Time for Another Exercise in Humility

[mneeley490]

After another dismal harvest last year, I swore I was done. But then this weekend Costco had 3-packs of beautiful, leafy, 18" tall plants for $9.99. Why?!?
I should know better. High temps here near Seattle have been in the 40's-50's (with rain) for the last 2 months, with no warmth in sight. I must have a masochistic streak.

 

[SmokinEdge]

The larger the plants, the worse they adapt to new soil.

 

[mneeley490]

The larger the plants, the worse they adapt to new soil.

I only use Miracle Grow potting soil in 5-gal buckets, which is probably close to what they came in.
My housing development was built on the side of a hill that was originally scraped clean by a gravel company. Then they poured down maybe 4" of top soil, and built houses on it. Can't dig very deep without hitting hard pan.
In the past, I've tried planting in a Southern exposure, and a Western exposure next to a wall that gets warm in the summer. Nada. Zilch. I don't care to build raised gardens, so the buckets it is.

 

[chopsaw]

Nothing wrong with buckets .

 

[civilsmoker]

I grew maters in AK in 5 gallon planter pots....the trick is if you really want lots of maters you need to get "early girls" or "cold sets" then wrap them in a tube of plastic with open tops (IE mini green house for each plant). You will have maters growing out your ears.......

But since you have large plants, just make a plastic tube for those and that will help them get the heat they need to grow and produce.....

PS I have the same 3 pack set that we take out in the AM in the sun and back in the house an night......IE it snowed this morning but they are growing and will go into the wall o waters in two weeks.....

 

[TNJAKE]

I grew maters in AK in 5 gallon planter pots....the trick is if you really want lots of maters you need to get "early girls" or "cold sets" then wrap them in a tube of plastic with open tops (IE mini green house for each plant). You will have maters growing out your ears.......

But since you have large plants, just make a plastic tube for those and that will help them get the heat they need to grow and produce.....

PS I have the same 3 pack set that we take out in the AM in the sun and back in the house an night......IE it snowed this morning but they are growing and will go into the wall o waters in two weeks.....

I probably mentioned this to you before but I lived in Fairbanks Alaska for 6 years and we try to vacation there every other year or so. We went in summer of 2019 and had some of the best tomatoes I've ever eaten in chena hot springs. Was July 4 weekend

 

[jcam222]

My harvest was abysmal last year and not so good the year before. I’m considering resting the spot this year. Maybe I’ll do some cherry tomatoes in pots.

 

[indaswamp]

We had a very wet spring in 2021. Lots and lots of rain...dealt with a lot of diseased plants and tomatoes cracking unless you picked early. Got maybe 1/4 of a normal harvest...I usually can count on about 250-300# of tomatoes off 11 plants.

Peppers on the other hand had a banner year until hurricane Ida decimated my garden.

Got tomatoes set on the vines now...about golf ball sized. just pruned lower leaves, added a ring of wood ash 18" from the stem (potassium for fruit set and flavor) and mulched with 4" of leaf mould I vaccumed up with the leaf blower off the driveway and around the yard.

Got 2 4' high compost piles started this weekend in the other tomato bed for next season. Sometime this month I'll make more biochar to add to the compost pile. Got a bunch of limbs and pine cones to char....got some bones too...bone har is high in both phosphorus and calcium and is fairly plant available.

Got a new fig tree planted and it's doing GREAT! won't have fig for a while though...will still be picking other trees until it starts producing, but with the compost, mulch, fish carcasses, and biochar; it will be producing fruit 2-3 years sooner....

 

[mneeley490]

I probably mentioned this to you before but I lived in Fairbanks Alaska for 6 years and we try to vacation there every other year or so. We went in summer of 2019 and had some of the best tomatoes I've ever eaten in chena hot springs. Was July 4 weekend

Small world. I was born in Fairbanks, Ft. Wainwright, actually. Moved to Seattle when I was 1. Would love to get up there and see it some day.

 

[civilsmoker]

I probably mentioned this to you before but I lived in Fairbanks Alaska for 6 years and we try to vacation there every other year or so. We went in summer of 2019 and had some of the best tomatoes I've ever eaten in chena hot springs. Was July 4 weekend

Small world. I was born in Fairbanks, Ft. Wainwright, actually. Moved to Seattle when I was 1. Would love to get up there and see it some day.

Lived in Chugiak for a couple of years. The long sunlight hours make for some incredible veg and roots. True AK Yukon golds spuds are the best in the world, no other spud has the natural sweetness that is developed because the long sunny days. I miss having 500 lbs of salmon, 200 lbs of moose, 200 lbs of venison, and 200 lbs of halibut in the freezer at the end of the season.... Our neighbor's loved us because we were a free meat market cause a small family could not eat all of it alone...

 

[Bearcarver]

How about more than 3,000 tomatoes from one plant??
How to Grow Great Tomato Plants

Bear

 

[Plinsc]

I only use Miracle Grow potting soil in 5-gal buckets, which is probably close to what they came in.
My housing development was built on the side of a hill that was originally scraped clean by a gravel company. Then they poured down maybe 4" of top soil, and built houses on it. Can't dig very deep without hitting hard pan.
In the past, I've tried planting in a Southern exposure, and a Western exposure next to a wall that gets warm in the summer. Nada. Zilch. I don't care to build raised gardens, so the buckets it is.

Here’s a rabbit hole for you, may offer a good solution for you

 

[mneeley490]

How about more than 3,000 tomatoes from one plant??
How to Grow Great Tomato Plants

Bear
View attachment 631662

Holy cow!!!