All year I long for summer and for the taste of my own home grown, vine ripened tomatoes. My tomato garden is quite tiny though, as I have only two patio plants in pots and two plants growing in the flower bed. In spite of my lack of space, I know that even a few plants can produce an abundance of fruit if my thumb is green enough.
Tomatoes have not been easy for me to grow, and I have learned some valuable lessons by making mistakes with my tomato gardening. I have learned from other gardeners, by trial and error, and by reading about tomatoes. I have experimented with different varieties in past years, and some do better than others in the Arkansas heat. This year I am growing Bush Goliath plants in my patio pots and Better Boy plants in the flower bed. Both of these varieties can typically be counted on to be good producers.
When I visited Bean2Blog at Moss Mountain Farm and toured the P. Allen Smith gardens, we spent the day learning about soybeans, but I also picked up some valuable information on growing tomatoes. Allen had several raised beds in his one acre vegetable garden, and he told about the yearly rotation of his plants. We visited the farm in late May, and my tomatoes were already planted at home, so I was interested, but disappointed, to learn that tomatoes are one of the plants that should be on a scheduled rotation, not being returned to a plot for three years. I have planted mine in the same spot several years in a row, setting them up for problems with plant disease and pests, such as tobacco hornworms. I'll know better next year.
My patio plants are producing well this year and rewarded me with these beauties today.
Tomatoes have not been easy for me to grow, and I have learned some valuable lessons by making mistakes with my tomato gardening. I have learned from other gardeners, by trial and error, and by reading about tomatoes. I have experimented with different varieties in past years, and some do better than others in the Arkansas heat. This year I am growing Bush Goliath plants in my patio pots and Better Boy plants in the flower bed. Both of these varieties can typically be counted on to be good producers.
When I visited Bean2Blog at Moss Mountain Farm and toured the P. Allen Smith gardens, we spent the day learning about soybeans, but I also picked up some valuable information on growing tomatoes. Allen had several raised beds in his one acre vegetable garden, and he told about the yearly rotation of his plants. We visited the farm in late May, and my tomatoes were already planted at home, so I was interested, but disappointed, to learn that tomatoes are one of the plants that should be on a scheduled rotation, not being returned to a plot for three years. I have planted mine in the same spot several years in a row, setting them up for problems with plant disease and pests, such as tobacco hornworms. I'll know better next year.
I'm not the only one who likes the red, ripe tomatoes though. I have some mockingbirds around my backyard, and they are keeping a watchful eye on the tomatoes too. This is how they damage the fruit by pecking holes in the best red tomatoes, making them ruined for use.
I knew I needed to take some precautions against the birds, but I let the birds win the first round this year. Some people hang rubber snakes or something shiny or reflective to scare the birds away. Old computer CD's can be recycled for this by stringing them above the tomato plants. Since the birds only like the red mature fruit, another method to outsmart the birds would be to pick the fruit just before it gets fully ripe and let it finish the ripening indoors, but this would take away some of the vine ripened flavor of the tomato.
I knew I needed to take some precautions against the birds, but I let the birds win the first round this year. Some people hang rubber snakes or something shiny or reflective to scare the birds away. Old computer CD's can be recycled for this by stringing them above the tomato plants. Since the birds only like the red mature fruit, another method to outsmart the birds would be to pick the fruit just before it gets fully ripe and let it finish the ripening indoors, but this would take away some of the vine ripened flavor of the tomato.
The method I plan to use is bird netting. This will cover and protect the tomatoes so the birds can't get to the fruit. By covering these green tomatoes with netting from the local garden center, I can protect them before they start ripening and the birds become interested in them.
Next year I'll be rotating my tomato beds to protect the plants from disease and pests, and I'll cover the plants in netting BEFORE the first tomato ripens. Growing tomatoes may not be easy, but I think given time it's an attainable goal, if only I can outsmart those birds.
This post was shared with:
Thriving on Thursdays
All My Bloggy Friends
Arkansas Women Bloggers
Next year I'll be rotating my tomato beds to protect the plants from disease and pests, and I'll cover the plants in netting BEFORE the first tomato ripens. Growing tomatoes may not be easy, but I think given time it's an attainable goal, if only I can outsmart those birds.
This post was shared with:
Thriving on Thursdays
All My Bloggy Friends
Arkansas Women Bloggers
All year I long for summer and for the taste of my own home grown, vine ripened tomatoes. My tomato garden is quite tiny though, as I have only two patio plants in pots and two plants growing in the flower bed. In spite of my lack of space, I know that even a few plants can produce an abundance of fruit if my thumb is green enough.
Tomatoes have not been easy for me to grow, and I have learned some valuable lessons by making mistakes with my tomato gardening. I have learned from other gardeners, by trial and error, and by reading about tomatoes. I have experimented with different varieties in past years, and some do better than others in the Arkansas heat. This year I am growing Bush Goliath plants in my patio pots and Better Boy plants in the flower bed. Both of these varieties can typically be counted on to be good producers.
When I visited Bean2Blog at Moss Mountain Farm and toured the P. Allen Smith gardens, we spent the day learning about soybeans, but I also picked up some valuable information on growing tomatoes. Allen had several raised beds in his one acre vegetable garden, and he told about the yearly rotation of his plants. We visited the farm in late May, and my tomatoes were already planted at home, so I was interested, but disappointed, to learn that tomatoes are one of the plants that should be on a scheduled rotation, not being returned to a plot for three years. I have planted mine in the same spot several years in a row, setting them up for problems with plant disease and pests, such as tobacco hornworms. I'll know better next year.
My patio plants are producing well this year and rewarded me with these beauties today.
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Tomatoes have not been easy for me to grow, and I have learned some valuable lessons by making mistakes with my tomato gardening. I have learned from other gardeners, by trial and error, and by reading about tomatoes. I have experimented with different varieties in past years, and some do better than others in the Arkansas heat. This year I am growing Bush Goliath plants in my patio pots and Better Boy plants in the flower bed. Both of these varieties can typically be counted on to be good producers.
When I visited Bean2Blog at Moss Mountain Farm and toured the P. Allen Smith gardens, we spent the day learning about soybeans, but I also picked up some valuable information on growing tomatoes. Allen had several raised beds in his one acre vegetable garden, and he told about the yearly rotation of his plants. We visited the farm in late May, and my tomatoes were already planted at home, so I was interested, but disappointed, to learn that tomatoes are one of the plants that should be on a scheduled rotation, not being returned to a plot for three years. I have planted mine in the same spot several years in a row, setting them up for problems with plant disease and pests, such as tobacco hornworms. I'll know better next year.
I'm not the only one who likes the red, ripe tomatoes though. I have some mockingbirds around my backyard, and they are keeping a watchful eye on the tomatoes too. This is how they damage the fruit by pecking holes in the best red tomatoes, making them ruined for use.
I knew I needed to take some precautions against the birds, but I let the birds win the first round this year. Some people hang rubber snakes or something shiny or reflective to scare the birds away. Old computer CD's can be recycled for this by stringing them above the tomato plants. Since the birds only like the red mature fruit, another method to outsmart the birds would be to pick the fruit just before it gets fully ripe and let it finish the ripening indoors, but this would take away some of the vine ripened flavor of the tomato.
I knew I needed to take some precautions against the birds, but I let the birds win the first round this year. Some people hang rubber snakes or something shiny or reflective to scare the birds away. Old computer CD's can be recycled for this by stringing them above the tomato plants. Since the birds only like the red mature fruit, another method to outsmart the birds would be to pick the fruit just before it gets fully ripe and let it finish the ripening indoors, but this would take away some of the vine ripened flavor of the tomato.
The method I plan to use is bird netting. This will cover and protect the tomatoes so the birds can't get to the fruit. By covering these green tomatoes with netting from the local garden center, I can protect them before they start ripening and the birds become interested in them.
Next year I'll be rotating my tomato beds to protect the plants from disease and pests, and I'll cover the plants in netting BEFORE the first tomato ripens. Growing tomatoes may not be easy, but I think given time it's an attainable goal, if only I can outsmart those birds.
This post was shared with:
Thriving on Thursdays
All My Bloggy Friends
Arkansas Women Bloggers
Next year I'll be rotating my tomato beds to protect the plants from disease and pests, and I'll cover the plants in netting BEFORE the first tomato ripens. Growing tomatoes may not be easy, but I think given time it's an attainable goal, if only I can outsmart those birds.
This post was shared with:
Thriving on Thursdays
All My Bloggy Friends
Arkansas Women Bloggers
