Look at my 'maters!!! (pics)

greenvillegal

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The plants are about 5 feet tall now. I am trying to read all I can so that they ripen just right and are super tasty. I have read that overwatering will reduce their flavor.

I have lots more, these are just a few. I am so excited. They get a little bigger every day.

Enjoy!
 

carolpetunia

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Oh, those are beautiful! My mom would love to grow tomatoes, but the ungodly heat here would make it so difficult, we're afraid to try. I called her in to look at your pictures, and she got all misty over 'em, thinking of how my father used to love fried green tomatoes.
Thanks for sharing!
 

alleygirl

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I would love to grow them but have nowhere to plant them. Can they be grown in a bucket? If so, how big would it need to be, and what time of year would I plant them?

Yours look amazing and I'm sure they will be super tasty!
 

clixpix

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My favorite food in the whole world is home grown tomatoes. I tried growing them in containers last year, but that didn't work out so well. Yours look great!
 
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greenvillegal

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AlleyGirl you can certainly grow them in a bucket. You just want to make sure you have some little holes in the bottom for water drainage. You can plant already partially grown plants in the spring, or you can plant from seeds in the early spring. Being from Virginia though it may be too cold to plant in March or February. The seeds need lots of warmth to gernimate. You want to start them in a small pot then transplant them 2 or 3 times until you are in a big bucket. A 5 or 6 gallon bucket should be big enough.

Trust me, use compost (poop is good!). Tomatoes need lots of food and you want to use something organic, not like Miracle Gro. And don't water them too much. If you go to gardenweb.com, there is a forum there on tomatoes. I learned a lot from the people on that site. You really can grow them successfully if you just take the advice of the experienced people!

I wish you the best of luck!
 

2dogmom

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Oh man I am jealous! Those look great! Up here we don't dare plant until June and mine are still scraggly little things.
Looks like you're going have a LOT of 'maters! YUM!
 
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greenvillegal

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Thanks! I hope mine turn out great. I am a first year grower but very enthusiastic.

Any pointers about fertilizer, etc. would be great. I have learned a lot but some inquiring minds want to know.
 

lore

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ooooh, those look great. I love tomatoes. With the new house, I hope to have a nice garden with a few of my own yummy veggies to grow next year
 

gailc

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Mine have a good very fruit set due to all that rain we have been getting!!

Alleygirl-you can find out specific growing tips for virginia here: www.ext.vt.edu. I think my sis plants them early-mid may??

Here in Wisconsin we are not recommended to plant until Memorial day or around June 1st so that is when my 27 plants went in. They are about 3-4 ft tall currently.
Tomatoes like an even water supply so they don't have the cracks on top-the infamous one inch of water/week is good. I use an AP veg fertilizer when I plant them and mulch heavy to prevent weeds and soilborne disease problems.
 

EnzoLeya

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Those look great!!!

I've got one little tomato plant that I wish would ripen faster! I've only had one tomato all year!

What kind of Tomatos do you have? I'm trying Jet Stars this year.
 

gailc

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I usually only grow heirlooms. I start most from seed except if I want to try just a couple of different ones. One gardener I know grows 30 different types every year-I think there is a good heirloom place or two in Iowa!! This year it's Amish Paste-a staple for my canning, Romas for a client, Mortgage lifter a beefstake variety, Lemon Boy a yellow pear shaped and Fourth of July which obviously doesn't produce edible fruit by that date.
 

alleygirl

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Originally Posted by greenvillegal

AlleyGirl you can certainly grow them in a bucket. You just want to make sure you have some little holes in the bottom for water drainage. You can plant already partially grown plants in the spring, or you can plant from seeds in the early spring. Being from Virginia though it may be too cold to plant in March or February. The seeds need lots of warmth to gernimate. You want to start them in a small pot then transplant them 2 or 3 times until you are in a big bucket. A 5 or 6 gallon bucket should be big enough.

Trust me, use compost (poop is good!). Tomatoes need lots of food and you want to use something organic, not like Miracle Gro. And don't water them too much. If you go to gardenweb.com, there is a forum there on tomatoes. I learned a lot from the people on that site. You really can grow them successfully if you just take the advice of the experienced people!

I wish you the best of luck!
Thanks! I will check out the site, and give it a try next year
 

calico2222

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They are beautiful! We planted ours late, so they are only about 2 feet tall (and I really need to tie them to stakes this weekend, they are falling over). We have tiny green tomatoes that I hope are going to get bigger. But, are squash is coming in and we have fresh green peppers and cucumbers! Now, all I have to do is actually weed the garden. I hate weeding.
 
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greenvillegal

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I think I need to get the ones that just stay small bushes next year. I think mine are Better Boys. They are TALL! Much more difficult to stake up and everything.

I'm not sure about the one inch of water thing, it's hard for me to tell and I know container growing is much different, but I just water every two to three days. Now I am trying to water less frequently as long as the leaves are wilted in the morning. I heard they will wilt in the afternoon to conserve energy to ripen the fruits. But that if they are wilted in the morning it needs water. We got rain almost all week last week but that was the first in a long long time. Extreme drought conditions here. The most severe possible they say.
 

gailc

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What you could do is take a gallon milk jug or a 2 liter soda bottle and poke a few holes in the bottom and fill with water and the place near the base of your plants-you could fill them morning and late afternoon for a steady water source.

I have monster sized tomato cages some made out of field fencing that are about 4 feet tall as the tomato plants will grow about 5 ft tall!! And I have to stake the cages with 6 ft rebar as they will tip over.

I was in garden this am picking green beans and I saw 3 tomatoes that should be ready for eating Friday!!
 
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