| 9 months ago :: Jul 23, 2009 - 4:47PM #1 | |
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Does anyone have a tip on how to make tomatoes grow larger? I'm growing roma tomatoes and got all excited when I saw lots of tomatoes on the bush, however they've turned red already and they're the size of large grape tomatoes, and I was hoping for larger ones. If anyone has any remedies to getting them to grow larger, I would really appreciate it! The plant itself is healthy and doing well, gets plenty of sun, and it's in a container that I fertilize monthly. Thanks! |
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| 9 months ago :: Jul 23, 2009 - 5:32PM #2 | |
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How large is the container? Although many veggies can be grown in containers, ulimately the plant can only grow as big as the container will allow. Roma is an oval, thick-skin tomato that won't be massive ever in size, but it's possible that the container (even though you fertilize religiously) doesn't have the soil amount that the tomato needs to really reach its fullest potential. Plus, I've heard that cool summer temps can cause some tomatoes to be a little smaller than usual. Have you been suffering from the cooler-than-average summer in the East? Even though temps may still be in the low 80s, if nighttime temps are cooler than usual, that can reduce the tropical vigor of a 'mato, too.
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| 6 months ago :: Oct 12, 2009 - 8:24PM #3 | |
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I was growing a homestead tomato on my finca. It came out at about handful size with the most incredible taste. Since relocating to another area and relocating thse plants, mostly clones, I haven't been able to reproduce this tomato. I am growing LOTS of smaller tomatoes with the exact same flavor, though. I am working on adding raised beds to the established plants and adding more composted dirt to see if this helps. I think this extra TLC will help the tomatoes grow more feeder roots which will help in the growth of the actual fruit. We'll see. |
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| 6 months ago :: Oct 14, 2009 - 9:07AM #4 | |
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I grow tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets and these are my observations. I haven't met a tomato yet that doesn't feel at home in a 5 gallon bucket. Production is probably slightly less then in ground but the advantages balance out in that I can start planting earlier. I am in Zone 6A. I fertilize once a week, I have used Miracle-Gro in the past, they have one specifically designed for tomatoes and it also worked well for peppers and eggplant. I am switching to more organic fertilizers next year. I fertilize once a week because the plants need to be watered daily or every other day. With the Miracle-Gro I used half of what was called for in the directions and have had good results. The reason I am switching is because the soil in the bucket looks powdery and tired at the end of the growing season, I want to see if the same is true gardening organically. Jamie is correct on that the size of the container will dictate the size of the plant which will dictate the size of the fruit, no doubt about it. There are some other factors that will also stunt the size of the plant and thus the size of the fruit and others that will allow the plant to be normal size and not fruit at all. A pH too high, too much nitrogen and too little of phosphorus or potassium or lack of both are just some of the factors. In container gardening you walk a fine line between drainage and water retention and then especially with tomatoes, the proverbial quest to find the correct timetable for watering. I know I am slightly late with any of this information that may prove helpful but being a die hard Red Sox fan, I can only say "Wait till next year, it'll be our year". |
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