Need Help With a Grocery Store Valencia Orange Tomato

[Sybil_Vimes(4a)]

Hey, all

So. When I was grocery shopping late at night a couple days ago I couldn't believe my eyes. My grocery store is selling tomato plants and not just container or cherry tomatoes, either!

Unfortunately the plants are squished into little tiny 1 gallon pots, and naturally, the poor tomatoes are stressed, wilty and generally pretty unhappy.

Believe it or not, I managed to find a Valencia orange tomato plant and I believe it can be saved despite its poor treatment. It's a decent size for around here at this time even if it's in a pot that's WAY too small for it (just over 2' high), and it's even got flowers, so I'm sure it's not only salvagable, but still has potential to thrive and give tomatoes -- if I bring it back correctly.

My question is this: what's the best way to transplant it out of the pot and into the soil in its weakened state? Should I add anything, like meal or compost, to the hole that I wouldn't normally because our soil is already decent? Should I bury some of the (nice and sturdy) stem or let it be? And how can I reduce transplant shock?

I really want this tomato to survive. Everything I've read about the Valencia suggests that this is a tomato that I will really like, and I'd like my poor ol' plant to not just survive in my garden, but eventually thrive, like the others! I hope to save some of the seed for next year, if the tomato turns out to be as good as I think it will.

The only thing is that I'm getting married in two days and finding the time to actually garden (instead of taking 5 minutes here and there to weed) is tough right now. 3 days from now I'll have all the time in the world to fuss and baby and so on, but right now . . . will the Valencia be ok if we leave it in its pot for a bit? My fiance is digging out a space in the garden today but I don't know if we'll be able to actually transplant it.

Advice would be appreciated, keeping in mind that I am brand-new at all of this!


Sybil Vimes

[rainbowgardener]

Well, your plant is stressed already... It would really be better for it not to wait more days to get planted. I quite understand about being in the midst of wedding plans (congratulations!), but can't you recruit a friend to plant it or something, it's just one, will only take a few minutes.

To plant it, dig a good sized hole, and put compost and preferably some bone meal (for calcium) (and a lot of people swear by Epsom salts- I haven't tried that) in the hole. Since the plant is probably pot bound, be sure to loosen up the roots. Bury the bottom half or so of the plant in the hole (removing any leaves/ branches that will get buried) and fill it in. Water well, then mulch over the top, being sure to keep the mulch away from the stem. Remove any leaves/ branches that are touching the ground and remove any fruits/ flowers that are on it now, so the plant can focus on getting roots established. Add whatever stake or cage you are going to use..

Depending on what kind of weather you are having, you might want to put a little shade cloth/ row cover over it.. Tomatoes start getting stressed around 85 degrees, and just having gotten out of the small pot and being transplanted, it will be more vulnerable to stress.

[Sybil_Vimes(4a)]

Just a brief update:

Excellent advice Thank you! The Valencia stayed in the pot for another three days, but we transplanted it into my garden as soon as possible after the wedding, Friday the 26th, so, 6 days ago.

So far, it's making a remarkable recovery. I did everything you suggested and though the stem still isn't a healthy, happy green it *is* a much healthier color than the sickly pale yellow it was when I got it. New leaves are developing at a good, steady rate and the smaller off-shoots from the main stem are growing daily. The stems that were drooping have lifted and there are now no leaves/stems/whatever anywhere near the ground. The plant itself has shot up and is growing steadily, it's a good 24" tall right now, and I've staked it in two places. It will get a cage when the foliage needs containing, which really doesn't have to happen now, there's barely any foliage on it, but that will come too, with time.

My only issue now is that the previously existing leaves are still somewhat curled up (they've relaxed a lot in the last 6 days, but still . . . ) and an odd purple/dark green color. I have no idea what that's about, they don't match any pictures of blight or disease that I can find online, and the plant itself seems to be recovering nicely. The new leaves are a darker green than the hybrids I've got currently, so maybe it's just the variety -- pictures I've found online of Valencia plants seem to indicate a darker green and that the leaves are very potato-like and aren't as serrated, so who knows. This is my first up-close and personal encounter with a heirloom variety, the box store where I bought my Early Girl and my Early Prairie Star (formerly known as the Bonnie 'Tomato') didn't have any heirlooms when I went looking for tomato plants.

I will continue to watch my valencia tomato with interest and see what develops. Hopefully I can get at least a few tomatoes by August/September, so I can save the seeds for next year.

But so far, so good!


Sybil V.

[!potatoes!]

just curious, sybil, are you marrying sam vimes, commander of the city watch? and shouldn't your surname be ramkin up until then? good luck with the tomato.

[Sybil_Vimes(4a)]

Yay! Somebody who knows where my nom de forum comes from The wedding was in real life, though, not to be too confusing.

And we're finally back to sunny skies and decent tomato temps here in zone 4a, so I expect the Valencia to continue on the road to recovery.


Sybil V.