http://www.durgan.org/URL/?VLYDB 21 May 2013 Mulching Tomatoes
It rained last night and the ground is reasonably moist. It is an ideal time to mulch. A yard of wood chips was placed on the tomato patch. This layer is about three inches thick. The purpose is to retain moisture, to inhibit evaporation from a hot Sun.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?GZHUS 18 May 2013 Planting Tomatoes Outdoors.
There will be no more frost so the 27 tomato plants were placed outdoors.The first support ropes were installed.The plants are: Four Blue P20,Four Dora,Six Black Russian,four Orange(?),Four Black Krim,Three Belarus Orange (Orange-1)(,Two Sweet Beverley. Total in this patch 27 plants.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?QWGMW 1 May 2013 Tomato Support System
A tomato support system was made using rebar and plastic ties to support 27 tomato plants by strings 1/8 diameter dropped down from the structure to the tomato fruit bearing branches. The total area for the structure is 6.5 feet by 22 feet. The verticals are eight foot half inch rebar about two feet in the ground so the hight is approximately six feet to avoid head bumping when harvesting the fruit.The rebar are held together by plastic ties.The planting area was fertilized with compost and rototilled in preparation for planting about the 24 of May in my Zone 5.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XJKBU 16 April 2013 Tomatoes Hardening Off
This is the first warm weather this Spring. It is cloudy and temperature is about 12C. All the greenhouse tomatoes were placed in the partial shade outside over the last two days. This is to harden them off. They cannot be placed in the outdoor ground garden until about the 24 of May.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SNPMB 3 April 2013 Tomato Plants. Zone 5.
All plants growing well. Watering from the bottom.Supporting plants using pipe cleaners and four foot fibre glass stakes.Still too cold to place outside to begin the hardening off process.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UXSLL 9 March 2013 Potting Up Tomato Plants. Thirty four plants.Potting up completed.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?ENRPD 5 March 2013 Potting Up Tomatoes
As the tomatoes reach an appropriate size they are moved to a larger pot. Pictures depict the potting up process.Six plants were moved up today.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?ACHAC 26 February 2013 Tomato Growth (47 days)
This is the growth to date. It has been exceptionally cold at night but my plants are thriving. There are more plants than the 30 or so that I need, which will be given to neighbours, when I pot up in about a month.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NLDPS 5 February 2013 Tomato seeds.
Starting tomatoes for the 2013 season 9 January 2013. Selection is: Black Russian, Tomato Blue P20, Belaris Orange, Dora, Black Krim, An orange type name unknown. Some seeds were sent to me last year and were grown too late in the season to get a good crop, so are being grown this year. There is a total of around 30 plants, five of each type. The Seeds were started on damp kleenex to verify germination. Then were planted in separate containers. The containers are on a heating pad and will be utilized as required on very cool nights. Artificial lights are never used. Light is any convenient place until the plants can be placed in the small greenhouse, when it gets warm enough.