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Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to try growing an upside down tomato plant, and being frugal, I made a planter out of a five gallon bucket It isn't as fancy, but why spend $20 if you have the parts?.
It has been outside for two weeks now, and is getting stronger, but there is one thing that I noticed; The main stem/stalk/trunk of the plant has started growing up, and I am assuming that after it sets fruit and they begin to grow, the stalk will grow downwards.
Which leads me to this thought/questions:
If the stalk is growing up, even though it is facing down, are the roots growing down, even though they are facing up??? Sounds almost like a paradox.
Would this add stress to the plant?
I also decided to put it up on an old pool deck, so if it starts to really grow I'll have enough support to just drape, and tie it around the deck.
As an ongoing project I'll update on an irregular schedule, maybe every two weeks.
Subject is a "Better Boy" started 042809........KUXJ
Your so funny
I will take a picture of my S.F. FOG tag when it gets light out again, but I have 16 people coming for dinner tomorrow, so it might be Sunday morning when it's 105!
No info on the label, all it says is 'PRIZE WINNER' San Francisco fog. I think it might be smaller toms, not like cherry but also not like Beef Steak. All the leaves look a like, so the second contestant will be the 'Mystery Tomato' I Love Tomatoes!!
No info on the label, all it says is 'PRIZE WINNER' San Francisco fog. I think it might be smaller toms, not like cherry but also not like Beef Steak. All the leaves look a like, so the second contestant will be the 'Mystery Tomato' I Love Tomatoes!!
From what I've been able to find so far, they are "tennis ball" size. 2 maybe 3ozs.
While you are waiting out your "Mystery Tomato" check these links....
Good, tennis ball is good!
I have 2 Super Steak
2 Early Girl
2 Mama Mia
2 Big Beef
1 San Fransico Fog
1 Mystery
I went on the sites you suggested and then studied the leaves and nothing clicked
I did happen to notice that the hanging one is not as large as the others due to lack of fertilizer (I think) the other have tom spikes for them. I have a batch of chicken compost tea that I watered it with, maybe that will help. If not I will go with the Miracle grow. I think once the leaves get a little greener and bigger I might be able to identify it.
Well at 4:50am edt, it hit 36° here. As I write (4:44pm edt), its 74° > 45° tonite.
With just the Dear Wife and me, we don't require many plants, I find it helpful to have toms, peppers, onions, parsley, and zucchini/squash available over winter, I love cooking!
The smaller containers they sell for the UDTs was a concern of mine, as far as water and nutrient demands go. I can see money out the window every time there's a drip from one of the drain holes.
For now, I'm sticking with every two weeks for "tea"
Wait till you see my Friday pix, "better boy" really pushed and its getting a lot darker.
It's just me and my husband here also, but I can 'can' tomatoes and or freeze for sauces. I always plant extra, incase some don't produce much.
I'm originally from Chicago area, and all you had to do was put a plant in the ground anywhere. It's different here. Once a few years back I had so many toms I was giving them to all the neighbors, but now with the weather change I only get enough for us to enjoy.
I try something different ever year.
I don't have a lot of room, so the only other thing I have planted are some bush beans and pole beans, and of course Basil and Dill. Oregano, Thyme and Marjoram grow all year round here.
News Update from the 'ol Oaken bucket. Or should I say plastic?:
Measured “Better Boy” (BB) Friday 22nd, and came up with 21”, a gain of 4” since Friday last.
Measured again after the storm, Sun. 24th, and had 26”.
The blossoms are an inch long now, and there seems to be a “BB” sized object enveloped in their petals.
My, My, You can almost hear it grow.......
The weather in this neck of the woods has finally, I think started to turn to the better for gardening, instead of a Winter/Spring climate, we are over the hump, and heading towards a Spring/Summer environment.
This weeks day temps staid pretty steady in the mid 80's with night's 'round lower 60's, no rain though till this evening 24th when a small storm went though 'bout 7:30pm edt , sporadic brilliant lighting, with sharp crackly thunder The kind that sends chills down your back, dropped a half inch of rain in 10 minutes, not much wind though.
Memorial Day's calling for upper 70's....Rest of the week to be mid to upper 70's, lows to lower 60's.....Chance of rain/scattered showers/T-storms 60%
BB is getting his minimum of 6 hours of sun, and I've been thinking/figuring, a way of making an automatic drip watering system to help with the water requirements.
After reading 'bout blossom end rot on zucchini, being a calcium deficiency, I placed some crushed egg shells from one of my breakfast's on the top of the dirt in the bucket....figured it couldn't hurt, eh?
Did have a slight scare though this evening. When I went to check on BB after the storm.....Instead of growing upright near the bottom rim of the bucket, he was hanging down, and at first I thought the stem had broken during the downpour, but after giving him the once-over, the stem and blossoms look okay....Just received a Heavenly nudge is all.
Mine doesn't seem to be growing as fast as my other plants, so I might start watering daily by hand with some Miracle grow or I might shove a tom spike in the top of it. I think all my nutrients are dripping out the bottom. It is turning greener though and I do have additional flowers. I'll take a picture in about a week, it doesn't look that different right now.
Edit. We had great cool weather over the weekend 70-80's, but today back to 100' and mid 90's for the rest of the week. I'll have to keep a close eye on all of them.
I hope this cloudy/rainy weather is almost over, because it sure has slowed Better Boys (BB) growth.....Its also exposed a health concern, see pix.
I'm not sure which type of spot it might even be a canker BB has contracted, it's either Bacterial or Septoria Leaf Spot. I used this link Key for Identifying Vegetable Diseases to try and narrow it down.
The link has two areas; one covers pickles to squash, the other tomatoes. Click on which variety your concerned about, then after that its self-explanatory. To view a larger pix, click on the link in the Disease column.
If anyone wants to help ID my problem I'd appreciate it. I'm leaning towards Bacterial Canker. With any of these it means the dirt I used was already infected. The only ways I know of, to control that, would be to either buy sterilized dirt or make your own by cooking it in the oven.
Ahhh....The Sun has finally come out. After last weeks forecast, I thought we'd see the Sun more than what we have. This'll be the first direct Sun BB has seen for the last four days, and it shows in the tape measurement I made today. Only two inches in vertical growth Now 28”, but four in horizontal, It was more vertical after the storm on the 24th, but as you can see it's starting to go sky-ward again. See pix. BTW I corrected the date stamp.
Today marks 31days for this un-scientific experiment, and even with the leaf problem, the flowers look okay, and there are two more fruit stems. Hopefully I'll start seeing actual fruit in 10? more days.
With last night's storm, and this afternoon's we've received 2.8", total for week > 3.7" Officially for week > 0.54"
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