We have purchased compost. I will add some. I think the plants on one end of the raised bed get less water, so I will hand water them a bit more. Those plants are smaller than those at the other end, too. So, Joel, the yellow leafs are on plants that tend to be drier.
Here is hoping for a good crop. Our weather turned cooler now, too. Mother Nature!
Looks awesome. I badly want to build one of my own. What kind of wood is that? Cedar?
Thanks in advance,
Kenney
Pressure treated “stuff” from Home Depot.
Wow, ok… is the soil dry on top but still moist a few inches below? I run across this from time to time in early spring and late fall on my tomatoes… And sometimes it does appear that the soil is dry, but I’ve found that often a “crust” will form on the top of the soil and beneath it is still quite damp.
A friend of mine (who was raised on a family vegetable farm) recently told me that in many cases you can dry farm tomatoes and that actually very little water is needed for them and that less is always more.
This year I installed a shut off valve on the irrigation run that leads to my tomatoes just for this reason. I’ll never dry farm, but it puts things in perspective.
I pulled this up as well.
Signs & Symptoms of Overwatering Tomatoes
Yellow Leaves
A new gardener’s first instinct is to water a yellowing tomato plant deeply and keep the water flowing. Don’t reach for the hose yet, however. Water-stressed tomato leaves are wilted but still green. Yellowing leaves, on the other hand, are usually a sign that the tomato can’t get enough oxygen or other nutrients, similar to an oxygen-starved person turning pale. Slow-draining soils – such as inland areas with heavy clay – hold water, and that same water suffocates the tomato plant’s roots. Other causes of yellow leaves include plant viruses and soil deficiencies
Yes, I don’t want to over water. I will mix up Miracle-Gro and just put it around the two affected plants. I have a moisture meter that shows these two were drier than the others, which get more lawn sprinkler water. We have drip irrigation around each plant.
I put dry fertilizer around the plants last weekend and mixed it into the soil. We also added a lot of new soil this year that had nutrients. Not worried yet but watching.
+1 for Portland. If we get any ripe tomatoes by early July, we’re doing well (it happens about once or twice every ten years). A few of the early varieties (Moskovich and Sungolds) have a few flowers, but the rest are hating life right now since it’s currently 54 and raining. Welcome to spring in the great Pacific NW…
Our plants are looking good so far. Started with 14 plants then added a few chocolate cherry plants. Baconfest might be early again this year!
Whew! Was worried you might’ve been affected by the frost last week. Bring on baconfest!
We used to plant in the ground 'til we leased out our home and moved in to a rental. Now it’s 5 heirlooms in containers. Got 3 of them in the containers about 8 weeks ago and the last 2 about 4 weeks ago. The center plant seems to be growing well but has only a few small fruit on it so far. The 4 in the side containers are smaller and more compact, but have fruited more quickly.
Plants and soil are from a local guy whose family has been in the retail nursery business as long as we’ve lived here (30 years). Sad story as to how they lost the nursery itself, but he does Farmer’s Markets now, so we still have access to his knowledge and materials. The soil is his proprietary acid mix + sand. Admittedly, these plants are very close together, and that may retard the crop, but it’s all the space we have. Last year the plants all grew taller, like the center one, so this growth pattern is a surprise.
We’ll see how it goes. I wind up looking at this as a hobby plus a per fruit investment. Right now I’m looking at a total of 7 tomatoes averaging about $5 each. Actually not a bad start for a small, tight area that gets maybe 5 hours of direct sun a day.
Plants are: [L to R] Black from Tula; Cherokee Green; Dr. Wyche’s; Aunt Ruby’s German Green; Pineapple.
Have been doing heirlooms for three or four years now. I did Black Prince, San Marzano and Roma last year. I also have a cherry tomato that scatters so many seeds it comes up by itself each year! We’ll see if it does the trick this year.
I bought some good sized Brandywines plants so far. I’ve started my own seeds a few times, but I find when I can get plants as good as I have been getting it isn’t worth the effort to try and grow from seed.
I trim a lot of the non-flowering green branches especially if they are close to the ground. I’m going to try special tomato fertilizer this year as I have learned a couple of years ago that regular Miracle-Gro is the wrong stuff to use.
Many of my blossoms have dried up and dropped off…while others are bearing fruit. The plants themselves look very healthy.
Any ideas why some blossoms browned and dropped?
TIA!
Had a seemingly large number of those too, more than I can recall in the past. Don’t know why.
Most problems seem to be too much, too little, or inconsistent watering and the proper nourishment.
In addition to Miracle-Gro we have a dry vegetable fertilizer. I will check the percentages and name. Busy with a dry martini now. ![[whistle.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/87d24eb81ec6dc01d84f3d6c19fa9a357e90218e.gif "whistle"){kind=small}
Our plants that were doing poorly due to too little water have been replaced. The first large fruit on the German Johnson tomato plant, planted in April, is turning red. Now to harvest before the critters find it!
Nice heat spike over the last week or so…Plants have flowered and we are getting some nicely setting fruit. This year is shaping up to be far better than last year.
Keeping fingers crossed!
Cheers! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Marshall
Looks great there Nancy!
I do love this time of year. my plants are bursting with tons of flowers. Not too much longer I’ll be up to my neck in tomatoes. Looking forward to the salsa, BLTs and salads!
Harvested our first black krim yesterday. So savory. Caprese salad is back!
I still don’t understand why you can’t get tomatoes like this in the store.
Hybrid tomatoes planted in different soils and picked green so they don’t spoil during storage, shipping, more transporting and middle men to merchants. Most probably get tossed before going to a resto or home.
We are lucky to be able to give it a try with heirlooms and hybrids. So far two ripe tomatoes since April but lots of promise on the vines!
I started too late these year from seed. Should have started seedlings in Jan. 
two of my 4 plants are flowering now
One to two months to fruit! We have had three or four tomatoes so far. Very expensive, time consuming goodness.
First five blackberries, 3 ounces of blueberries and a half dozen zucchini and we are happy farmers.
Unfortunately I lost most of my strawberries to squirrels. like 20+…
I only got less than 5!