Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Tomato Race

On your marks.  Get Ready.  It's time to plant those yummy, homegrown tomatoes.


Normally, I would wait until the last freeze date passes before I plant tomatoes.  If you want to plant before that date, you have to come up with a strategy for protecting these frost sensitive plants.  You can use special devices like the Wall O' Water, a garden cloche, or a portable cold frame to help you get a head start.

For many years, I have purchased my tomatoes as early as possible and potted them up in 1 gallon pots.  This allows the plants time to start building a bigger root system, while allowing me to control their climate by moving them in and out of the house as needed, or putting them in the greenhouse.  I like this method, but I thought this year I would try something different.



Last spring I saw an interesting planting technique using 5 gallon buckets at the Natural Gardener demonstration garden.  It's a clever idea that allows you to plant your tomatoes earlier than normal.  The main reason you might want to plant early is to lengthen your growing season and increase your chances of having a bumper crop. 

In the spring, it's important to get your tomatoes in the ground as soon as possible, so the plants have time to create good root systems and set fruit before temperatures get above 90 degrees.  The problem is that if you plant to soon and don't provide freeze protection, you may end up with dead plants, but if you wait too long, your plants will be small and won't set much fruit.

As a trial this year, I planted 4 tomato transplants on February 16th using the 5 gallon bucket method.  My remaining tomatoes will stay in the greenhouse.  The plants that I selected for the trial are:  JD's Special C-Tex, Early Girl, Better Boy, and Viva Italia.

The first step is to cut the bottom off of a 5 gallon bucket.  I had 4 buckets with cracked bottoms and elected to recycle those for this project.  You can also use large recycled nursery pots.


Dig a hole deep enough to sink the bucket into the ground (bottom end down).  Allow 2 inches of the top of the bucket to stay above the soil line.



Plant the tomato seedling in the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket.  As the tomato grows, pinch off the side shoots, and add soil.  This will give the tomato the opportunity to produce more roots.  When the tomato reaches above the top of the bucket, gently remove the bucket.


Since the plants are fully below ground level, they are easy to cover, and protect from the wind.  One of my plants is just brushing the top of the bucket, so I can probably leave the buckets for another two weeks. 


Be sure to keep heavy weight row cover handy.  Watch the weather.  If night time lows dip below 45 degrees, cover the tomatoes.


We are once again in a terrible drought here in Central Texas, but here's something to consider.  If it did rain heavily, these buckets could easily fill with water drowning the little transplants.  For that reason, be prepared with some plywood or something to cover the buckets to keep them from filling up with water in the event of a storm.  Sadly, I have not had the opportunity to try out this technique, but I'd sure like to.  

Here's hoping for some rain soon, so all of our spring gardens will grow. 






13 comments:

  1. An interesting experiment. My buckets are in the shower and I am not sure if I am ready to give that up just yet. I also have my tomatoes growing on in the greenhouse and when I put them outside I surround them with gallon milk jugs of water. I do find if I plant them too early they just sit there and do nothing so I think I may wait another week. Keep us posted as to how things grow.

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    1. The gallon water jugs are a great idea. I'll let you know how it goes. I should be able to tell if the experiment results in early fruit, more fruit, or both.

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  2. ooo - nifty idea...now if only I had room to do something like this...maybe I need a new bed, right? Have you grown the JD's before? I just got one this year in my "I'm wandering around the Sunshine Sale, I'm going to get tomatoes I have never heard of" thing I do every year.

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    1. I have not grown the JD's before, but a long-time friend recommended the variety. I like to try new varieties, so figured it was definitely worth a try. I hope we're both happy with our choice. I purchased 2 plants. One for the experiment and one to plant normally. ... and, you definitely need a new bed, us gardeners always need more space :)

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  3. This looks interesting.

    I have mine in pots, to move in and out.
    We've been in the mid 20s a few times this last week. So, I'm afraid to even think about putting them in the ground, even with protection. I'll wait a couple weeks. Then, use row cover around the cages.

    Last year, I did this same thing. I planted Celebrity, and they lasted through summer and gave us more tomatoes in the fall. We had the best harvest ever. So, we're going with those again. We have LOTS less room than you.

    I really hope you need to protect those young plants from drowning this weekend.

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    1. Celebrity is awesome. This is one of my favorite, go-to, varieties. Sounds like you have a winning system in place. Those hill country freezes can sneak up on you, but it sounds like you'll be prepared.

      Looks like I'll have to go scare up a board, the rain is coming. Yay!!!

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  4. Interesting idea. I'm trying to wait patiently before planting my maters. Last year we planted too late - mid April and they never produced anything, except the cherry maters which did great. I'm thinking of planting all cherry maters just for that reason. Hope we do get the rain they are predicting. We need it.

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    1. You can't go wrong with cherry tomatoes. Have you ever tried Juliet? She's a little larger than a traditional cherry. She stays productive in the heat, and continues to set after other tomatoes have given up.

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  5. Hmmm...this is why I don't grow tomatoes, and never have, it just seems too much work and so much to keep an eye on! I have some herbs, and I have grown strawberries in the past, but that’s it – I keep to flowers for my tiny garden :-)

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    1. For us tomato addicted souls, it's a labor of love. The early planting weeks are tricky, but once the plants are established, I think it's much easier. You're right, though, herbs are much easier.

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  6. Thanks for the great pictures and instructions. I get it now. I'm going to try this next year.
    I went to Natural Gardener today, but they only had gallon size JD's special C-tex. Maybe I'll try again next week.

    Cindy S.

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    1. Bummer, I know you wanted a JD. I'll look around for you. There's bound to be a 4 inch plant somewhere.

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  7. I have my tomatoes in my pots but I think gallon is much better. I'm looking forward to see your tomatoes growing. Good luck!

    denver landscape

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