What to know aboutTomatoes

Did you ever wonder why, your tomatoes were not producing any more fruit?

You may have "determinate" tomatoes"
Or too much nitrogen. If you have amazing green growth, but no flowers after 65 or 70 days.

 What's the difference between "indeterminate" and "determinate" tomatoes?
Determinate tomatoes, are "bush" like tomatoes, that grow to a compact height (maybe 3 - 4 feet tall). determinate tomatoes bear their crop all at once, (usually over period of 1- 2 weeks) they are best for container growing. You should never prune a 'determinate' type tomato. As you will loose some of your crop.

Indeterminate tomatoes, are more vine like. They can grow 6-12 feet. They require staking or cage/trellis  support. After about  65 days in the ground,they produce fruit until killed by frost. So this is the one to choose if you want lots of tomatoes, from one plant. This plant you can remove suckers, and should remove most of the suckers at the bottom 10"to allow air flow. This may also prevent disease and insect damage. Pruning sometimes, helps to increase tomato size.

Regular Leaf, is the most typical leaf type with leaf edges that are serrated. There are more of these than potato leaf varieties available.
Potato Leaf, is thicker. Can produce more fruits and can be more tolerant of the common foliage diseases. But this is not a fact. Weather and environment, determine what can happen to any plant.

Heirloom verses Hybrid
Heirloom's are original plants. that you can collect seed from and they produce the same fruit or veggie. Unless the cross pollinate, with another plant.

Hybrids. Are the result of cross breading 2 or more plants to create another one. Some will produce viable seed. But may not create the same hybrid plant again. It could revert to the parent plants.  So seed saving on them is not a good choice if you want that same plant again.  

How temperature affects flowering:

Pollen does not develop if night temperatures are below 55°F.

Blossoms drop if daytime temperatures rise above 95°F before 10 a.m.

 Tomatoes grown in cool climates will have softer fruit with bland flavors.

 Notes:
Nitrogen is the nutrient most responsible for growing lush, vibrant leaves and stems. Indeterminate vines need it most when they are young. If after 65 day in the ground no bloom happens, too much nitrogen will keep the plants content and may not produce fruit. So stop using nitrogen.
Epsom salt
Spray them directly with a diluted mixture of Epsom salt and water; about 1 teaspoon to 1 quart of water. This will increase there Magnesium level. Epsoms salts help too if you are getting too much water, and the leaves are going yellow.
Egg shells: Wash them, then crush. Some people dry them out. Work the shell pieces into the soil near tomatoes and peppers. The calcium helps fend off blossom end rot. Eggshells are 93% calcium carbonate, the same ingredient as lime.
Coffee grounds mixed into the soil help with nitrogen and acidity.
Blood meal fertilizer can turn yellow leaves green again. This will also make your soil more acidic, because it  lowers the pH in the soil. It will last for 6 to 8 weeks.
 This is effective in repelling deer, rabbits and other pests away from garden  However, it also attracts dogs and raccoons. maybe even opossum.  You must use the correct amount, or it may damage your plants. Read the package for directions.

This post will be continued. When this statement is removed it will be finished.  I am recording all I need to rember on this blog. So I can refer back to is as needed.

Seed starting 2014 Zone 5 b

I tried some new things this year. Only 2 days ago I just put in about an inch +/- potting soil and randomly sprinkled Heirloom Green sprouting broccoli seeds around the top. I used the see thru cover dome of a store bought cake. And placed aluminum foil on the top. Set it on a shelf away from the sunny window. And look at this growth.   

This container has failed 2 times. I tried pepper seed a few weeks ago. And lettuces a week ago. I looked closer to see it has a small vent for the hot food to release steam. So Today I put a plastic bag over it and will let it sit. To see if any thing happens. 

The cups in the window are doing great! I saved seed from the best watermelon we have had in years. And some tomatoes that were awesome. Name of seed is unknown. We bought them from local farms. 

Planting update.

We have had so much rain here in Missouri, The only thing I have been able to plant so far, is yellow onion sets. And Thursday 11 (Beefmaster) tomato plants. The rain has stopped for now, So I will try to get something done today. I have been researching.mushroom compost. I plan to try some in my garden this year.  The next 2 day are good for leaf vegetables. So I am going to try to plant spinach, lettuce, cabbage, Monday the 30th, and 31, are tomato and fruit days. So I hope to get the rest of the tomato's and peppers planted. then.

Tomato plants  
Flame (Hillbilly)80-85 days. {indeterminate}
A huge, bi color heirloom, brilliant yellow color with red marbling. Very large with a rich, sweet flavor. Beautiful when sliced. An heirloom believed to be from West Virginia.

Gold Medal 75-90 days. {Indeterminate}
The 1 lb fruit are among the smoothest bi colored tomatoes and are one of the most beautiful . Lovely yellow fruit are blushing with rosy red that radiates from the blossom end. The firm flesh is of superior quality, being sweet and mild. The low acid content makes them great for fresh eating. From the late, legendary seed collector, Ben Quisenberry.

 BEEFMASTER HYBRID 80 Days {Indeterminate}

Extremely large-fruited beefsteak-type with hybrid vigor. High in vitamins A and C. Beefmaster was bred for resistance to verticillium and fusarium wilt and nematodes

Note: I had to try a hybrid this year. Because of crop failure the past 2 on the heirlooms. 

First Tomato Blooms

Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato

Brandywine Pink

Sweet 100 Cherry tomato Hybrid

Garden research. using red and silver ground cover

I am testing colored mulch in my garden this year.
This is my garden today. We finally have sun shine today here in Missouri.

This is my Hillbilly (Flame) tomato in a self watering 5 gallon bucket. I added the red plastic mulch to the top. It will help to conserve watter loss and we will see if the red color will enhance production. Feel free to click on the photos to enlarge for a better view. I am recovering from sinus surgery so my garden is far from complete this year.
There seem to be a difference already The cauliflower on the red side it getting a bit bigger than the silver side
I used aluminum foil on the inside. And silver reflective mulch on both out side edges.I have silver plastic mulch I ordered on the left end and red material on the right.
Peppers in front tomatoes on fence.
The broccoli seem to have small tops. This is caused from heat increasing too soon.
The tomatoes are making a complete recovery from having yellow and damage leaves.
I added more soil and removed all the damaged leaves on the bottom. Then topped it with cypress mulch. Today I added egg shells crushed. This will detour slugs and add calcium to the soil. I snapped off the suckers on the leaves today also. I will be adding a bit of coffee grounds to the soil latter today. They add a bit of fertilizer and deture some animals.
The bush beans are growing by leaps and bounds with no mulch as yet. I will be placing dry grass on them as soon as I can get it done.

The garden is growing

The tomato plants are looking better.

The bush beean are growing

The broccoli .

The cauliflower in front peppers in back.
The cover over the tomatoes is helping.

Looks like a bean plant with the squash.

The zucchini is yellow. It was under water and I replanted it to higher ground.

The Lunar planting calendar for this month is located at the bottom of the page.

Wilted tomato plant, pest or disease?

This years garden will be a challenge to fight off pest and disease.

To much rain is the cause of most of this years tomato problems.

Tomatoes like water on the roots not on the leaves.
Because leaves need to be able to evaporate water to pull more up from the roots

See the withered leaves are from to much water then not enough.

tomatoes need about 1 inch of water per week 3-5 gallons of water per plant. With the the summer heat , they need 11/2 to 2 inches per week. If the roots are shallow the plant will likely dry out faster (causing wilting). Watering once every 2-3 days is a good idea. By using a stick to check the depth 8-12 inches deep is about right where the water should reach.
Anoth cause of wilting is Fusarium and Verticillium Wilts
Is a soil borne fungus, the first symptom is wilting during the hottest part of the day, along with lots of yellow leaves. There is no cure for this .

So this was not the reason for this one plant to wilt.
hot, humid weather could have done this too. As the plant has now recovered.
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This plant is a diffrent story

Septoria Leaf Spot of Tomato
And or

With all the rain I think I may have early blight,

The leaves are turning yellow. Spots and holes are on some leaves.
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This is both pest and disease caused by aphids and ants.

But the leaves are damaged

Then to top it off the soil under one of the tomatoes has more ants than soil. So is this a insect problem? Or a disease? Or all of them? I would say All !
1. over-watering, which causes blight. Is the main reason.
2. Ants are the 2nd reason. They are attracted to aphids.
Which contributed to the disease of the plant.

Water only the bases of your tomato plants, and try to water in the morning. Plants sitting in dampness overnight may become more susceptible to blight. But this in my case is too much rain. All I can do is make an umbrella for them with soda bottles for the small ones and plastic tarps for the bigger ones.


Ants and Aphids Usually an ant problem is a symptom of an aphid infestation.
aphids suck plant juices from leaves, stems and fruit. They cause distorted and stunted growth as well as discoloring and wilting. They are also vectors for virus diseases. They attract ants, bees, wasps and flies because of the production of honeydew. Ants farm them and protect them from predators for food.
Link to more information on aphids

What I did to stop the damage.

I did not like to do it but I added seven dust to the ground for a day . Then removed the top soil and replaced it with fresh clean soil. removed all the damaged leaves and covered the plant higher with soil and cypress mulch. This made a big improvement to the plants health. When it rains, I covered them with plastic this also helped to protect them from too much water on the plant leaf.

Click here for an update.
The plants are doing better now.

More rain

Another 2 inches of rain fell since yesterday. My squash are under water.

The asparagus is doing well with the tomato in the self watering container. But the tomato is still a bit yellow.

This tomato plant is showing signs of disease or pest.

The Lunar planting calendar for this month is located at the bottom of the page.

Why are the leaves turning yellow?

Here is a look at the garden today.

Allot of the plants are turning Yellow. So I applied some Epsom salts around them to see if this will green them up a bit. I found that to much or to little water can be the cause of the yellow leafs. Also temperature change . We have had too much water the last week or so. And temps up and down. Also this could be a lack of nitrogen or iron. As to much rain could have washed all the minerals or nutrients out of the soil. You may click on photos to enlarge.

The bottom photo is 2 days later. The new growth is greener.
After the Epsom salts. We have had 2 more inches of rain though.

These 2 photos are melons and cukes

You may ask why the clover is in the above photo. It is a good source of nitrogen so I let it grow freely and pull it to add to the soil.

The new pepper plans are looking well so far.

The Lunar planting calendar for this month is located at the bottom of the page.

Tomato Pruning

Tomato Pruning

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The Lunar planting calendar for this month is located at the bottom of the page.

Self watering container

I bough 1 10 foot length of 1/2 inch pvc water pipe 2 elbows and 2 caps .
This was enough to work with 1 50 gallon drum cut in half. To make 2 containers.

The lengths were cut to allow for the cap & elbow to be added. I got hubby to drill holes through about ever 1/2 inch. This way water would flow out both sides evenly. It was placed in the drum with the holes to the sided.

Sand was then placed around the perimeter.Allowing the dirt to make contact in the middle.
1 gallon of composted manure was placed in first then topper with potting organic potting soil. I also place a empty juice container in the side to make it easer to see if there is water in there. I also can add water to the juice container. I planter 1 tomato in the center and 5 asparagus plants around the perimeter, They are in red circles on photo. Yellow is the top of container. Next year I will add more soil for the asparagus to grow taller.
I drilled drain holes around the side above the soil line to let excess water out.

Click here to see more on of how this works

Here is an updated photo. The potatoes are way bigger in the red tub. I wonder if it is the red color. As they are saying now to use red plastic under the tomato plants for better health. As you see the top right are 2 other potatoes plants in the top soil bags. I started them all at the same time, and transplanted one to the red container. Where it took off in growth. Soon I will add more soil to all of them.

The Lunar planting calendar for this month is located at the bottom of the page.

Tomato 2

sprouts are doing well this is day 38 from planting the seeds.

This is a potato sprout {link planted in a top soil bag}. on march 22, 2009
It looks to have frost damage. so we will see if it comes around. I will wall it up with more soil.Purple stems and leaves is usually associated with cooler temps or transplant shock and usually goes away on its own . This can happen to tomatoes too.

I transplanted these out side on Sunday April 12, 2009 It has been cold and rainy and yet they are still alive today . Low was 36 Degrees and tonight will be low 30's .
today April 13 - Scorpio (water, feminine) Mars; Loins; very fruitful and moist Produces sturdy, reliable plants. Plant most vegetables and flowers for large yields; excellent time to plant beans, berries, cantaloupes, cauliflower, cereal, chicory, eggplant, peas, potatoes, pumpkin Hi 45°F Lo 37°F Precip A half inch to an inch of rain is expected through Monday.
So I will try to put out some seed tomorrow.

The Lunar planting calendar for this month is located at the bottom of the page.