# Tomatoes



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

This year I have been experimenting in my garden, trying to improve yields and reduce water requirements and have come up with several things so far that have really surprised me.

In each row that I have tomatoes planted in, I mixed in Powdered Dolomite(calcium source), Rock Phosphate(phosphorus source), Murate of Potash(potassium source) and Epson Salts(magnesium source) while I was tilling and preparing the rows. I used about 1 #10 can each of the dolomite an phosphate and about enough epson salts and murate of potash to equal about 4 to 5 tablespoons for each plant.

The tomatoes got off to a slow start because of late frosts but when it finally warmed up, they took off and grew like crazy. They are the deepest green and have the thickest/sturdiest stems and foliage of any plants I have grown in the past, they are also loaded down with green tomatoes and blooms.

I also reduced the length of the rows from 60ft to 50ft so that a single soaker hose would water the entirelength. On 2 rows of hybrids and 4 rows of heirlooms, I buried the soakers about 8 inches deep before planting to conserve water and discourage Early Blight. After it gets warmer than it is now, I will dust the ground around the plants with Sulfur to discourage the blight fungus from taking hold.

So Far, I haven't noticed a difference in plant health between the rows with buried soakers and those I water with the regular hose. It's a little early for blight symptoms to show so I have no idea if buried soakers are actually doing any good.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Keep us up dated, please. I am curious what happens (or doesn't happen). 

I noticed with my own tomatoes the green zebras are smaller than my other 2 heirloom types by 1/3-1/2. And they are covered with little aphids that are not even bothering the brandywine or marvel stripe plants. Also while my others are covered in blooms the green zebras have maybe a bloom or two per plant.


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

Wow, Davarm! You are quite the plant scientist!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Grimm, a dusting of DE will dry the aphids out and kill them in short order. Its cheap and is an organic treatment.

You can try a spray of "Calcium Chloride" on the plants with only a few blooms, it will sometimes help but some heirloom plants are not prolific producers so you may not get a lot of tomatoes from them. I'm not familiar with the Zebra tomatoes so cant offer more than that.



Grimm said:


> Keep us up dated, please. I am curious what happens (or doesn't happen).
> 
> I noticed with my own tomatoes the green zebras are smaller than my other 2 heirloom types by 1/3-1/2. And they are covered with little aphids that are not even bothering the brandywine or marvel stripe plants. Also while my others are covered in blooms the green zebras have maybe a bloom or two per plant.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

My sandy North Texas soil is marginal so I've had to do a lot of experimenting to make my garden productive.



PrepN4Good said:


> Wow, Davarm! You are quite the plant scientist!


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## cybergranny (Mar 11, 2011)

Wow Dave, sulfur for blight. How does it come?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

cybergranny said:


> Wow Dave, sulfur for blight. How does it come?


I just buy it in 3 or 5 pound bags of yellow powder from the local seed/feed store. I put it in a thin sock and bounce the sock off the ground around the plants and the thin dusting that comes out is enough to help control the fungus. Some places I've read say to apply it directly to the affected leaves but I found that sometimes will burn the plants when it gets wet. Trimming off the leaves that droop onto and touch the ground also helps prevent the blight from taking hold.

The sulfur dusted around the base of squash plants will deter(not prevent though) squash bugs. The same is true with getting it on the squash leaves, can burn them if you aren't careful.


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## cybergranny (Mar 11, 2011)

Thanks Dave. Got another question over in the canning dept.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I was out tilling the garden this afternoon and guess what I found?

I have tomatoes ripening on the vines and picked the first ripe one today. I got my plants in the ground late(the second time) because of frost, usually get them set out in mid March to mid April but had to replant this year because of frost.

I generally start getting tomatoes in the middle of June but guess the special treatment of the soil really made a difference this year. I will chalk this up as a successful experiment.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Davarm said:


> I was out tilling the garden this afternoon and guess what I found?
> 
> I have tomatoes ripening on the vines and picked the first ripe one today. I got my plants in the ground late(the second time) because of frost, usually get them set out in mid March to mid April but had to replant this year because of frost.
> 
> I generally start getting tomatoes in the middle of June but guess the special treatment of the soil really made a difference this year. I will chalk this up as a successful experiment.


LUCKY!

I started my plants in Feb and am just starting to see blooms. But then they had to adjust to the altitude and cooler weather up here.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I just now have pinkie sized green ones...AND....tada!!

White lice!!!

Yep--have the dishwashing liquid beside the raised bed garden and sprayed once...usually it just takes one spray.
Strange though; they aren't on the petunias and they LOVE them.:congrat:

~~~ a dusting of DE will dry the aphids out and kill them in short order. Its cheap and is an organic treatment.~~~

Yep, have that too. The ants at my house show up springtime--well, not this year. They came out Friday when we got 80s weather. It took a little sprinkle of DE around the baseboard with a salt shaker...in just half a day, they were gone back under the house.


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