T wrote:
....
My mistake. Large tomatoes require a lot of space for
their roots. Roots can be up to eight feet long and as
deep. So, you basically need a six foot down and six
foot across area to grow them.

My ellipse is only amended down to about 1-1/2 foot. At
about two feet, my ellipse might as well be sitting on
cinder blocks.

Large tomatoes require "deep watering".

The indent I made when I planted the Romas, too keep
water from running off, turned into a dome when the plants
grew, so water ran off rather and ponding.

a slight pond is ok to capture and soak in some
of the rains when they happen, but you are right
in the main. in our clay here i keep the gardens
fairly level for the tomatoes.

it rained several times last night and it's raining
again now so i'm hoping i don't get a lot of split
tomatoes, but that is a problem when you have them
ripe and sitting on the plant. i hoped to be able to
pick but now that won't happen until tomorrow. at
least worms like them no matter what.


1) you don't want a Pot of water, you want a soaking of
the area six by six.

2) spot water works for zukes but not large tomatoes.

Why cherries worked, she did not know.

because they're small.


So poop! Large tomatoes are out, as I do not have the
energy or funding to amend such a spot for them to grow.
I would need a back hoe!

Is okay, at least I know now why I can't grow a large
tomato. And why all my other attempts had blossom rot
on their ends as well.

She also told me that I have to "Hot" compose. Just burying
vegi scraps only works marginally.

you should have asked her about worm composting.
best stuff ever. worms secret calcium in their poo.


And also told me that the local compost dealer's stuff did
not work as it was very "inconsistent". I had stopped
using it years ago as it was worthless. No one else seemed
to have this experience. I am glad she removed the veil.

Always learning!

Thank you all for the help is getting me to this point!

-T

Cherry tomatoes it is! I am awash in them. :-)

and you can grow several kinds for some variety.


songbird