Gardeners - Tomatoes

[happyhomemaker25]

My question is I would like to grow enough tomatoes this year to can them for sauce. We go through a lot of tomatoes. I usually do about 6 plants, but there does not seem to be enough to bother with processing them. I tried one year and was sad that a big pile of them made one jar of sauce. LOL

Can someone tell me or just give me an idea of how many plants to plant, what kind, and the best way to get a higher yield?

[Lady Marmalade]

This is a loaded question, as there are tons of factors that go into tomato production. Off the top of my head the number one issue is fertilizer- are you feeding your tomatoes and watering properly. Go with a made-for-tomatoes fertilizer such as Tomato-Tone. The wrong fertilizers can promote root growth or foliage growth, but not necessarily fruit growth.

 

Another issue is pollination. Tomatoes are self-pollinating, but often times they need help. Those blossoms that you have that never seem to develop tomatoes? They need some love and encouragement. My method used to be to just give the plants some healthy shakes, but in my discussions with professional growers, it seems that taking an electric toothbrush and taking the time to vibrate the trusses of flowers is practically foolproof. Check out this You-tube video on it:

 

 

 

The experts don't grow tomatoes without a toothbrush. This year I'm using one to try and maximize my garden!

 

Curious what part of the country you live in, and what kinds of tomatoes you usually grow. Do you just buy something at the big-box stores, start your own from seed, buy heirlooms from a nursery? It could be the varieties you are growing. Certain varieties do better in different parts of the country. I start my own heirlooms that I've gathered from around the country over the year. I love playing with different varieties, but find that ones that originated in the deep south don't do as well as varieites that I have that were developed in the Ukraine.

[LostSurprise]

From my experience, a lot depends on your growing conditions and season length. Because I live in the north and have very little full sunlight, I can have 20 tomato plants without really feeling like I can can anything. People with lots of direct son, good soil, and a long growing season might be overwhelmed by 20 plants.

 

If 6 plants isn't enough for you, go for 12 this year. See what happens, and then increase and decrease depending on what happens.

[In The Great White North]

Our season is short, so we have to start them indoors or buy plants not seeds. The cherry tomatoes seem to be most prolific, have the shortest time to harvest and survive the deer best. I throw piles of them in the food processor and then can it. It does take a lot of tomatoes for a quart.

 

Roma tomatoes are bred to be the best for sauce-making. I often have all three in the garden.

[Happy]

If I want a lot of tomatoes, I plant a lot of plants. Ten, twelve, or more depending on the size of my garden. (And how much water I can get to it.)

 

I usually plant hybrids like Celebrity, Early Girl, and Romas. Romas are 'designed' to mature all at once so they are easy to can.

 

I wanted to love heirlooms. For me, they just don't work. Allllllllll that work for one or two tomatoes per plant (if that!) is not feasible.

 

We are in t north Texas--we plant at the end of March or beginning of April expecting our first harvest by the end of May. We usually devour those all fresh and any that follow. After going to sleep in the summer heat, the plants wake up in time to do a fall harvest. Too often our first hard freeze catches the plants with green tomatoes so we harvest and make jars and jars of green tomato relish. Mmmmmmm.... makes great Christmas gifts.

[La Condessa]

I tried one year and was sad that a big pile of them made one jar of sauce. LOL

 

I made this mistake last year, and researched why. You need to grow a sauce variety; the salad types of tomatoes have a very high water content, so they cook way down.

[Joshin]

The basic rule I follow is five plants per person for canning, one plant per person for fresh use in summer. We have a short season, so the more plants the better. You should plant a paste tomato for preserving, such as Roma or Amish paste (my favorite). For my family of four, I plant 20 paste tomatoes and at least four fresh use varieties -- although I usually end up planting a lot more for fresh use because I like to experiment with all the heirlooms out there!

 

Heirlooms can be tricky. Most are best for fresh use, and not all are suited to every climate or region. If you want to grow heirlooms talk to local gardeners or call your county extension office for recommendations of which heirlooms grow best in your area.

[Χά�ων]

IME if I over plant I will either have enough to can for everyone in the county or I will get 3 tomatoes. The results always seems to be random.

[justamouse]

I thought I pinned it, but I didn't--ANYWAY, there is this professional tomato grower lady with a company/garden and you can go take classes. She has some pretty wild advice about how to grow them, and I remember it involves epsom salts and egg shells in each trench.

 

Just in case someone remembers this info and can figure out the company I'm talking about...

[happyhomemaker25]

Thanks! I live in NE FL so we do have a bit of a longer growing season. I heard Romas were good and was planning to try some out this year. I love cherry tomatoes and always get a lot of them, but I literally eat them in bulk. LOL I was going to try playing around with the soil this year as well. I am by no means a seasoned gardener as I've never even been able to grow zucchini which is a big fat failure. LOL I do try to learn something new every year.

My husband had a watering system installed in my garden last year when we got sprinklers so I won't have any problems getting water to my garden. We do have pollination issues in our garden, see the lack of zucchini. I have some butterfly bushes and wildflowers out this year hoping to attract some more pollinators I like the idea of a good shake. I might try that. I'd also heard a small paintbrush works well.

You've given me some stuff to plan though. Thanks a lot.

[Lady Marmalade]

Ah, Florida! As it so happens, on one of my tomato growing forums, there is a discussion underway right now about good varieties to grow in Florida. Here is what is recommended so far:

 

Tropic

Manalucie

Manapal

Atkinson

Walter

Creole

Arkansas Traveler

Burgundy traveler

Bradley

Rutgers

Homestead

Eva Purple Ball

In particular, it was mentioned that the Atkinson tomato does remarkably well and is a great all-purpose tomato, It's great for slicing and salads, but also makes great sauce and other home-canned goods.

[Happy]

 

I don't think heirlooms are the problem. You may have soil issues or nematodes. I plant a lot of heirlooms and don't have that problem. Are you buying plants or starting from seed? These are what I use and they are fabulous! http://www.botanical...Seeds/srch:roma

Well, I'm a pretty seasoned gardener....I have experimented with different soils, different garden areas, and different heirloom types. Getting a six foot tall plant with one or two tomatoes is not worth the *water* and time it takes to grow. Not when I can do a hybrid that grows three or four feet tall and has upwards of ten or more tomatoes on it at one time with several reblooms through the season.

 

I have yet to find a local gardener who has success with heirlooms. Perhaps we are just too hot and humid.

[Lady Marmalade]

Well, I'm a pretty seasoned gardener....I have experimented with different soils, different garden areas, and different heirloom types. Getting a six foot tall plant with one or two tomatoes is not worth the *water* and time it takes to grow. Not when I can do a hybrid that grows three or four feet tall and has upwards of ten or more tomatoes on it at one time with several reblooms through the season.

 

I have yet to find a local gardener who has success with heirlooms. Perhaps we are just too hot and humid.

 

I have an acquaintance who is working on discovering and propogating tomato lines that originated in the Caribbean. And I also know for a fact that there are serious professionals and tomato breeders working on your very problem. Stress and heat tolerance are being worked with to find good tomatoes that will grow in the heat and humidity of Texas. Hopefully it won't be long before you hear the opposite stories. Nothing beats the flavors of heirloom and open pollinated tomatoes.

[sparrow]

You need a rabbit and chickens :). My (and my dad's) tomato yield has increased exponentially with the addition of my compost containing our rabbit and chicken manure (and eggshells, too!).

[OrganicAnn]

Variety - you need a variety that is like a Roma only bigger. Look at Opalka. One thing you have to be careful is that Roma style tomatoes are more susceptible to blossom end rot.

 

Soil - make sure your soil is well prepared, especially if you are going the tomatoes in the same place each year. Look at simple additions like crushed egg shells or epsom salt.

 

I don't know if there are special issues with your area, but you can look up that info in gardening websites.

 

Good luck. My motto, you never have too many tomatoes. :)

[happyhomemaker25]

You need a rabbit and chickens :). My (and my dad's) tomato yield has increased exponentially with the addition of my compost containing our rabbit and chicken manure (and eggshells, too!).

 

 

LOL, I NEED to get out of this stinkin' subdivision is what I NEED to do! I have started buying eggs by the case and it only takes us about 2 weeks to go through them. Chickens are on my MUST HAVE list. :)

[kalanamak]

Romas are 'designed' to mature all at once so they are easy to can.

 

 

Very important. For salads you want something that produces in a series, but not for canning.

[Happy]

 

I have an acquaintance who is working on discovering and propogating tomato lines that originated in the Caribbean. And I also know for a fact that there are serious professionals and tomato breeders working on your very problem. Stress and heat tolerance are being worked with to find good tomatoes that will grow in the heat and humidity of Texas. Hopefully it won't be long before you hear the opposite stories. Nothing beats the flavors of heirloom and open pollinated tomatoes.

I'm eager to see their results in my garden!

 

I used to live in more friendly tomato climate and could grow a number of varieties....which was before heirlooms became popular....

 

I judge the success of my garden each year on the quality of the tomato harvests. lol

[WishboneDawn]

Well, I'm a pretty seasoned gardener....I have experimented with different soils, different garden areas, and different heirloom types. Getting a six foot tall plant with one or two tomatoes is not worth the *water* and time it takes to grow. Not when I can do a hybrid that grows three or four feet tall and has upwards of ten or more tomatoes on it at one time with several reblooms through the season.

 

I have yet to find a local gardener who has success with heirlooms. Perhaps we are just too hot and humid.

 

Keep in mind that our generation's heirlooms were often simply the hybrids of a previous generation. Most modern tomatoes were developed in the same manner heirlooms were with the same mindset - make a better tomato for a specific want/requirement - that the heirlooms were. We've simply drawn a line (somewhat arbitrarily at times) and placed different types on either side of the line.

 

Some heirlooms are delicious. But so are a lot of modern types. For other heirloom breeds, well, there's probably a reason some fell out of favour that has nothing to do with corporate bugaboos.

 

As you can tell I don't think there's any compelling ethical or tasty reason reason to experiment with heirlooms if you don't have a specific interest in them. If you want tasty, easy to grow tomatoes there's likely a more modern type that will do.