Best way to grow tomatoes outside?

videorov · December 29, 2016

I have the land 2 to 4 acres of room. I wonder plastic mulch hiller way or plant and
put hay around it since I can't get straw here on west coast of Fla.
I was thinking of growing Determinate type Better Bush Hybrid which can support themselves of a little help from just a few stakes and string spread out down a
long 165ft row. Maybe grow a cover crop of some type to cut and lay around the plants is another idea I have had for mulch. Would have to replant as the determinate will stop producing.
Greenhouse get to hot here in Florida and cost to much for real large ones.
I have some plants growing in some raised beds but want to grow lots of them in large rows.

PaulF · December 29, 2016

Florida is tomato farm country. Just look around how the guys who plant thousands of acres do it and you will see how it is done. The Florida method is nothing like home gardening in most of the rest of the country. You must want to grow for the marketplace.

Cole_Robbie · December 29, 2016

Aren't you in nematode country? The Florida sun is great, but the soil isn't. Commercial production in your area is probably hydroponic, likely in perlite.

gorbelly · December 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Aren't you in nematode country? The Florida sun is great, but the soil isn't. Commercial production in your area is probably hydroponic, likely in perlite.

Most are grown in the ground. Probably almost all are varieties bred for strong nematode and soil disease resistance.

Cole_Robbie · December 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by gorbelly

Most are grown in the ground. Probably almost all are varieties bred for strong nematode and soil disease resistance.

Would they all taste like grocery store tomatoes? It seems like they would be bred for firmness, shelf life, and other commercial traits.

b54red · December 30, 2016

I have tried many of the fusarium and nematode resistant tomatoes that are used in commercial growing and they all lack one thing. Good tomato flavor. I live in an area of extensive commercial tomato production and we are far enough south to be plagued in most fields with all the goodies that plague Florida growers now. The commercial growers around here use many of the same varieties that are used in Florida and Mexico for commercial production and the flavor is really poor in my opinion. But the upside is they will produce a harvest most of the time when the better flavored varieties will not.

Once Big Beef was unable to withstand the fusarium problems I was left with growing those same commercial varieties or grafting. I opted for grafting and have had spectacular results. Even varieties that would have a good year once in a while now are productive almost every year and those that I could never successfully grow on a regular basis are now some of my most dependable varieties. Even though I fought the soil diseases every year for 30 years I never realized just how much they were affecting my production til I had some grafted plants just keep on growing and producing long past the time when the non-grafted variety would have died. I still have all the foliage diseases to hinder me, along with the pests; but taking out most of the soil born problems has been a real blessing.

If you want to invest the time and effort into grafting you could be one of the only commercial growers making available some really tasty tomatoes for sale. Another thing that you could do is grow heirlooms with grafting. You would need a rootstock that had triple fusarium resistance and nematode resistance and then use a tasty determinate variety or one that is at least a semi determinate variety for ease of support. Also the better the variety tolerated the Florida heat the more it would probably produce. Grafting isn't always easy but if it isn't done in too large a scale it is not too difficult once you get the hang of it. I usually graft several hundred plants each season and give most of the extras to friends.

Bill

gorbelly · December 29, 2016

"With almost every southern county in the state cultivating tomatoes, Florida produces virtually all the fresh-market, field-grown tomatoes in the US from October through June each year, and accounts for about 50 % of all fresh tomatoes produced domestically."

- The Florida Tomato Committee - Tomato 101

Gardeneer · December 29, 2016

Well, yeah ! Where did "Florida Weave " come from ?
So that means they grow them in the fields and "weave" them.
I will use that method on one one of my 2017 tomato rows.

PureHarvest · December 29, 2016

Take it from me, find a home for all that production before you figure out how you are going to grow it.
Re-read the above sentence once per day before you buy your supplies.
Then read it once a day before installing your transplants.
Have a real answer to it on planting day.
You can do it! But you must answer the question!

videorov · December 29, 2016

I have plenty of Traffic driving by my property here next toe Lakewood Ranch area and would just have a U-Pick and some already picked.
The main thing is be able tog row a tomatoes. It can be tricky. My land can get to much water laying on the field and might have to dig some ditches between rows so it has a place to go and the plants can use it as they need it and not sit in it.
Using the plastic mulch with a implement tool to hill and roll it onto the hill is the way many do it around here. I don't like all the work it takes to pick it back up after use and going in the land fill.. Thats why Im thinking about growing a cover crop between the rows and cut it then rake it on to the hill to build it up over time and use for mulch.
Different cover crops can add to soil health aswell.

Guess I will just have to try.

Will try a few rows and see how it goes or go back to growing carrots which are easy to do and I have done many times in the past years.

PureHarvest · December 29, 2016

Look up biotello.
It is biodegradable film like plastic but breaks down.
There are other brands out there too.
I used a 6 month film for a 3,600' total tree planting last April. It started to crack around July and that was mostly because deer stepped all over it.
In your case, the plants might grow enough to cover the row eventually and it wouldn't matter if it cracked. It even comes in white, which is what I used to keep the summer heat from building in the root zone since they were young trees. I was not worried about trapping heat.
I believe my 4,000' roll was around $280.

PureHarvest · December 29, 2016

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Degradation rate depends on film thickness, climate, and soil type. Starts breaking approx 4 -5 month on .6mil and 5-6 month on .8mil. Mfg. does not guarantee the film’s life span due to different conditions such as accident, non- compliance with laying & usage conditions, climatic conditions, etc.
Lay relatively loose and after a few hours or by the next day, the mulch tightens and clings to the soil bed.
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Black Krim · December 30, 2016

Have u considered lasagne gardening? I nk that is what it is called. Have only read about it briefly and not certain I am remembering the correct term. The basic idea is to add layer after layer of organic material creating a thick substrate to provide nutrients as it decays and holds moisture and decreases weeds. That's the theory anyway. No tilling,too.

Good luck with your new venture!

videorov · December 30, 2016

I have not known about the lasagna gardening method but can see the layering effect
and could be made from cutting cover crops and making layers. Could even use different cover crops to add different minerals into the layers. Over time I would build hills for
the tomatoes to grow on top of too. Would take a tittle time that way but the soil would
be building up and get better over time and can add organic fertilizer to it aswell.

Black Krim · December 31, 2016

As I said, Ive only read a little about this method but seems to be worthy.

I now use all my cardboard to lay in walkways. In time will rot and go back into the soil. I could not find any info on cardboard containing toxic material, especiially as now most inks are soy based.

Just scrape down thru the layers to the soil level, dig your hole and plant your seed or transplants. One woman I know is on hard clay. She just layered the material on top and in just a few months has the material right next to the clay decaying into fine particles. She is in the American southeast .. she is thrilled to not try to dig in concrete like clay. This is much easier for her to garden. She doesnt plant in the clay level, but into the lower decaying levels. Please note that she has built 12-18 inches of leaves, wood chips, etc.

This is changing my methods as I dont have a tiller, and as my back hurts shoveling is not what I want to be doing and need a work around.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

December 29, 2016	#1
videorov Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Bradenton, Fla Posts: 21	Best way to grow tomatoes outside? I have the land 2 to 4 acres of room. I wonder plastic mulch hiller way or plant and put hay around it since I can't get straw here on west coast of Fla. I was thinking of growing Determinate type Better Bush Hybrid which can support themselves of a little help from just a few stakes and string spread out down a long 165ft row. Maybe grow a cover crop of some type to cut and lay around the plants is another idea I have had for mulch. Would have to replant as the determinate will stop producing. Greenhouse get to hot here in Florida and cost to much for real large ones. I have some plants growing in some raised beds but want to grow lots of them in large rows.

December 29, 2016	#2
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,289	Florida is tomato farm country. Just look around how the guys who plant thousands of acres do it and you will see how it is done. The Florida method is nothing like home gardening in most of the rest of the country. You must want to grow for the marketplace. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

December 29, 2016	#8
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	Well, yeah ! Where did "Florida Weave " come from ? So that means they grow them in the fields and "weave" them. I will use that method on one one of my 2017 tomato rows. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

December 29, 2016	#10
videorov Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Bradenton, Fla Posts: 21	Growing tomatoes I have plenty of Traffic driving by my property here next toe Lakewood Ranch area and would just have a U-Pick and some already picked. The main thing is be able tog row a tomatoes. It can be tricky. My land can get to much water laying on the field and might have to dig some ditches between rows so it has a place to go and the plants can use it as they need it and not sit in it. Using the plastic mulch with a implement tool to hill and roll it onto the hill is the way many do it around here. I don't like all the work it takes to pick it back up after use and going in the land fill.. Thats why Im thinking about growing a cover crop between the rows and cut it then rake it on to the hill to build it up over time and use for mulch. Different cover crops can add to soil health aswell. Guess I will just have to try. Will try a few rows and see how it goes or go back to growing carrots which are easy to do and I have done many times in the past years.

December 29, 2016	#3
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Aren't you in nematode country? The Florida sun is great, but the soil isn't. Commercial production in your area is probably hydroponic, likely in perlite.

December 30, 2016	#6
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I have tried many of the fusarium and nematode resistant tomatoes that are used in commercial growing and they all lack one thing. Good tomato flavor. I live in an area of extensive commercial tomato production and we are far enough south to be plagued in most fields with all the goodies that plague Florida growers now. The commercial growers around here use many of the same varieties that are used in Florida and Mexico for commercial production and the flavor is really poor in my opinion. But the upside is they will produce a harvest most of the time when the better flavored varieties will not. Once Big Beef was unable to withstand the fusarium problems I was left with growing those same commercial varieties or grafting. I opted for grafting and have had spectacular results. Even varieties that would have a good year once in a while now are productive almost every year and those that I could never successfully grow on a regular basis are now some of my most dependable varieties. Even though I fought the soil diseases every year for 30 years I never realized just how much they were affecting my production til I had some grafted plants just keep on growing and producing long past the time when the non-grafted variety would have died. I still have all the foliage diseases to hinder me, along with the pests; but taking out most of the soil born problems has been a real blessing. If you want to invest the time and effort into grafting you could be one of the only commercial growers making available some really tasty tomatoes for sale. Another thing that you could do is grow heirlooms with grafting. You would need a rootstock that had triple fusarium resistance and nematode resistance and then use a tasty determinate variety or one that is at least a semi determinate variety for ease of support. Also the better the variety tolerated the Florida heat the more it would probably produce. Grafting isn't always easy but if it isn't done in too large a scale it is not too difficult once you get the hang of it. I usually graft several hundred plants each season and give most of the extras to friends. Bill

December 29, 2016	#7
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	"With almost every southern county in the state cultivating tomatoes, Florida produces virtually all the fresh-market, field-grown tomatoes in the US from October through June each year, and accounts for about 50 % of all fresh tomatoes produced domestically." - The Florida Tomato Committee - Tomato 101

December 29, 2016	#9
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	Take it from me, find a home for all that production before you figure out how you are going to grow it. Re-read the above sentence once per day before you buy your supplies. Then read it once a day before installing your transplants. Have a real answer to it on planting day. You can do it! But you must answer the question!

December 30, 2016	#13
Black Krim Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: New England Posts: 661	Have u considered lasagne gardening? I nk that is what it is called. Have only read about it briefly and not certain I am remembering the correct term. The basic idea is to add layer after layer of organic material creating a thick substrate to provide nutrients as it decays and holds moisture and decreases weeds. That's the theory anyway. No tilling,too. Good luck with your new venture!

December 31, 2016	#15
Black Krim Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: New England Posts: 661	As I said, Ive only read a little about this method but seems to be worthy. I now use all my cardboard to lay in walkways. In time will rot and go back into the soil. I could not find any info on cardboard containing toxic material, especiially as now most inks are soy based. Just scrape down thru the layers to the soil level, dig your hole and plant your seed or transplants. One woman I know is on hard clay. She just layered the material on top and in just a few months has the material right next to the clay decaying into fine particles. She is in the American southeast .. she is thrilled to not try to dig in concrete like clay. This is much easier for her to garden. She doesnt plant in the clay level, but into the lower decaying levels. Please note that she has built 12-18 inches of leaves, wood chips, etc. This is changing my methods as I dont have a tiller, and as my back hurts shoveling is not what I want to be doing and need a work around. GOOD LUCK!!!!