So I've been looking online for information on how much water I should be feeding my tomatoes and I've been finding different responses to the same question. Is 1 pint per plant sufficient?
(I'm growing Big Boys, Better Boys, Cherry Tomatoes, and I was growing "Mr. Stripey"s but birds took care of those 1 day after planting.)
I bought them from a nursery 3 days ago so I'm wondering when will I start to see growing results? Anything to let me know I'm on the right track.
Also, what products can I use to aid in the growth of my tomatoes?
I'm also open to tips on gardening.
-
pizzarrhea
- Cool Member
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 2:33 pm
- Location: Boston
Watering is dependent several things. How deep the roots can penetrate (to deep soil moisture), total area available for roots (competition with other plants etc), and water holding capacity of the soil. Containers and poor soil may need to be watered daily in hot sunny weather while many gardens never need to be watered, which is what you should strive for in your soil preparation. The soil should be wet down thoroughly when you put the new plant in, and after that you just gave to play it by ear.
It is easiest to mix in some sort of vegetable or tomato formula fertilizer when you put the plant in the ground. If you have not done that you could dig up the soil off to the sides of the plants and mix in some granular fertilizer. Liquid fertilizer (Miracle-Grow type) is more difficult/wasteful to use.
It takes a week or two before the newly transplanted seedling starts to do anything above ground because it is busy growing roots. It should start to grow well by about the third week.
It is easiest to mix in some sort of vegetable or tomato formula fertilizer when you put the plant in the ground. If you have not done that you could dig up the soil off to the sides of the plants and mix in some granular fertilizer. Liquid fertilizer (Miracle-Grow type) is more difficult/wasteful to use.
It takes a week or two before the newly transplanted seedling starts to do anything above ground because it is busy growing roots. It should start to grow well by about the third week.
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Sounds like these are newly transplanted into your garden, so you will need to be watering them frequently until their roots get better established into the soil.
Once that happens the watering deeply but less frequently is good as long as you don't let them dry out. Tomatoes like to stay pretty evenly moist. Especially once they have fruit on them, getting a whole ton of water and then being left to dry out is a recipe for having the fruit crack.
It will help to retain moisture and keep that evenly moist if you mulch around your plants, with grass clippings, shredded paper, hay or straw, etc. Keeps the weeds down, too!
You can buy organic compost in bags these days, not perhaps as good as making your own, but good rich organic soil is the best thing for tomatoes.
Once that happens the watering deeply but less frequently is good as long as you don't let them dry out. Tomatoes like to stay pretty evenly moist. Especially once they have fruit on them, getting a whole ton of water and then being left to dry out is a recipe for having the fruit crack.
It will help to retain moisture and keep that evenly moist if you mulch around your plants, with grass clippings, shredded paper, hay or straw, etc. Keeps the weeds down, too!
You can buy organic compost in bags these days, not perhaps as good as making your own, but good rich organic soil is the best thing for tomatoes.
-
pizzarrhea
- Cool Member
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 2:33 pm
- Location: Boston
Thanks a bunch for the tips guys!
I found out that it wasn't birds taking care of my Stripeys it was a nice little groundhog. That being said, do you guys have any methods of keeping animals at bay/away from my garden haha! I was going to just put a fence around the garden but I don't know how well it would do.
I was also considering tomato cages but I have over 12 tomato plants and each one is around a foot away from the other so I don't know how that would work out.
I found out that it wasn't birds taking care of my Stripeys it was a nice little groundhog. That being said, do you guys have any methods of keeping animals at bay/away from my garden haha! I was going to just put a fence around the garden but I don't know how well it would do.
I was also considering tomato cages but I have over 12 tomato plants and each one is around a foot away from the other so I don't know how that would work out.
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Well you will need cages or stakes or something to support the tomatoes anyway. See the Sticky at the top of this forum (here: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25230 ) for a very nice detailed report on tomato support methods, done by TZ-OH.
But the cages won't deter the groundhogs any (I'm quite familiar with them!).
Here's a thread where I just wrote out what I do to keep the critters out of the tomatoes
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=136754&highlight=deer+netting#136754
But the cages won't deter the groundhogs any (I'm quite familiar with them!).
Here's a thread where I just wrote out what I do to keep the critters out of the tomatoes
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=136754&highlight=deer+netting#136754
-
pizzarrhea
- Cool Member
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 2:33 pm
- Location: Boston
So I managed to find another question to pester you guys with, sorry for being such a newbie to this and I hate sounding stupid. But should I be removing the lower stems of the tomato plant? I heard somewhere that those are the first parts of the plants that get disease if any, I also noticed some suckers on a few of my plants and removed them this morning.
Thanks guys
Thanks guys
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
You aren't being dumb or a pest, but it sounds like you know the answers already..
Yeah most people take off the bottom leaves, so there are no leaves that touch the ground and the plant has a few inches of bare stem at the bottom. Helps prevent soil-borne diseases from reaching the plant.
But you originally said you just bought these three days ago. I don't know what size they are. If they are not real big and don't have lots of other leaves, I'd leave them alone for a little while until they grow some.
I also remove all the suckers, but this is a matter of opinion. If you have plenty of room and good support systems to let the plant get big and bushy, some people leave them alone...
Yeah most people take off the bottom leaves, so there are no leaves that touch the ground and the plant has a few inches of bare stem at the bottom. Helps prevent soil-borne diseases from reaching the plant.
But you originally said you just bought these three days ago. I don't know what size they are. If they are not real big and don't have lots of other leaves, I'd leave them alone for a little while until they grow some.
I also remove all the suckers, but this is a matter of opinion. If you have plenty of room and good support systems to let the plant get big and bushy, some people leave them alone...
-
pizzarrhea
- Cool Member
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 2:33 pm
- Location: Boston
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
This is a good time of year to live trap groundhogs, raccoons etc. The young of the year are curious and stupid so they will often go into an unbaited trap, but peanut butter works well. The traps seem to be more attractive after they have had an animal in them. I usually catch 2-3 each year. The parent burrows are across the street giving the neighbors trouble.