From

Location

Message

Date Posted

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I will ask this question again later but now is also a good time. Every year we all make mistakes and we learn from them. After this year, as an example, I will only grow tomatoes in cages. Some of my plants were so heavy that even tied to rebar with pieces of cloth they collapsed under their own weight. This was partially due to less plant pruningon my part. Also, next year I will start later. When some of my big blossoms were on, it was too cold for them to properly pollinate. I lost a lot of large low blossoms that could have been big tomatoes. Our last frost here is scheduled around June 1 but that does not mean my tomatoes should go in on June 2. I realize now I am not in a race with time but rather with making a big tomato. It was very difficult to sit in the Spring and wait for the right time to plant. What will you be doing differently next year?

8/20/2010 7:42:30 AM

Hamilton Nj

well marv, the first thing is i will not grab a megabloom and bend it so i can get a good pic of it !! broke 4 out of six off this spring lol !!! (2) is i will try 1 fruit per plant with 12 plants!!!!! (3) will plant twice as many plants as i have now !!! (4)i will not plant before may 1st.cause my plants froze three times this spring and i got tired of digging them up and putting them back in the house !!! (4) i will have the biggest war you ever seen with theese hornworms and wipe them out !!! lol (5)i will never use any small bambu sticks from the garden store time to break out the 2 by 4s lol (6) take things one day at a time and have some fun !!!!! pizza

8/20/2010 9:27:30 AM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

I'm using cages this year, the square ones about four feet tall, but it still isn't enough. Next year I'll have to build something to support the plants better.

8/20/2010 10:14:46 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

Never, ever, ever use Preen Garden or anything remotely similar around my tomato plants again. Most of them still haven't fully grown out of that.

I'm using cages similar to what Andy H is describing, they are square, about four feet tall and collapsable. I stack them as the plants progress and keep them together with zip ties. Next year I'll pound ten foot chain link fence post down two of the corners to help support them once they are set three high.

I'm currently building raised beds from 2X10's stacked two high.
Hoping to have a gravity fed drip system and rain water collection going for next year.

8/20/2010 11:44:02 AM

valparaiso, in

I will put the stakes about another 6 inches into the ground, and if I decide to let a second vine grow I will have to support that one so it does not tip the whole plant over.

8/20/2010 3:39:35 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Going raised bed and serious frame with calf panels to hem in and support plants.

More climate control and definitely spray all the deleted hoppers!

Pray someone shares some good seed.

8/20/2010 9:20:26 PM

Hot West Tennessee

Raise my rows higher in case I get 7 inches of rain in 72 hours again. May try part raised beds too.

8/21/2010 5:02:24 PM