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Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:27 am

LOML has taken up a little gardening. She's planted green beans that are supplying us with enough to eat at least twice a week.

She planted about 8-10 tomato plants that have grown to ~4' tall over the last two months. There are blossoms all over these things but not the first tomato. I've heard they have to be pollinated. What's the trick to that? Also, are there any other tips or tricks to growing them?

BTW, she also planted some zucchini sqwarsh seeds last w/e and they've already grown to ~3" tall. Gonna have a boatload of sqwarsh from the looks of it (that is, if they decide to grow like the beans). :shock:

Thanks 8)

Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:09 am

The only time I remember growing them and no fruit is when I used seeds from a beef steak hybread plant from the year before. It grew huge plants full of flowers but the flowers would fall off and never grow fruit. Its been 30 years but my Grandmother said you cant grow new plants from from a hybread seed and get fruit. Not sure where your plants came from but there should be fruit by now...

Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:12 pm

not sure what the climate is like in florida, but here in northern california, I planted zucchini seeds in the end of april, now i have more zucchini than i know what to do with.

Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:29 pm

vwluver74 wrote: not sure what the climate is like in florida, but here in northern california, I planted zucchini seeds in the end of april, now i have more zucchini than i know what to do with.

Easy, either make a lot fo Zucchini casserole or if you live near a busy road, set up a stand and sell it. I bet you can make a lot of money because it's all local grown and the profits aren't supporting big corporations :D

Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:46 pm

And if you don't want to sit in the sun and sell, put one of your kids out there.
Teach them "commerce".
Or like a truck farmer does here, it is the honor system. Take the produce and leave some money in the coffee can.
As for the Maters, do you have bees around?? You need bees or ants to pollinate them.

Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:33 pm

Here in the hot and humid Mid-Atlantic, tomatoes grow like weeds. In a month or so people will start bringing sacks of them everytime they visit and they taste way better than tomatoes you buy in the store.

Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm

Nobody has tomatoes here in Oklahoma yet......some have blossoms,some have green fruit,some have had disease problems.The county agent said some should be showing up at the farmers market in the next week or ten days.Not a good year for early tomatoes.

Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:21 pm

I quit gardening about 10-12 years ago when my shade trees got too tall and blotted out most of the sun from my garden patch. Plus I got tired of "feeding the Deer". So now my neighbors all have gardens, do all the work, and beg me to take their surplus 'maters, zukes & cukes! :wink: Fresh veggies without the work!

Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:10 am

Quit fertilizing the tomatos. There is a spray that you can buy that will set the blossoms and keep them from falling off. This will work too...get a light broom and gently rub it on the tomato plants. Don't laugh, it will work! Some how the broom spreads the pollen around.

Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:26 am

Thanks folks! 8)

Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:54 am

Make sure you clean your willy good before you go out there to pollinize your towmaters.

Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:28 am

Mr. Loaf wrote: Quit fertilizing the tomatos. There is a spray that you can buy that will set the blossoms and keep them from falling off. This will work too...get a light broom and gently rub it on the tomato plants. Don't laugh, it will work! Some how the broom spreads the pollen around.

Good Idea. That stuff works think its from bonide or Ortho called blossom set spray.

Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:42 am

Russ Wolfe wrote: And if you don't want to sit in the sun and sell, put one of your kids out there.
Teach them "commerce".
Or like a truck farmer does here, it is the honor system. Take the produce and leave some money in the coffee can.
As for the Maters, do you have bees around?? You need bees or ants to pollinate them.
That is often the system here, too.
(we Iowans are such honest folks, aren't we? :D )

Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:20 pm

look out for cutworms and spray light vinegar, water and dish soap mix. or use safer.

Sun Jun 22, 2008 7:39 pm

Also, once you get tomatoes on the vine, do not water with a sprinkler. Use a soaker hose. If the tomatoes get wet, they will split. If you do the soaker hose thing, they'll grow nice and big and juicy.

Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:56 am

It's still a little early for 'maters to be popping out but if you want to take the time, dab each blossom with a small paint brush to pollenate them. Too bad the bees aren't around to do that anymore.

Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:01 am

The blossom set spray is a Chelated Calcium blend. You can find liquid calcium concentrates that you dilute and spray the entire plant. Calcium does not translocate in plants very well so a topical application can help with cell elongation which will help prevent fruit split and abortion. Calcium also helps extend storage life of the fruit. In stone crops and apples it prevents bitterness in the fruit.