First Tomato Plantout 03-13-08

AlabamaJack · Mar 13, 2008

I know I am taking a chance but you gotta just live sometimes...soil temperatures are 58 or above today in the bed and the coldest night in the forecast is 48F....(I would guess it may get down to 43F)...daytime temperatures are in the 75F range with some higher and some lower for the next 10 days...

Varieties planted:

4 Aunt Ruby's German Green
4 Abe Lincoln
5 Mexico Tomatoes
4 F1 Ferline Hybrid
5 Super Sweet 100 Hybrid
5 Money Maker
3 Arkansas Travelor
4 Mariana's Peace

Pictures of Cement Farm....32 plants in the farm and 4 in the new bed not shown.

6 Plants in this bed last year produced over 6 bushel while the peppers did not fare that well so this bed is dedicated to tomatoes and onions (onions in between the plants and along the edges of the bed).

Please pray for no frost......but if it does, no worries, I have 2X4's and plastic sheeting I can make a "greenhouse" within about 2 hours if necessary.

Pam · Mar 13, 2008

It looks good, AJ. I understand the agony of hoping you didn't put anything out too soon, as well.

imaguitargod · Mar 14, 2008

I said it in your PM to me yesturday and I'll say it again today, "Lucky bastard".

POTAWIE · Mar 14, 2008

AlabamaJack said:
Varieties planted:

4 Aunt Ruby's German Green
4 Abe Lincoln
5 Mexico Tomatoes
4 F1 Ferline Hybrid
5 Super Sweet 100 Hybrid
5 Money Maker
3 Arkansas Travelor
4 Mariana's Peace

Pictures of Cement Farm....32 plants in the farm and 4 in the new bed not shown.
.

Somehow the math doesn't work out

rainbowberry · Mar 14, 2008

POTAWIE said:
Somehow the math doesn't work out

My maths is crap but he has 34 plants, if including the ones not shown 38. I bet I still got it wrong.

wordwiz · Mar 14, 2008

AJ,

How much space is between the plants? They look a little close, though averaging a bushel per plant is fairly good.

I ordered eight more varieties yesterday to go with the Delicious, Beefsteak, Belgium Giant, Giant Jersey and Roma. The first three will be mostly for juice, the last two for whole tomatoes and maybe salsa.

Coming from RareSeeds are: Aunt Ruby's German Green, Green Sausage, Dr. Wyche's Chocolate, Japenese Black Trifele, Red Zebra, Hawaiian Pineapple and White Beauty (so I can make some white chili).

Mike

pablo · Mar 14, 2008

hey jack,that looks good man,
Ill be running some of the Mexican Heirlooms this season outdoors too,nice looking tomatoes .
if you like Long Green Chile,give the Sahuaro Hybrid a go...a very prolific plant.

have fun man

pablo

AlabamaJack · Mar 14, 2008

Pam said:
It looks good, AJ. I understand the agony of hoping you didn't put anything out too soon, as well.

Just keep your fingers crossed...it is 86F (30C) here right now at 2 PM CST and supposed to hit 90 today...

***saying to self....soak that heat up soil***

imaguitargod said:
I said it in your PM to me yesturday and I'll say it again today, "Lucky bastard".

POTAWIE said:
Somehow the math doesn't work out

rainbowberry said:
My maths is crap but he has 34 plants, if including the ones not shown 38. I bet I still got it wrong.

OK You caught me 34 plants is correct...and just think americans, you have me to thank for your national security......roflao

wordwiz said:
AJ,
How much space is between the plants? They look a little close, though averaging a bushel per plant is fairly good.

I ordered eight more varieties yesterday to go with the Delicious, Beefsteak, Belgium Giant, Giant Jersey and Roma. The first three will be mostly for juice, the last two for whole tomatoes and maybe salsa.

Coming from RareSeeds are: Aunt Ruby's German Green, Green Sausage, Dr. Wyche's Chocolate, Japenese Black Trifele, Red Zebra, Hawaiian Pineapple and White Beauty (so I can make some white chili).

Mike

18" Mike...that is all I could stand...It was room enough last year...I still have to make 29 cages and get them in place...seems like you are going to have a great selection also...I have 12 more viarieties that Biscombe sent me plus some Sprite seeds that I bought at Walmart..

pablo said:
hey jack,that looks good man,
Ill be running some of the Mexican Heirlooms this season outdoors too,nice looking tomatoes .
if you like Long Green Chile,give the Sahuaro Hybrid a go...a very prolific plant.

have fun man

pablo

Thanks for the tip on the Long Green Chile...and thanks all for the compliments too......

The tomatoes look good today...have lost that "wilted" look overnight and now...they are currently getting water through the buried soaker hose..

I am going to add to the beer thread in a minute....bought two new beers to try......

wordwiz · Mar 14, 2008

AJ,

Like I said, if you got a bushel per plant, they were not too close. I plant at about 2 feet. I made a mistake and didn't stake them last year. Had a lot of them not rotted, and the late summer weather would not have been so brutally hot and dry, I would have had a bumper crop. But our August and September rainfall was 8 inches below normal, and the first part of October was not much better.

Had I really needed the tomatoes, I would have watered them far more frequently, but I had 130 quarts of juice and two dozen quarts of whole tomatoes.

I'm thinking about taking one Giant Belgium and keeping it pretty much pruned and allow only one or two tomatoes at a time to grow. I'm into the County Fair (do all their publicity and their web site) and would nearly die to enter a 5 pound tomato. Since the breed is originally from Ohio, it should be suited to growing here.

That's another reason for all the colored plants - to display at the fair, along with the peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and potatoes.

Mike

AlabamaJack · Mar 14, 2008

wordwiz said:
AJ,

Like I said, if you got a bushel per plant, they were not too close. I plant at about 2 feet. I made a mistake and didn't stake them last year.

Had I really needed the tomatoes, I would have watered them far more frequently, but I had 130 quarts of juice and two dozen quarts of whole tomatoes.

I'm thinking about taking one Giant Belgium and keeping it pretty much pruned and allow only one or two tomatoes at a time to grow. I'm into the County Fair (do all their publicity and their web site) and would nearly die to enter a 5 pound tomato. Since the breed is originally from Ohio, it should be suited to ygrowing here.

That's another reason for all the colored plants - to display at the fair, along with the peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and potatoes.

Mike

Totally understrand and grtee wth yoru assesssment

Pam · Mar 14, 2008

wordwiz said:
That's another reason for all the colored plants - to display at the fair, along with the peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and potatoes.

Mike

Nothing's purdier than a mixed basket of peppers!

wordwiz · Mar 14, 2008

Pam said:
Nothing's purdier than a mixed basket of peppers!

Pam,

Sitting pretty doesn't have a lot to do with it. See, the fair is plagued by a few groups of thugs, youths who show up basically to cause problems. So if I have enough superhots - the very hottest superhots, I plan on putting sign next to them to please not eat them, they are valuable. Of course, the thugs will, thinking they are just another veggie. Or maybe they will decide to steal a few of them and stuff them into their baggy underwear.

I can only hope! :mouthonfire:

Mike

Pam · Mar 14, 2008

wordwiz said:
Pam,

Sitting pretty doesn't have a lot to do with it. See, the fair is plagued by a few groups of thugs, youths who show up basically to cause problems. So if I have enough superhots - the very hottest superhots, I plan on putting sign next to them to please not eat them, they are valuable. Of course, the thugs will, thinking they are just another veggie. Or maybe they will decide to steal a few of them and stuff them into their baggy underwear.

I can only hope!

Mike

Ha! Be sure and set it near the security cameras!