Read, Listen, Learn gets you

[Starlight]

I am really glad I stumbled onto TV just a little more than a year ago. I've always grown some tomatoes and peppers, but til this past year here on TV I never really started concentrating on trying to grow the best plants and produce the most fruits I could.

For the past year, I have been reading here on TV, asking questions, bugging folks left and right with my thoughts and questions. Now some folks come here, seek help and go on.

There are alot of diverse growers and personalities here on TV, all with good points and always great about helping even if they shaking their heads with another one of my pain in the rump posts.

For those of you that have posted and helped us not so strong yet growers along, I want to say a big.. big thank you. Give yourselves a big hug for sharing your knowledge.

Last year, mid April I was looking at hundreds of plants that looked like the first picture. Plants had gone through a major spring storm here. I lost so many plants last year.

I read, I learned, I listened, bugged the snot out of folks. A year later, your sharing your knowledge has produced the second and third pics. These plants went through just about same storms, longer days of rain and worse high winds, not much older than ones same time last year, and they healthy, starting to bloom and oodles times bigger.

I know there is lots more to learn and hopefully the folks here at TV will keep right on teaching and sharing. It wasn't easy to learn to switch from working with flowering plants and their ins and outs for 15 years over to veggies. I have grown tomatoes and peppers for years and years, but never really cared to much if I got a tomato or not.

Then ya all started sharing your addiction around. Not only your love of the plants, pics, but how a person can feed themselves and community too. Thanks to you all, this once flower nut is know a major ... major tomato and pepper addict.

Anyways just wanted to say Thank you TV folks.

Now to see what new name of a tomato somebody has talked about that I don't have and need to get addicted too.

[dmforcier]

Very nice looking plants. Be careful that they don't eat your house.

[Starlight]

Thanks! I am getting a bit nervous as these guys are growing faster than what I thought. I didn't start seed til beginning of March and Pearly Pink Orange that I wondered if its cotyledon was normal for that plant is like 20" tall, not including the 6 " I buried them and its going to be the first to fully bloom.

From seed to now, these guys are about 30" tall and just two and a half months old. I'm excited to see what they all will be like, but scared too some are going to turn into monster tall plants. : )

[AlittleSalt]

They look great Star

[dmforcier]

Some will get huge so start acquiring their cages now. Very hard to back-fit cages.

[TC_Manhattan]

What is the size of those containers you're using in your photos?

Are you planning on potting up some more, or growing them out in those?

I'm kinda new to the idea of container growing, but want to try this season. Thanks!

[twillis2252]

Ella,
You have some great looking "Maters" to be looking forward!

Wanted to let you know your Atkinson seeds must have been on steroids as I will be planting them out in the next two weeks. I also gave some of the Atkinson's seeds to some friends who are having similar results!

The Ashlock and Suddeths you so generously provided failed to germinate. Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to mail.

I am growing several Russian varieties and cherries this year. If they are good will post and save seed.

One variety been wanting to try and Carolyn suggested I plant is Tel Aviv Train. Cherry from Israel. Tania says it is a family favorite. They are coming along well.

Sometime this week I will post my experience seed starting travails and all that went along with it...

[ContainerTed]

The word "enable" is used a lot around here. This is one fine example of what that word means.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by TC_Manhattan

What is the size of those containers you're using in your photos?

Are you planning on potting up some more, or growing them out in those?

I'm kinda new to the idea of container growing, but want to try this season. Thanks!

Right now they are in 3 gallon containers. I start out with 1/2" X 1/2" seed trays then on to 6 packs, to 4" pots, then 1 gallon, then 3 gallon. It's a lot of transplanting, but I do this for a reason.

I like messing with my plants. Gives me a chance to check out root health and I check the underside of each leaf too for any hidden critters or possible disease problems. Also, and this is just my theory, don't know whether it true or not, but I find when the main tap root hits the bottom of pot and I bury deeper each time I transplant, that side feeder roots develop so much more and that it seems when those feeder roots start filling up pot that blooms come on earlier. Like I said that just my thoughts. Plus, if it happens a plant gets sick, then I am only tossing out a few gallons of soil at a time.

I have been trying to decide. With the rate these guys have been growing, I think I may have to go to 5 gallon at least. I know I don't have enough 7 gallons around, plus I move my pots around when heat and humidity gets unreal to keep plants cool and I can't lift then huge pots.

There are lots of good threads if you look back through them for learning to grow in containers. If you don't find a thread for your questions, just ask. Some of these folks have been growing in containers forever and have the process down pat.

I've seen posts of some folks containers and they have huge and I mean huge plants and oodles of tomatoes. I'm no where near their level yet, but the more I learn here, the better, bigger plants I am getting.

I know, I gotta decide quick and get some more help on staking.

All I know is getting help here is really making this an enjoyable year. Will it be a total trouble free year. Have no idea, hope so, but the thing is folks here really care about you and your plants and they want to see you succeed and grow in confidence, knowledge and your plants too.

Originally Posted by twillis2252

Ella,
You have some great looking "Maters" to be looking forward!

Wanted to let you know your Atkinson seeds must have been on steroids as I will be planting them out in the next two weeks. I also gave some of the Atkinson's seeds to some friends who are having similar results!

The Ashlock and Suddeths you so generously provided failed to germinate. Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to mail.

I am growing several Russian varieties and cherries this year. If they are good will post and save seed.

One variety been wanting to try and Carolyn suggested I plant is Tel Aviv Train. Cherry from Israel. Tania says it is a family favorite. They are coming along well.

Sometime this week I will post my experience seed starting travails and all that went along with it...

Twillis... Glad your having a good season. I don't know Ashlock, that didn't come from me. Sorry the Suddeth didn't germinate for you. I know they took me forever. Think I sent you all of the seed I had of them. I do have some Black and Red Brandywine, be glad to send you to try.

[KarenO]

gorgeous plants!
KarenO

[twillis2252]

Thanks for the offer Ella. I have more than enough on my plate for this year. I just hope I will be able to get a decent return on all of the varieties I am planting.