Im wanting to grow some booner maters this year and I DO NOT HAVE A GREEN THUMB…...Any advice would be greatly appreciated…My dad told me to sprinkle epson salt around them once a week,,,followed by miracle grow????Anyone ever hear of this?
Fertilizer is good, and I don’t really have any advice about that beyond use it according to directions. Tomatoes take way more water than you’d think—water heavily daily, and do it consistently, otherwise they can start to split. Pull out the weeds too, as they will steel nutrients.
The type of tommy toe you plant makes a big difference, you will not get huge ones out of early girls or better boys. You need to go with either the beefsteak or just check when buying that they are a large type. Going to a good farmer’s market type seller instead of Lowe’s you are more likely to find a larger growing tomatoe. I have heard about Epson salt but I don’t use it, I use 12-12-12 and lime my garden when I till it in the spring and I do use Miracle Grow. I also believe that you can over water them, I will say that the hotter and dryer the year the better the fruit, more firm, better tasting. I also don’t put anything around my plants at the base, you see people putting grass clippings, straw, mulch around them. This does help keep weeds out and moister in, but then in summer you have to start watering because the roots have not gone down into the ground like they should and then you get back to not having good fruit because of to much water. They are few older retired guys in my town that goes along pretty much with what I do and they have forgot more about gardening than I know. And to just brag a little I do have a lot of poeple drive by to just look at my garden
A few more things, I do use the PREEN weed control on my garden and do like the instructions say. Plant your tomatoes then sprinkle the Preen and then water your new plants. I have been useing this for about the past 5-6 years and I think this stuff is a God send, (sorry to all the organic gardners). Also when the tomatoes start to bloom, make sure they have some size to the plants, blooming when they are still small can take a lot away from the plant growth which in the end will affect the amount of fruit you will end up getting, I usually don’t let the blooms stay on mine till the plant is about 18-24 inches tall. Do put some type of wires around your plants to help keep the fruit off the ground, this will help them from rotting quicker when they ripen. Buying the tomatoe wires from most stores are OK but buy some type of post or stake to wire them to so they won’t fall over from the weight of the plant and fruit. What I have done was buy a roll of wire fencing 3 ft tall, made my own cage then took 2 of them and wired them together, end to end. Making sure that the smaller squares were on the top and bottom of the cage to make picking easier. Then putting a steal post in the ground, putting the wire over the plant and wiring the cage to the post. And yes most of my plants do grow to 6 ft tall producing fruit from top to bottom. And if your 1st couple of tomatoes that ripen have bad spots on them, usually on the bottom, don’t fret. We call it vine rot but the rest of them should be OK and the ones that do get this just cut it out they will be OK to eat.
Another thing, when you plant, plant 3/4 of the plant below the soil level (it says this on the instructions that come on most commercially purchased plants). I think the vine turns into root, and can get more nutrients and water.
The way I get a way from using PREEN and other chemicals is to put black plastic down and cut holes were u put your plants. after you water them or it rains just go around and poke holes so the water can drain into the soil. NO WEEDS. Do not fertilize untill after your plants bloom.
I prefer the semi-indeterminate vines myself…ha
Berlin made a good point about the variety of plant you choose,if you’re interested in just growing big fruit.Myself I have only grown one type in the past 5 years…I love those little plum cluster Juliets.They produce alot of fruit and have alot of great flavor.
In watering,I believe you can water too much if you don’t have good drainage,possible root rot? But if the plants don’t get some kind of a regular watering and you get a surge of rain or excess amount of sudden watering,it can cause the mato’s to split.
Big fan of miracle grow, and of course proper staking.Question about growing big tomatoes..what about topping the plant and removing some blooms?Would that help force the plant to grow bigger fruit…anyone?
Also not a big fan of adding chemicals to control weeds,but I also only have a small garden.I can just pull weeds by hand while out checking the plants.Get enough of chemicals from the grocery store.
tw67 as stated in one of the comments I pull blooms till the plants are a good size and then when they start producing fruit to my likeness I trim off all the branches a few inches above last fruit. I usually have awesome maters (I think).
Many useful tips on home gardening. I tried numerous Heirloom plants this year (tomatoes and pepper). Ill see if they give better vegetables this summer?
Hey Coon,had to do a quick search on that seacide.That stuff does sound interesting,might have to pick up a bottle to try it out. I will also check out the epson salt alittle bit more,since a couple of you folks added it.As far as the fish emulsion,I’ve been tilling in fish heads and such into my garden during the off season for years.
good stuff guys….thanks
