[gardeners] Tumbler tomatoes
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 13 May 1998 13:41:13
Had told y'all I was trying the Tumbler tomatoes out this year. They're a
small, not cherry, tomato that was developed to grow in hanging baskets. I
have four of them hanging on the south wall of the carport in fairly large
hanging baskets.
We harvested our first ripe tomato on May 6th and are now harvesting 6-12
per day that are ping-pong ball to golf ball size. I prefer them dead ripe
right off the bush he said, with the tomato juice running off his chin. Cut
in half they are excellent in salads. The taste is mildly acidic with sweet
overtones and the 'maters are meaty without to many seeds. They ripen to a
pretty deep red color but will split if left past the ripe stage.
In the hanging baskets it is hard to balance the water they require. I
think I finally found the answer by giving them about a quart of water each
daily. As they are hanging the wind tends to dry the potting medium
quickly. They are potted in Sam's Magic Earth, a mixture of composted pine
bark, bentonite clay, and perlite. The mixture soaks the water up quickly
and gives it up quickly too. They were fed two tablespoons of osmocote at
planting time and are still showing good, green growth patterns so the
fertilizer is still working. There are no insects predating the plants as
yet while the tomato varieties planted in the main garden are being
attacked by aphids.
If anyone has any questions about this variety just let me know. Oh yeah,
they broke ground in the peat pots on January 31, 1998 and were planted in
the hanging baskets in late March and hung in the greenhouse until mid-April.
George
George M. Shirley WSO-CSM/CSSD
SAFETY CONSULTANT - TRAINER - WRITER
gshirley@iamerica.net