"newsgroup" wrote:
That doesn't pass the common sense test, in my opinion; especially
considering that tomatoes are an annual, it makes sense that Nature and
humans rotate.


I have four tomato plants growing in one pot. One fruited last month
and the tomato is doing getting nice and bigger. It looks like it might
have another 30 or 45 days left before it's ready to be pulled. The
pot is a rather small pot, but I haven't had this much success with
tomatoes planted in the sand/ground... g I do have a couple
other tomatoes growing but they are nowhere as nice as the four
that sit together in one small pot.

While one fruited and has ONE fairly good size tomato, the other
plants flowered and some really small fruits set up. They seem to
like the colder weather, versus hot weather. The vines seem to
droop if they are placed in the direct sun during the day. I guess
the temps are about 40 to 45 at night and 65 to 75 during the
day right now. I had the small pot indoors in a windowed sun
room for the longest time, before the plants became too big.
They are growing like vines! And there are quite a few very
small fruits set now. I'm guessing it takes about 2 to 3 months
for a tomato to grow to full ripeness... does that sound right?

And if they are annual I shouldn't expect any more tomatoes
until next year, right?

--
Jim Carlock
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"Salty Thumb" wrote:

wrote:
According to the book "Reader's Digest Organic Gardening for the 21st
Century," tomatoes should not be part of your crop rotation scheme and
should be left in the same bed year after year: "Tomatoes are
narcissistic and do not like to rotate." That hit me as strange, as I
thought tomatoes were fairly prone to soil-borne diseases and would
definitely benefit from regular crop rotation. Any comments from the
tomato gurus in the group?

-Fleemo

I am speculating, but it is possible that tomatoes, which aren't
aboriginally annual, make persistent modifications to their rhizosphere
in the form of complex root exudates which supercede any nutrient
replenishment benefit due to rotation. It could be that the persistence
is enough to provide an annual basal level of support (or protection)
which is not renewed if a different crop is planted or perhaps the effect
is compounded with each successive generation.

Perhaps someone in sci.bio.botany knows.