SETTFest™ event information and discussion forum. South East Texas Tomato Fest
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#11 | ||||
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,027
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Thanks for the kind words, folks. Some years are better than others, and this has been a good one for me. It was tough going in early April with those late (near) frosts, and I even got some minor cold damage at one point. The plants grew out of it, though.
I use Daconil early in the season, as I think it makes a big difference in helping the plants stay healthy long enough to reach a critical mass. Later on, I stop using it for two reasons: (1) It's a pain to thoroughly scrub all that ripe fruit, and (2) Too many plants in my case to make it practical when they get big. In the pictures, I hadn't sprayed for over a month. I'm meticulous about my plants early on, and will clean up leaves below the first fruit set. I'll also go though a couple of times a week and remove any 'blighty' leaves I see. Of course, later on, with all those plants it becomes impractical to keep it up - but I like to get them off to a good start. Also, I don't have it as bad as the folks in Houston do. We don't get as much rain (normally), but still a fair amount, and it is not quite as 'tropical' here. A little less humidity, bugs, etc. So, my season is a little longer. Quote:
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I'm on solid sugar sand -- my backyard is like a beach. ![]() The peat may have not been strictly necessary, but I wanted to be absolutely sure everything was light and fluffy, because that's what plants seem to prefer, especially with the occasional torrential rains that can happen here. Amendments - I limed the beds with dolomitic/granulated lime, small amounts of Epsom Salts, plenty of organic fert (a cornmeal/alfalfa mixture). Then, I mixed everything up with a pitchfork and wet it down a couple of weeks before planting - the soil mix, the peat, the amendments. I also have been feeding every couple of weeks since fruit set with slow release/granulated fertilizer marked 'for tomatoes' (or vegetables). I use whatever is on sale. Quote:
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