Re: [tomato] rooting tomato accident
Ian & Laurie Stoba (stoba@earthlink.net)
Sun, 27 Apr 1997 21:30:55 -0800
>Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 12:35:52 -0500
>From: John & Jan Taylor <jtaylor@stic.net>
>Organization: Taylor Web Sites
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>To: Ian & Laurie Stoba <stoba@earthlink.net>
>Subject: Re: [tomato] rooting tomato accident
>
>Thanks to all who answered my question of tomatoe suckers! The piece I
>started one week ago today is looking really good...no new growth,
>although I did not expect it..but the smaller leaves are bigger..I wanna
>peek to see if roots are there..but am being patient..!!
>
>And plan to go to a neighbors truck garden and "steal" some suckers from
>them...hehe..
>
>Anyway,...
>
>Ian & Laurie Stoba wrote:
>>
>> Well, whoever it was who told me I might be surprised by that decapitated
>> SF Fog that I stuck back in the ground last week was 100% correct! I went
>> back to our community plot yesterday and was greeted with abundant healthy
>> tomato seedlings, including the Fog which seems to have managed to root
>> itself from the bit of stem I stuck back in the ground after it's
>> accidental weeding incident with my two year old.
>
>Super! Now watch it produce 2x what the others do!
>
>We have had terrible rain storms here the last few days..and went out
>yeaterday to do damage control...the back garden that has the smaller
>seedlings...was sadly damaged..I had appx 25 plants there (BETTER BOY
>AND SWEET 100) and may have lost several...I did manage to stand them up
>again..and repack soil around them..
>
>I have a sandy soil here (south of San Antonio...it is like river sand,
>not beach sand....) and amended it with lots of old manure/hay mixture
>from the barn that is on the property...built those beds up with good
>drainage pattern..semi protected by buildings (still great light) but
>the storms were very windy and very hard rain...only thing I think I
>could have done was to sit out there with them and hold them up!
>
>
> We had such bad luck
>> early on with transplants that I thought I would lose most of my tomatoes,
>> however they're proving very durable and nearly all are making a comeback.
>
>This year I am doing several things...started with 12 plants from the
>nursery..then started all the others by seed...I have hit and miss luck
>with starting seedlings...and with the rain damage....grrr...
>
>
>> I think the introduction of copper barrier around the raised boxes to limit
>> snail predation, and a thick mulch to conserve moisture and limit weeds
>> have made a big difference.
>
>Probibly all of you are ahead of me on the mulch...I need to go and get
>it...found a free place as well...and saw this copper barrier mentioned
>yesterday on the HGTV...I have not had that snail prob here...but
>something is eating my sunflower seedlings...not eating anything else
>tho..
>
> Now we've just got to figure out what kinds of
>> cages/supports to use before these guys start spreading all over our
>> intensively planted limited space garden. They're going to have to grow
>> UP, that's for sure.
>
>After last weeks question I posed...think I may get out there if the
>weather clears and thin down those sprawling plants of mine....I staked
>them with just stakes this year, not wanting to invest in cages (we
>could be transfered..and you have to pack them!!) but I staked them when
>they were small...need to work them good this week, and retie some
>spawling branches...suggestions anyone?
>
> So far we have in the ground San Francisco Fog,
>> Orange Queen, Great White, Sweet 100, Stupice, Black Krim, Siberia, Black
>> Tula, Southern Night, Azoychka, Fireworks, Grushkova, Black Plum, and
>> Russian Persimmon.
>
>And with the talk from some of you growning tomatoes I have never heard
>of...I would love to try! How resistant are these?
>
> Here at home under lights I have a few more, which also
>> include Russian 117 and Plum Lemon.
>>
>> Some of the determinates seem to have such a compact growing habit that
>> I've played with the idea of trying to keep one or two in the apartment and
>> try to get fruit indoors with the help of grow lights. Is this possible do
>> you think, or am I dreaming on that one?
>
>This I have tried..and even with a different fertilizer mixture...to
>boost the flowering/fruit (less nitrogen..) still had nothing but big
>green bushes...so I am with Laurie on this one..and would like to see
>what the rest have to say...
>
>Also, had an ol' timer in the area tell me not to long ago that if you
>string copper wire through your beds, supported on poles or stakes, and
>let the wire touch your tomatoe plants, that the electricity from the
>atmosphere will produce a bigger plant with bigger tomatoes...Think he
>was full of hooey tho....LOL!! Just thought I would pass on an ol wives
>tale...
>
>Happy growing!
>
>Jan Taylor
>San Antonio
>