Tomato Growing Tips

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I promised Lisa B. that I would share a very informative YouTube video that I found about growing great tomatoes. So for everyone who loves growing tasty tomatoes, and especially for you, Lisa B., here's a link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMlxoBuqObA

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind od the North

 

[taxlady]

Cool video Chief, thanks for sharing it.

 

[Kayelle]

Chief!! Thanks so much for that most informative video from that delightful and bright young woman. The two of us enjoyed every minute of it together.
Souschef and I have so little land to grow anything. For years, we've had just two in ground tomato plants that we've enjoyed with mixed success stories. We learned so much from her. Who would have thought that molasses, Tums, or aspirin could be used for prolific tomato plants? Anyone growing tomatoes needs to watch this delightful video.

 

[GotGarlic]

Chief!! Thanks so much for that most informative video from that delightful and bright young woman. The two of us enjoyed every minute of it together.
Souschef and I have so little land to grow anything. For years, we've had just two in ground tomato plants that we've enjoyed with mixed success stories. We learned so much from her. Who would have thought that molasses, Tums, or aspirin could be used for prolific tomato plants? Anyone growing tomatoes needs to watch this delightful video.

I don't really want to spend a half hour watching this, but I will say that Tums and aspirin are not useful in the garden. It's a long-standing myth that tomatoes with blossom end rot are deficient in calcium. The truth is that soil is rarely deficient in calcium and BER is most often caused by the plant's inability to take up calcium from the soil, usually because of heavy or uneven watering, like after a big storm. It's usually a temporary situation that resolves itself, but people who don't do careful research won't know that.

 

[taxlady]

I don't really want to spend a half hour watching this, but I will say that Tums and aspirin are not useful in the garden. It's a long-standing myth that tomatoes with blossom end rot are deficient in calcium. The truth is that soil is rarely deficient in calcium and BER is most often caused by the plant's inability to take up calcium from the soil, usually because of heavy or uneven watering, like after a big storm. It's usually a temporary situation that resolves itself, but people who don't do careful research won't know that.

She actually mentions that not-enough-calcium is often caused by too much water. I think she mentioned that there was no evidence for the Tums helping, but that people always mention it in tomato groups. I don't remember what problems she said would be caused not-enough-calcium. I don't remember for sure, but I think the ASA (what we call Aspirin in Canada) was for something else.

I was kind of put off by the length of the video, but decided to watch a bit of it and decide. I enjoyed it and I probably won't be growing any tomatoes in the foreseeable future.

OTOH, at the end of the video, she said you should never put tomatoes in the fridge.

 

[GotGarlic]

She actually mentions that not-enough-calcium is often caused by too much water. I think she mentioned that there was no evidence for the Tums helping, but that people always mention it in tomato groups. I don't remember what problems she said would be caused not-enough-calcium. I don't remember for sure, but I think the ASA (what we call Aspirin in Canada) was for something else.

The problem caused by a lack of calcium is blossom end rot.

Kayelle seemed to have the impression that Tums was a good solution.

 

[Kathleen]

I loved the video. Thank you!


Something I learned to help with Blossom End Rot is to put in a tablespoon of Epsom salts and a tablespoon of powdered milk when planting. Every month or so, I dust the base with powdered milk again. The epsom salts help the roots to absorb the calcium.


I do need to be more consistent with watering. I don't have a soaker hose and have a small garden patch. I will try to not water the entire plant after viewing this though.

 

[GotGarlic]

I loved the video. Thank you!


Something I learned to help with Blossom End Rot is to put in a tablespoon of Epsom salts and a tablespoon of powdered milk when planting. Every month or so, I dust the base with powdered milk again. The epsom salts help the roots to absorb the calcium.

I do need to be more consistent with watering. I don't have a soaker hose and have a small garden patch. I will try to not water the entire plant after viewing this though.

There are a lot of myths about gardening that get passed down, but home gardening has been studied for decades by professors in university Cooperative Extension programs. One, Linda Chalker-Scott, has written a series of fact sheets on a wide range of topics. I encourage everyone who is interested in gardening to read through these. They contain great information:
https://puyallup.wsu.edu/lcs/

Some of the information in those documents is collected here, in an interview she did; this is part 1:
https://joegardener.com/podcast/034-gardening-myths-busted-pt-1-with-linda-chalker-scott/

Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, a type of salt. It is only effective if there's a documented deficiency of magnesium in the soil. Putting unnecessary chemicals in a garden pollutes the water table or nearby water sources. Here is Dr. Chalker-Scott's fact sheet on Epsom salt: https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/epsom-salts.pdf

Blossom end rot happens when the plant can't take up calcium from the soil. It's rare to have a calcium deficiency in soil, so unless you have a documented deficiency, powdered milk isn't doing anything.

 

[Kathleen]

There are a lot of myths about gardening that get passed down, but home gardening has been studied for decades by professors in university Cooperative Extension programs. One, Linda Chalker-Scott, has written a series of fact sheets on a wide range of topics. I encourage everyone who is interested in gardening to read through these. They contain great information:
https://puyallup.wsu.edu/lcs/

Some of the information in those documents is collected here, in an interview she did; this is part 1:
https://joegardener.com/podcast/034-gardening-myths-busted-pt-1-with-linda-chalker-scott/

Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, a type of salt. It is only effective if there's a documented deficiency of magnesium in the soil. Putting unnecessary chemicals in a garden pollutes the water table or nearby water sources. Here is Dr. Chalker-Scott's fact sheet on Epsom salt: https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/epsom-salts.pdf

Blossom end rot happens when the plant can't take up calcium from the soil. It's rare to have a calcium deficiency in soil, so unless you have a documented deficiency, powdered milk isn't doing anything.

Thanks for the information! I will definitely read through it. I have been reading a lot about soil since my garden bed started as "soil" only in that it is brownish and covers ground. Other than that, it was pretty much clayish more than anything else. When tested, it was void of most everything. I've been putting leaf compost in yearly along with egg shells and coffee grounds. It has helped loosen the soil. Since using the powdered milk and Epson salts, I have not been plagued with blossom end rot. Next year, I will probably have the soil tested again.


By education, I'm a biologist, but not a gardener...or a botanist. Gardening was something I have taken up later in life so I'm a sponge when it comes to information: Homegrown or science. Also, I *am* a bit superstitious much to my chagrin. Don't get me started about planting according to the signs, but Grandparents swore by them and my plants are doing great....except for the beets, which I just planted at the "wrong time", of course.

 

[GotGarlic]

Thanks for the information! I will definitely read through it. I have been reading a lot about soil since my garden bed started as "soil" only in that it is brownish and covers ground. Other than that, it was pretty much clayish more than anything else. When tested, it was void of most everything. I've been putting leaf compost in yearly along with egg shells and coffee grounds. It has helped loosen the soil. Since using the powdered milk and Epson salts, I have not been plagued with blossom end rot. Next year, I will probably have the soil tested again.


By education, I'm a biologist, but not a gardener...or a botanist.

You're welcome [emoji2]

As a scientist, you know that correlation does not equal causation

 

[Kathleen]

You're welcome [emoji2]

As a scientist, you know that correlation does not equal causation

Yeah, but I don't mess with Granny-magic. There is just no explaining it.

 

[taxlady]

Thanks for the information! I will definitely read through it. I have been reading a lot about soil since my garden bed started as "soil" only in that it is brownish and covers ground. Other than that, it was pretty much clayish more than anything else. When tested, it was void of most everything. I've been putting leaf compost in yearly along with egg shells and coffee grounds. It has helped loosen the soil. Since using the powdered milk and Epson salts, I have not been plagued with blossom end rot. Next year, I will probably have the soil tested again.


By education, I'm a biologist, but not a gardener...or a botanist. Gardening was something I have taken up later in life so I'm a sponge when it comes to information: Homegrown or science. Also, I *am* a bit superstitious much to my chagrin. Don't get me started about planting according to the signs, but Grandparents swore by them and my plants are doing great....except for the beets, which I just planted at the "wrong time", of course.

Which signs? Astrological signs? Those would have been discernible in the sky, wouldn't they? That would be a good way to know when to plant for people who didn't happen to have a calendar handy. That could be a bit of knowledge handed down over many generations.

 

[Kathleen]

Which signs? Astrological signs? Those would have been discernible in the sky, wouldn't they? That would be a good way to know when to plant for people who didn't happen to have a calendar handy. That could be a bit of knowledge handed down over many generations.

Yes, along with moon phases and fertile elements. My grandmother swore by them. For example, plant above ground crops when the moon is waxing and below ground crops when it is waning. As far as astrological signs, there are signs for barren and fertile. Like water and earth signs are fertile and fire and air signs are barren. So plant tomatoes during water or earth signs when the moon is waxing and potatoes during water or earth signs when the moon is waning. Harvest and prune during barren signs. And never plant during full, new, or quarter moons. I love the Old Farmer's Almanac....they figure everything out for you.