Growing Roma tomatoes in a stock tank question
Comments (11)
citytransplant(zone5)
8 years ago
theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Growing Roma Tomatoes in 5 Gallon Containers
Comments (6)Grew a Roma very successfully this year (30+ tomatoes) in a 5 gallon bucket with 3-2-1 mix (with Osmocote, lime and a tablespoon of garden sulfur) on the deck with 4-5 hours of sun. Still producing several smaller tomatoes this late in the season. No BER at all. Here are a couple of hints to maximize production: 1. Plant DEEP and fill container almost to the top (there will be some settlement during the season). If roots become exposed due to watering be sure to add more mix. 2. DO NOT pinch out the first 3 suckers! These will become fruit producing just like the main stem. 3. Pinch out all suckers on the main stem after the first 3 have started to grow and pinch out ALL suckers on the 3 new growing stems. 4. BE SURE to cage the plant securely, it will become tall and heavy with tomatoes so secure your poles or cage to the 5 gallon bucket. Mine is 4' tall. 5. Water daily and fertilize (I used MaxiBloom Hydroponic 5-15-14) at 1/3 strength once a week (remember it has Osmocote that will last a few months) and mid-season water with a quart of water with a table spoon of Epsom Salts. 6. Trim leaves BELOW tomatoes that have been harvested so as to produce more plant energy toward the tomato production. Hope this helps with growing tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets. May not work for everyone but did for me. Also used this to grow a very productive, 6" tall Marmande tomato this year! Cheers......See MoreQuestion if you grow & can tomatoes
Comments (19)Last year, I did about 150 plants, and ended up harvesting about 40-45 bushels total of tomatoes. We put up about 200 plus quarts of tomato products per year, whole canned, stewed, sauces, salsa, and juice. My family of three adults plus a dog has no real trouble going through much of that in a year, although we do, I must confess, give away a fair amount, probably 20% of thte total, to one of my sisters who is disabled by arthritis and can no longer can a lot of her own, and to her two grown daughters with families. Maybe we just cook and eat differently from others. When I make spaghetti or lasagna for dinner, I use usually 3 quarts -- two canned tomatoes and either a juice or sauce. It cooks down a LOT, so it requires a lot to make a nice, thick, finished tomato sauce. Oh, I dried a whole lot of tomatoes last year as well - I think a whole bushel raw shrinks down to about a gallon sized food storage bag or less when dry. But, they sure taste great, and are excellent in pasta sauce or on pizza. This year, I covered some new ground with black plastic and put in about an additional 50 plants. I do a lot of 'Better Boy' 'Celebrity' 'Champion,' plus various pastes. I'm trying 'Polish Linguisa' 'Big Mamma' and 'Opalka' this year, which is exciting to me. I also planted about 20 different kinds of heirlooms, just a few of each kind, since I enjoy the diversity. And, they all can or cook into sauce (it might look a bit funky if you mix the colors, but it tastes fine)....See MoreMaking Sauce w/Roma Tomatoes
Comments (19)There is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED to peel, or do ANYTHING ELSE to tomatoes if they are run through a food strainer. I only cut in halves, as most wont easily fit the hopper whole. I dig out seeds and the watery liquid only. The food strainer removes ALL skins and any seeds left. Peeling tomatoes before putting into the food strainer is simply extra work that is not necessary. NEVER add cheese to any home canned tomato sauces! Add it after you open, reheat and serve. Unless you doing just a couple of cups of tomatoes, a Foley, or Chinois is nearly worthless for high output with no excessive labor involved. I canned 52 quarts one year. I couldn't see myself putting all those in a Foley or Chinois or even a regular screened kitchen strainer. I also use mine to extract all the juices and pulp from red raspberries, by using the finer holed berry screen. Well worth the cost and will give you a LOT more from tomatoes with a lot less effort. Here is a link that might be useful: Villaware/Roma food strainers...See MoreRoma tomatoes light green, some close to white.
Comments (5)You sure you have Romas? Are the tomatoes oblong like Romas? There are white tomatoes around. You aren't the first with this. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/why-are-my-roma-tomatos-white-dsvw-vd~2223239...See More
Labradors
8 years ago
digdirt2
8 years agocatherinet
8 years ago
Seysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years agocatherinet
8 years agoHa! I knew they would do fairly well, in spite of their being so close together. They would have done even better if we hadn't had monsoon after monsoon this summer, and they developed leaf spot. I just picked some and there's probably just as many or more left to ripen. I know some of you think they are tasteless....which might be true, but if I hadn't gotten these, I probably wouldn't have gotten hardly any of the others that were planted in the ground (Rutgers and San Marzano). They'll still be perfect in soups and stews.
Here's the ones I picked today.
PupillaCharites
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoWow catherine! Congrats! Another kind and conscientious grower has come back to share what happened! Thanks, that is so helpful to others to share in your harvest experience! If you get a chance to get a pic of he plants that would be so interesting to see:-) Tasteless or not, everyone has their faves. But it's fun to see what else is out there. My season was over in June but I kept plants on life support and the maters keep trickling out. Here's a fun variety called Speckled Roman. Just as tasteless as Roma, but it a magnet for everyone walking their dog to come by and gaze at (while the dogs are unimpressed, but take advantage of the break lol). Costoluto is also a sweeter option and has a good fruit load. Sweeter but hard to peel. Then there's Rio Grande, a superb tomato with a little tangy-ness great replacement for some Romas and even better for chunky salsa, and out produces it here.
Cheers,
PC
catherinet
8 years agoPupillaCharites
8 years ago
catherinetOriginal Author