Plan your garden now.

[Muhammed]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

 

[Pogo]

Sometimes. I kinda took last year off, maybe will pick it up again this Spring.

 

[S.J.]

Sometimes. I kinda took last year off, maybe will pick it up again this Spring.

Giving up knitting?

 

[Dekster]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

Yes. I will be starting some tomatoes in about another week or two even though I have very mixed results growing them from seed.

 

[Pogo]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

Yes. I will be starting some tomatoes in about another week or two even though I have very mixed results growing them from seed.

Some of my relations do that but it's too much work for me, plus I'm not home enough to nurse them along. I'll get seedlings.

That's one thing I generally grow whether I have a garden tilled or not. Last year I kept 'em in pots. They did well.

 

[Dekster]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

Yes. I will be starting some tomatoes in about another week or two even though I have very mixed results growing them from seed.

Some of my relations do that but it's too much work for me, plus I'm not home enough to nurse them along. I'll get seedlings.

That's one thing I generally grow whether I have a garden tilled or not. Last year I kept 'em in pots. They did well.

I have been trying to grow tomatoes in pots since I was a kid. They just never do as well as in the ground for me. On the seedlings, it has been hit or miss. I have been doing it since I was about 12 and I have only had one year where they did super from seedling. I keep a good routine of care, but some years they are doing well and in the matter of a few days I will lose almost every one. Not sure what it is unless it is because I do not use a warming pad under them.

 

[Pogo]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

Yes. I will be starting some tomatoes in about another week or two even though I have very mixed results growing them from seed.

Some of my relations do that but it's too much work for me, plus I'm not home enough to nurse them along. I'll get seedlings.

That's one thing I generally grow whether I have a garden tilled or not. Last year I kept 'em in pots. They did well.

I have been trying to grow tomatoes in pots since I was a kid. They just never do as well as in the ground for me. On the seedlings, it has been hit or miss. I have been doing it since I was about 12 and I have only had one year where they did super from seedling. I keep a good routine of care, but some years they are doing well and in the matter of a few days I will lose almost every one. Not sure what it is unless it is because I do not use a warming pad under them.

Lose them to what? Fungus? Just failure to thrive?

I never use any kind of warming pad. I just make sure they get enough water, re-pot into bigger containers as they need, and fertilize them. Tomato Tone is a good product. They seem to like fish emulsion too.

 

[Politico]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

Yes and there is no 'time to sew'. You plant gardens all year round.

 

[Dekster]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

Yes. I will be starting some tomatoes in about another week or two even though I have very mixed results growing them from seed.

Some of my relations do that but it's too much work for me, plus I'm not home enough to nurse them along. I'll get seedlings.

That's one thing I generally grow whether I have a garden tilled or not. Last year I kept 'em in pots. They did well.

I have been trying to grow tomatoes in pots since I was a kid. They just never do as well as in the ground for me. On the seedlings, it has been hit or miss. I have been doing it since I was about 12 and I have only had one year where they did super from seedling. I keep a good routine of care, but some years they are doing well and in the matter of a few days I will lose almost every one. Not sure what it is unless it is because I do not use a warming pad under them.

Lose them to what? Fungus? Just failure to thrive?

I never use any kind of warming pad. I just make sure they get enough water, re-pot into bigger containers as they need, and fertilize them. Tomato Tone is a good product. They seem to like fish emulsion too.

No clue. They just start keeling over.

 

[Dekster]

Potatoes, cabbage and peanuts produce the most calories per 100 sq. feet of garden space of common crops, but corn and dried beans produce the most calories per pound, so plan your gardens accordingly.

 

[Pogo]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

Yes. I will be starting some tomatoes in about another week or two even though I have very mixed results growing them from seed.

Some of my relations do that but it's too much work for me, plus I'm not home enough to nurse them along. I'll get seedlings.

That's one thing I generally grow whether I have a garden tilled or not. Last year I kept 'em in pots. They did well.

I have been trying to grow tomatoes in pots since I was a kid. They just never do as well as in the ground for me. On the seedlings, it has been hit or miss. I have been doing it since I was about 12 and I have only had one year where they did super from seedling. I keep a good routine of care, but some years they are doing well and in the matter of a few days I will lose almost every one. Not sure what it is unless it is because I do not use a warming pad under them.

Lose them to what? Fungus? Just failure to thrive?

I never use any kind of warming pad. I just make sure they get enough water, re-pot into bigger containers as they need, and fertilize them. Tomato Tone is a good product. They seem to like fish emulsion too.

No clue. They just start keeling over.

No black rot spots?
Are they getting enough water? They drink a lot you know.

Tomatoes really aren't that hard -- they almost grow themselves as long as they have enough to drink. The only problems I've had here has been when it rained incessantly several days in a row and they got fungus. But that's easy to see happening.

They need all the sun you can give 'em too. I don't have a lot of sun here but I moved them around to follow the sun through the day when I was home and had them potted. They lived well into November.

What about your seed source? Have you tried another source?
I'm very particular about seeds but it's mostly to avoid any chance of Frankenseeds (GMO).

 

[Dekster]

Yes. I will be starting some tomatoes in about another week or two even though I have very mixed results growing them from seed.

Some of my relations do that but it's too much work for me, plus I'm not home enough to nurse them along. I'll get seedlings.

That's one thing I generally grow whether I have a garden tilled or not. Last year I kept 'em in pots. They did well.

I have been trying to grow tomatoes in pots since I was a kid. They just never do as well as in the ground for me. On the seedlings, it has been hit or miss. I have been doing it since I was about 12 and I have only had one year where they did super from seedling. I keep a good routine of care, but some years they are doing well and in the matter of a few days I will lose almost every one. Not sure what it is unless it is because I do not use a warming pad under them.

Lose them to what? Fungus? Just failure to thrive?

I never use any kind of warming pad. I just make sure they get enough water, re-pot into bigger containers as they need, and fertilize them. Tomato Tone is a good product. They seem to like fish emulsion too.

No clue. They just start keeling over.

No black rot spots?
Are they getting enough water? They drink a lot you know.

Tomatoes really aren't that hard -- they almost grow themselves as long as they have enough to drink. The only problems I've had here has been when it rained incessantly several days in a row and they got fungus. But that's easy to see happening.

They need all the sun you can give 'em too. I don't have a lot of sun here but I moved them around to follow the sun through the day when I was home and had them potted. They lived well into November.

What about your seed source? Have you tried another source?
I'm very particular about seeds but it's mostly to avoid any chance of Frankenseeds (GMO).

Two different issues:

I am mostly talking about starting seedlings inside that I plant outside when the weather warms. I have a baker's rake with grow lights above each shelf. I can usually get the seedlings to start and I keep them watered, but some years they just all start dying in mass and I end up buying tomato plants from the feed & seed. I have no idea why it happens but when it does, it usually happens about the time the leaves start to get their form to them. The only real problems I have with the plants that are planted in the ground itself have come in the form of deer as I used to not cage them as soon as I plant them (but now do), fruit busting open when we have had a lot of dry weather and then a lot of rain, and once my dog walked down a row behind me pulling up all the plants I had planted and broke the stems on most of them off.

As for pots, I have tried growing tomatoes in pots during the growing season outside in addition to those I plant in the ground. They are usually the extras I have after I run out of row space in the garden and do not feel like tilling any more to create more space. They end up leggy and do not produce much no matter how well I tend to them.

 

[Pogo]

Some of my relations do that but it's too much work for me, plus I'm not home enough to nurse them along. I'll get seedlings.

That's one thing I generally grow whether I have a garden tilled or not. Last year I kept 'em in pots. They did well.

I have been trying to grow tomatoes in pots since I was a kid. They just never do as well as in the ground for me. On the seedlings, it has been hit or miss. I have been doing it since I was about 12 and I have only had one year where they did super from seedling. I keep a good routine of care, but some years they are doing well and in the matter of a few days I will lose almost every one. Not sure what it is unless it is because I do not use a warming pad under them.

Lose them to what? Fungus? Just failure to thrive?

I never use any kind of warming pad. I just make sure they get enough water, re-pot into bigger containers as they need, and fertilize them. Tomato Tone is a good product. They seem to like fish emulsion too.

No clue. They just start keeling over.

No black rot spots?
Are they getting enough water? They drink a lot you know.

Tomatoes really aren't that hard -- they almost grow themselves as long as they have enough to drink. The only problems I've had here has been when it rained incessantly several days in a row and they got fungus. But that's easy to see happening.

They need all the sun you can give 'em too. I don't have a lot of sun here but I moved them around to follow the sun through the day when I was home and had them potted. They lived well into November.

What about your seed source? Have you tried another source?
I'm very particular about seeds but it's mostly to avoid any chance of Frankenseeds (GMO).

Two different issues:

I am mostly talking about starting seedlings inside that I plant outside when the weather warms. I have a baker's rake with grow lights above each shelf. I can usually get the seedlings to start and I keep them watered, but some years they just all start dying in mass and I end up buying tomato plants from the feed & seed. I have no idea why it happens but when it does, it usually happens about the time the leaves start to get their form to them. The only real problems I have with the plants that are planted in the ground itself have come in the form of deer as I used to not cage them as soon as I plant them (but now do), fruit busting open when we have had a lot of dry weather and then a lot of rain, and once my dog walked down a row behind me pulling up all the plants I had planted and broke the stems on most of them off.

As for pots, I have tried growing tomatoes in pots during the growing season outside in addition to those I plant in the ground. They are usually the extras I have after I run out of row space in the garden and do not feel like tilling any more to create more space. They end up leggy and do not produce much no matter how well I tend to them.

Ah so it's your seedlings that are dropping. I don't grow from seedlings (not tomatoes anyway). No idea there. That's part of why I buy seedlings (small plants a few inches tall) and go from there -- they're already past that stage. That, plus I just don't have the time.

The "leggy" plants that don't produce much does sound like a fertilizer issue. If you use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer you'll prolly get good foliage and not much fruit -- which may be OK for starting them to grow but after that you want fruit, not foliage. That's why I like Tomato Tone (3-4-6) -- it's formulated more for fruiting than just simply growing. Mine seem to like the occasional shot of fish emulsion too. They also like a slightly acidic soil (6.2 to 6.7 or so), which is a given around here but you might want to make sure you're in that range.

 

[Dekster]

I have been trying to grow tomatoes in pots since I was a kid. They just never do as well as in the ground for me. On the seedlings, it has been hit or miss. I have been doing it since I was about 12 and I have only had one year where they did super from seedling. I keep a good routine of care, but some years they are doing well and in the matter of a few days I will lose almost every one. Not sure what it is unless it is because I do not use a warming pad under them.

Lose them to what? Fungus? Just failure to thrive?

I never use any kind of warming pad. I just make sure they get enough water, re-pot into bigger containers as they need, and fertilize them. Tomato Tone is a good product. They seem to like fish emulsion too.

No clue. They just start keeling over.

No black rot spots?
Are they getting enough water? They drink a lot you know.

Tomatoes really aren't that hard -- they almost grow themselves as long as they have enough to drink. The only problems I've had here has been when it rained incessantly several days in a row and they got fungus. But that's easy to see happening.

They need all the sun you can give 'em too. I don't have a lot of sun here but I moved them around to follow the sun through the day when I was home and had them potted. They lived well into November.

What about your seed source? Have you tried another source?
I'm very particular about seeds but it's mostly to avoid any chance of Frankenseeds (GMO).

Two different issues:

I am mostly talking about starting seedlings inside that I plant outside when the weather warms. I have a baker's rake with grow lights above each shelf. I can usually get the seedlings to start and I keep them watered, but some years they just all start dying in mass and I end up buying tomato plants from the feed & seed. I have no idea why it happens but when it does, it usually happens about the time the leaves start to get their form to them. The only real problems I have with the plants that are planted in the ground itself have come in the form of deer as I used to not cage them as soon as I plant them (but now do), fruit busting open when we have had a lot of dry weather and then a lot of rain, and once my dog walked down a row behind me pulling up all the plants I had planted and broke the stems on most of them off.

As for pots, I have tried growing tomatoes in pots during the growing season outside in addition to those I plant in the ground. They are usually the extras I have after I run out of row space in the garden and do not feel like tilling any more to create more space. They end up leggy and do not produce much no matter how well I tend to them.

Ah so it's your seedlings that are dropping. I don't grow from seedlings (not tomatoes anyway). No idea there. That's part of why I buy seedlings (small plants a few inches tall) and go from there -- they're already past that stage. That, plus I just don't have the time.

The "leggy" plants that don't produce much does sound like a fertilizer issue. If you use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer you'll prolly get good foliage and not much fruit -- which may be OK for starting them to grow but after that you want fruit, not foliage. That's why I like Tomato Tone (3-4-6) -- it's formulated more for fruiting than just simply growing. Mine seem to like the occasional shot of fish emulsion too. They also like a slightly acidic soil (6.2 to 6.7 or so), which is a given around here but you might want to make sure you're in that range.

The ones in the pots I usually used Miracle grow dirt with the moisture control and miracle grow fertilizer maybe once or twice a season which is usually what I do with the in ground ones too. As for the actual ground soil, no worries about the ph--I live in red clay country. If there is one thing that can be said about our soil, it is that it is plenty acidic

 

[Pogo]

Lose them to what? Fungus? Just failure to thrive?

I never use any kind of warming pad. I just make sure they get enough water, re-pot into bigger containers as they need, and fertilize them. Tomato Tone is a good product. They seem to like fish emulsion too.

No clue. They just start keeling over.

No black rot spots?
Are they getting enough water? They drink a lot you know.

Tomatoes really aren't that hard -- they almost grow themselves as long as they have enough to drink. The only problems I've had here has been when it rained incessantly several days in a row and they got fungus. But that's easy to see happening.

They need all the sun you can give 'em too. I don't have a lot of sun here but I moved them around to follow the sun through the day when I was home and had them potted. They lived well into November.

What about your seed source? Have you tried another source?
I'm very particular about seeds but it's mostly to avoid any chance of Frankenseeds (GMO).

Two different issues:

I am mostly talking about starting seedlings inside that I plant outside when the weather warms. I have a baker's rake with grow lights above each shelf. I can usually get the seedlings to start and I keep them watered, but some years they just all start dying in mass and I end up buying tomato plants from the feed & seed. I have no idea why it happens but when it does, it usually happens about the time the leaves start to get their form to them. The only real problems I have with the plants that are planted in the ground itself have come in the form of deer as I used to not cage them as soon as I plant them (but now do), fruit busting open when we have had a lot of dry weather and then a lot of rain, and once my dog walked down a row behind me pulling up all the plants I had planted and broke the stems on most of them off.

As for pots, I have tried growing tomatoes in pots during the growing season outside in addition to those I plant in the ground. They are usually the extras I have after I run out of row space in the garden and do not feel like tilling any more to create more space. They end up leggy and do not produce much no matter how well I tend to them.

Ah so it's your seedlings that are dropping. I don't grow from seedlings (not tomatoes anyway). No idea there. That's part of why I buy seedlings (small plants a few inches tall) and go from there -- they're already past that stage. That, plus I just don't have the time.

The "leggy" plants that don't produce much does sound like a fertilizer issue. If you use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer you'll prolly get good foliage and not much fruit -- which may be OK for starting them to grow but after that you want fruit, not foliage. That's why I like Tomato Tone (3-4-6) -- it's formulated more for fruiting than just simply growing. Mine seem to like the occasional shot of fish emulsion too. They also like a slightly acidic soil (6.2 to 6.7 or so), which is a given around here but you might want to make sure you're in that range.

The ones in the pots I usually used Miracle grow dirt with the moisture control and miracle grow fertilizer maybe once or twice a season which is usually what I do with the in ground ones too. As for the actual ground soil, no worries about the ph--I live in red clay country. If there is one thing that can be said about our soil, it is that it is plenty acidic

Ah, well you must be in Carolina too, or nearby. Yeah our soil is fine. I have rhodies and blackberries out the wazoo here.

I would bet the Miracle Gro is your problem. It's a generic food for houseplants and such, not suited for fruiting tomatoes, and that's why I specify Tomato Tone (or something similar formulated for tomatoes). More food for fruiting and less for growing up and out. And of course prune off the branches and suckers that aren't doing anything productive. Miracle Gro I believe is something over 20 in nitrogen, and that's an awful lot to be giving tomatoes -- it's gonna produce leaves and not fruit. Gotta watch that.

I gotta say, I don't use any special soil, just what's in the ground minus the rocks. But I do feed them, especially if they're potted, at least once every few weeks, with it. Along with the occasional fish emulsion.

 

[Esmeralda]

No clue. They just start keeling over.

No black rot spots?
Are they getting enough water? They drink a lot you know.

Tomatoes really aren't that hard -- they almost grow themselves as long as they have enough to drink. The only problems I've had here has been when it rained incessantly several days in a row and they got fungus. But that's easy to see happening.

They need all the sun you can give 'em too. I don't have a lot of sun here but I moved them around to follow the sun through the day when I was home and had them potted. They lived well into November.

What about your seed source? Have you tried another source?
I'm very particular about seeds but it's mostly to avoid any chance of Frankenseeds (GMO).

Two different issues:

I am mostly talking about starting seedlings inside that I plant outside when the weather warms. I have a baker's rake with grow lights above each shelf. I can usually get the seedlings to start and I keep them watered, but some years they just all start dying in mass and I end up buying tomato plants from the feed & seed. I have no idea why it happens but when it does, it usually happens about the time the leaves start to get their form to them. The only real problems I have with the plants that are planted in the ground itself have come in the form of deer as I used to not cage them as soon as I plant them (but now do), fruit busting open when we have had a lot of dry weather and then a lot of rain, and once my dog walked down a row behind me pulling up all the plants I had planted and broke the stems on most of them off.

As for pots, I have tried growing tomatoes in pots during the growing season outside in addition to those I plant in the ground. They are usually the extras I have after I run out of row space in the garden and do not feel like tilling any more to create more space. They end up leggy and do not produce much no matter how well I tend to them.

Ah so it's your seedlings that are dropping. I don't grow from seedlings (not tomatoes anyway). No idea there. That's part of why I buy seedlings (small plants a few inches tall) and go from there -- they're already past that stage. That, plus I just don't have the time.

The "leggy" plants that don't produce much does sound like a fertilizer issue. If you use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer you'll prolly get good foliage and not much fruit -- which may be OK for starting them to grow but after that you want fruit, not foliage. That's why I like Tomato Tone (3-4-6) -- it's formulated more for fruiting than just simply growing. Mine seem to like the occasional shot of fish emulsion too. They also like a slightly acidic soil (6.2 to 6.7 or so), which is a given around here but you might want to make sure you're in that range.

The ones in the pots I usually used Miracle grow dirt with the moisture control and miracle grow fertilizer maybe once or twice a season which is usually what I do with the in ground ones too. As for the actual ground soil, no worries about the ph--I live in red clay country. If there is one thing that can be said about our soil, it is that it is plenty acidic

Ah, well you must be in Carolina too, or nearby. Yeah our soil is fine. I have rhodies and blackberries out the wazoo here.

I would bet the Miracle Gro is your problem. It's a generic food for houseplants and such, not suited for fruiting tomatoes, and that's why I specify Tomato Tone (or something similar formulated for tomatoes). More food for fruiting and less for growing up and out. And of course prune off the branches and suckers that aren't doing anything productive. Miracle Gro I believe is something over 20 in nitrogen, and that's an awful lot to be giving tomatoes -- it's gonna produce leaves and not fruit. Gotta watch that.

I gotta say, I don't use any special soil, just what's in the ground minus the rocks. But I do feed them, especially if they're potted, at least once every few weeks, with it. Along with the occasional fish emulsion.

If you use fish fertilizer, doesn't your cat nibble on the plants? Mine did.

 

[Pogo]

No black rot spots?
Are they getting enough water? They drink a lot you know.

Tomatoes really aren't that hard -- they almost grow themselves as long as they have enough to drink. The only problems I've had here has been when it rained incessantly several days in a row and they got fungus. But that's easy to see happening.

They need all the sun you can give 'em too. I don't have a lot of sun here but I moved them around to follow the sun through the day when I was home and had them potted. They lived well into November.

What about your seed source? Have you tried another source?
I'm very particular about seeds but it's mostly to avoid any chance of Frankenseeds (GMO).

Two different issues:

I am mostly talking about starting seedlings inside that I plant outside when the weather warms. I have a baker's rake with grow lights above each shelf. I can usually get the seedlings to start and I keep them watered, but some years they just all start dying in mass and I end up buying tomato plants from the feed & seed. I have no idea why it happens but when it does, it usually happens about the time the leaves start to get their form to them. The only real problems I have with the plants that are planted in the ground itself have come in the form of deer as I used to not cage them as soon as I plant them (but now do), fruit busting open when we have had a lot of dry weather and then a lot of rain, and once my dog walked down a row behind me pulling up all the plants I had planted and broke the stems on most of them off.

As for pots, I have tried growing tomatoes in pots during the growing season outside in addition to those I plant in the ground. They are usually the extras I have after I run out of row space in the garden and do not feel like tilling any more to create more space. They end up leggy and do not produce much no matter how well I tend to them.

Ah so it's your seedlings that are dropping. I don't grow from seedlings (not tomatoes anyway). No idea there. That's part of why I buy seedlings (small plants a few inches tall) and go from there -- they're already past that stage. That, plus I just don't have the time.

The "leggy" plants that don't produce much does sound like a fertilizer issue. If you use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer you'll prolly get good foliage and not much fruit -- which may be OK for starting them to grow but after that you want fruit, not foliage. That's why I like Tomato Tone (3-4-6) -- it's formulated more for fruiting than just simply growing. Mine seem to like the occasional shot of fish emulsion too. They also like a slightly acidic soil (6.2 to 6.7 or so), which is a given around here but you might want to make sure you're in that range.

The ones in the pots I usually used Miracle grow dirt with the moisture control and miracle grow fertilizer maybe once or twice a season which is usually what I do with the in ground ones too. As for the actual ground soil, no worries about the ph--I live in red clay country. If there is one thing that can be said about our soil, it is that it is plenty acidic

Ah, well you must be in Carolina too, or nearby. Yeah our soil is fine. I have rhodies and blackberries out the wazoo here.

I would bet the Miracle Gro is your problem. It's a generic food for houseplants and such, not suited for fruiting tomatoes, and that's why I specify Tomato Tone (or something similar formulated for tomatoes). More food for fruiting and less for growing up and out. And of course prune off the branches and suckers that aren't doing anything productive. Miracle Gro I believe is something over 20 in nitrogen, and that's an awful lot to be giving tomatoes -- it's gonna produce leaves and not fruit. Gotta watch that.

I gotta say, I don't use any special soil, just what's in the ground minus the rocks. But I do feed them, especially if they're potted, at least once every few weeks, with it. Along with the occasional fish emulsion.

If you use fish fertilizer, doesn't your cat nibble on the plants? Mine did.

I actually haven't had Hobbes and a garden in the same season. Last year I didn't do a garden, only grew some tomatoes in pots. Hobbes paid no attention to them, but the fish emulsion does draw flies. It stinks.

 

[Esmeralda]

Two different issues:

I am mostly talking about starting seedlings inside that I plant outside when the weather warms. I have a baker's rake with grow lights above each shelf. I can usually get the seedlings to start and I keep them watered, but some years they just all start dying in mass and I end up buying tomato plants from the feed & seed. I have no idea why it happens but when it does, it usually happens about the time the leaves start to get their form to them. The only real problems I have with the plants that are planted in the ground itself have come in the form of deer as I used to not cage them as soon as I plant them (but now do), fruit busting open when we have had a lot of dry weather and then a lot of rain, and once my dog walked down a row behind me pulling up all the plants I had planted and broke the stems on most of them off.

As for pots, I have tried growing tomatoes in pots during the growing season outside in addition to those I plant in the ground. They are usually the extras I have after I run out of row space in the garden and do not feel like tilling any more to create more space. They end up leggy and do not produce much no matter how well I tend to them.

Ah so it's your seedlings that are dropping. I don't grow from seedlings (not tomatoes anyway). No idea there. That's part of why I buy seedlings (small plants a few inches tall) and go from there -- they're already past that stage. That, plus I just don't have the time.

The "leggy" plants that don't produce much does sound like a fertilizer issue. If you use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer you'll prolly get good foliage and not much fruit -- which may be OK for starting them to grow but after that you want fruit, not foliage. That's why I like Tomato Tone (3-4-6) -- it's formulated more for fruiting than just simply growing. Mine seem to like the occasional shot of fish emulsion too. They also like a slightly acidic soil (6.2 to 6.7 or so), which is a given around here but you might want to make sure you're in that range.

The ones in the pots I usually used Miracle grow dirt with the moisture control and miracle grow fertilizer maybe once or twice a season which is usually what I do with the in ground ones too. As for the actual ground soil, no worries about the ph--I live in red clay country. If there is one thing that can be said about our soil, it is that it is plenty acidic

Ah, well you must be in Carolina too, or nearby. Yeah our soil is fine. I have rhodies and blackberries out the wazoo here.

I would bet the Miracle Gro is your problem. It's a generic food for houseplants and such, not suited for fruiting tomatoes, and that's why I specify Tomato Tone (or something similar formulated for tomatoes). More food for fruiting and less for growing up and out. And of course prune off the branches and suckers that aren't doing anything productive. Miracle Gro I believe is something over 20 in nitrogen, and that's an awful lot to be giving tomatoes -- it's gonna produce leaves and not fruit. Gotta watch that.

I gotta say, I don't use any special soil, just what's in the ground minus the rocks. But I do feed them, especially if they're potted, at least once every few weeks, with it. Along with the occasional fish emulsion.

If you use fish fertilizer, doesn't your cat nibble on the plants? Mine did.

I actually haven't had Hobbes and a garden in the same season. Last year I didn't do a garden, only grew some tomatoes in pots. Hobbes paid no attention to them, but the fish emulsion does draw flies. It stinks.

As I remember it, going back in time, when I had both indoor plants and a cat, the cat would nibble on my plants if I used fish emulsion. I had Kirby and an outdoor garden at the same time for about 3 years, but I didn't use fish emulsion knowing it could be a problem. I used steer manure and compost. I sure miss my little house and kitchen garden, and the Kirb and his Labrador big sis.

 

[Dekster]

Ah so it's your seedlings that are dropping. I don't grow from seedlings (not tomatoes anyway). No idea there. That's part of why I buy seedlings (small plants a few inches tall) and go from there -- they're already past that stage. That, plus I just don't have the time.

The "leggy" plants that don't produce much does sound like a fertilizer issue. If you use general-purpose houseplant fertilizer you'll prolly get good foliage and not much fruit -- which may be OK for starting them to grow but after that you want fruit, not foliage. That's why I like Tomato Tone (3-4-6) -- it's formulated more for fruiting than just simply growing. Mine seem to like the occasional shot of fish emulsion too. They also like a slightly acidic soil (6.2 to 6.7 or so), which is a given around here but you might want to make sure you're in that range.

The ones in the pots I usually used Miracle grow dirt with the moisture control and miracle grow fertilizer maybe once or twice a season which is usually what I do with the in ground ones too. As for the actual ground soil, no worries about the ph--I live in red clay country. If there is one thing that can be said about our soil, it is that it is plenty acidic

Ah, well you must be in Carolina too, or nearby. Yeah our soil is fine. I have rhodies and blackberries out the wazoo here.

I would bet the Miracle Gro is your problem. It's a generic food for houseplants and such, not suited for fruiting tomatoes, and that's why I specify Tomato Tone (or something similar formulated for tomatoes). More food for fruiting and less for growing up and out. And of course prune off the branches and suckers that aren't doing anything productive. Miracle Gro I believe is something over 20 in nitrogen, and that's an awful lot to be giving tomatoes -- it's gonna produce leaves and not fruit. Gotta watch that.

I gotta say, I don't use any special soil, just what's in the ground minus the rocks. But I do feed them, especially if they're potted, at least once every few weeks, with it. Along with the occasional fish emulsion.

If you use fish fertilizer, doesn't your cat nibble on the plants? Mine did.

I actually haven't had Hobbes and a garden in the same season. Last year I didn't do a garden, only grew some tomatoes in pots. Hobbes paid no attention to them, but the fish emulsion does draw flies. It stinks.

As I remember it, going back in time, when I had both indoor plants and a cat, the cat would nibble on my plants if I used fish emulsion. I had Kirby and an outdoor garden at the same time for about 3 years, but I didn't use fish emulsion knowing it could be a problem. I used steer manure and compost. I sure miss my little house and kitchen garden, and the Kirb and his Labrador big sis.

I really need to get truck so I can get some manure.

 

[Moonglow]

I mean it. I know it is several months until it's time to sew, so this is prime planning time.

Anyone here grow their own gardens?

My garden has already been sewn for months...