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Vegetable Gardening

anyone use those tomato trays???

jeanwedding. zone 6

14 years ago

I asked a while back in the potaager forum but got no real answer???

I bought three and put them around on 3 of my sweet 100 tomatoes( planted last week or so) .

The reason I bought them cause I saw them in a potager forum picture

Thanks all

Jean

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Comments (7)

jimster
14 years ago
I don't use them. Let us know how they work.

Jim
digdirt2
14 years ago
Don't know what you are referring to. Could you post a link or photo or brand name or something that will clarify your question?

Dave
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Ok, I confess... I bought the whole kit from gardeners supply. It comes witha metal support stand and holds 4 bags. (see link at the bottom) Yes, I know it was expensive but... dare I say it... I HATE staking tomatos! Since I have a small backyard and am trying to grow as much food as possible I appreciate having my raised beds available for other crops. So far I like it. The stand is very sturdy. The bags seem very strong and they claim they are washable and reuseable. They have a plastic watering tray that sits at the top of the bag and a cloth wick that carries the water from the tray to the tomato. So far the only problem is that the wind can cause the bags to spin injuring the plants. We solved this problem by laying two bamboo garden stakes across the tops of the planter reaching over to the opposite planter making an X in the middle. This limits the amount of movement in the wind. I had to rethink the varieties I planted. Two are roma and rather than the large beefsteak type I went with a smaller slicing tomato. The fourth plant is the sweet 100 cherry tomato I love. It is indeterminate and is a very vigorous grower so may have been a poor choice. It split at the stem from wind spin but since seems to be doing fine. So far my only concern is that water sitting in the trays may become a breeding site for mosquitos. My other thought is that Gardeners Supply sells a special soil for use in the planters. Of course they say you should only use their soil (expensive)so I am interested in developing my own mix for the future. The main difference I noticed in using theirs is that it was very "fluffy" and soft. Those of you who have made your own, what soil mix did you use? How are you fertilizing? I look forward to following this thread over the course of the summer to see how everyone else is doing with their upsidedown tomatos. I know it seems like a fad but if it saves me space, provides for good production and eliminates the chore of staking then I like it. When I figure out how to post pics I will show you what mine look like. Here is a link that might be useful: tomato hanger
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sarabell
14 years ago
The red trays, if we're talking about the same thing.
I bought 3 this year, and put them in pretty early for my area with 2 Cherokee Purple and 1 Black Brandywine, the same day, I put in a few more seedlings of each of those, but with no tray. It was really pretty early here for tomatoes, but signs were that Spring would come early, and it did-- though it was early, I didn't have to worry much about cold & no frosts.

Weeks later, the tomatoes in the trays were noticeably bigger than those without. Now, I've got a lot of fruit on the tomatoes with the trays, and much less fruit on the tom.s without. (It'll be a while, but I'll watch if the tray'd tom.s ripen earlier?).

I'm sure it wasn't the perfect scientific experiment, but they were in pretty much the same environment, with the same treatment, and so far the tom.s with trays have definitely performed better and fruited faster. I'm converted. :) I'll buy more for next year!

You could also ask in the tomato forum. :)
livvyliv10
14 years ago
I've used them, but they don't fit with the current type of cage I like to use. I liked how they concentrated my water in the area where they were, but I also found that a lot of moisture-loving "bugs" liked the conditions they created too, and when I lifted them up, I would find whole groups of them.
rdback
14 years ago
Dave (digdirt) said:

Don't know what you are referring to. Could you post a link or photo or brand name or something that will clarify your question?"

Ditto.

Rick
ronnywil
14 years ago
I have used them for the past 3 years. They work great. They have a slit in the center that allows you to put it around the stem. It is tray shaped with 2" deep cups at the corners that have holes that allow the water to soak 2" deeper than ground level. It also has a lip around the edge that you cover with dirt to hold it down.

It is designed to prevent cutworms from wrapping around the stem and acts as a mulch to keep weeds from growing in the square foot area around the stem and conserve moisture. Plus the red color reflects to the bottom of the leaves promoting growth.

I just wish they were a little bit heavier material that might hold up a bit longer. I have about 50 and the oldest are starting to break down.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Tray
talonstorm
14 years ago
I was wondering how they worked, sounds like they are worth a try!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:62155}}

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