Photos below - the big slicer tomato plants. That's Cherokee Purple on the far left, brandywine to the right of those, then "Radiator Charlie's" Mortgage Lifter in the 2 earthtainers on the right. I'm very pleased with the growth of each, and prune any suckers that emerge.
Photo below - here are the Opalka paste tomato plants (in the forefront), that are doing very well. Oh yeah....I wanted to mention that the siphon that maintains the water level in the 4 swc's is still intact. The only thing is, the lines are getting some green - looking buildup inside from the rainwater that has been introduced over the past 2 weeks. With only one application of municipal water though, it's starting to clear up. Sometimes chlorine is a good thing! I'll try to add municipal water at least once per week, and that should keep the lines clear.
Photo below - one of my (3) roma plants that has a little problem right now....I'll have to research this a little, and find out what it is. Sometimes, a nutrient deficiency causes plant leaves to get some "yellowing" to them.
Anyway, that's the current progress report on the tomatoes. I feel that things are right on track, for a bountiful harvest of tomatoes that have never been seen before on our property! Woo Hoo!
Take care, and happy gardening!
EG
10 comments:
Nice maters EG! How many total tomato plants are you growing this year? Every single one of mine has some minor problem and, of course, I have no clue as to the cause of any of them... you're lucky you've got some idea of what your plants need when they're having issues, you know?
You're quite a heavy mulcher from the looks of it too! I think I should beef up my mulching too...hmm... just thinking aloud in your comments section... LOL
Kate, I have 13 plants total (8 slicers, 5 paste), and the mulch is only about 1" deep. For me, it was mainly about keeping soil from splashing up onto the plant leaves, instead of moisture retention.
The tomato in the last photo, try some Ferta-Loam it is 8-59-9. It will fix that plant up in no time.
John
John - do you think it's a deficiency of phosphorous? I'll do a little reserach on that....Thanks!
They are looking nice - well most of them anyway. I'm sure you will get that yellow one better. As to the siphon I hadn't thought about algae growing, but it makes sense. Any water sitting in the sun does that. Maybe your siphons should be opaque.
Daphne - I like the clear tubing, because it let's me know that the siphon is still intact. I've added some municipal water, and can already tell a little bit of difference.
Your tomatoes have really taken off. Those cages will be full in no time now. Can't wait to plant my tomatoes out, I am hoping next week because Sunday is suppose to be pretty cold again.
Toms are lookin' better!
Not sure I would've used a bark mulch on them though. Fibrous materials like that while acidic also attract fungus (anything that's pretty much a compost "brown" is a fungus food) Since tomatoes are annuals I'd have gone for a more bacterial friendly mulch like grass clippings which would both strengthen the plants root system and keep the soil from splashing up on leaves preventing the fungus from spreading.
I think this is what is happening to my tomatoes this year. The tomatoes themselves are developing nicely but the leaves look terrible. I'm going to use the product you mentioned and hope that it isn't too late. Will it eventually affect the tomatoes? My plants are already quite large.
Phillip - consistent watering and some good fungicide should make things perk right up. It won't affect the fruit.....
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