You just have to bag one set of blossoms,-- unless you need a large number of seeds for next year. When I save tomato seeds---I bag the second set of blossoms as they begin to form.
Then I mark that branch, and take the bag off to let the green tomatoes grow.

I save pepper seeds from some chili's I got from New Mexico. I have been propagating them for several years. I have cross pollinated some winter squash to see what I'd get, in fact did it again yesterday. I crossed a Sweet Meat with an Acorn.

Sounds like a very tasty cross , hope you tell us how it goes
I know it will be next year but us gardeners are forced to learn patience.

CarolineScott said:You just have to bag one set of blossoms,-- unless you need a large number of seeds for next year. When I save tomato seeds---I bag the second set of blossoms as they begin to form.
Then I mark that branch, and take the bag off to let the green tomatoes grow.

That sounds like an excellent idea. I have always wondered how to make sure there is no cross pollination.

gardengus said:Sounds like a very tasty cross , hope you tell us how it goes
I know it will be next year but us gardeners are forced to learn patience.

The one I made a few years ago was a cross between acorn and Padana, it turned out being a very tasty squash, but still bigger then I wanted. I like the individual sized ones for baking. Here's a picture of that one.

I'm new to this forum and this was my first year of growing tomatoes. I am a senior citizen but have never gardened before. I grew Jet Star, Beefsteak and Early Girl. The Early Girl did not produce until mid August, while the other two had ripe tomatoes the third week of July. It also has very small fruit for an indeterminate, so I believe it was mislabeled. I was fairly pleased with my success, although I did have a fair amount of cracking on the Beefsteak. I was very careful with watering, so I do not believe that was the cause. I finally ended up picking green tomatoes and bringing them in the house to ripen.

I have two basic beginner questions.

Question one: Should I change the location when planting next year? I have limited space for vegetable gardening.

My second question: Is there a thread that specifically addresses container gardening for indeterminant varieties? I want to try the heirloom Cherokee Purple next year. I would love to hear of any suggestions for two other delicious tomatoes. The hybrids don't taste the way I remember a really good tomato tasting when I was a child.

Oh heavens, I just realized I posted this to the wrong place. I meant to start a thread in the vegetables forum.

Tuckersmom said:
Question one: Should I change the location when planting next year? I have limited space for vegetable gardening.

Hi Patti

Well, books and articles that just quote each other all suggest rotating your crops.
But a lot of people don't rotate, or don't have room to rotate much.

The best advice I've read is: if you had any visible disease or soil-dwelling insects last year, it's probably a good idea to plant those things somewhere else for a year or two. And wash your hoe and rake well.

A root infestation might not be visible AS disease, so if a crop is inexplicably less vigorous than you expected, maybe rotate that bed out.

But if you have no visible diseases that you could blame on soil, and that crop did well there last year, ... maybe try it one more year in the same spot. Just watch for signs of infections.

Some crops are pretty disease-free in some regions.

Of course that will change around as climate changes, so we have to keep our eyes open to see what's what NOW, as opposed to remembering what worked well in the past.

I had productivity go down in one bed where I grew Brassica rapa varieties every year for several years ... but was it a soil disease accumulating, or should I just have been adding more compost every year? The soil might well be tired and also losing it's (artificially fluffed-up) structure.

Also, I put a Knockout Rose in part of that bed "because that's where the sun is". That KO Rose went bonkers and now grows over 6 feet every year, much larger than it is "supposed to grow". I suspect the rose roots are undermining that whole bed, so maybe the Bok Choy just can't compete with a rosebush.

RickCorey said:

Well, books and articles that just quote each other all suggest rotating your crops.
But a lot of people don't rotate, or don't have room to rotate much.

Rick, I have been reading and, although some of what I read made a lot of sense, some I had to question.

I think it's nematodes I would be primarily concerned about, but I haven't seen any indication of any. I'm going to research container gardening anyway. I'm thinking about e-buckets, or whatever they're called. I just don't know that they are large enough for a big root ball. If I grew the tomatoes in those, I would feel better about replanting in the raised bed the following year.

I had already planned on adding compost, coffee grounds, manure and leaves as soon as I pull the tomatoes out of the bed and get it cleaned up.

Good luck! Hopefully trial and success, rather than trial and error.

Thank you, kind sir.

I don't have room to move my tomato beds around each year either so pretty much use the same spots. What works for me is too pile on as much compost as I can in the early spring were I will be growing those tomatoes. Then mulch heavily. I use straw. Keeps the soil born diseases away from the leaves of the tomato plants.

I have never been very successful in growing indeterminate varieties of tomatoes in pots. Now I stick to growing smaller Determinate types for pots.

Thank you Rita! If you can't do it, I doubt if it can be done.

I have three compressed bags of straw in the garage right now, waiting to go on my lasagna bed, after I get the leaves on. I'm waiting on the leaves to fall. I know I'm going to have at least 1/2 bag of straw left over, so I can use it for the tomatoes – or I can buy more. There's a thought!

Are all determinate tomatoes the small ones, like cherry tomatoes? I have so much to learn.

I appreciate your help!

Patti

Tuckersmom said:Thank you Rita! If you can't do it, I doubt if it can be done.

I have three compressed bags of straw in the garage right now, waiting to go on my lasagna bed, after I get the leaves on. I'm waiting on the leaves to fall. I know I'm going to have at least 1/2 bag of straw left over, so I can use it for the tomatoes – or I can buy more. There's a thought!

Are all determinate tomatoes the small ones, like cherry tomatoes? I have so much to learn.

I appreciate your help!

Patti

Oh it can be done. Many people grow tomatoes in pots and planters very successfully. One thing to remember is that the bigger the pot the better. Yet many do grow them in 5 gallon buckets successfully.

Having tried the tomatoes in pots for me I found I am better off sticking to types made to grow in pots and other Determinate types.

So no, Determinate has nothing to do with the actual size of the tomatoes as in cherry types or beefsteaks or slicers. Rather it is a growth habit of the tomato plant itself.

Most tomato plants are Indeterminate. Meaning they will keep growing and setting tomatoes until the weather does them in. Like a frost or freeze.

Determinate types grow to a genetic preset size, then set lots of tomatoes which are ready in a short window. Afterwards usually don't do much.

My wireless mouse died and I am waiting for my ex to come bring it back to life. And as I was reading this post, I realized it was raining outside. I have deliberately cut back on watering my tomatoes, so this is probably giving them a much appreciated drink. I was trying to force them to ripen before it turns cold here. Yet, I heard on the news tonight that we might have a high of 90° one day next week. It's only supposed to be 72 tomorrow.

Thank you for clarifying the difference between determinant and indeterminant tomatoes. I was really wrong about that, wasn't I?

Based upon your definition, then I would think San Marzano would be determinate. I will look it up. I would like to make tomato sauce next year.

Thank you again. I will be lurking on the various threads regarding tomatoes.
Patti

Tuckersmom said:

Thank you for clarifying the difference between determinant and indeterminant tomatoes. I was really wrong about that, wasn't I?

Based upon your definition, then I would think San Marzano would be determinate. I will look it up. I would like to make tomato sauce next year.

Thank you again. I will be lurking on the various threads regarding tomatoes.
Patti

Yup, we have some great threads going regarding tomatoes here on the veggies forum.

I grew San Marzano's this year. I had not thought they were Determinate but mine sure did act like that.

I like not only Determinate but varieties that stay smaller in growth. For pots I might suggest -
Patio
Mega Bite Hybrid
Bush Champion
Taxi

I did have 4 pots of Romas this year but those pots are quite large. The Romas did well but the ones on ground did produce more more plant.

Viva Italia (which I love, and I know Rita does, too) is a determinate type and excellent for sauce and such as well as for eating fresh.

I tend to steer away from the determinate types because they are always the first to succumb to disease in my garden, but I totally agree that they are the best for growing in containers. Even then, though, except for the very small "patio" types, you need to provide some support for the plants.

Weedwhacker said:Viva Italia (which I love, and I know Rita does, too) is a determinate type and excellent for sauce and such as well as for eating fresh.

I tend to steer away from the indeterminate types because they are always the first to succumb to disease in my garden, but I totally agree that they are the best for growing in containers. Even then, though, except for the very small "patio" types, you need to provide some support for the plants.

Yes, I agree about Viva Italia. I grow it every year and I really like it.


I think you mean that Determinates are best for containers?

Thank you, Sandy B. Thank you, Rita. Now I'm a little bit sad that I have to wait months and months before I can actually grow these. I am starting a list of tomatoes I want to grow.

It might work out best to first decide on where you will grow them and then find the best for that space. Do keep in mind that many of the heirlooms grow into huge plants.