Growing tomatoes for the first time in my kitchen garden

15 years ago

I am a first timer as far as vegetable gardening is concerned, i have a small space in my patio where i can grow some vegetables and i figured i wanted to grop tomatoes as they are most commonly used. I need advise about which variety to go for and if it is a good time to plant them right now, afer how long will the plants start bearing fruits, how should i plan them, what apart from the tomato seeds do i need like fertilizers etc., where should i buy the seeds from, how many seeds should i plant maybe in a 5ft*1 ft stretch. Need help!!

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Comments (6)

scully931
15 years ago
At this point, I'd go with plants, not seeds. Of course, if you're area stays warm well into fall, you might get away with seeds. But, as a first time tomato grower, I'd go with plants. 5 feet by 1 foot? I'd plant two. They get huge. (Most of them)
Some tags on plants (and the seed packs) will tell you how long until fruit. Good luck!
jll0306
15 years ago
Carol Knapp of Knapp's Fresh Veggies offers seed for a number of compact "patio" varieties.

She may still be selling the seeds only, but take a look at her suggested "container plants on the link below.She can probably recommend some good choices, depending on whether you want slicers or cherries and can tell you how big you can expect the plants to get.

Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: Knapps Tomato Seeds
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I could be wrong about the zone - on a zip code lookup map it tells me 9-10. I am near the coast, and the weather here tends to be much more mild. Those "zones" are pretty broad classifications. Here's a fairly accurate description of where I live: "Salinas, CA climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's. The warmest month of the year is September with an average maximum temperature of 74.60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 39.40 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at Salinas is 15.12 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of 3.00 Inches." We do get some 90 degree days, but only a handful. I had read the FAQ about blossom drop. . .I don't think too hot is going to be my biggest problem. My neighbor (who's in something like his 60th year of planting tomatoes in his backyard across the street - he's 92) said he usually doesn't even plant until around May 1 because it's not warm enough to really get 'em growing; in his words, "they just sit there and look at ya." Maybe I'm misunderstanding the term "frost date." Is it a technical term, or just the last time that you wake up to frozen stuff around you? Stupid question, I know, but I have a feeling I'm not communicating something correctly. Yes, the plants get direct sun for at least 6-8 hours a day (I need to be a little more scientific about it), but it's been a cold spring - it's been in the 50's all this last week with a high of 63 projected for the next week. On the few hot days we have had, the plants have practically grown before my eyes, but they don't grow much during these chilly times. So. . .I can put in a stake without messing up their little root systems? Thanks, Christopher
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Karen Pease
15 years ago
If "surface area" is limited, you may want to encourage your plants to grow up rather than out so that you can support more plants. You can use plant clips or just simply cloth ties to attach them to string or a pole. Pinch off side branch growth tips to encourage vertical growth.
tn_gardening
15 years ago
Most tomatoes take about 2-3 months before they bare fruit.

I too would recommend you buy transplants rather than sow seeds (seeds take longer and might be a little tricky for the first timer).

You might be able to get 3 plants in your 5 foot garden. I find that the smaller the size of the tomato fruit, the easier they grow and the smaller the bush (cherry and roma seem to be easier to grow than the larger ones).

Get some cages and or stakes to encourage them to grow vertically.

You can buy tomato fertilizer almost anywhere.
jll0306
15 years ago
Yes, with small plants, I would think three easily doable in the ground in that area. That would allow you to have a slicer, a paste, and a cherry. Just try to make sure that at least one of them is indeterminate, so that you have a continued supply of fruit after the others retire from production.

I have my dwarf plants in pots on my porch. They include a Tiny Tim cherry in a a gallon pot, and an Italian Gold Roma, an Orange Pixie salad tomato and a Husky Pink slicer, all in three gallon pots.

As a a "dwarf indeterminate tomato" the Husky can supposedly get to be about 4 feet tall, if planted in the ground, but I expect mine is going to be much shorter and smaller. That's my plan, anyway.

Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: Dwarf Indeterminate tomatoes
jessicavanderhoff
14 years ago
I would put in 3-4 plants, if it were me. I second the suggestion of trying to get them to grow upwards as much as possible using a trellis, fence, stake, tomato cage, or something along those lines. (In that case, indeterminate tomatoes might be better suited than determinates-- I think the indeterminate ones vine better).

Growing tomatoes for the first time in my kitchen garden

Comments (6)

scully931

jll0306

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