Tomatoes

[Kangirl]

I'd like to grow some tomatoes on my front balcony this year. Any tips re: container and soil mix that would be best? I know they like sunlight and it is a very sunny spot.

Best/tastiest variety?

I live in Montreal, Canada, and am not familiar with planting schedules here - any tips on that would be helpful, too.

- A Wannabe Urban Gardener

[sinamos]

They haven't sprouted yet, but they should soon enough.

[Kangirl]

Grow down??

I actually really am asking about real tomatoes, btw. I live in Canada and would not be in trouble just asking for hydroponic marijuana grow op advice. If that's what you're referring to... I'm confused. :blush:

[Ardea]

...ortnalic worg annaw I

[Kangirl]

That should be fairly easy, no? Just a small little herb container on a windowsill?

[Oberon]

Dunno 'bout what you like, but this year I got on e-Bay and ordered seeds for a half-dozen different varieties of hot pepper and a thing called "Pink Oxheart" tomato. It's an heirloom breed popular in Russia, indeterminate, and noted for its large, fleshy fruits. Some Pink Oxheart tomatoes weigh as much as a kilo. Being as it's grown in Russia, it'll probably do fine in Canada too.

http://www.readytogrow.co.uk/images/l/Pink_Oxheart_Tomato.jpg

I advise you to start seeds inside under lights about now, if you haven't yet, so you'll have plants ready to put out on the balcony in a month or six weeks (or whenever the danger of overnight frost is past). Otherwise if you prefer you can just buy plants at the local hardware store (but you probably won't find Pink Oxhearts there). Tomatoes will do fine in ordinary potting soil, and will thrive on soluble plant food fertilizers like Miracle-Gro. Just follow the directions on the package.

[Kangirl]

Thank you, Oberon, that's exactly the info I was looking for. I am now going to seek out some seeds of the above-mentioned variety. :hug:

[Blackmail!]

Well, the sweetest Russian variety of tomatoes is called the "Crimean black Tomato". Oxhearts are fine, grow easier, produce more fruits (and sooner), but aren't as tasty.

Plus, since Oxhearts are really huge, I do not think it is a good idea to grow it on a balcony, since the weight of the fruit can sometimes be too much for the plant's stems. Garden stakes are a requisite.

It requires lot of sun, but fears desiccation. It means your plants shouldn't face dominant winds, or be grown too high if you're living in a high-storey building. A large container will allow your plants to retain more moisture and water.

---

Russian tomatoes were selected to grow faster than normal tomatoes, but they give their fruits later in the season. They were planted in soil only when the locals were sure that the heat was there once again, and this could mean as late as the end of May (for the Siberian varieties).

[sinamos]

I'm talking about using hanging planters. My planter is on a weighted stand, so the plant can grow down.

[maliafee]

In our garden we use Ace Tomatoes as our primary variety because they are hearty, big, taste good, and are fleshy, not super watery. We use them for tomato sauce and salsa and they are awesome in sandwiches/salads. I still remove the seeds because I don't like seeds much, but they're not horribly seedy or anything. A great basic tomato. The green ones you can store and ripen slowly in a box on newspapers and have tomatoes even into the winter. YUM!

This is a good site for tomato-growing tips:

Tips for Growing Tomatoes. (http://www.vegetableseedwarehouse.com/growing-tomatoes.html)

Good luck, and have fun!

[ThinkingAboutIt]

There is a good selection of organic and heirlooms at Seeds of Change Seeds of Change Homepage (http://www.seedsofchange.com/) Check out their 'urban gardening' link too.

Also Burpee http://www.burpee.com/p2p/searchResults.do?method=view&search=basic&keyword=tomato&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

There are bush types that are very tasty; can be grown in your area and do very well in containers. The best soil is heavy compost as tomato needs lots of nutrients - I use my own compost or buy organic if I can find it (but not sludge as that is recycled sewer junk - have to check the label).

Good luck!

[Oberon]

I put in a row of Pink Oxheart tomatoes yesterday, along with some of my unnamed veggie-tray tomatoes. We'll see how things go...

[Kangirl]

Yummeh, Oberon. Hope they grow fat and taste good. :)

[Oberon]

*$^^@##!

Today, 6 out of 10 of my little tomato plants has been pulled to pieces. Not eaten, just trashed.

There have been starlings browsing in the garden. I think they do it just out of curiosity. "Here's something new... let's peck it!"

Darned birds. :steam:

[Wiley45]

More info on growing tomatoes upside down:

Upside down Tomatoes (http://www.minifarmhomestead.com/gardening/tomato.htm)

This method works nicely, and can be an easy way to grow tomatoes from a porch or balcony.

Also, if you enjoy basil, you might try planting a little basil in your tomato containers. I've read that it sweetens the tomatoes.

[bananatrombones]

^Neat idea.

Or you could try the tumbling variety in hanging baskets.

A critical decision is whether the toms are determinate or indeterminate: Royal Horticultural Society - Advice: Choosing the right kind of tomato (http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0505/tomatoes.asp)

A mix of both will guarantee a good spread and minimise risk of disease and hedges against an August glut.

Vine toms are particularly good at producing a decent yield over the summer.

Keep them indoors until they're about a foot high - or the birds might get them.

[laintpe]

does this have anything to do with the "square foot gardening"? i've been hearing that around my house lately.

[Wiley45]

Square foot gardening has to do with building a wooden grid and planting inside of it. It cuts down on weeds and helps utilize space. Once you have the boxes made, it's also easier than tilling soil. A cool gardening idea, although I haven't yet tried it. I know others who swear by it.

What Is Square Foot Gardening? | The Project (http://www.squarefootgardening.com/index.php/The-Project/what-is-square-foot-gardening.html)

[Randomnity]

For tomatoes, I always buy the little plants at the store since they're cheap if you only get a couple, and a lot less work. I bought two cherry tomato plants last year and they did amazing, spread everywhere. It might have helped that I grew them next to peas.

I would recommend holding off on planting them outside for a few weeks, I find that tomatoes are really sensitive to frost/cool temperatures. Late may is usually when I do it (Ottawa).

[Alwar]

For tomatoes, I always buy the little plants at the store since they're cheap if you only get a couple, and a lot less work. I bought two cherry tomato plants last year and they did amazing, spread everywhere. It might have helped that I grew them next to peas.

I would recommend holding off on planting them outside for a few weeks, I find that tomatoes are really sensitive to frost/cool temperatures. Late may is usually when I do it (Ottawa).

Yeah if you have room for a decent pot, put both Roma and Cherry tomatoes in it. I just casually pick and eat them all summer long one year.

[Seraph]

*$^^@##!

Today, 6 out of 10 of my little tomato plants has been pulled to pieces. Not eaten, just trashed.

There have been starlings browsing in the garden. I think they do it just out of curiosity. "Here's something new... let's peck it!"

Darned birds. :steam:

I understand your frustration. My tomato plants have all become tasty nighttime snacks for the local deer. They have helped themselves to the tomatoes and just chew off the entire stalk. :ranting:

[Halla74]

Try this, I saw it on TV:

https://www.topsyturvy.com/?cid=631254

$20 for 2 plants and 2 rigs = NICE! :nice:

I wouldn't start anything from seeds, that takes FOREVER. Buying the little plants at a nursery or large hardware store is usually what I do.

[bananatrombones]

Try this, I saw it on TV:

https://www.topsyturvy.com/?cid=631254

$20 for 2 plants and 2 rigs = NICE! :nice:

I wouldn't start anything from seeds, that takes FOREVER. Buying the little plants at a nursery or large hardware store is usually what I do.

Patience, buddy. Selected seeds from last year's crop...

$0 for 10 plants. Nice. ;)

[Oberon]

I'm in North Carolina right on the I-95 corridor. I have some big, fairly vigorous tomato plants in my garden in which the tops are starting to yellow. The veins in the leaves remain green at first while the rest of the leaf turns yellow; then finally the whole leaf goes. So far only about the top third of the plant is infected. The two worst plants for this are some cherry tomatoes, but some of my slicing tomato vines are starting to exhibit the same signs.

It has been a little dry over the past weeks, but we've had some rain over the past few days and I've been watering, so water stress should not be a problem. There are no insect pests that I've noticed, although it's likely that there's an aphid or two in the mix somewhere. Over the course of the summer I've fertilized my 25x25-foot plot with ten pounds of commercial 10-10-10, watered in.

What do you suppose is causing the problem?

[Alwar]

Past few weeks have been rather cold with little sunlight in the midwest. Looks like it may be a bad year for gardens. Tomatoes are fully grown but not turning red.

[Kingfisher]

Oberon - sometimes overwatering causes tomato plants to turn yellow.
they might also need plant food, or i guess more specifically, nitrogen. lack of nitrogen in the soil causes them to yellow, also.
or it could be a disease, i don't know.

[Oberon]

Turns out it's most likely an infection of tobacco mosaic, a virus endemic to nightshades.