Tomato tips to live by.
1) compost all year with everything you can gather.
Mulch, grass, leaves.
Build your piles and bins this year all year long.
Plant in them next spring.
2) Always grow your plants from seed.
Store bought plants are never as healthy or disease free as plants you grow from seed for yourself.
3) Start your seeds in a warm room in sterilized seed media.
As soon as they pop out give them as much direct light as possible.
But keep them moist or humid for the first 10 days under a dome or spray them occasionally.
4) Start the seeds 7-8 weeks before your plant date. Package says 6-8 weeks. If your using your seed starting trays or plugs, do this. By doing it up to 2 weeks earlier you get to repot or pot up twice and bury the stem each time and that gives you giant rootballs to start. Do not fertilize for the first 2-3 weeks after they sprout. Then fertilze with a 1/4 strenth 10-52-17 fertilizer at first true leaves. Then half strength and then full strength at recommended rates.
Your plants will bust out of the ground 10 days after plant out and will be setting flowers and then fruit within 20 days of planting out
5) When your tomato seeds have their first true leaves repot them into a bigger container and be sure to fill the dirt all the way up the stem to the bottom of the true leaves. Do this same thing again 2-3 weeks later. Let them fill in the container with roots.
6) My favorite way to grow my tomato plants is to use two liter bottles to plant my seeds in.
Start by rinsing them and letting them dry.
Next heat a nail to poke holes in the bottom on the ribs.
Or drill a hole in each rib on bottom.
Dont be shy make them at least a 1/4 inch each.
To do this is easy. Use a soiless seed starting mix. Jiffy Mix is always a good one for this.
Get a 5 gallon bucket and pour in the dry Jiffy mix. Boil one gallon of water and pour it in the bucket.
The hot water instantly opens up the pores and fibers of the peat mix and absorbs the water. Stir well with a big spoon as you add the water. Dont stir and pour or you will get burned.
After it has absorbed the water and is nicely moist set it out or let stand overnight or until it cools. Then get a plastic funnel and put it on top of the bottle and use a spoon to funnel it into the 2 liter. A pencil or rod will help in pushing it thru.
Once the bottle has about 3-4 inches of mix lightly tap the bottle down (dont shake it) this will level the mix. Now take a spray bottle and spray water on the mix until it is very moist but not flooded.
Now use a long straw that is dry for a dibble and delivery stick. Insert the straw into the top of the bottle make a small 1/4 poke into the center of Jiffy Mix and then drop a seed down the straw into the hole and then cover with the straw. Place the cap on but not threaded all the way on.
Get a box or a crate for 2 liters and set your bottles in them.
I like a box because it lets me capture heat from the sun on cold days and then close the box flaps at night when its still warm enough to leave them out.
On cold nights I just close the box and take them in and put them back out the next morning. Just open the flaps and place them in the sun. Remove the caps as needed. (Hot days) I do this daily after the plant is well established in the bottle. This method completely eliminates bugs and disease from your plants as they grow waiting to be put in the ground.
If they need water (check daily) you can place them in a tray and fill with fertilized water so they can absorb from the bottom or water with fertilizer from your spray bottle from the top.
When it is time to pot up or plant out just cut the bottle at the appropriate place (on top to just fill in more potting soil, cover up the full stem to the bottom leaves of the plant or near the bottom to remove for planting out).
I always do tops and fill in. I get to plant really big plants because of this eatra effort. And usually by this time we are getting some warmer nights without fear of frosts or freezes. But if I do need to cover them I just pick up the box and take it in for the night. Cold days unless it is below freezing wont hurt them in full light.
When it is time to plant just mound sr spread your compost pile, fill your buckets or planters and add a 1/2 cup of regular fertilezer in the bottom of the hole, mix with the dirt. Then place your plant in the hole. (always bury the entire stem up to the loeaves. You can snap off the low leaves ) and then water it in with the full strength 10- 52-17 fertilzer.
Water it in again the next day and every day with full strenth 10- 52 -17 mix for at least 10 days. Do not flood them just keep them good and moist. Each time you do this you are increasing the nutrients for the root ball and flowering. Its the #52 in the fertilizer phospherous that does this.
Sit back and watch your plants explode.
Do this with all your peppers to and you will be amazed.
Once your plants are established spray them or dust them with seven dust. Do it again at the onset of tomatoes and again 3 weeks later. Be sure to always get under the leaves thats where the bugs hide.
Do not water from the top and try to drip water your plants with a drip line or drippers.
Try to spread your plants out, give them room to breath. Doing this alone eliminates most disease and bug problems almost completely.
But I admit I try to get as many as I can as close as I can together. I also pay the price with the same problems because of it.
Last support your plants. Cages stakes or my preferred method is the florida weave.
Whatever you choose growing your own and early will give you better healthier and more fruitful plants.
Dweller's garden thread...
Reply With Quote
. keep up the good work 
x
Originally Posted by Foxdana
