# 2013 maters are in



## homebrew

ok i planted my 5 plants on 3/10....lets see if i can have the same turnout as last year

2012 thread here 
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=420511


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## chumy

i thought i was the only one that grew 6ft tomato plants. I always attributed the extreme height due to the lack of sun i have during the day. My production has always been so so.


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## Muddskipper

I have two that have carried over from last year.

One stayed 6' tall .... the other just sprouted up in the container ....

Both were grown from seed, so I sould be good to go ....


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## Rubberback

Got my plants today. Gonna plant 30 tommorrow. Hope it doesn't freeze again. What a week. Went from freezing to 80's.


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## chuck leaman

I have 14 planted now but my boy told me we need 20 so I will have to get 6 more. The first 10 went in 2 weeks ago. The next 4 this weekend. Got the cages wrapped up so the wind doesnt mess em up.


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## homebrew

14 days of progress.......from 3/11 1st pic to this 3/24 pic

they are on the way


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## chuck leaman

Ny Romas already have maters on them.


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## homebrew

chumy said:


> i thought i was the only one that grew 6ft tomato plants. I always attributed the extreme height due to the lack of sun i have during the day. My production has always been so so.


yea my fence is 8'-2" tall

i was able to make 10 gallons of spag-sauce, red wine marinara, pizza sauce and salsa

now how to find out how to keep the mocking birds out they are brutal


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## homebrew

chuck leaman said:


> Ny Romas already have maters on them.


nice.....i plated my favorite Celebrity along with a heinz super roma to see what it will do.


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## Paul Marx

Not sure if it was a dream or not . I heard you put a peice of womens stockings over the mater and it will stretch as the tomato grows . The birds supposably won't mess with them . Anybody heard this ? I might have read it here. I just planted 18 yesturday that already had blooms on them.


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## jm423

Homebrew-just before your maters start turning hang some red Christmas Tree glass ball ornaments in the vines. Old lady mocking bird will beat on them a while, decide there's nothing edible there and leave the tomatos alone. All joking aside it has worked for me. Now to keep the ***** and possums out---.


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## homebrew

weekly pic update 3-31

not to bad for 21 days, i think the lil cold snap held them back a bit


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## Rubberback

Looking good!! Lots of space!! Might wanna plant some marigolds to keep the birds from pecking the fruit. Are you could cover the whole thing with bird netting.


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## homebrew

my weekly pic......i take a pic every sunday so i can check progress and yeilds w/ different organic regimens.

4/7 picture....plants have been in the ground almost a month planted 3/10 (see 1st pic)


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## fish'nchipper

Looking good. Mine are getting big too, and I have a few that have set tomatoes already. 

Question: Is the low fence designed to keep out pets or pests? I'm trying to find ideas on how to keep the squirrels from eating 1 bite out of 90% of my tomatoes like last year. Maybe that deserves a separate thread.


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## chuck leaman

The squirrels do that for moisture when its dry. I had the same problem when I lived in Houston. I put water out for them and it solved the problem. Now that I live in Nada Id turn them into squirrel and dumplings if I caught em.


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## fish'nchipper

The water is a good idea. I'm concerned if I give them water, they'll just be more in my yard. I may need to break out the BB gun and turn them into compost. I wouldn't think city squirrels would taste OK.


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## chuck leaman

If your neighbor is feeding them corn they could be nice and fat. I kept them fed too. I don't mind them being in the yard as long as they leave my stuff alone. I plant cherry 100's on the outside of my rows of tomatoes to keep the Mockingbirds from messing up my big maters and that has worked for me too.


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## Rubberback

fish'nchipper said:


> Looking good. Mine are getting big too, and I have a few that have set tomatoes already.
> 
> Question: Is the low fence designed to keep out pets or pests? I'm trying to find ideas on how to keep the squirrels from eating 1 bite out of 90% of my tomatoes like last year. Maybe that deserves a separate thread.


Benjamin!!


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## chuck leaman

I just hope we don't get a hail storm mid week. We got lucky in Nada and the hail went East and just West of us. My buddies duck camp trailer West of Garwood lost several windows last week. That would have done my pretty mater plants in.


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## homebrew

fish'nchipper said:


> Looking good. Mine are getting big too, and I have a few that have set tomatoes already.
> 
> Question: Is the low fence designed to keep out pets or pests? I'm trying to find ideas on how to keep the squirrels from eating 1 bite out of 90% of my tomatoes like last year. Maybe that deserves a separate thread.


i have 2 ankle biters a yorkie and silky terrier, trying to keep em out.

i have a pool so the squirrels drink out of the pool and leave the maters alone.....only pest i have is mocking birds and an occasional rat


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## homebrew

chuck leaman said:


> If your neighbor is feeding them corn they could be nice and fat. I kept them fed too. I don't mind them being in the yard as long as they leave my stuff alone. I plant cherry 100's on the outside of my rows of tomatoes to keep the Mockingbirds from messing up my big maters and that has worked for me too.


good idea on the cherries....might give that a try

i also have a herb garden a half dozen pepper plants and of coarse my cascade hops are going nuts

wish i had more room im stuck in suburbia


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## jm423

Squirrels = Squirrel and dumplings, I have had good luck discouraging old lady mockingbird by hanging red Christmas tree glass balls in the plants a few weeks before the 'maters start turning. All joking aside, they work for me. Now if I could find a "glass fig--"


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## homebrew

4/14/2013 weekly update

plants have been in the ground right at a month....note 1st pic of this thread was 3/11

here they are currently


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## homebrew

weekly pic 4/21

nut grass invasion....i have dug and dug....keeps coming back


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## chumy

A 4ft pole with a sponge on the end laced with roundup works well for nut and bermuda.


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## homebrew

chumy said:


> A 4ft pole with a sponge on the end laced with roundup works well for nut and bermuda.


thanks for the tip i gotta try something


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## whistech

chumy said:


> A 4ft pole with a sponge on the end laced with roundup works well for nut and bermuda.


I agree with Chumy. The more you pull up nut grass the quicker it spreads.


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## whistech

Homebrew, those are beautiful tomato plants! What varieties do you have planted?


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## firedog4$

You might add a layer of mulch, it holds off the grass and keeps moisture in.


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## homebrew

whistech said:


> Homebrew, those are beautiful tomato plants! What varieties do you have planted?


the 4 larger plants are celebrity (same variety i always grow i have great yeilds about (70-100 per plant) and they are (D) so most fruit ripens around the same time frame as i use to make sauces plus eat daily.

the smaller ones are heinz super roma (I) and some grape sweet

i have grown several different kinds over the last 20 years and have settled on these as my household staple.

every one has their own opinions


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## Rubberback

Celebrity's are a good reliable plant. I like growing big slicers. Last year I grew champions & they did very good. Couldn't get them this year. So, I planted celebrity's, big boy, big beef, goliath, beef master, & homesteads. Plus some big cherry tomatoes.


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## Dick Hanks

Rubberback said:


> Celebrity's are a good reliable plant. I like growing big slicers. Last year I grew champions & they did very good. Couldn't get them this year. So, I planted celebrity's, big boy, big beef, goliath, beef master, & homesteads. Plus some big cherry tomatoes.


A couple of more that make good slicers are Mortgage Lifter and Brandywine. Both of these often have a multi-lobed shape rather than perfectly round, but they do get hefty and have wonderful flavor. Brandywine is nice and meaty, without a lot of seeds, and is still very juicy. I'm not sure how they handle Texas summers though. Maybe try just one or 2 plants of each sometime.


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## homebrew

we survived....hail went around us


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## mas360

That is very nice looking. I like that rail design. Is it made out of 1" conduit?


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## homebrew

mas360 said:


> That is very nice looking. I like that rail design. Is it made out of 1" conduit?


that probally would have been cheaper...lol

its about 1" aluminum powder coated black....its the rail system you can buy at lowes in the lumber/stairs/rails section...comes with plastic holders that screw in w/ ss screws. pretty study and keeps my dogs out


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## homebrew

mocking birds are hanging out daily....they are just waiting for em to start turnin...


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## monkeyman1

homebrew, what fertilizer do you use? great looking plants.


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## homebrew

monkeyman1 said:


> homebrew, what fertilizer do you use? great looking plants.


manure compost, bone meal, blood meal, oyster shell flour, 
heavy doses of epsom salt (Magnesium Sulfate) and last but not least liquid horticultral molasses (you can buy it a lowes for $11 a gallon) it raises the brix content and makes them sweeter
98% organic...LOL

the leaves are huge and thick, they love this recipe


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## mark9199

Nice looking plants! I'll have to try your fertilizer recipe.


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## mas360

Beautiful and productive backyard....best of both worlds.


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## Law Dog

Great looking plants, Beautiful backyard...Congrats!


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## homebrew

was able to pick a few romas ....

plants are out of control....need idea for larger cages, a lil bigger than a 55 gallon drum and bout 7 foot tall i suppose


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## monkeyman1

homebrew said:


> manure compost, bone meal, blood meal, oyster shell flour,
> heavy doses of epsom salt (Magnesium Sulfate) and last but not least liquid horticultral molasses (you can buy it a lowes for $11 a gallon) it raises the brix content and makes them sweeter
> 98% organic...LOL
> 
> the leaves are huge and thick, they love this recipe
> 
> http://s435.photobucket.com/user/badasssc400/media/corbinandsale004.jpg.html


Ya gotta share that recipe!


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## homebrew

monkeyman1 said:


> Ya gotta share that recipe!


i dont hold back....anything you want to know ask

they have way outgrown the 6' cages....the fence is 8'-2" tall

i have some idea for next year


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## homebrew

producing heavy yeilds.....sweeter taste than last year


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## monkeyman1

homebrew said:


> manure compost, bone meal, blood meal, oyster shell flour,
> heavy doses of epsom salt (Magnesium Sulfate) and last but not least liquid horticultral molasses (you can buy it a lowes for $11 a gallon) it raises the brix content and makes them sweeter
> 98% organic...LOL
> 
> the leaves are huge and thick, they love this recipe





monkeyman1 said:


> Ya gotta share that recipe!





homebrew said:


> i dont hold back....anything you want to know ask
> 
> they have way outgrown the 6' cages....the fence is 8'-2" tall
> 
> i have some idea for next year


dig you apply the manure compost, bone meal, blood meal, oyster shell flour and heavy doses of epsom salt separately or did you mix it up? if mixed, how did you apply it?

great looking plants.


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