On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 03:43:45 GMT, "Stephen Younge"
wrote:


But I am worried that I may be begging for problems with this watering
regimen. Should I scale it back? Is it possible to over-water a plant that
is in a pot with good quality potting mix? I noticed someone recommended
waiting until the tomatoes begin to wilt. Now during our heat waves, that
can be as little as 6 hours...

I don't think so, assuming that the plants are outdoors.

I'll state this carefully: I don't think it's possible to
overwater a plant in a pot, outdoors, in good potting soil.
I am basing this on my success in container gardening.
Well, all right, I suppose it's 'possible', but I think it's
exceedingly unlikely to happen.

However, your 20" pots are WAY SMALL for full-size tomato
plants and you may find yourself watering them 3 or more
times a day. You'd be much better off to get the tomatoes
into something larger if you can.

We grew a tomato in a pot about that size on our deck last
year, and we eventually had to transplant it to a 22-gallon
Rubbermaid storage tub in which we'd drilled drainage holes.
The plant was five feet tall when we transplanted it, and
although it was a somewhat difficult job, it didn't bother
the plant at all.


Oh, and an unrelated question: do I need to help pollinate any of the
tomatoes? I've heard that hybrid varieties are self-pollinating. But would
it help any for me to put on a bumblee outfit and go to town with a q-tip?


No need. Tomatoes are (all) largely self-pollinating - each
flower pollinates itself. Not just hybrids.

Tomatoes grown outdoors are inevitably jiggled a little by
breezes - if you grow indoor tomatoes, you can just tap the
plants to jiggle them a bit while they're in bloom. This is
all the help they need.

I'm presently growing nine Red Robin tomatoes indoors - they
are all covered with tomatoes. Very nice.

Pat