A wrote:
I bought this nonsoil seed starter mix for $1.00 at Walmart and started
my tomato seeds in my south facing apartment window-grew like
gangbusters. At 1ft high I replanted them in Dad's halfbarrel patio
planter. He tried tomatoes last year there and they failed immediately.
I think he had the soil too compacted because I really had to work at
loosening the soil.


Tomatoes shouldn't be planted in soil that has been used before for
tomatoes. A lot of tomato diseases are soil borne and even if the
previous crop prospered, the next one might not. You should also use
potting soil in containers. If there was regular soil in the containers,
it would be very compacted and probably didn't help the plant very much.
It also holds less water and nutrients than potting soil and unless it's
fertilized like crazy, the tomatoes will have nothing to feed on.

So something began growing like a weed at the front
of the barrel-large leaves. Something is eating those leaves like crazy
but hasnt touched my tomato plant whose leaves are beautiful and has
doubled in size in one month. We pulled this supposed weed. Is it good
to plant/keep "distractions" around your tomatoes? With the weed gone,
will "it" start chomping on my tomatoes leaves?


If it hasn't touched the tomato yet, it probably won't. Have you mulched
the based of the plant? This will dissuade slugs and snails which love
to munch on most plants, holds moisture in the soil and keeps the soil
from splashing onto the plant when you water (passing on disease).

When you're done this year, dump the soil somewhere on your lawn, wash
the container well and let it sit for the winter outside then next
season fill with potting soil (cut with some peat if it's a larger
container like a half barrel) and plant your tomatoes.

..

thanks, hadnt mulched yet-i was considering a mesh-like collar laid on
top the soil around the base.

this wkend i replaced the small cage with a bigger cage to hold the
vines. i broke off one smaller branch when recaging-does anyone seal off
those open wounds?

I don't seal wounds, but I do stick the broken piece into the ground where it will usually grow!....

Deb, who can't even thin baby plants until they're big enough to eat.
"A" wrote in message ...
thanks, hadnt mulched yet-i was considering a mesh-like collar laid on
top the soil around the base.

this wkend i replaced the small cage with a bigger cage to hold the
vines. i broke off one smaller branch when recaging-does anyone seal off
those open wounds?




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A wrote:
thanks, hadnt mulched yet-i was considering a mesh-like collar laid on
top the soil around the base.

Anything to prevent splashing. Even newspaper would work.


this wkend i replaced the small cage with a bigger cage to hold the
vines. i broke off one smaller branch when recaging-does anyone seal off
those open wounds?

Nope. Tomatoes are pretty tough that way. Do you remove the suckers that
appear between the branches and stem?

..

wasn't doing any pinching off but i will. i read another post about
using bright red plastic around base of tomato plants-i think i will do
that-now i have to find my christmas bags :-)