tomatoes

[skyhightree1]

Has anyone ever put pulverized lime around there tomatoes before or just pelletized?

 

[greybeard]

I put a bunch of broke up gypsum board around some 3 years ago--can't say it helped much tho, and my soil is in bad need of lime.

 

[skyhightree1]

Funny what gave you that idea. i just wondered if me using pulverized lime instead of pelletized lime may cause the plant to get too much lime and do something to it. I have tons of lime thats pulverized but no pelletized.

 

[101]

Skyhightree and others, is there a secret to all you folks raising tomatoes?? I can raise most anything garden wise but no tomatoes, mine do good it seems till full grown than slowly the leafs wilt, plant wiil flower but the tomatoes if they set will be hard soon spoil on the plant!! Thanks good luck 101

 

[ga.prime]

Has anyone ever put pulverized lime around there tomatoes before or just pelletized?

I have put both and they both work the same as far as I can tell. I always put the lime on before planting so it gets mixed into the soil somewhat.

 

[3waycross]

Skyhightree and others, is there a secret to all you folks raising tomatoes?? I can raise most anything garden wise but no tomatoes, mine do good it seems till full grown than slowly the leafs wilt, plant wiil flower but the tomatoes if they set will be hard soon spoil on the plant!! Thanks good luck 101

Sounds like the same "blight" i have had for the last 3 years. Mine die from the bottom up just as the top tomatoes start to mature

 

[skyhightree1]

Skyhightree and others, is there a secret to all you folks raising tomatoes?? I can raise most anything garden wise but no tomatoes, mine do good it seems till full grown than slowly the leafs wilt, plant wiil flower but the tomatoes if they set will be hard soon spoil on the plant!! Thanks good luck 101

I will have to put my lime down then cultivate it in with the fertilizer.
101 I have no special treatment but before my tomato plants bloom I use this spray for bugs and diseases and have had no issues I was getting tomatoes up until the end of november i think it was the first frost took them out. What kind of tomatoes do you plant 101 that type could be more prone to getting disease.

 

[greybeard]

Skyhightree and others, is there a secret to all you folks raising tomatoes?? I can raise most anything garden wise but no tomatoes, mine do good it seems till full grown than slowly the leafs wilt, plant wiil flower but the tomatoes if they set will be hard soon spoil on the plant!! Thanks good luck 101

I dunno--tomatos just seem to do good in my garden as long as I plant them in one of the areas with high potash. Maybe you can find the answers here (scroll down to the bottom 1/2 of the page)
http://www.tomatodirt.com/problems-on-tomatoes.html

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Here, I get blight if I don't add calcium -- plenty of it. So months before planting, I start collecting egg shells from the little cafe across the street from work. Then I crush 'em all up and put them right in the hole with the plant. Have not had problems since I started that routine.

 

[101]

Sorry to hear your having problems too 3waycross, Last year was the 3rd year in a row i've had problems hope you can get some help here also, skyhightree1 thanks, I picked up somw 10 10 10 fertilizer a while back, not sure if there is any lime in it will read to see, I had two different kinds one was Early Girl, not sure about the other, I will read more about the sets I use this year, thanks. Thanks greybeard for the web site ( looks like a lot of information there ) and your thoughts with potash, I did have my garden in two different spots thinking that would help, even had a tomatoe plant in a tub on our deck by it's self and it still did not produce, the leaves just start wilting, the plant seems to hang on most all growing season just looks terrible, if fruit sets on they are hard and light colored and don't ripen. Thanks Kathie in Thorp for your thoughts with calcuim using egg shells, I still want to plant a few tomatoe plants, just how much egg shells do you use when planting say 4 plants?? Thanks again for all the help and information, I need to do some more reading before time to plant here. 101

 

[skyhightree1]

I tend to only plant big boys or better boy tomatoes only. In my opinion they are more hardy and i dont have to stake them or anything .

 

[3waycross]

I tend to only plant big boys or better boy tomatoes only. In my opinion they are more hardy and i dont have to stake them or anything .

Planted 12 better boys 2 years ago. They all died the same week. Chest high and loaded with fruit :frowns:

 

[B&M Farms]

Tomatoes are prone to disease. Using the latest varieties offered by the seed companies that state high disease resitance. Rotating where you plant and using a systemic fungicide from fruit set will help also. Don't wait until you see the lower leaves on the plant turning yellow. If they start this before they have fruit made its too late. Tomato plants are going to disease up eventually you just want them to produce fruit first. Calcium deficiency can cause blight and blossom end rot. Blight when the soil is wet and blossom end rot in dry soil conditions. Too much nitrogen will water up the fruit but they do love a high potash fertilizer. Use lime according to soil test to get a neutral soil PH. My grandpa used to grow several acres to sale in Dallas. I guess I listened to him every now and then but I hated them long tomato rows.

 

[Jogeephus]

Here are a few things to cut back on disease; use resistant varieties, put a tbs of epson salt in each hole you plant tomatoes in, put down a mulch around the tomato to keep the rain from splashing dirt back on the tomato.

 

[3waycross]

Here are a few things to cut back on disease; use resistant varieties, put a tbs of epson salt in each hole you plant tomatoes in, put down a mulch around the tomato to keep the rain from splashing dirt back on the tomato.

Thanks Joe. I will try those tips. BTW the one about the mulch cracked me up. It hasn't rained that hard or that much here in many years.

 

[101]

Thanks B&M Farms, I have never gotten a soil test on our garden plot but will do so soon, the last one I got on some farm ground I needed help even understanding the results Ha Ha ! Our extension office am sure will help. Jogeephus thanks also for the epson salt and mulch idea, My mother years ago always put down straw around her plants also, I always thought it was to help retain the moisture under the plants, back then we carried the water buckets by hand, If I had to do that my garden would be pretty small !! Thanks all for the help again. 101

 

[Jogeephus]

The straw will help retain water but more importantly it will block the pathogen vector from the rainfall splash onto the plant. Many of your diseases are transferred in this manner. Newspaper with straw on top of it works well. The epson salt will end any blossom end rot and will also make your plants more cold hardy as well.

 

[B&M Farms]

The straw will help retain water but more importantly it will block the pathogen vector from the rainfall splash onto the plant. Many of your diseases are transferred in this manner. Newspaper with straw on top of it works well. The epson salt will end any blossom end rot and will also make your plants more cold hardy as well.

This is true. A barrier between the plant leaves and soil will help control disease.

 

[101]

Thanks much for th help!! 101