Calling Tomato growers

[VacationForever]

We decided to grow our own tomatoes and we have never done it before. We live on the top floor of a condo building with 2 large open air but enclosed balconies. I just put in an order for this self watering container https://www.plowhearth.com/en/decor...mato-planter-and-rust-resistant-tower/p/11145 as we want something that requires little maintenance.

The plan is to buy 2 tomato plants through online companies. They all seem to have ship date of early June and looking for places which would ship now. We live in Zone 9a and our temperature is already in the 80s so we are ready to grow some tomatoes. We get sun 360 days a year and from my understanding tomatoes need lots of sunlight so it is not going to be an issue. Do any of you have recommendations as to which tomato varietal we should get? We prefer a plant that does not grow too tall and requires little work.

Thanks!

 

[AnnieBets]

Maybe look at amazon if you have prime.

 

[geekette]

Cherry tomatoes. Full size tomatoes, in my experience, become large plants. Maybe they do not have to, but if pruned a lot, I'm not sure you'd get production.

Cherry tomatoes, tho, you can pick and eat and keep getting more and more. I had 2 varieties last year, one was Sweet Cherry and I wish I could remember the other .... it tasted more like a big tomato. If I find the tag or happen to remember, will let you know. It was rich and tasty.

My favorite full size is Better Boy. People like Beefsteaks a lot.

You might also consider Romas.

 

[VacationForever]

So I bought 2 plants through online store, one shipping in May and the other in June. Kind of late for me but as long as I have one to play with in May I am OK. I bought a 4th of July Tomato and a Pink Berkeley Tie Dye Tomato. I will definitely keep Sweet Cherry and Better Boy in mind for next year. I also ordered Miracle Gro Organic Container Mix and a Tomato fertilizer from ACE Hardware.

 

[SmithOp]

You will need to learn how to pinch out tomato plants.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[geekette]

I am definitely going to want to know what the Pink Tie Dye looks like!!

Miracle Gro is good stuff. I have a composter that collects "tea" which is my own Miracle Gro (mixed 1:10 with water). Just don't over do it. I learned the hard way that too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing!

 

[VacationForever]

I am definitely going to want to know what the Pink Tie Dye looks like!!

Miracle Gro is good stuff. I have a composter that collects "tea" which is my own Miracle Gro (mixed 1:10 with water). Just don't over do it. I learned the hard way that too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing!

If ours grow and bear fruits, I will take pictures. We love heirloom tomatoes and usually buy them if they are firm.

I will remember not to overdo the fertilizer.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

For salads, I enjoy Roma tomatoes or the orange/yellow pear tomatoes. They are low-acid. Cherry tomatoes are also nice for salads. For BLTs, go for the bigger Big Girl, Beef Steak, etc.

I do hydroponics. I found that "ebb and flow" is very easy to do. If you google it, you'll get the necessary info. You have a reservoir (plastic trash can), a pump ($20 for a fountain), a timer, some "grow pellets" (google Gro ton pellets) or crushed rock, some containers, and a tray or two. If I am gone for a few weeks (not likely to happen now, with Covid), it runs on auto-pilot. Every 3 hours or so (daylight hours), the pump turns on for 5 minutes, floods the container with water and nutrients, then turns off and drains back to the reservoir. Sounds complicated but it isn't. My total outlay is under $100. I use my hydroponics primarily for leaf lettuce.

BTW, there are two types of tomatoes - - Determinant (grows to a point matures, and then declines/dies - - I think that the big tomatoes like beefsteak, early boy, early girl, etc. are likely determinant) and indeterminant (they grow and grow forever and all over until you finally get a frost - - if you do). For salads, I'd go for the indeterminant because they yield over a longer duration. Google it for more info.

 

[VacationForever]

For salads, I enjoy Roma tomatoes or the orange/yellow pear tomatoes. They are low-acid. Cherry tomatoes are also nice for salads. For BLTs, go for the bigger Big Girl, Beef Steak, etc.

I do hydroponics. I found that "ebb and flow" is very easy to do. If you google it, you'll get the necessary info. You have a reservoir (plastic trash can), a pump ($20 for a fountain), a timer, some "grow pellets" (google Gro ton pellets) or crushed rock, some containers, and a tray or two. If I am gone for a few weeks (not likely to happen now, with Covid), it runs on auto-pilot. Every 3 hours or so (daylight hours), the pump turns on for 5 minutes, floods the container with water and nutrients, then turns off and drains back to the reservoir. Sounds complicated but it isn't. My total outlay is under $100. I use my hydroponics primarily for leaf lettuce.

BTW, there are two types of tomatoes - - Determinant (grows to a point matures, and then declines/dies - - I think that the big tomatoes like beefsteak, early boy, early girl, etc. are likely determinant) and indeterminant (they grow and grow forever and all over until you finally get a frost - - if you do). For salads, I'd go for the indeterminant because they yield over a longer duration. Google it for more info.

Thank you! I am learning and reading a ton about it.

 

[VacationForever]

Duplicate.

 

[Bucky]

We are in zone 7b and have our tomatoes from Burpee in the ground before the end of April every year! Planted six of them this past Thursday. We have ours in raised beds that I built 12 years ago. Our favorite each year is the July 4th. We have ripe tomatoes every year before 4th of July. Also planted a couple of new ones they call Tomato Salsa for the pico we love and an Early Girl and some super sweet 100 cherry tomatoes. Only have six this year. We have had up to 12 but with out Blueberry bushes growing larger and basil and jalapeños to still put in we had to cut back.

 

[Brett]

For salads, I enjoy Roma tomatoes or the orange/yellow pear tomatoes. They are low-acid. Cherry tomatoes are also nice for salads. For BLTs, go for the bigger Big Girl, Beef Steak, etc.

I do hydroponics. I found that "ebb and flow" is very easy to do. If you google it, you'll get the necessary info. You have a reservoir (plastic trash can), a pump ($20 for a fountain), a timer, some "grow pellets" (google Gro ton pellets) or crushed rock, some containers, and a tray or two. If I am gone for a few weeks (not likely to happen now, with Covid), it runs on auto-pilot. Every 3 hours or so (daylight hours), the pump turns on for 5 minutes, floods the container with water and nutrients, then turns off and drains back to the reservoir. Sounds complicated but it isn't. My total outlay is under $100. I use my hydroponics primarily for leaf lettuce.

BTW, there are two types of tomatoes - - Determinant (grows to a point matures, and then declines/dies - - I think that the big tomatoes like beefsteak, early boy, early girl, etc. are likely determinant) and indeterminant (they grow and grow forever and all over until you finally get a frost - - if you do). For salads, I'd go for the indeterminant because they yield over a longer duration. Google it for more info.

I grow beefsteak and betterboy in a raised bed - yes, they keep growing but at some point the tomatoes just stay green and don't ripen

 

[Big Matt]

tomatoes like sun and water. Make sure you plant them to the depth that is on the planting instructions. The ones you bought are going to get pretty big. You need to make sure you have some sort of stakes. Just get some regular string and you can keep the plants upright. When they get big the fruit can be so heavy that it bends/breaks the branches. If you do this again, buy the smaller tomato varieties for your balcony

 

[Brett]

Good point about staking tomato plants - I use steel wire cages

 

[klpca]

Well, we are doing the "surprise" variety this year. We've been off and on composting for years, but started in earnest about 18 months ago. This year my husband used a bunch of the compost in our front courtyard planting beds and tossed in some seeds (fresh herbs). Low and behold, we definitely have some tomato plants popping up, and they must be related to the compost. We are going to replant them in pots and move them to the back yard where they will get more sun, but it will be fun to see what kind of tomatoes we are going to get.

The freebies (transplanting soon)

 

[RonB]

An earlier post mentioned pinching off the suckers that grow between the stem and leaves. That does work, but studies show that pinching the suckers yields bigger tomatoes, but leaving the suckers produces more pounds of tomatoes. If growing a cherry type tomato, you should get plenty no matter what you do. If growing full size tomatoes, just decide whether you want larger size tomatoes or more pounds.

BTW - I bought my dear departed MIL a planter similar to yours years ago. I put it next to her mail box, (the sunniest place on her wooded lot), and she had more tomatoes than she knew what to do with. I planted one full size tomato and one cherry. She gave away lots and lots of tomatoes...

 

[rickandcindy23]

Sweet 100's are delicious and grow abundantly. I have had the greatest success with those. If you have large coffee tins, cut out the bottom and leave the upper inch above ground. Keeps the worms away from the plants. Feed them regularly and don't water tomatoes every day, unless it's extremely hot. The plants grow best in clay soil. I haven't grown tomatoes for a few years, but this year seems like a good year to do it again.

 

[RonB]

Soil:

Which Soil Is Best for Planting Tomatoes?

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) are the most popular home garden crop in the country,...

homeguides.sfgate.com

 

[VacationForever]

Soil:

Which Soil Is Best for Planting Tomatoes?

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) are the most popular home garden crop in the country,...

homeguides.sfgate.com

Thank you. I will be using 100% container mix, Miracle Gro Organic Container Mix, as I will be growing out of a pot. I am also hoping that I don't have to worry about bugs and diseases since I am up on the 4th floor.

I am getting really excited and looking forward to a new adventure of growing food up in a condo. I had lived in houses previously with good size yard had navel orange and mandarin orange trees.

 

[Glynda]

So I bought 2 plants through online store, one shipping in May and the other in June. Kind of late for me but as long as I have one to play with in May I am OK. I bought a 4th of July Tomato and a Pink Berkeley Tie Dye Tomato. I will definitely keep Sweet Cherry and Better Boy in mind for next year. I also ordered Miracle Gro Organic Container Mix and a Tomato fertilizer from ACE Hardware.

If you eat a tomato you like, save the seeds on a paper towel and in a few days, they are ready to plant. Probably too late for your area to do this but who knows? We stuck some pots in November and since we had a mild winter, they took and we've been getting tomatoes.

 

[VacationForever]

If you eat a tomato you like, save the seeds on a paper towel and in a few days, they are ready to plant. Probably too late for your area to do this but who knows? We stuck some pots in November and since we had a mild winter, they took and we've been getting tomatoes.

I did not realize that it is as simple as that! Thanks for the tip. We love heirloom tomatoes and use them for caprese regularly. We won't be getting tomatoes for a long time because we are not going to the store. The online delivery companies have not sent over any tomatoes todate and hence all of a sudden I decided to grow our own tomatoes.

 

[nomoretslt]

I’ve seen a lot of people mention cherry tomatoes.....my favorite for containers are grape tomatoes. They are a bit smaller than cherry tomatoes and in my opinion, sweeter. They also come in the yellow, less acidic, color. Great for salads and for cutting in half for pasta salad and corn salsa.

 

[RonB]

You can save heirloom seeds and get the same variety tomato, but if you like hybrid tomatoes, saved seeds will not produce the same variety.

 

[klpca]

If you eat a tomato you like, save the seeds on a paper towel and in a few days, they are ready to plant. Probably too late for your area to do this but who knows? We stuck some pots in November and since we had a mild winter, they took and we've been getting tomatoes.

I'm pretty sure that's where my tomatoes are from. So I expect they will be grape tomatoes. We buy those by the bushel.

 

[Passepartout]

If you want tomatoes sooner, plant an Early Girl breed. You'll have tomatoes in about 70 days. They're about 2 1/2 inches, but you'll be eating them a month before big ones, like Big Boys or Beefsteaks. I usually plant a Sweet 100 for cherry tomatoes. You'll want to get a 'cage' for the vines or your whole balcony will be covered.

Use Miracle Grow soil. It has the fertilizer mixed in already as well as vermicilite to help maintain moisture. I've planted them in patio pots- and even 'self-watering' pots will dry out unless you water constantly. If you can set up a drop system it will spare you some drudgery. Drip systems are kinda fun to set up like an erector set.

Jim