Tomatoes? I have no luck with these.

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 02-08-2006, 04:05 PM

But they are my favorite food really. I eat 1 almost every day. I just can't get them to grow. I have tried for years in 2 different houses. They just never get bigger than a large cherry tomato - no matter what kind I plant. What am I doing wrong? I will take any tips!

Jennifer

**canadian gardener** · 02-08-2006, 04:28 PM

Tomatoes need a few things.

Heat (you are in CO which in some areas I've heard is fairly cool in summer)

Light-- love strong sunshine, won't do well in shady or semi shady spots.

Good soil-- tomatoes have been used as poor mans soil test kits for years. They really respond to the changes with very visible change in appearance.

Steady water supply-- 2 things cause blossom end rot for example, a common tomato problem-- one being the available unbound calcium they can access

and more importantly a steady unbroken good supply of water. NO DROUGHTS FOLLWED BY FLOODS.

Never let the tomatoe sit in water without drainage. They need steady moisture but not drowning in it. Drainage is a key.

OK that said, here's some ways to deal with tomatoes.

Grow them in big pots in a hot sunny spot on your deck. Use the water hugging special soil for containers and put a large soggy wad of newspaper in the bottom to hold a little extra.

Every day make sure the soil is damp to the touch.

Water regularly using half or quarter strenght of the Miracle Grow for Tomatoes. cheap at Zellers or Walmart or HOme Depot.

That way if you have soil problems, or critters or lack of water or heat or light you can avoid it using planters with good drainage holes.

Use cages, or stakes to hold them upright and use soft fabric ties preferably with stretch like cut up strips of panty hose to tie them LOOSELY to the cage or stake.

You don't have to pinch them, Organic Gardening mag did some studies on that years back and pinching them doesn't make a difference.

If you think it might for you, try using the same variety, and pinch one in the one pot, the other leave to grow naturally and see what happens.

**canadian gardener** · 02-08-2006, 04:29 PM

If you aren't fond of miracle gro, then get some Alaska fish fertilizer and some Alaska seaweed fertilizer and mix it in 1/4 strenght and water with that.

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 02-08-2006, 05:25 PM

Hi Margery,
We are in CO, but we are on the plains and it gets hot in the summer for sure. In our last house I had an 800 sq ft garden that got sun from sun up til sun down. They wouldn't grow.

This house, I have tried 2 years. Where the garden is, it gets all the runoff from the houses above us. So maybe the fact that the soil is always wet was the problem here. I like your idea of just putting them into pots. That will free up garden space for other things. Thanks!

Jennifer

**canadian gardener** · 02-08-2006, 05:35 PM

Ok it may be drainage as you suspect.

The roots need air as well as moisture and if it's waterlogged due to runoff, or the soil is heavy clay and compacts like brick, then it stunts the growth.

In Prince George (not enough heat or light or long enough season) I had my best although limited success doing tomatoes in pots on my back deck, where they got the best of everything.