Christian Photographers Community

Tomatoes in hanging baskets.



Don

Wow I can almost reach out and pick one to eat!!  they look delicious!

Now that is a good idea, like Judy said they look delicious.

They are delicious and the best variety I have found to go in baskets. This is the first year I have grown them and they were a big hit. I'll be doing them again next year.

Don

These look sooo good!  I wish you'd send me some.  Maybe if you threw them very, very high and very, very hard they'd come this far.

oh Al that is a good idea!

Quote from: Al Moak on June 29, 2009, 09:46:47 AM
These look sooo good!  I wish you'd send me some.  Maybe if you threw them very, very high and very, very hard they'd come this far.

I already responded to this post one time ,where did it go? Maybe I just previewed it and never hit the post button, Old Timers Disease Again? Oh well.

Al I threw them as hard as I could.

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!! 

Don

Don, what brand of tomatoes did you plant in the hanging baskets? Are they the small ones, or larger? I tried the topsy-turvy basket a couple of years ago, but the tomatoes didn't get very large. I wanted regular size tomatoes. I've also wanted to try strawberries in a hanging basket, but haven't yet.

I'm enjoying looking at all the photos on this site. Good work from all of you.

Hi Kathy, They were called Tumbling Tom and are bigger than what I call a cherry tomato but not as big as garden tomatoes. I would say they are about the size of a 50 cent piece and smaller. This is the first year I have grown them and have to say they performed excellent.

I planted them in 10" baskets (but I think bigger baskets would be better) in a soil less media (no dirt) and added 3 tablespoons of dolomitic ground limestone to each basket to control blossom end rot. I used a 20-10-20 fertilizer at 200 ppm of nitrogen which = a teaspoon per gallon of water and a pinch of epsom salt which is magnesium sulfate. Use this solution every time you water. Use enough each time you water so you get drainage out the bottom of the pot. If you can't find a 20-10-20 then use 15-30-15 at the same rate and it will work fine.

You can use this rate of fertilizer on all your baskets for excellent results as long as you use a soil less media and water enough to get drainage out the bottom.

EDIT: You don't have to use the dolomitic limestone in your flower baskets, just your tomato baskets.

Here is a link to the tomatoes:
http://www.harrisseeds.com/storefront/s-303-hanging-basket-tomato.aspx

Here is what your baskets will look like if you use this formula and keep them watered.

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Good Luck
Don  

Don do you mind if I print out those instructions? 

I have gone online to find seed for the Tumbling Tom.  All I can find is Tumbling Tom Red seeds.  Also they are only available in the UK.  Have you another source where I can buy seed?

You are welcome to print the instructions Judy. Harris seeds is in the state of New York. Can't you order from them?

Don

OK I will try that.  Thank you.  They just look so good that we have to try them!!

The tomatoes look good enough to eat and the flowers are just beautiful.  Thanks!

Wow now im hungry! Great photos!

I had 4 baskets that I didn't sell and my wife picked two wallmart bags full of tomatoes yesterday. They look like bunches of grapes hanging on the plants.

Quote from: JudyB on July 06, 2009, 10:36:27 PM
OK I will try that.  Thank you.  They just look so good that we have to try them!!

Good luck Judy!

Quote from: Jeanne Lee on July 08, 2009, 11:16:13 AM
The tomatoes look good enough to eat and the flowers are just beautiful.  Thanks!

Thanks Jeanne Lee!

Quote from: mrsbentine on July 08, 2009, 11:35:42 AM
Wow now im hungry! Great photos!

Thanks mrsbentine!

Don

You would have had a time eating that many tomatoes!  I will definitely be trying them!!!

You bet. We can't eat all those tomatoes, we give them away.

Don

Great looking tomatoes!

Hi Kevin, Good to see you back, Hope you are feeling better.

Don

I tried to show John the picture you posted from before.  Still must be a glitch in the software as it wouldn't load....or it may simply be the fact that I am on Dial-up. 

How many seeds do you put into one basket?

There is one plant per basket. It's best to start the plants in small pots and then in about 30 days plant the plants in the baskets. This tray of plants was planted 02-25-11. A small plant in a big pot is very easy to over water,a no no. These are ready to go in the baskets.



I plant it deep in the pot leaving nothing but the bud sticking out of the media.

See next post Judy

Look at these plants planted 02-09-11. They are garden tomatoes and most people would not buy them because they don't know how to handle them.



I will take these and plant them in gallon pots.

See next post Judy

I place them in the bottom of the pot and roll the stem around in the pot and just leave the bud sticking out. Fill the pot with media and in 2 weeks they will look like this.



It does not hurt the plants to plant them deep. They will grow roots from the entire stem and take off really fast. You can also take tomato plants with long stems and lay them down in a furrow and cover everything but the bud up. They will turn up and go and you will have tomatoes closer to the ground. A lot of people ask me how I get tomatoes to grow so close to the ground, that's how i do it.

Don't forget about dolomitic limestone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomite which will prevent blossom end rot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blossom_end_rot  on your tomatoes.

Sorry for such a long post. I had to split it up so it was not too many kb's to post

Here they are hanging from a basket



If I can help you in any way just let me know.

I am looking forward to this.  Where do you get the dolomitic limestone?  I haven't heard of that before!

Also with tomatoes I have learned something, about how to plant them!  Thank you!

Quote from: JudyB on April 02, 2011, 10:21:44 PM
I am looking forward to this.  Where do you get the dolomitic limestone?  I haven't heard of that before!

Also with tomatoes I have learned something, about how to plant them!  Thank you!

Try the hardware stores or places that sell plants or farm supply outlets. Don't let them sell you quicklime or hydrated lime http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrated_lime which can be used in the soil to raise the PH but has no magnesium and if you use too much,and it's easy to use too much, nothing will grow. Dolomitic lime is safer and adds magnesium.

Thanks for the larification Don.  John knows what you are referring to,  I am looking forward to starting my Tumbling Tom tomotoes...

Judy you sound excited and that makes me happy. I love to grow plants and love to help others that grow plants also.

Again good luck with your venture!

Thanks Don!

Isn't it great to have an expert on tap - both for the tomatoes and for the photos of them! 

Thanks, Don, for the pics and all that great information.   

Oh I'm no expert Jeanne. I usually know just enough to get myself in trouble. I got a message from Pat wanting me to ID a plant for her and I couldn't do it. Now that really makes me look good huh.

I'm sure you have heard the saying about knowing a little about everything and a lot about nothing. That's me, but I'm not afraid of a challenge. I figure if someone else can do it I can too and after 4 days on the internet searching and 15 tries sometimes I get it right. 

Thanks for the compliment though.

Don, I don't take back a single word!   

Got the Tumbling Toms potted up. A few pictures to how how I did it.

Here is the lime I use.



Two tablespoons per basket.



Now all I have to do is feed them and wait.

Thank you for the instructions.  I can't wait to see the seed grow into seedlings then to plants that will produce!!

ooooooo Don!!

We will be getting frost up here 'til the end of May into June!!

However I plan to put some plants into my hanging planters. Thank you for your suggestion to use Dolomitic Limestone... I will look for it in our Garden Centers.

Jeanne If I get these seeds growing well and dothem as Don has suggested, you will be able to enjoy our bounty as well!!  John is looking for the limestone as well.  If we can't get it here we could split the cost of John bringing some back with him on a USA trip!

I hope to get the peat pots this afternoon.