Amazing pics and progress. You are going to have quite a harvest. Can you tell me the names of the ruffled toms and when you planted out?

Thanks. Plant-outs began on April 11 and ended April 28. The ruffled toms are:

Pix 6 = Spudakee (near) and Cherokee Gold.
Pix 9 = Cherokee Chocolate
Pix 13 = Belyi Naliv
Pix 14 = Azoychka
Pix 27 = Brandy Boy
Pix 28 = Liz Birt

Ted

Very nicely done Ted. And I assume with a screen name like that your specialty is containered tomatoes.

Damon

I could have sworn I saw a couple of peppers in there. (grin)

Bets

Thanks, Sprtsguy, and you're right. For every tomato variety, there is a container.

Bets, you may have seen Sweet Red Cherry, Peppadew, and Jimmy Nardello. :>)

Ted

awesome display :-D
what kind/size bucket are those all in?

VERY nice!!

Andyo, the buckets/tubs range in size from 3 to 20 gallon.

Ted

Great pictures and really healthy, happy looking tomatoes. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Ted, awesome garden. I have been to Atlanta in July-August and it can be extremely hot. Do your plants ever get lots of ugly brown leaves and shut down production? How do you get them through the heat and into the fall season. Once again, congratulations on a stunning crop!
Russ

Ted, those are GREAT looking tomato and pepper plants.
You sure seem to have the system of growing them down pat.
Care to share the infomation on how to "take care of the roots first"?

Gardening with love, Kiee

Jealous :-)

Azruss, everyone gets "slow down" when the temps and humidity go up. If you noticed in the pictures, I have a significant tree problem. Not only that, but the largest tree is a bitter hickory and that means juglone in the soil everywhere (thus, I must use containers). What I do to combat the effects of "Hot-lanta" is to use some of that shade on the toms that would be fruiting and setting fruit in that hot time frame, and I shake a lot of blooms (every day). For last year's 23 tubs and pots, I harvested just over 238 pounds of tomatoes. I've got happy neighbors. Last year my first ripe tom was on May 23. This year it was May 11 and, as of this morning, I have a total of 4 ripe toms from two different varieties.

Ted

I start my seeds in Miracle Grow Seed Starter. I donÂt like the Jiffy stuff because I feel thatÂs not what theyÂll spend the rest of their life in. And, I feel it dries out too quickly. When the seedlings show their first full set of true leaves, I pot up to 9 or 18 ounce clear plastic cups that have one 3/8" hole drilled in the bottom. The mix contains Miracle Grow Pro Potting Mix to which I add some "Bio-Tone" (An eight quart bag of MG and 1 ½ cups of Bio-Tone) which encourages root growth and good root health. All watering is from the bottom. Bottom watering encourages the plant to put more roots down there. A foliar feed with MG Organic (nitrogen only) is okay, but stay away from any and all "full strength" stuff. Quarter strength is good.

The plants are under lights until it's time to go outside. My lighting is on two shelves and consists of three 2 bulb T-12 florescent fixtures, and three small 3 foot-2 bulb fixtures. The T-12 bulbs are 6400K daylight bright. I donÂt recall the ratings of the smaller ones, but they were on sale cheap. The lights are on for about 18 hours and off for 6. I can definitely see a significant plant growth rate difference between the two different florescent sizes. Seedlings "graduate" from the smaller lights to the larger setup. Temps are maintained at 72F-76F.

I have a screened-in porch which faces South-Southeast and the plants are staged there to get used to the outside.

At plant out, in a large wheelbarrow I put a bag (2 cu ft) of potting mix and then add about three heaping shovels of Black Kow composted manure, two handfuls of powdered dolomite lime, and a couple handfuls of generic slow release 10-10-10 fertilizer. Mix well. I don't fill the buckets to the top at first planting. I do about 2/3's full and plant the seedlings as deep as possible. Then as the plant gets larger, I will trim bottom leaf branches (as required) and topdress with additional mix and some fertilizer (I use Tomato-Tone). I do this a couple times during the growing season. As the plants get larger and needs more roots to deliver water and nutrients, the additional mix covering the stem will allow new roots to grow (the upper part that gets buried) AND the new soil and additional micro-nutrients seem to rejuvenate the plants.

Note that the whole process focused on producing the most robust and vigorous root system that the plant can grow. I agree with my friend, Ami. Healthy plants are better able to resist diseases and healthy root systems give healthy plants.

After decades of growing tomatoes both in-ground and in containers, I now prefer the containers. This is because I am better able to control more of the plant's environment.

Hope this helps someone out there.

Ted

mmmmmmmmmmmmm....yummy....Lookin good, Ted. =)

Ted, Thanks for showing us your "seedling, youth to full fruiting, technique"! I do admit I am so thankful to learn the processs. I only hope that I can employ it in my own Container Mini Garden? Your plants are GREAT looking and I commend you on your efforts. Thanks a whole heap...

Gardening with love, Kiee

Very Nice. Can I ask how many stems you have for the 5 gallon bucket variety ?

I am thinking 1-3 would be good.

Like everyone else said great pics and nice and healthy plants. Thanks for sharing your keys for success with us. Depite the fact I grow in EB I might have to go out and buy a Brandywine start and put it in a large traditional pot I have laying around the yard just to put your techniques to use.

Larrick

Can I ask how many stems you have for the 5 gallon bucket variety ? I am thinking 1-3 would be good.
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Johnny, I'm not totally positive what you asking, but I'll answer this way. I don't trim or prune back the side shoots. I let the plant tell me what size and shape it wants to be, and then adjust my care accordingly.

Now, if you're asking how many PLANTS per 5 gallon bucket, the answer is one. The way I add growing medium to my containers after initial plant out may cover up a stem junction that was very low on the plant and give the appearance of more than one plant.

I'm not trying to win a competition for the neatest and prettiest garden, I'm growing tomatoes. If I want pretty, I'll quit doing veggies and plant more flowers.

Ted

Looking great Ted, looks like they will be pumping them out this season. Should be a good July for you :)

Thanks for the reply Ted. There had been discussions on the optimal size of the pot to provide enough nutrients/room to the plants. Going on the info that since 5 gallon is extremely limited, I would assume that everyone would prune the plant down to a few stems. I am trying out a 5 gallon SWC in am attempt to get it working so I can grow in the winter time. I have seen some 5 gallon with stake and some with cage plus stakes. I am just trying to find the "optimal" number of stems without depriving the plant. I understand the support system has something to do with it, but I can't imagine having ten stems on a 5 gallon bucket.

If you have some past pictures of 5 gallon that has a full view of the bucket and stems, please share.

Thanks again for your time.

Johnny, first of all, if you provide all the nutrients to a plant, then "room" is not as much of a factor. The plant will take what it wants - when it wants it.

Anyhow, here's three fresh pictures that may help. The blue bars indicate stems.

The first one shows what I was talking about when the plant branches very low. When I do the next topdress, you won't be able to see this junction. It will look like 3 separate stems exiting the growing medium.

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This one shows a 4 foot tall plant that is still getting taller. It had these branches early on. BTW, this is a Home Depot 5 gallon bucket.

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Then, higher on the same plant, the branches are very prolific. This plant has 39 fruit set on it and more blooms coming all over the place - and it's still early in the season. If you think this is too many toms on such a young plant, then you and I are not on the same frequency. Each of these toms will average about 8 ozs. The largest ones in the foreground are already at about 3 ounces each.

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I just can't say this enough. "All you have to do is GIVE THE PLANT WHAT IT NEEDS AND YOU CAN QUIT CUTTING IT UP."

Johnny, I don't think I would ever set a limit on how many branches a plant can have. Each plant will find its own shape and you may cut off the best part before it has a chance to develop.

Anyhow, I hope I've answered at least part of your question. Good luck on your "pruning".

Ted

Your plants are awesome!!!!!! Maybe it is because you are in Georgia and I am in Florida. I am trying though but WOW!!!! The plants and leaves and tomatoes look incredible. I am jealous.........Lot's of salsa at your house huh?

Here is a link that might be useful: my container garden

Ted,

Since you have such a controlled and precise growing environment for all the varieties, I am curious if you are keeping a journal or spreadsheet (Excel hopefully) listing the varieties, with information like date set out, date of first bloom set, first harvestable fruit, quantity and typical size of fruit, date of reaction to onset of heat and humidity, plants that die from the heat, plants that recover from the heat and set blooms again, taste quality such as sweet, neutral, acidic. The last column would of course list your favorites and why.

Thanks

Ted

I vaguely remember someone having an awesome spreadsheet like you mentioned & I do think it is him...lol...be a pain to find the thread with the Search function on GardenWeb being all messed up today, though.

Thanks Ted for taking the time to explain it and the wonderful pictures. I am definitely not a pruner and trying to figure out what I can get away with. Keep the pictures coming, please.

Happy Gardening.

Dusty, I lived in Melbourne for 6.5 years. What I did when the sun got to max intensity was give the plants some shade. Late in the spring season and early in the fall, you have to provide a bit of shade from the blistering sun. The plants will still get plenty of "indirect" sunlight which is reflected from everything. BTW, nice pool.

TEDLN - Yes, and it's Excel. Date of reaction to heat onset in not usable data - Average high temperature IS along with humidity. Within your list of data points, you left out: Date seeds started, first transplant date, date and exact weight of each fruit, average weight of all fruit on each plant (calculated), fruit lost and why (critters, BER, etc.), and local fair market value of crop harvested (also calculated). A journal takes care of any specific plant losses, other garden irregularities, major disease battles, or results of care given (i.e. watering schedule, fertilizer schedule, etc).

Johnny, I'll post a pictorial update in about a month or so in a new thread. Good for you on not being a pruner.

Tennessee, thanks for remembering. I think that 640+ varieties spreadsheet thread is more than 10 or pages deep by now. However, I'll go find it and bump it up one last time.

Ted

Ted,

I failed to mention in my last post that you have an excellent macro lens. I'm curious what your using. I use a Canon G9 with a Canon 380EX flash for backfill.

Your right, I did leave a lot of data points out of my question about the spreadsheet. While I always want all the data I can get, some data is only relevant to the intent of the individual grower. I believe your intent (please correct me if I'm wrong) is to do a comparative analysis of as many varieties as possible under controlled, optimum, conditions. For example, I don't believe your data about "fair market value" is relevant unless it can be compared to total cost of production.

My intent is to use data provided by enthusiaists like you to assist me in determining which varieties will help me achieve my goals.

I used to be a container gardener because of the portability the method provides. I am now a raised bed gardener because it allows me to incorporate natural, amended soil into my garden with low initial cost. I don't grow from seed (I will grow some varieties from seed next year just for the fun of it and it is the only way to acquire some specific plants). My intent is to grow varieties which provide high yields from the earliest date until the first frost at the lowest cost in investment and labor. I want the fruit to be of consistently high quality both in taste and appearance. I attempt to use plants, products, and materials which are available to anyone at a Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, or your own junk pile in your back yard.

Since you and I garden in comparable climate zones, the information you have provided in this thread is very useful. I look forward to reading your spreadsheet.

Thanks

Ted

Wow.
I was wondering if we could see a not-close-up pic of the whole plants growing in the buckets too?

Tedln - I actually use a much older Sony that uses 3.5" computer discs for picture storage. I've had it for more than 10 years and can't remember exactly what I paid for it but I think it was something like $400-$600 back then. Really old technology now. It does 640x480 in "Fine" mode and gives a JPEG file of about 100K on average. It also does BMP files but that is usually one to a disc. And it also does a smaller file it calls "Email" size. These are usually about 20K in size.

I used to do a lot of 35MM stuff when I wasn't too lazy to maintain a darkroom. But I haven't had those cameras out recently. The light-meter batteries on all of them are more than likely in need of replacement. But, you know, I do miss my Vivitar 70-210mm Macro-Zoom. Man, what a lens. Maybe I can figure out some way on interfacing it to this infinity-focus Sony. Hmmmmmmmm!

Aipa - I'll include some full plant shots in the update coming in a few weeks. My real purpose with this update was to show how anyone can have lots of early tomatoes if you chose early varieties, prepare early, and focus on growing the best root systems for all your plants, so the plant gets off to a running start.

How many times have you stuck a plant in its final home and it just sits there for two weeks??? My plants were showing additional growth within 48 hours of final plant-out.

Y'all take care, now.

Ted

Ted,

I know the camera very well. I used to own one myself. I had the habit of using the same disk over and over. Took a trip to Colorado and got a lot of great shots, but when I got home; the disc would no longer read in the camera or on the computer. It did take great shots though.

Ted

Wow! That's so inspiring! Makes me smile. :^)
Thank you for sharing your experience and process. You've been so generous I'm hesitant to pepper you with more questions, so if you don't feel up to a reply I'll understand.

There is one part of the process I'm curious about and that is your watering technique.

Do you use the hose or a drip with timer? Or maybe you collect rainwater?

How often do you water on average for containers?

And are you still watering from the bottom or from the top?

I'm gonna guess since you are so 'hands-on' that you like to visit each plant with the hose and check each one's needs before watering....from the top.

But speaking of watering from the bottom...
I was also wondering what you thought of the large 'self watering' pots you can buy now that have a separate water reservoir and sometimes a wick that purportedly allows the plant to take what water it needs without getting wet feet and cuts down on frequency of hand watering.

BTW - I received the spreadsheet in my email and can't thank you enough for all the valuable info.

After spending time on your thread I am suddenly hungry for a tomato basil salad. Mmmmmmmm....

Wow.. Ok...let me chime in... 1st & foremost..congrats Ted and thanks for sharing. I'm Not as expierenced as containerTed yet but 6 years under the tomato belt I can have my opinion.

It's not the problem of "controlling" the plants but it's more of a "giving plants room to breath" thing. Have You ever pulled the entire plant out with the soil in the pot after 3 months? The roots are restricted and bunched up...I bet your plants either don't yield far into the season or your plants dont surive as long as being in the ground.

With that said...Heat....how in the world do you control the heat the pots get in the dead of summer down in Atlanta??

I had grown some in pots here in CT and they would wilt if i didn't water 3 times a day!

You either are watering them constantly or moving them in the shade 3 hours during the day.

I choose ground for tomatos..they like it better. Peppers loooove pots because they looove the heat..

P.S - my opinion comes after having this success in pots.

DRAGONFLY - As for watering, I water from the bottom until final plant out. Then, unless I have the plant in a SWC (I build my own), all watering is from the top. And you're right, I judge each plant individually as to its needs. I am fully retired now and have all the time I want to spend on my hobbies. I'm happy you found the spreadsheet useful. Don't forget to change any data values to reflect the world of growing tomatoes where YOU live. Also add any toms (or ??) to track your garden's results.

NATURALSTUFF - My plants are normally still bearing fruit at first frost. If you give a plant all of its needs, it doesn't have to go "rootbound" in a container. Rootbound plants are telling you that they are not receiving all of their needs, and they're extending more roots to try and find what they need. Last year, the last plant to go was a Cherokee Purple that was in an 18 gallon plastic pot. The plant had four toms left and they eventually ripened on the kitchen counter. I only had 23 containers last year, but they produced more than 270 pounds of tomatoes. I think that's a pretty good yield. I had plenty of tomatoes here at the house and gave away enough to have my neighbors knocking on the door this spring saying I should not forget them this year.

I control the heat of "Hot-lanta" by giving my plants some shade when the sun's intensity is its strongest. I also don't allow the sun to have much direct contact with the few black nursery pots that I'm currently using. Watering in the AM also helps offset the heating of the container.

Each grower needs to deal with the environment they are given. I've grown both in the ground and in container over the last 55+ years and have decided now the potting mixes and fertilizer/soil amendments available are far better than growing in the ground. So, even if I could have my dream 5 acre tomato ranch, I would still grow in containers - lots of containers. I mean, just think of all the soil-borne diseases that you eliminate.

Anyhow, I hope the season goes well for all.

Take care

Ted

Like I said..you're the expert. :) How do you battle bugs, worms, and ants in the pots? I assume you leave the soil in there year after year. I'll re-read this thread and see the ingrediants you add in there.

Take care..happy growing.

Naturalstuff writes:
How do you battle bugs, worms, and ants in the pots? I assume you leave the soil in there year after year.

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I hand-pick hornworms and feed them to the paper wasps. I use Daconil. I also use some chemical products. I'm not doing the Organic thing.

I don't leave the pots filled over the winter. All the containers are emptied into a large pile on a large tarp and things like dolomite lime and finely mulched leaves and grass clippings are added to "Uncompact" its consistancy. This is allowed to compost over the winter. I do not add table scraps. This can give you too many stray seeds and such. I think its important to add some lime to the pile in the fall. It takes a lot of time for the calcium to break down enough to be used by the plants and this gives a lot of time for that to happen.

The moisture content of the pile is checked a few times during the winter and I turn the material over about once a month. In the spring, the tarp comes off and the pile is allowed to air out for a few days (sheltered from rain). Then, I mix it with newly purchased mix for the new season's pots (which have been cleaned and rinsed with a light chlorine bleach solution). Approx ~60% old mix, ~30% new mix, and ~10% Black Kow composted manure, lime, and slow release fertilizer.

I also give away a lot of plants each year to friends and neighbors or to charity organizations. This year I sent out more than 300 plants. That took a lot of mix. I also give plants in large containers to seniors here in my community.

When initial plant-out and the give-aways are done, any remaining mix from last year is added to the flower beds. Topdressing (as described above in previous posts) is done with new mix.

BTW, I do have earthworms in my tarp pile. They seem to like the neighborhood. I find more and more each year.

Hope this helps you.

Ted

Ted~ Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge & experience with us so freely.
This is my first year growing tomatoes & every bit helps. I've had great success starting my tomatoes from seed this year and all but 4 plants are planted in the garden. After reading your thread I'm going to plant 2 of the remaining 4 in containers following your advice with hopes of seeing great results like you.
Cheers.

That's some amazing looking tomatoes, Ted. I'm over in Douglasville (west of Atlanta) and this is my second serious year growing tomatoes. Last year I had 15 varieties and this year I think I have 24. I'm amazed at how well yours are doing, though.

I thought I had planted mine too early this year as they were very slow to get started but I'm amazed that you already had ripe tomatoes on May 11th. How did you manage to get ripe tomatoes so early?

We seem to be using very similar methods. I start mine indoors in flats with sifted miracle grow potting soil and then move them out to grow lights as soon as they come out of the ground. My grow lights are 4 ft T8s(I think) on wire shelves and they seem to work very well. Once they're a couple of inches high I move them into 16 oz plastic party cups with a couple of holes drilled in the bottom. I put these in tubs and water them by adding water to the tubs.

I think my main problem is that everything is in an unheated garage that gets very cold... The tomatoes can take this but they grow very slowly. The peppers couldn't take it but I've built a little indoor light-box that seems to work wonderfully for them.

Last year I grew about half of my tomatoes in home-made SWCs and the other half in the ground. This year almost all of them are in the ground and the SWCs have corn in them. What kind of SWCs do you make? Mine are cobbled together from totes and cat-litter buckets. :) Have you found any good, reliable sources for free/cheap buckets?

I'm definitely not organic either. I try to avoid pesticides, though. I spray them early with an anti-fungal but last year that's all I did and even though I spent hours picking bugs off them I still lost quite a few to horn-worms and stink-bugs. No great loss given how many I harvested but this year I'm going to be spraying them with BT every week or two.

Once again, great looking tomatoes and thanks very much for your post and advice. Maybe we can swap some seeds this year.

ELOQUINN - Hey, neighbor. I know where you are. We've got good friends in Austell. I'm between Buford and Flowery Branch near the entrance to Lake Lanier Islands.

Yes, we do have similar setups. I actually started seeds on Feb 21. Some of my seedlings were a foot or more tall before I finally started planting out. I had about 10 days of sun and warm temps right after that and the plants just loved it.

If you know a paint contractor, I've found that they love to give away 5 gallon buckets. Latex or Acrylic based paints will clean up easily and even if left in the buckets, will not hurt the plants or you. Stay away from the oil-based ones.

You could make a temporary "plastic-wall" room around your seedling station out there in the garage, and the heat from the lights would help warm things up.

Yes, let's look forward to a seed trade this fall. There's a lot of Atlanta Metro Area tomato addicts that frequent the internet - this forum and others. Growers in Canton, Decatur, Covington, Lilburn, etc. Maybe we can spark some interest in a taste fest or something.

Let's keep in touch.

Ted

Thanks for the advice about the buckets.

I tried a couple of times to drop you an email but I haven't heard back from you. I'm not sure if your spam filter is killing them or if you're just behind on your email. :) If you get this drop me a line at gardenweb1@alleged.org

Hows about an update Ted??????

Brian

Brian, I did a short update about a week or 10 days ago in a separate thread. I'll go find it and bump it up. I'm getting ready to do another update with some pixs of my late toms with fruit. Anyhow, look for the other Bucketfarm thread appearing in a forum near you.

Eloquinn - you have mail.

Ted