected with stain. . After 20 years mine is still strong.
When mine needs repair, believe I will not rip up the old, just use that as a base and put a new layer over it - probably those new plastic boards.


I am eager for April to arrive.

[AgentOrange]

I am on the dock nekid with a bonfire during the Vernal Equinox . If Eostre shows, I will post photos of her.

My plan today is to celebrate the Vernal Equinox by working on my mator pots. This year I have planned for months because you can't have to much fun when gardening.

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I have acquired bags of the Miracle Grow Moisture Control dirt, dolomite, Tomato-tone, and organic fertilizer mention above in this thread back in January.

Even though I have grown more than we could eat in the past, doing it different this year because --?:Don't Know

I am mixing the soil in the wheelbarrow today as it makes a handy tub.

My recipe is per pot is:
-- 2 - cuft of dirt
-- 1 1/2 lbs of dolomite
-- 1 1/2 - pound of Tomato-Tone
Is the right formula for success? -- I obviously have no idea.


After mixing those added -
1 1/2 pound of the organic fertilizer mentioned above. Instead of the trench in the instructions, have dug a small pocket near each corner. I suspect packing the trench is to slowly add fertilizer all season, yet keep it away from the plant to avoid burn. It seems to me 4 pockets are a better idea for uniformity as I will have just one plant in the center.

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The soil comes with fertilizer in it. It seems to be unknown on the web as to how much or in what ratio. That will be synthetic fertilizer which is OK. Having used this soil before, know it works, and probably all that may be needed.
To that end only adding organic fertilizer as one is unlikely to burn a plant with that. Adding more more minerals and crap like that are my plan.

This soil comes with "moisture control". That is some gel seeds that swell when wet. I have used them in plants for years, they are cheap.
If you use them, a little goes a long way as they swell. Experiment before you use them.
https://www.amazon.com/Pound-Soilmoisture-Absorbent-Granules-Polymer/dp/B006WCE7DG/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=moisture+control&link_code=qs&qid=1615922647&rnid=2941120011&s=lawn-garden&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=1-17

I am adding no extra gel seeds to these pots as they will be well watered.

I am adding a large citronella torch wicks to the two "water wicking corners", you can see a photo in the thread above. This is my own idea and logically seems to me to be a good one. These pots will be covered in plastic so all water must drain up from the reservoir below as oppose to draining down. I am packing soil tight in both corners all the way to the top before filling the pot.
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I am not doing per instructions and adding a layer of dolomite half way up, instead mixed it into the soil in the wheel barrow. I also mixed in the Tomato-Tone inthe wheel barrow.
All I know at this point is that the maters will have lots of food and nutrients.

That reminds me of a tale..Pilsner
Around 1975 I got a house. I planted some maters in my yard and the plants grew like crazy. They looked great! I had very few mators. Pop laughed and told me I added too much fertilizer. He told me the deal is to produce tomatoes and not plants. I had too much synthetic Nitrogen. It is great for grass or lettuce, but can inhibit veggie growth. Yall experts might disagree.

The deal with this plastic covered system is wicking. To that end you mound the dirt on the top so you can pull the plastic tight. That aids in the wicking. As I will not be adding water to the top of the pot, the mound is needed, kinda like rows farmers make in a field.

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These last years used mulch and watered from the top. I see in the photos in this thread Chuck did similar last season. That system absolutely works. The jury is out if this method does.:onthego:

I have done this plastic cover thing before in the old Growbox system that came out many years ago.
https://www.agardenpatch.com/
It worked. This reservoir system works. The science for better maters is to maintain a constant moisture level in the soil, not the shift of dry to wet and back. Maters hate that.

Finished pots:

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The scientist/gardener hoping for a mator sandwich:

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[AgentOrange]

Since no one asked -- :Boring

Planted my maters the first day of Spring, so about 4 weeks ago..
"How are they doing", you did not ask.

Is the wicking from the bottom working?

At this point they look strong and healthy with a couple early blossoms.
My goal is not to grow mater plants but maters, so stay tuned.

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My irrigation system has been a problem. The system I have rigged up seems to be good, but finding a timer to run it is hard.
The timer I bought worked a couple days and stopped -- cheap china junk.


I think I have a good water supplement plan.
I ordered this timer which needs zero pressure for $20.


The deal with a timer for this application is it must be low/no pressure. I use water timers at three places in my yard. They work great, good for about a year, sometimes more if you don't leave them outside in Winter.

99% of timers will not work in the mater system as most require water pressure.
You would think that since rain barrels are popular, there would be many good choices, but nope!

I have a different model arriving this week.


One thing I have been checking is how much water is needed day to day. The plastic covering greatly reduces evaportion, so right now very little water is needed.

As the Summer heats up, and the plants grow, the need will greatly increase. As yall know, flowers or anything in a container in Summer Sun need water everyday. The deal with maters is not the wet/dry routine, but constant moisture.

I am going to set it to add water every 4 hours for 10 minutes. The hope is to keep the reservoir filled. Each pot holds 2.5 Gallons of water (so 12 gallons). Any additional is drained off.
I'll be able to adjust the 10 minutes to more as less as I observe. I have no clue right now, suspect 10 minutes may be too long. I think the tub is 30 gallons, so should cover a day or more when I get it dialed in.
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On the porch use the same 1/4" tubing for my containers, but use dripers that go between 1-3 gallons per hour. With no pressure that will not work on the maters, so the 1/4 in tubing flows free times 5. I suspect with the maters being gravity watered, 5 minutes or less will be good.

I might not get any maters, but I am getting a lot of entertainment.

[AgentOrange]

I posted as to having experience with this wick system years back. Some may have believed I was ~.Pilsner~, but this post proves not.

I ran across this old photo.
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It worked well then when I had Sun on the deck. For years have had two of those boxes out of sight, hidden in dirt in a flower deck box. It makes growing flowers on the deck much easier.

A couple years back ordered some deck rail flower beds from Charleston, can't find the thread, maybe there is not one. They are excellent.
These have a capped pvc pipe on the bottom with wicks running up. It is a cheap and easy addition one can make to any pot. It is now easy because someone had the idea. Sherlock hated when after one saw his thinking called it "elementary."

Growing in pots in the South is fun. If you are lazy like me, watering becomes a chore.
Wicking from a bottom reservoir helps a lot.
Plants need water in a container every day. I run a tube down my rail on a timer that drip waters. My plants would look less if left to me to do it.

[Tony Presley R.I.P]

I planted my tomatoes and peppers a couple of weeks ago when the weather was warm. Now, it looks like I will have to cover them to protect them from a likely frost or freeze this Wed and Thur. A late frost/freeze sometimes happens in this area and I should have waited a couple of more weeks before planting.

It is Yard Crap's fault when y'all kept putting up posts about your fancy tomato contraptions!

[Chuck Farley]

Yeah, the foretasted low for here tomorrow night is 37. I haven't planted mine in the big containers on the boat dock yet, so I can still move them inside. My wife planted a bunch of annuals in pots yesterday. Looks like we may be moving them in for a few nights. Surely after this week we'll be OK.

[AgentOrange]

I pretend to be tuff, but it does hurt when I post words and photos of my crap here hoping yall might respond and post a word of encouragement or maybe say, "That won't work." (or just "Hello")

Yall here on YC are my friends.:LOVE I don't have any face to face friends as I am a happy "Classic Introvert".


Not being dumb, generally don't plant until around April 10th or when the ground is 65degrees. Planting early does not give you a head start as maters like warm dirt. No matter as this year leaned on my Druid roots and planted as I celebrated the first day of Spring. Global Warming may give us a frost tomorrow night. I mean - well I don't keep up with politics but frost is what it is, never hit here after April 10 in the last 20 years. Maybe the globe is cooling? I will just put a bucket over them. Cold is not the deal, but frost can kill.

If I am wiped out, it would have been the same if I had not Druid planted, but waited till ~ Starting over is "gardening". I would hate to post how many plants of all types I have destroyed experimenting.

[Mike Kelly]

You will be okay. A little frost will not get in your way. I don't have faith in many people, but I have faith in you. You know to do to keep the frost off. You will have an excellent crop this year.

[Chuck Farley]

AO, I was out in the boat several days ago and came by your dock. You are ahead of me, and will be harvesting before me. Here is my boat dock garden as of 5:30 PM today.
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[AgentOrange]

Mine are looking pretty dang good. They are growing fast and looking strong.

[AgentOrange]

I love Butter Crunch lettuce (as do my turtles). You have to grow it, as shelf life is low. Mine has done well, now will be eating and replacing with my favorite peppers -> Sweet Banana. Not sure the deck box can handle it, but no harm in trying.
My Bride's Rhubarb (can't be grown in the South:untroubled:) looks like plants from the 'Little Shop of Horrors' movie.

[AgentOrange]

Maters are now taller than me -

8021

[Tony Presley R.I.P]

Maters are now taller than me -

8021 Amazing photo of very healthy Tomatoes. My maters are now growing good after I had to replant after an unusual 24 degree night at the end of April! I covered them but that was just too cold. New Peppers and Tomatoes are coming along but not ready for photos yet.

[AgentOrange]

Over checking Chuck's maters today, and found them to be be doing great.
Here he is explaining his pepper plants.

8022

His maters look strong and healthy.

I got a head start on him this year, here are mine today.

8023

The good thing is mine will come on line and later his. As we both grow more than we can eat, by sharing, our harvest season will be extended.:applause:

[AgentOrange]

River water grows great maters. I'll harvest a few tomorrow.
8037

8038

[AgentOrange]

As they are in pots, frequent water is needed. This 30 gallon water tower on a timer helps a lot. I water morning and evening, tub goes off every 3 hours to add some more.
8039

[Marty Gass]

Darn,
That is amazing. You guys should have a veggie stand. I have never seen plants that big. How can you eat all of those? Again, amazing.

[AgentOrange]

Darn,
That is amazing. You guys should have a veggie stand. I have never seen plants that big. How can you eat all of those? Again, amazing.


I think it is amazing how old I look. Is that me?
8040

Cat don't care - he loves me

[Chuck Farley]

Man, that's some good pictures. You, K, the tomato plants, and the cat are looking good. I have made a serious blunder. I had blossom end rot, and got some spray to remedy that. I foolishly sprayed all my plants when the sun was shining, and as a result, Much, if not most, of the foliage got burned. I've got a bunch of tomatoes on the vines, and I hope to harvest some. I'm hoping some new growth will come out. I'm discouraged. I haven't screwed up like this in previous years.

[AgentOrange]

I started getting maters in mid June which was a couple weeks early for me.
I still am getting some, just not as big. 2 months is a long harvest season for me.
The quality has been excellent, with no sprays or chemicals needed.

The quantity has been overwhelming. I force myself to eat them every meal. On the dock eat them like apples. I have given away many sacks of them. I have thrown away a hundred that got too ripe.

The verdict is in. The system as I have documented it here --> works.
Next year will cut back to 3 plants and use the other tubs for Cowhorn peppers.

If you want maters, order yourself some of these tubs and plant like I did.

8190

[Chuck Farley]

I blew it last year and ruined my plants by spraying on a product to help with the blossom end rot. I'm following AO's lead this year and will add some soil amendments before planting to help with this. I also like the idea of a 30 gallon water tank and timer that waters via gravity through drip irrigation hoses. One of the causes (I read) for blossom end rot is inconsistent watering.
I planted tomato and pepper seeds Feb. 20, and most are up now. I have them under grow lights. My wife is trying to talk me out of growing tomatoes this year. I realize that money wise, I would come out ahead just buying them, but it's kind of a hobby, and there is some enjoyment in just watching the plants grow, and the eventual harvest. I'm looking forward to a good spring and summer.

[AgentOrange]

. I'm looking forward to a good spring and summer.

Been working on a "mator update" for a couple days, will post March 1st.

[Marty Gass]

my part of the tomato equation is consumption. I have thought of planting some so the deer will eat those instead of my wife's plants. Think that will work?

[AgentOrange]

my part of the tomato equation is consumption. I have thought of planting some so the deer will eat those instead of my wife's plants. Think that will work?


Deer love tomatoes and tomato plants.

Best thing to guard plants:

https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-62100-Activated-Sprinkler-Detection/dp/B009F1R0GC/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=motion+water+spray&link_code=qs&qid=1645986043&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-3