Growing Tomatoes

[FlickerOfLight]

Good afternoon, Rogue-Nation!

I’ve recently started growing my own food. My journey began with some flower seeds for the yard, and I’ve had great success with growing flowers. Since I’d never attempted growing anything from seed before, I bought a small setup and began planting seeds in soil. As the flowers sprouted and thrived in the yard, I decided to expand and try growing some of my own produce.

I started with cucumber and bell pepper seeds. The cucumber plant is doing great—it sprouted yesterday and already looks like a strong, healthy plant. The bell peppers, however, are still in the early stages with only small sprouts visible.

I also purchased a tomato plant. I placed it in a larger container and decided to experiment with a raised garden, mainly because of the rabbits and other wildlife around here.

The tomato plant, which I named "Ludell" after my grandmother (who grew the best tomatoes), seemed to thrive in its first week. However, I noticed some yellowing of the lower leaves. I suspect I may have overwatered it. Additionally, I realized I hadn’t added enough fertilizer when I repotted it. After adding a little fertilizer, Ludell bounced back for a day or two. However, today the leaves have brown edges and yellow spots.

I’ve done some research online and found many suggestions, including using soil test kits. However, I’d prefer to learn through the experience and wisdom of others who have more hands-on knowledge.

If any of you seasoned gardeners can offer advice on how to care for a tomato plant like Ludell, I would greatly appreciate it. My hope is to grow some tomatoes that would make my granny proud.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[Ninurta]

Fertilizing is a fairly delicate balance. The yellowed leaves indicate a lack of nitrogen, and the leaves with browning edges indicate a sort of nitrogen poisoning or over-fertilization.

I never fertilize anything when I transplant it. I give it a week or so to get acclimated before fertilizing it. That allows me to see what the soil already has in it, to know what the plant needs added.

For tomatoes, Miracle-Gro makes a fine fertilizer with a good balance of minerals for the plants. As an aside, Miracle-Gro tomato fertilizer also works well for cannabis in it's vegetative stage.

I use the sort of Miracle-Gro that is intended for the sprayer heads, but I don't use it in the intended way. Instead, I have an empty gallon plastic milk jug that I fill to about 90% to leave a little room, and put a scoop of the fertilizer in the water, cap it,and shake it up to a vibrant blue color. Depending on the plant type, a gallon of it will do probably 20 or 25 plants after they're set out into the ground. It doesn't take a lot.

Once a week is usually enough unless I notice some yellowing leaves, and then I switch to twice a week until it's all greened up again. No more than twice a week though, or they'll burn up.

Also realize that as the plant grows and ages, the lower leaves will naturally yellow and die as they come to the end of their life. They should be replaced with new, vigorous growth from the tips of the plants.

The only tomatoes I grew last year were "cherry" tomatoes, but I had a ton of them in the end. Bell peppers I've not had so much luck with. The biggest one I've been able to grow in the last couple years was about the size of a golf ball, not worth the effort.

I've been slack this year. So far, the only thing I've even gotten started is the Native Tobacco. The catnip is jumping out from the ruins of last year's plants, so I probably won't start any of it, as it seems to be taking off on it's own. I usually grow some basil every year too, but never use it, so I question the wisdom of even starting any this year. My sage bushes are not doing well, which I blame on their location, so I may start some new sage and pick a different place to site it. 

Corn and beans, I dunno. I'm not real big on sweet corn, and haven't got any dent or flint to try growing, so I may just live without it. I grew some butternut squash last year, but never figured out what you're supposed to do with it after you've picked it, so it went to waste - except I saved seed from it, just in case I figured out how to cook it.

I've got some Cherokee black beans, and some kind of white bean, but may try to get some other kind.

.

[FlickerOfLight]

Fertilizing is a fairly delicate balance. The yellowed leaves indicate a lack of nitrogen, and the leaves with browning edges indicate a sort of nitrogen poisoning or over-fertilization.

I never fertilize anything when I transplant it. I give it a week or so to get acclimated before fertilizing it. That allows me to see what the soil already has in it, to know what the plant needs added.

For tomatoes, Miracle-Gro makes a fine fertilizer with a good balance of minerals for the plants. As an aside, Miracle-Gro tomato fertilizer also works well for cannabis in it's vegetative stage.

I use the sort of Miracle-Gro that is intended for the sprayer heads, but I don't use it in the intended way. Instead, I have an empty gallon plastic milk jug that I fill to about 90% to leave a little room, and put a scoop of the fertilizer in the water, cap it,and shake it up to a vibrant blue color. Depending on the plant type, a gallon of it will do probably 20 or 25 plants after they're set out into the ground. It doesn't take a lot.

Once a week is usually enough unless I notice some yellowing leaves, and then I switch to twice a week until it's all greened up again. No more than twice a week though, or they'll burn up.

Also realize that as the plant grows and ages, the lower leaves will naturally yellow and die as they come to the end of their life. They should be replaced with new, vigorous growth from the tips of the plants.

The only tomatoes I grew last year were "cherry" tomatoes, but I had a ton of them in the end. Bell peppers I've not had so much luck with. The biggest one I've been able to grow in the last couple years was about the size of a golf ball, not worth the effort.

I've been slack this year. So far, the only thing I've even gotten started is the Native Tobacco. The catnip is jumping out from the ruins of last year's plants, so I probably won't start any of it, as it seems to be taking off on it's own. I usually grow some basil every year too, but never use it, so I question the wisdom of even starting any this year. My sage bushes are not doing well, which I blame on their location, so I may start some new sage and pick a different place to site it. 

Corn and beans, I dunno. I'm not real big on sweet corn, and haven't got any dent or flint to try growing, so I may just live without it. I grew some butternut squash last year, but never figured out what you're supposed to do with it after you've picked it, so it went to waste - except I saved seed from it, just in case I figured out how to cook it.

I've got some Cherokee black beans, and some kind of white bean, but may try to get some other kind.

.

The over fertilizing made the most sense in my case. As soon as I read that I went outside and scooped out a bunch of the fertilizer I had put on the top soil yesterday. I think that was burning the plant. I had planted it in this bucket over a week ago before I added fertilizer. I was trying to balance out that nitrogen deficiency. I must've over done it with the black cow. I wasn't sure what to use.
I also noticed my pot wasn't draining well at all. I poked a few more holes in it and a bunch of excess water came out.

It's nice and drained now, and I took out some of that excess fertilizer from the top soil that I had put there yesterday. I am going to go with Miracle-Gro, since I'm already stocked up on it. I had wondered if that would suffice for a tomato plants nutrients. I kept seeing low potassium as a possibility, but wasn't sure how to add potassium, without going to the store and buying more stuff. I'd like to think I can accomplish this with what I already have.

I think the soil heresocks, and is a part of the issue. I may repot with potting soil soon. Or, should I just leave it, and see how it does? I know changing pots can be tricky, but I wonder if I should fix that soil issue.

Beans sound interesting to grow. I can eat a whole mess of beans, so I thought about trying some green lime beans, or something. Maybe even some potatoes. Stuff I'd actually eat. If I can figure out this tomato plants I may upgrade to growing a lot of my own produce. I have a feeling this will be a valuable skill to obtain for the future. Plus, I'm tired of paying an arm and a leg for good veggies.

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

As nice as my sandy loam soil is here in the swamp, it is fairly poor. Likely due to the variety of trees and plant life here before I carved a garden out of it. I did great for fertilizer when I had chickens. Neutralize the poop with lime and it is ready to use, or leave it for a month to mellow out before using it. Great stuff, better than cow poop. I have a nice big mulch pile, but I need to get chickens again.

I began to use commercial fertilizer after that, and it became an addiction to the soil. I'd rather find natural sustainable organic ways to condition the soil and have it improve over time than inject it with nitrogen every week as a temporary fix when the plants start getting the Jones for more.

[FlickerOfLight]

As nice as my sandy loam soil is here in the swamp, it is fairly poor. Likely due to the variety of trees and plant life here before I carved a garden out of it. I did great for fertilizer when I had chickens. Neutralize the poop with lime and it is ready to use, or leave it for a month to mellow out before using it. Great stuff, better than cow poop. I have a nice big mulch pile, but I need to get chickens again.

I began to use commercial fertilizer after that, and it became an addiction to the soil. I'd rather find natural sustainable organic ways to condition the soil and have it improve over time than inject it with nitrogen every week as a temporary fix when the plants start getting the Jones for more.

The organic compost is what I was wanting to lean towards. My idea was to figure out how to do all this with what I already had. I know my granny didn't go out and buy fertilizer all those years she was growing her tomatoes. She used something she already had to feed the plants. I'm just not sure of how she did it. I wished I had paid more attention when I was growing up, and had learned her secrets to growing food.

It rained here the last couple of days. Apparently the rain itself has some natural elements to it that feed the plant; beyond ordinary tap water (something I read somewhere). Today I woke up to a very healthy looking tomato plant. There is barely any yellowing, the leaves and stems are nice and buoyant. The little bit of brown around the one leaf hasn't spread or gotten any worse.

I have a bunch of flower pods formed on the plant. About 8 flowers in all. This morning 3 of then were opened to the little yellow flowers. I'm told the tomatoes will come soon after the yellow flowers start to bloom.

I'm hoping to see some tomato production soon.

I think taking out some of that fertilizer made a big difference. Next time I won't add so much so quickly. 

For now "Ludell" looks great.