Are your tomato plants not reaching expectations? Perhaps it’s time for added attention! Director of Hilltop Gardens, Greg Speichert, demonstrates how to pro…
Question by The Wrench: Should I be taking off the flowers and tomatoes off of my puny patio tomato plants?
I have 2 patio tomato plants that are about 24 inches tall. They already have tomatoes growing on them even though they are small plants. Should I be taking off the flowers and tomatoes until the plants get bigger?
Best answer:
Answer by Ernie A
I’d let them go – harvest the tomatoes when they are ripe. The plant will continue to grow – with or without fruit on it.
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Check out the sq foot way of gardening. You get a TON of produce from a small area 4×4 (and then blocked off again in 1 ft squares). Weeds are easy to pull, ground does not get walked on (compacted). Good tips…love gardening.
I thought newspaper ink was soy based and not toxic, is this not the case???
Those aren’t GMO plants are they ?
‘Most corn is gmo here in the US,make sure your corn cobs are organic.
most soy is GMO too,evil monsanto has taken over the food supply.
is this company owned by MONSANTO ? if so i will never use it ……is it organic ? than no thanks
most news paper ink is soy …thats why it comes off so easy …….not sure about color adds
most inks are soy
Use cardboard not newspaper with toxic ink.
what about the news paper ink that is gonna be released into the soil
Thanks for the video! I just did a balcony garden update!
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never thought of the wire ring. always build it out of poles. tanx for the video.
I knew long ago that lead has been removed from things like newspaper inks and other things, i.e. gasoline and paints. I have read on the internet that inks in newspaper are now soy based. I still will not used colored newspaper though, although they say its safe. You can call your newspaper to find out what is in the inks that they use.
Yep, no video, yet. I may do one sometime, but take my word for it. My tomato plants make all others look pitiful. If you need video proof, then don’t try it then.
I may try the newspaper mulch idea that this guy does on one of my plants and see if that helps them even more.
where did you get this information?
All inks in newspapers are soy based and should not harm the soil.
Water each plant once per week. When the plants get bigger use appx. 1 gal water per plant. Once plants get above the 5′ ring, use poles lashed inside of the ring for additional support. Watch plants grow like crazy and produce more tomatoes than you will ever see on one plant. You will be amazed. I have been doing this with much success for years. Give it a try!!
Outside the cage, dig down 12″ to 18″ in the four areas you will be planting the tomato plants, evenly spaced around the ring. Fill with a mixture of compost, soil, and composted horse or cow manure. Put the ring in place and plant your tomato plants. Use organic fertilizers. Leave the first sucker and cut off all others so you will have two main vines per plant. Continued below…
Here’s how you can get well over 2 times the tomatoes per tomato plant; great for a limited space garden. Buy four tomato plants and some 2″x4″x60″ (get 72″ if available) welded wire fabric to make a large ring. Mine is appx 40″ in diameter. 48″ might be better. Inside that 40″ ring dig a hole appx 18″ deep. Fill hole with finished compost. Build up compost inside ring to maybe 6″ max. above ground level. You want air to circulate around your tomato plants. Continued below…
thanks for the video 😉
chemical fertilizers kill the all the good stuff in your soil, so then you have to use more chemical fertilizer. just use some Real fertilizer like rabbit crap.
Dude
the newspaper will pull the water out of the ground. have fun watering all the time
ORGANICS COMIN BACK…I DONT USE OSMO OR MIRACLE I USE HORSE MANURE, BONE MEAL, AND OTHER GOOD STUFF
He, of all people, should know that you NEVER use colored newspaper, only black and white. Colored newspapers contain toxic chemicals that can leak into your soil.
Another reason for straw is the newspaper gets hard as cement if left to dry. Then cage and watch em grow. I prefer a good organic fertilizer like a tea made from worm castings.
Did you say Indiana University? I too use newspaper, cages and straw with my tomato plants. Here what I do rather than using newspaper like your method shown here. I use starter plants and let them get adjusted to the soil for about a week. Then I take newspaper using double thickness and cut a semi large X in the middle of the papers. Large enough to slide right over your plant. I then soak the paper and apply a light coat of soil. Next I place straw around the plant for moisture retention.
If you have a group of 4 flowers together and remove 2, the remaining two tomatoes will be a lot larger.