My friend has been very successful every year wih his vegetables. He
really knows a lot about gardening. He used to work on a tomato farm.
He said they never used cages. The plants fell over but still yield
many tomatoes. He also said they were not planted on top of each
other.

He told me that when he plants his tomatoes, he buries the plant in
the ground with only one set of leaves above ground. He says that
gives it a great root system and produces a great yield. He said it
takes a drop longer for the first fruit but when if comes it comes
strong.

Ever hear of that?

we do something very similiar but when we plant it it is at an angle. I
don't use cages either mostly because the plants outgrows them. We use
sticks about 5-6 feet tall to stake our tomatoes. Mine are all started from
seed ,except 8 plants that I bought. I lost them due to a cold wet early
summer. everything here was about a month off.( I am just now getting my
first crop of yellow beans)

BTW we use the tomato cages for the cucumbers plants. that way I can plant
more than what my little space would allow for without going over onto the
lawn

--
Lynn
OF+HOF
Leaper!

wrote in message
...
My friend has been very successful every year wih his vegetables. He
really knows a lot about gardening. He used to work on a tomato farm.
He said they never used cages. The plants fell over but still yield
many tomatoes. He also said they were not planted on top of each
other.

He told me that when he plants his tomatoes, he buries the plant in
the ground with only one set of leaves above ground. He says that
gives it a great root system and produces a great yield. He said it
takes a drop longer for the first fruit but when if comes it comes
strong.

Ever hear of that?

I'm wondering: If your tomatoes are growing on the ground, wouldn't
they get full of bugs that would eat them? And Lyn, how do you keep
all your tomato plant branches on one stake? I tried the same thing
this year, but there was too much foliage to put on one stake and i had
to squish all the branches on to three stakes (which still didn't work
very well).
Next year, i'd really like to grow more tomatoes, but cages seem like
the best thing, becasue the foliage will grow inside the cage and it
won't touch the ground. Any thoughts?

Ben

"BenGman" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm wondering: If your tomatoes are growing on the ground, wouldn't
they get full of bugs that would eat them? And Lyn, how do you keep
all your tomato plant branches on one stake? I tried the same thing
this year, but there was too much foliage to put on one stake and i had
to squish all the branches on to three stakes (which still didn't work
very well).
Next year, i'd really like to grow more tomatoes, but cages seem like
the best thing, becasue the foliage will grow inside the cage and it
won't touch the ground. Any thoughts?

Ben


All sorts of things will happen to them if they are growing on the ground.
If you are a small time tomato farmer, then you will want to get a high
yield from what few plants you have. Cages are the answer here. If you are
larger scale, than it is possible to take the hit with the plants on the
ground as your yield will still be substantial. Quantity through numbers.

Yes my tomatoes do outgrow the cages. Not a big deal. My biggest problem
with loss is the birds! I have built a structure that allows me to drape
bird netting around the tomatoes. I believe that I only lost one or two
tomatoes this year as compared to previous years where the loss was
substantial even a kluged netting process.

Kurt

LOL no, they are not growing on the ground. My plants are now about thigh
high and only the main stock is tied to a stake ( not too tight), when I
said I trimmed off the bottom leaves and planted up to the top leaves it was
way early in the spring when I had them in the house moving them to a bigger
pot before setting them out into the garden.( I started them from seed) It
gives the plant better root system and makes the plant not to be to skinny.
Wish I had a page to show you what I mean but you can get some info by doing
a google search or try here
http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplo...6201tomato.htm

So untie those tomatoes branches and let them have a bit of breathing room
happy planting

--
Lynn
"BenGman" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm wondering: If your tomatoes are growing on the ground, wouldn't
they get full of bugs that would eat them? And Lyn, how do you keep
all your tomato plant branches on one stake? I tried the same thing
this year, but there was too much foliage to put on one stake and i had
to squish all the branches on to three stakes (which still didn't work
very well).
Next year, i'd really like to grow more tomatoes, but cages seem like
the best thing, becasue the foliage will grow inside the cage and it
won't touch the ground. Any thoughts?

Ben

BenGman wrote:

I'm wondering: If your tomatoes are growing on the ground, wouldn't
they get full of bugs that would eat them? And Lyn, how do you keep
all your tomato plant branches on one stake? I tried the same thing
this year, but there was too much foliage to put on one stake and i had
to squish all the branches on to three stakes (which still didn't work
very well).
Next year, i'd really like to grow more tomatoes, but cages seem like
the best thing, becasue the foliage will grow inside the cage and it
won't touch the ground. Any thoughts?

Ben

The first year I grew tomatoes the snails got more than we did then the
birds took over. Now I use either cages that support the lower growth
along with stakes to support the higher growth or the tomato ladder. I
grow all my tomatoes vertically now and have had no problem with snails.
I like growing the tomatoes vertically as the crop is a lot more
productive.

Lynn,

Planting on an angle is interesting. you have to support the plants
right from the beginning, well once the come out of the ground. Your
roots are closer to the surface and the water from the roots doesn't
have to climb as him. What's the angle you use and generally how is
your yield?

Actually, here's a question, what's a good yield per tomato plant?


On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 22:29:36 GMT, "Lynn"
wrote:

we do something very similiar but when we plant it it is at an angle. I
don't use cages either mostly because the plants outgrows them. We use
sticks about 5-6 feet tall to stake our tomatoes. Mine are all started from
seed ,except 8 plants that I bought. I lost them due to a cold wet early
summer. everything here was about a month off.( I am just now getting my
first crop of yellow beans)

BTW we use the tomato cages for the cucumbers plants. that way I can plant
more than what my little space would allow for without going over onto the
lawn

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 18:16:09 -0400, wrote:

My friend has been very successful every year wih his vegetables. He
really knows a lot about gardening. He used to work on a tomato farm.
He said they never used cages. The plants fell over but still yield
many tomatoes. He also said they were not planted on top of each
other.

There are *lots* of commercial tomatoes grown in my area (not market
tomatoes) and cages aren't used. However, these seem to be a very low
growing tomato. The plants don't get very tall at all before harvest.
Hmmm. Probably not more than 18" to 2'.


He told me that when he plants his tomatoes, he buries the plant in
the ground with only one set of leaves above ground. He says that
gives it a great root system and produces a great yield. He said it
takes a drop longer for the first fruit but when if comes it comes
strong.

Ever hear of that?

The directions for the cheapy Wal*Mart tomatoes I plant say to bury
them quite deep.
I use 4' cages but the tomatoes have far outgrown them. Those danged
plants are all over the place.
Sue

It is not that much of an angle. once I am ready to plant it in the garden
it is only about 45 degrees. and yes I support the plants right of the bat.
but it grows straight up like other plants. Last year our plants were about
5 feet tall with thick stalks. my plants were planted very close together as
well ( too close) and I had way more than what I could eat, make chow, make
salsa , freeze (still have some of last years in the freezer) and give to
neighbors.
This year I don't know yet. our summer was about a month off this year due
to cold and wet weather ( Nova Scotia). I never actually counted tomatoes
per plant but I will this year

I found the instructions for this in a book library. it was from an older
book I am going back today so I will look up the book for you. It was very
interesting esp for a small garden like mine. My garden is raised beds about
12 feet long 3 feet wide.

this might explain a little on how I did it. notice how after the plant gets
going that they snip of the first leaves and plant to it?
https://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/grow-tomato.htm


--
Lynn


wrote in message
...
Lynn,

Planting on an angle is interesting. you have to support the plants
right from the beginning, well once the come out of the ground. Your
roots are closer to the surface and the water from the roots doesn't
have to climb as him. What's the angle you use and generally how is
your yield?

Actually, here's a question, what's a good yield per tomato plant?

I'm on Long Island and I'm just getting the early tomatoes now because
I planted around June 8th. Mine are also too close together and my
garden is 25 ft by 5 ft., with not enough direct sun because it's on
the side of the house.

The plants are growing very high, now over 8 ft. but I'm not sure if
I'm going to get the yield, which might be a blessing. I planted
about 25 tomato plants. The plum tomatoes and peppers, in this one
bad row are doing lousy, but the plants behind that row are doing Ok.

I've cut off lots of yellowed branches. The plants got so big that
they are growing into each other. But the biggest mistake is that I
didn't plant them deep enough. On some of the tomato plants you can
see what looks like little green bubbles towards the bottom.
Something tells me that should have been underground.

alan

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 13:10:42 GMT, "Lynn"
wrote:

It is not that much of an angle. once I am ready to plant it in the garden
it is only about 45 degrees. and yes I support the plants right of the bat.
but it grows straight up like other plants. Last year our plants were about
5 feet tall with thick stalks. my plants were planted very close together as
well ( too close) and I had way more than what I could eat, make chow, make
salsa , freeze (still have some of last years in the freezer) and give to
neighbors.
This year I don't know yet. our summer was about a month off this year due
to cold and wet weather ( Nova Scotia). I never actually counted tomatoes
per plant but I will this year

I found the instructions for this in a book library. it was from an older
book I am going back today so I will look up the book for you. It was very
interesting esp for a small garden like mine. My garden is raised beds about
12 feet long 3 feet wide.

this might explain a little on how I did it. notice how after the plant gets
going that they snip of the first leaves and plant to it?
https://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/grow-tomato.htm

Sue,

On that commercial tomato farm, what does the yield look like?

My friend told me that the plants on the farm he used to work on fell
town but the yield was very good. Some touching the ground had worms
but that was the cheapest and most efficient ways to plant, albeit no
the optimum way for us.

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 01:25:14 GMT, Sue wrote:

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 18:16:09 -0400, wrote:

My friend has been very successful every year wih his vegetables. He
really knows a lot about gardening. He used to work on a tomato farm.
He said they never used cages. The plants fell over but still yield
many tomatoes. He also said they were not planted on top of each
other.

There are *lots* of commercial tomatoes grown in my area (not market
tomatoes) and cages aren't used. However, these seem to be a very low
growing tomato. The plants don't get very tall at all before harvest.
Hmmm. Probably not more than 18" to 2'.


He told me that when he plants his tomatoes, he buries the plant in
the ground with only one set of leaves above ground. He says that
gives it a great root system and produces a great yield. He said it
takes a drop longer for the first fruit but when if comes it comes
strong.

Ever hear of that?

The directions for the cheapy Wal*Mart tomatoes I plant say to bury
them quite deep.
I use 4' cages but the tomatoes have far outgrown them. Those danged
plants are all over the place.
Sue

wrote:

I'm on Long Island and I'm just getting the early tomatoes now because
I planted around June 8th. Mine are also too close together and my
garden is 25 ft by 5 ft., with not enough direct sun because it's on
the side of the house.

Mine are close together too but still going strong.

The plants are growing very high, now over 8 ft. but I'm not sure if
I'm going to get the yield, which might be a blessing. I planted
about 25 tomato plants. The plum tomatoes and peppers, in this one
bad row are doing lousy, but the plants behind that row are doing Ok.

I hear you on the yield. I have almost 30 tomato plants. You can never
have too many tomatoes I have one bed not doing as well as the
others but maybe that's because this bed had tomatoes in it last year.

Have you tried pole beans? I need a ladder to harvest mine and they
need picking a couple of times a day

I've cut off lots of yellowed branches. The plants got so big that
they are growing into each other. But the biggest mistake is that I
didn't plant them deep enough. On some of the tomato plants you can
see what looks like little green bubbles towards the bottom.
Something tells me that should have been underground.

alan

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 13:10:42 GMT, "Lynn"
wrote:


It is not that much of an angle. once I am ready to plant it in the garden
it is only about 45 degrees. and yes I support the plants right of the bat.
but it grows straight up like other plants. Last year our plants were about
5 feet tall with thick stalks. my plants were planted very close together as
well ( too close) and I had way more than what I could eat, make chow, make
salsa , freeze (still have some of last years in the freezer) and give to
neighbors.
This year I don't know yet. our summer was about a month off this year due
to cold and wet weather ( Nova Scotia). I never actually counted tomatoes
per plant but I will this year

I found the instructions for this in a book library. it was from an older
book I am going back today so I will look up the book for you. It was very
interesting esp for a small garden like mine. My garden is raised beds about
12 feet long 3 feet wide.

this might explain a little on how I did it. notice how after the plant gets
going that they snip of the first leaves and plant to it?
https://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/grow-tomato.htm

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 11:57:27 -0400, wrote:

Sue,

On that commercial tomato farm, what does the yield look like?

If I knew it would be in tons per acre - the only thing that counts
around here. ) My gentleman friend has grown tomatoes in the long
ago past. If I remember I'll ask him. What I can see from the roads
as I drive by the fields is that the plants are short and compact.
Bushy. I just can't tell you how long the "branches" (or whatever
they're called) grow. I've never looked up close. The tomatoes
around here are grown for sauce - we have lots of canneries.
I have one tomato that isn't in a cage (I ran out) and it's not more
than 1' tall but spreads out about 3 or 4 feet. This is a Sweet One
Hundred - the best cherry type (IMHO) - sweet as can be.


My friend told me that the plants on the farm he used to work on fell
town but the yield was very good.

From what I can see they don't actually fall down. I'll try to
remember to ask.
Sue

Some touching the ground had worms
but that was the cheapest and most efficient ways to plant, albeit no
the optimum way for us.

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 01:25:14 GMT, Sue wrote:

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 18:16:09 -0400, wrote:

My friend has been very successful every year wih his vegetables. He
really knows a lot about gardening. He used to work on a tomato farm.
He said they never used cages. The plants fell over but still yield
many tomatoes. He also said they were not planted on top of each
other.

There are *lots* of commercial tomatoes grown in my area (not market
tomatoes) and cages aren't used. However, these seem to be a very low
growing tomato. The plants don't get very tall at all before harvest.
Hmmm. Probably not more than 18" to 2'.


He told me that when he plants his tomatoes, he buries the plant in
the ground with only one set of leaves above ground. He says that
gives it a great root system and produces a great yield. He said it
takes a drop longer for the first fruit but when if comes it comes
strong.

Ever hear of that?

The directions for the cheapy Wal*Mart tomatoes I plant say to bury
them quite deep.
I use 4' cages but the tomatoes have far outgrown them. Those danged
plants are all over the place.
Sue

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 00:58:44 GMT, Sue wrote:

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 11:57:27 -0400, wrote:

Sue,

On that commercial tomato farm, what does the yield look like?

If I knew it would be in tons per acre - the only thing that counts
around here. ) My gentleman friend has grown tomatoes in the long
ago past. If I remember I'll ask him. What I can see from the roads
as I drive by the fields is that the plants are short and compact.
Bushy. I just can't tell you how long the "branches" (or whatever
they're called) grow. I've never looked up close. The tomatoes
around here are grown for sauce - we have lots of canneries.
I have one tomato that isn't in a cage (I ran out) and it's not more
than 1' tall but spreads out about 3 or 4 feet. This is a Sweet One
Hundred - the best cherry type (IMHO) - sweet as can be.


My friend told me that the plants on the farm he used to work on fell
town but the yield was very good.

From what I can see they don't actually fall down. I'll try to
remember to ask.
Sue

OK. I remembered to ask. The commercial field plants get about 2'
high and *do* have long vines that just grow along the ground.
However, there is some machine that goes through the field that pushes
the vines into the plants (I don't remember what it's called).
Commercial tomatoes are bred to flower and then fruit all at the same
time unlike your garden tomatoes that stagger this process.
As for yield I didn't both to ask because, as I said, the answer would
be in tons per acre.
The worm problem is solved by spraying but some do rot a bit.
Sue

Some touching the ground had worms
but that was the cheapest and most efficient ways to plant, albeit no
the optimum way for us.

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 01:25:14 GMT, Sue wrote:

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 18:16:09 -0400, wrote:

My friend has been very successful every year wih his vegetables. He
really knows a lot about gardening. He used to work on a tomato farm.
He said they never used cages. The plants fell over but still yield
many tomatoes. He also said they were not planted on top of each
other.

There are *lots* of commercial tomatoes grown in my area (not market
tomatoes) and cages aren't used. However, these seem to be a very low
growing tomato. The plants don't get very tall at all before harvest.
Hmmm. Probably not more than 18" to 2'.


He told me that when he plants his tomatoes, he buries the plant in
the ground with only one set of leaves above ground. He says that
gives it a great root system and produces a great yield. He said it
takes a drop longer for the first fruit but when if comes it comes
strong.

Ever hear of that?

The directions for the cheapy Wal*Mart tomatoes I plant say to bury
them quite deep.
I use 4' cages but the tomatoes have far outgrown them. Those danged
plants are all over the place.
Sue

Sue wrote in news:atm7g1tvddvq7bm5koovblm973kk3iabq9@
4ax.com:

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 11:57:27 -0400, wrote:

Sue,

On that commercial tomato farm, what does the yield look like?

If I knew it would be in tons per acre - the only thing that counts
around here. ) My gentleman friend has grown tomatoes in the long
ago past. If I remember I'll ask him. What I can see from the roads
as I drive by the fields is that the plants are short and compact.
Bushy. I just can't tell you how long the "branches" (or whatever
they're called) grow. I've never looked up close. The tomatoes
around here are grown for sauce - we have lots of canneries.
I have one tomato that isn't in a cage (I ran out) and it's not more
than 1' tall but spreads out about 3 or 4 feet. This is a Sweet One
Hundred - the best cherry type (IMHO) - sweet as can be.


My friend told me that the plants on the farm he used to work on fell
town but the yield was very good.

From what I can see they don't actually fall down. I'll try to
remember to ask.
Sue


Most commercial tomato growers, especially those who grow tomatoes for
canning and processing, grow determinate varieties. Determinate varieties
are smaller plants, their growth shoots terminate with a cluster of flower
buds, and set most of their flowers and fruit at one time, ensuring that
the majority of the fruit ripens at nearly the same time. Makes harvesting
easier.

Most common tomato varieties grown in the home garden are indeterminate
varieties. These types keep growing, continuously producing flowers and
fruit through the season.

Tomatoes grown on bare ground without support can get bug and critter
damaged, but there are branches that will have enough support to keep the
fruit above the ground and avoid damage. A layer of a soft mulch (dried
grass clippings or spoiled hay) placed around the plants once the soil is
heated up will prevent some of the damage.

Some touching the ground had worms
but that was the cheapest and most efficient ways to plant, albeit no
the optimum way for us.

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 01:25:14 GMT, Sue wrote:

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 18:16:09 -0400, wrote:

My friend has been very successful every year wih his vegetables. He
really knows a lot about gardening. He used to work on a tomato farm.
He said they never used cages. The plants fell over but still yield
many tomatoes. He also said they were not planted on top of each
other.

There are *lots* of commercial tomatoes grown in my area (not market
tomatoes) and cages aren't used. However, these seem to be a very low
growing tomato. The plants don't get very tall at all before harvest.
Hmmm. Probably not more than 18" to 2'.


He told me that when he plants his tomatoes, he buries the plant in
the ground with only one set of leaves above ground. He says that
gives it a great root system and produces a great yield. He said it
takes a drop longer for the first fruit but when if comes it comes
strong.

Ever hear of that?

The directions for the cheapy Wal*Mart tomatoes I plant say to bury
them quite deep.
I use 4' cages but the tomatoes have far outgrown them. Those danged
plants are all over the place.
Sue


Tomato plants will form roots along the stem (adventitious roots), so by
planting most of the stem underground you provide a larger area for roots
to form and then supply nutrients to the plant.

Planting at an angle (or planting horizontally, bending the tip of the
plant up above the soil surface) is done to keep the original rootball in
the uppper, warmer areas of the soil early in the season. Otherwise the
rootball would be planted in colder soil than if it was shallow planted,
and it will slow down the growth of the plant, until the soil warms up.