"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
allen73 wrote:

Higgs Boson;952125 Wrote:
A friend gave me this link to a Santa Cruz, California farm that gives
very detailed advice on growing tomatoes.
Though it's geared to California coastal, the advice can be
extrapolated to other climates and mini-climates.

Fish head at bottom of planting hole? Aspirin nearby? Some
interesting angles, coupled with seasoned conventional advice on soil
modification, watering, sun requirements, etc.

'Love Apple Farms: Instructions on How to Grow Better Tomatoes'
(http://tinyurl.com/42rayl4)

HB

Interesting article on growing tomatoes. But have your ever tasted
hydroponic tomatoes which taste as good as tomatoes grown in rich soil
outdoors? Many tomatoes are grown hydroponically as they grow bigger,
healthier and hastier.

Check out the following link to grow hydroponic tomatoes all year
around.

'Vegetable Gardening | Advanced Nutrients Articles'
(http://tinyurl.com/839pq5m)

What you say may be true, but when the website makes a gaffe like

"4. Pollination * If tomatoes are to bear fruit, they need to be
pollinated. Unless growers are going to engage in artificial
pollination, the plants must be accessible to pollinators, which can
include insects and wind. Obviously, it is difficult to provide
pollinator access to plants grown indoors or in greenhouses."

It calls into question the rest of the sites assertions, and their
motives.

Most tomatoes don't need pollinators.

p. 155-156
http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-T...deners/dp/1882
424581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238951517&sr=1-1
POLLINATION, CROSSING AND ISOLATION

Charlie Rick, whose tomato breeding accomplishments are legendary,
describes the evolution of the tomato in Potential Genetic Resources in
Tomato Species (1952). "The ancestral tomato species could not reproduce
by self-pollination.... . It had a long style, extending far beyond the
anther tube, to facilitate cross-pollination by insects. . . . .As this
ancestral species evolved into the wild predecessor of the cultivated
tomato it developed the ability to self-pollinate.
--

Billy

The information and cites you posted are most informative. And I agree that
the information you contest in the one cite.

Tomatos are ........ funny. What works for you might not work even across
town, as to differences in soils, etc.

Surely, the information I learned in ten years of growing massive amounts of
good tomatos in Louisiana does not transfer to Utah, as I have had little
luck here.

But across the board, here are some things that I have learned from my
experiences:

Check your tomatos every day. Cutworms and infestations of bugs happen at
an exponential rate, and the sooner they are discovered, the better.

Daily checking also points out dryness, and the need of watering.

Pinch those little suckers if you want to concentrate growth on the
desirable limbs. If you are growing bush style, it won't matter a lot, but
if you like to keep two or three primary vines, it will make a big
difference as to maturation rates and if you will be able to harvest before
frost.

Watering of all types is good, and rotation or combination of deep root
watering, watering at the base, or overhead misting/droplets is good.

Non-chemical pesticides (deterrents, actually) made of tobacco, mouthwash,
dish soap can be super in controlling aphids and lots of other buggers, and
don't go into the meat. Poisons work good, too, just read package
instructions and be aware that you might ingest some if you improperly use
them.

Pollination is obviously a point of discussion. Still, a small artist's
paint brush can achieve pollination, and even let you experiment with
crossing strains, and what the heck, is fun.

Blossom drop may occur when night time temps are high. Greenhousing can
prevent this, or at least reduce it. The crop will probably have a second
set after the hot weather, and if there are not too many growing points, a
second harvest in fall may be possible before first frost.

Lastly, and mainly, active monitoring of your growing space will help you
harvest more/sooner/later/whatever.

KNOW YOUR ZONE!

HTH

Steve Zone 5A