Growing tomatoes

[MsCrankypants]

I think you may be right about that - the two things that grow most profusely in our garden are roses and tomatoes. They must really, really like my soil.

I know a few years ago, Starbucks was giving away big bags of coffee grounds for compost heaps. I got a bunch for our rose beds. With that and the eggshells, they were very happy that year.

[Der Cute]

Aren't roses and tomaters in the same soil family? Or am I confused?

I know roses like fishbone and are picky about the Ph of the soil...aren't tomaters the same way?

BTW I got some horsepucky the other day from a farm...I've added it to my herb box and the basil is LOVING IT. We're talking a 2' tall bushy basil plant.

Get compost poo. Grind it up, stomp/smash it to small bits. Add to soil, water thoroughly. Add sunshine and wait. Happy plants!

Cutenoob

[MsCrankypants]

The recipe is actually a traditional Cuban recipe. It's simple, it's delicious, and it's an awesome way (besides pico de gallo, and gazpacho) to use up your fresh, homegrown tomatoes. Yum. Now I made myself crave it...

[ralerin]

I was going to suggest fish meal/scales as a fertilizer until I realized the thread was started back in May. Oh well.

Tsk, Irv, throwing out that sunflower! You could've kept it and had had some homemade sunflower seeds! Mmmm, delish.

And oooh to the recipe, though now I'm craving some pico de gallo.

[poofy_puff]

My mom plants tomatoes every year; this year, she inadvertently got cherry tomatoes. They're still delicious, but I miss last year's humongous tomatoes.

My favorite thing to do with tomatoes fresh from the garden:

1) Slice up 1-2 medium tomatoes.

2) Dice 1-2 medium-sized ripe avocados.

3) Very very thinly slice 1/4 to 1/2 small red onion.

4) Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar (plain white or red wine vinegar is what the recipe calls for; I'm partial to balsamic vinegar, so I use that). Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

5) Chill for a few hours.

6) Enjoy!

I'm gonna have to try that.

[Cat]

My big tomato plant gave me some fruit....now appears dead One of my lil grapes is feeding me nicely, but another one is dead.

And I had such hopes for my "Mr Stripey," but alas, nadda.


Soon....I will have a house and land (I hope....) and I will have a garden

[MsCrankypants]

My mom plants tomatoes every year; this year, she inadvertently got cherry tomatoes. They're still delicious, but I miss last year's humongous tomatoes.

My favorite thing to do with tomatoes fresh from the garden:

1) Slice up 1-2 medium tomatoes.

2) Dice 1-2 medium-sized ripe avocados.

3) Very very thinly slice 1/4 to 1/2 small red onion.

4) Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar (plain white or red wine vinegar is what the recipe calls for; I'm partial to balsamic vinegar, so I use that). Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

5) Chill for a few hours.

6) Enjoy!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The tomatoes are now starting to ripen (finally!)

I've got six of them on the windowsill ripening. Would've been seven but that one had a wormhole in it.

I sliced one and put a slice on a hamburger, and ate the rest of the slices with salt and pepper. It was delicious.

[Sarlon]

my parents have 2 of them as well...and they require ALOT of water...daily.

they are growing well though however and FINALLY starting to grow downwards after SEVERAL months of trying to grow up.

[Dave1982]

The Topsy Turvy I got for my mother seems to be working well. The tomato plant she put in it was dying, but is currently thriving. It IS trying to curve upwards, but as it grows, it mostly hangs down. Once the actual tomatoes start growing, I imagine it will straighten itself out.

On a related note, my co-workers and i recently caused Focker - out sales manager - to NOT buy two Topsy Turvys because we wouldn't stop giving him shit about using them to grow weed.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Tomato plant is doing good. It's getting bigger and bigger and I'm watering it every day.

However, I noticed another plant starting to grow up out of the soil. I asked my dad what it was.

He told me it was a sunflower. The soil I used must've had some loose sunflower seeds from the bird feeders in it.

Imagine, if you will, a Topsy Turvy planter with a tomato vine snaking out of the bottom, and a big ass sunflower growing out of the top.

I tore out the sunflower seedling and threw it on the soil so it can decompose. I notice some other things may be growing in there though.

[bookworm]

No advice on the Topsy-Turvy thing, though do let us know how it works out. My Mom wants one.

We planted 5 plants again this year in our plot in the yard. Went out to water this weekend and found some 10 additional plants growing that had seeded from last year. 4 in the tomato plot and 6 just out in the yard. We're debating now whether to try to move the ones in the yard or just pull the grass from around them and see what happens.

What I'm really wondering is, since we had 3 or 4 different kinds planted last year, what seeded and did we get any weird crosses? Should be interesting.

The 5 new ones we planted are already starting to flower. We should have tomatoes by the end of June!

[sportsmom]

I put out 7 tomato plants earlier this year along my deck. I figured I could use the railing to tie them off to when they got that big. I've been using veggie fertilizer on mine, but I didn't use and special soil. They're just in a flower bed.

Aren't homegrown tomatoes the best? The uglier they are the better they taste, too.

[blas]

Actually Irv, thank YOU. I've been trying to think of a good Father's Day gift.

[spark]

Huzzah for plants! I've never grown the topsy-turvey kind, but I grow tomatoes in regular old pots, and they like regular old potting soil just fine. I had a fertilizer enriched soil to start with, and never needed to fertilize them at all. My understanding is that's the point of compost in the dirt, is the soil is already rich, so you don't need to do anything to it.