High Yield Tomato Plants: 50-80 lbs per Plant
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
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Learn how to get 50-80 lbs of tomatoes from every tomato plant. Planting a garden can be a lot of fun but get a harvest is really what it is all about. Follow these steps to dramatically improve your tomato harvest.
1. Buy the right plants for your area. Talk with the Master Gardener association or university agriculture extension in your area.
2. Lay plants on their side so the tips will grow upwards.
3. Dig a trench and bury all but the top 3 inches.
4. Add 1/4-1/2 cup slow release fertilizer, like cotton seed meal, Osmocote, etc., to the trench.
5. Build a 5 foot high 2 foot diameter cage around each plant.
6. Cover cage on the sides and on top with "floating row cover" (a light polyester material) or plastic to protect from wind and weather until plants are large and strong and weather is warm.
7. Weekly apply water soluble fertilizer, like Rapid Grow or Miracle Grow, through a hose-end fertilizer applicator on the leaves.
8. When plants have set their first cluster of fruit, side dress with two to three tablespoons of ammonium sulfate and water well.
9. Pick tomatoes when 30% ripe to avoid the birds from eating them.
10. Do not put tomatoes in the refrigerator. Keep on the kitchen counter.
I've been watching some of LDSPrepper's old videos (like this one) and I see three things he does with his videos that 99%+ on youtube never do (or rarely do). First, he answers questions even from his old videos... even ancient ones like this one. He just posted an answer in the comments to this video 2 weeks ago! And Second, if he finds a better way of doing things he will annotate the old video with updated info, tips and techniques. And Third, if he makes a mistake or learns a better way to do it he is man enough to admit that he made an error and give an explanation and updates. He obviously cares about giving people the most accurate, up to date and helpful videos possible. Proud to be a subscriber and very thankful to LDSPrepper for the information, advice and honesty.
His wife's lucky .
+Frank Offe Most YTers seem focused on getting subs, not necessarily helping people. Good post, it's important to say so when one does well, instead of when something's wrong.
Lot of people think the old ways are irrelevant and don't know them the good ones know all about it.
I would recommend welded wire fabric for your cages. It is sold as reinforcement for concrete at many hardware stores. The 6" x 6" spacing of the wires makes it easy to reach through and pick your fruits. It is also sturdier than the fence wire, because it is made with 10 gauge wire. You can get 6 gauge, but it's harder to work with. 5' x 150' is the most common size roll.
To help keep birds away, we use aluminum pie pans. We simply hang them around the garden. The sun reflecting off of them, combined with movement from air circulation seems to do the trick. My grandpa taught us that. You can use some aluminum foil as well. He used chicken manure and he occasionally used miracle grow and he always had HUGE tomatoes and tons of them. Neighbors were always amazed and grateful for the huge, delicious tomatoes. Family of 5, he had 6-8 plants and we used to have to give tomatoes away. Grandpa was truly amazing. lol
I use concrete reinforcing wire because sturdier and larger holes to be able to pick the tomatoes. Very sturdy. I also painted them and that has lasted for 15 years
I was waiting to see this 80lbs tomatos ! where are they ?
I use a kids electric toothbrush to vibrate the open flowers. I put the brush on the back of the open flower and the vibrations will move the pollen down the quarter of on inch that is needed to pollinate the flower.
When I first get tomatoes, a little epson salt mixed in water helps give a boost.
Tomato cages for life.Buy some concrete reinforcing wire and make your cages.Up front cost and work but the ones I have lasted me 30 yrs.Perfect height and squares for working with plants.
Pennsylvania Master Gardener here: Do NOT spray fertilizer on the LEAVES of your tomato plants. You will have LOTS of leaves, like this guy has, but not a lot of tomatoes. Fertilize twice a month (not once a week) with a water soluble fertilizer AT the BASE of the plants. DO NOT WET the leaves - you have a great chance of getting a leaf fungus if you do that. Also - do NOT wrap plants this large with a row cover, or, god forbid - plastic! You WILL cause plant diseases if you overheat your tomato plants by making a greenhouse around them when they are this large. Baby plants in the spring can be covered with a cloche or a row cover, but I would wrap them in plastic. You can also feed your tomato plants by putting egg shells in a blender and spreading them under your plants and watering in well. That provides calcium the plants need. For sweeter tomatoes, side dress them with a little lime once the fruits start to show. Happy gardening!
Hi Diane Miller, can i just crush the egg shelf and spread them on my tomato plant?
What do you mean with 'side dress them with lime'?
Ooi Shirley
Shirley - wash the egg shells and allow them to dry. You can then just crush them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, or grind them in your blender to a fine powder. Then you can just dig them into the top couple inches of soil around your tomato plants, being careful not to damage the roots. Side dressing with lime means to just run a line of lime in a circle around the base of the plant, just scratch it lightly into the soil with your fingers or a small garden rake and water it well into the soil. I hope this helps. Also, if you want to leave your egg shells a little larger than finely crushed, you'll get the added benefit of having the sharp edges of the shells become "weapons of mass destruction" to slugs and other ground crawling critters. The egg shells will cut their skin and they'll dry out and die.Oh, and I just caught a typo in what I wrote - I WOULD NOT wrap tomato plants in plastic! I HAVE put plastic milk cartons (with the lid off and the bottom cut out) over very small tomato plants to keep them warm at night, but do NOT "wrap them in plastic". They'll suffocate!
Thx Diane Miller, will try it out, this is my first tomato plant successfully germinate n growing, really hope it'll grow, my weather here its either very hot or it'll rain for 2 day continually. Thx again for your tips
Ooi Shirley If you add the ground up eggshells to your compost instead, the bacteria will make the calcium more bioavailable to your plants.
All of what you say is true I too am a Pennsylvania Gardner but I have lived in the Midwest and Texas also and growing conditions in these three places are incredibly different it is a good idea to cover young tomatoes down in the Midwest and in Texas there are strong winds and cold snaps that you wouldn't believe in one day it can be 80° as a high and 20 as a low also if you use the square-foot gardening method almost no fertilization is necessary if you have used the proper variety of compost I do agree with tomatoes that the egg shells are an excellent source of calcium and can help prevent rot at the flowering spot at the bottom of the tomato and a small amount of lime can sweeten the tomatoes but too much will burn the roots and harm your plants
Almost all my tomatoes return on their own since I compost the last few into the soil. The only ones I grow (I have about 300 seedlings right now) are heirloom but I do use this "trick" which is fantastic. Great looking garden but I use no fertilizer and instead rely on compost.
***** I grow tomatoes for myself. My farm is for cash crops. I have several kinds (Russian, San Marino, Russian, San Marzano, Orange, yellow, small, medium, Early Girl, etc I usually start in Feb from seed but this year I started a month early with great results. The plants are much bigger than before. I have not planted due our seemingly endless cool weather. This past year was the coldest ever - the fruit was not sweet.
Black Russians grow late and mature well. I picked hundreds before the first frost in October and we had fresh until December. I don't worry about cross-pollination. I had a crossbreed (hot peppers / Roma) although last year only one plant was "hot". I hope to have my first tomatoes early this year - July.
I love this video :) I never heard about laying the tomato plants on their side prior to planting, but it totally makes sense! Thank you for making this video!
Here in Minnesota, when a heavy frost is forecast, I pick all the green tomatoes left on the plants. I just put them on the counter, no direct sun necessary, and we eat them as they ripen. They are just as delicious and extend our fresh tomato season.
Bird eat tomatoes for the water. Just leave a container of water near your tomatoes and the bird will drink & not bother tomatoes. (Organic & Free)
+Dionne Jennings That would be awesome. But that hasn't been my experience. ruclips.net/video/TjuWQuIcTHI/видео.html
+LDSPrepper And this ruclips.net/video/4nlfcekU_88/видео.html
I think they like red color :)
+LDSPrepper Greetings from Sandy River Ward, Sandy OR! I'm going to be using some of your tips this year - let's see what happens!
leaving water will only attract birds to nest as you are providing them with food and water...shooting them works
I just picked 19 Cherokee Purples from my giant plant. I didn't know anything about growing tomatoes, but have been so ecstatic with this plant's yield. I've already harvested half a dozen fruits before today. I staked it, but it grew so much foliage and so large they seemed to do little to help it.
Next year I will follow the tips provided in this video though. I think they would really help.
Great looking garden and tomato plants! I would recommend, even with your bird problem, leaving the tomatoes on the vine as long as possible. The tomatoes will ripen if picked early, but they taste similar to store bought tomatoes. If left on the vine longer, until fully ripe, they will have built up additional sugar which gives them their great home-grown taste!
Picking tomatoes early dramatically affects the flavor. A great deal of the delicious sugars form in the last two weeks. I do not have a problem with birds, so I always wait to harvest until they are 100% ripe.
Steven Hall I used to spray using Habenero peppers and soap. Works great and even keeps the rabbits and deer away. But, I usually grow so many more than I can eat, the birds are welcome to their share.
If anyone has a problem with birds you just put a bird bath out. They actually are just drinking water from tomatoes so with a bird bath they leave tomatoes alone!
The wood supports are 2"x2"s screwed to the end of the box. The plastic supports are made from 1/2" CPVC pipe (hot water pipe). We stuck them into the soil then tacked them on with square tacks that you find in the electrical section on home depot.
Thank you I planted 6 plants and only had a small yield despite the fact that I fed them and watered them diligently. Next summer I will try your tricks. Thank you again
I love how your dog makes his own fertilizer suggestion at 9:29
A trick to keep your cages from falling over (I use the same wire)... take bamboo steaks and drive them into the ground around your cages (I use 4 per cage). I drive them in about a foot or so then ziptie the bamboo to the cages to help support them. I have no problems with wind tipping them over now even in the strongest storms.
haha... guess I should have re-read for spelling :) *stakes
Thanks for sharing your tips and advice! It answered a lot of questions I had been asking myself as a newbie gardener. I started my tomato seeds this year Jan. 4th here in Tx. Everybody told me I shouldn't but I did. I had them brought outside early Feb. I built a mini greenhouse for them. I did it to save them from my cat who constantly liked sitting on my plants. They were growing slow. I even made solar warming bottles to keep them warm till the winter chill leaves. Now it's mid-March and I
One thing my wife did this year is wrap a cloth wind break around the cage. It has really helped. The pants are 6'-7' tall.
My wife just brewed her first batch last week. She is using it on all of her plants.
We use aluminum tent stakes from wally mart to hold down the cages , some we stake with wood on hand we saw into stakes.
Also we pick early as this good fellow shared about saving tomatoes from varmits, they ripen on our table nicely and taste delicious and homegrown, we make sauces and can them, many people want our tomatoes so this method definitely works.
This is the first year we will use the Mittleider method fertilizer mix, we appreciate all the info and tips to help us grow more food for us and whom we share it with , thank you .
Seaweed is a great soil amendment or foliage spray. I recommend using it weekly.
We cut the wire where the tomato is. That makes a 4" square opening.
I agree 100%. Thanks for commenting. Chemical fertilizers are an option but organic is the best.
We grow our seeds Jan 1st indoors and plant Feb 14 outdoors.
this is by far the best video I've seen on growing tomatoes! (Also love your raised beds and we are going to copy your design). Can't wait to watch more from you.
Thank you for your comment. The article says, "Plants need balanced feedings of nutrients along with minerals and trace elements at regular intervals." I completely agree. With the Mittleider gardening method (see my videos) we feed weekly with a very small amount of a balanced mineral fertilizer which includes micro-nutrients. We recommend only using Ammonia sulfate sparingly when you transplant. 1/4 oz. per linear foot.
You can take alum foil ,4"x12" strips and wrap on the cage or stakes.This
will deter the birds.I live in la.,have the same birds and grow tom. ripe
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So I went a head and planted them anyway. Well the vines went into all directions. So I picked them up and put news paper or pine needles under them. Say about every 2 foot or so.
Everytime the vines hit the dirt they started growing new roots. And the tomatos that did produces were some of the best I had.
@misstresst Yes and yes. This year we (meaning my wife) started all our plants by seed. Her tomato plants are over two feet tall now. One of them has a tomato on it. It is so cool to watch nature work, as you work with nature.
Great work. Am an old gardener from New Zealand and it is currently summer here. All my tomatoes are doing fine, just stared getting ripe on the vine. Oddly enough, the birds here do not touch tomatoes but they go for my fruit trees alright. Keep up the good work. Peace.
I like your method. Research with an open mind and do what works for you. You are right. Tomatoes are a vine and will grow roots when they touch the ground. The tomatoes will taste better because they are closer to the nutrients and minerals when they come from a vine that has grown roots right by it. Thanks for sharing.
Spring is finally here, I'm going to try that great tip of yours, of laying the seedlings on their side for a few days before planting to help increase the root zone. "So simple".
Thanks from Melbourne Australia.
We snip one of the wires where the tomatoes that we want to pick are which makes a 4" opening which makes it pretty easy to harvest.
One thing we do is every time we are in the garden we shake the tomato plants to help them pollinate. It works best in the morning when the flowers are wide open, usually between 7-9am. I hope that helps.
Last year, birds ate the buds off my tomatoes and stripped my bell peppers and jalapenos clean at first (they even snapped one of my baby jalapeno plants off at the stem, which I saw happen as I rounded the corner of my house). After that, I put up the pinwheels. I have good wind and bright sun, and I had no more bird problems that season, even with ripe tomatoes.
When my plants start putting out fruit this season, I'll get some video of my garden and send you the link.
I used a baby pool with 1 inch of water in the pool, set my tomatoes in 5 gal pail of organic dirt with small holes drilled in the bottom . Add liquid organic fertilizer e.g. Sea Weed to the water, or worm castings to the dirt and I have a huge harvest of best tasting tomatoes, Plus I can leave for the weekend and not worry about watering my plants. Roma tomatoes are the best for canning hands down.
first time growing heirlooms from Tomato Bob website.... man are they growing fast and producing fruit like crazy. I bought bare foot plants... try seeds next season.... Michigan is a challenge for starting early.... built a mobile green house on a heavy duty cart (1400lbs cap.) Start in the garage with lights and warming mats.... going to be a fun and exciting growing season in 2017.
@Dorisequador I saw one last year that was 40 years old and still producing tons of tomatoes.
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You got a beautiful garden. Even the dog is tring to help fertlize it. I have watched dozens of these videos on line now. Everybody seems to have a different way of doing it. I liked your results I liked some of the other results I have seen as well. You say to water the leaves on the plant another guy says not to.Both of you have awsome results. ONe thing I know your right about. I had a few plants left over last year, did not have any cages.
I collect seeds of the tomatoes I like. I have roughly 200 tomato plants going at a time. I usually sell 3/4 of the tomatoes I produce and can the rest until next harvest
i saw the dog fertilizing the plants :) - at about 9:30 into the video
I saw that too....and he didn't give the dog any credit at all.
Yes, urine makes a good nitrogen supplement @ about 20:1 ratio mix with water.
Nice garden. I go for quality instead of quantity. I let them ripen on the vine and try pick them as needed. Thanks for the video its inspiring.
That is great fertilizer. We have used it. Thanks for commenting.
at 9:34 you've got a perfect fertilizer. just at the lower left screen. i'm using chicken manure mixed with sandy soil and banana peel from a local banana/pineapple processing store.
great job sir.
How nice, your dog is watering the tomato plants as well at 09:32
Yep. When I lived in a cool climate, high elevation with cool nights, I only grew Russian area Heirloom tomato plants. In the month of July, the plant would sit for about 30 days and once the temperature dropped, that tomato would go completely crazy and put on tons of tomatoes and they would all get ripe long before autumn. I swore by my Russian tomato seeds. Now, since I’ve moved south, I need to change to the varieties of warmer growing tomato plants that will do better in this hot climate.
You are 100% right on the trench method. I did both types of planting tomatoes (super deep & trench) and the trench ones are out performing the deep ones like crazy.
Hi, I have been gardening since I was 10, never had special soil, seeds or lots of land everything was bare minimum or nothing. I Grew 60 pounds of tomatoes and lots of other vegetables each year. My soil is so bad and with all bricks and stones. The secret is hard work, love, classic soft music play once a day near your plants, if possible sing to them in a nice evening. Use grass clippings and clean dry crushed eggshells for fertilizer, lots of rain water and no chemicals. Each tomato will be a pound at least. When you use too much fertilizer the plant becomes huge and the produce is less but when you do not use fertilizer then the plant is small and lots of produce. Have an awesome day!
I've heard that you can trim the armpits of your tomato plant and stick them into the ground and it'll grow on its own. That just shows that yes this method will make a "larger and stronger root system".
Nice video bro. . . . around 9:30 while you were talking fertilizer your dog added his thoughts on the matter , to funny!!
Yes, all of your "indeterminate" ones produce for several months if protected from heat and cold. "Determinate" or bush tomatoes, beans, peas, etc. produce all their fruit at once. There is a great "planting details" sheet available in the files section at facebook.com/groups/MittleiderGardening.
I heard another tip recently to keep birds from eating your tomatoes. Birds are after the moisture in the tomato. They don't really like to eat them. They said to keep a bird bath near your garden for the birds and that would solve the problem. I plan to try this this year.
I've been told to simply plant new tomato plants so that about two thirds of the stem as well as the root ball are below ground, so that that part of the stem will make a stronger root system. Isn't this the same as what you're describing with laying the plant flat and waiting for it to bend?
Ive had so many problems with Deer that I went with a fence charger. Add in 5 posts (4 corners and door) and get your insulators and fence wire at Tractor Supply or Agway. Run the wire around the poles using the insulators. Place your wire fence 5 inches off the ground and every 10 inches from there to 3 feet. Connect the charger with a lead out wire and ground the fencer well. The Deer get popped and learn to stay away real quick. Works on ground hogs too.
Early girl is one of the best most prolific tomatoes available. They are early, 55days and produce till frost. They are not big but they are very prolific. Been growing them for years on both sides of the state. West is cool and wet and east is semi desert. I plant mine strait in and deep. leave 3-4 " pot of ground. fertilize and lots of drip irragation water.
@wildflowerr1 CPVC pipe. We cover it with plastic during the winter to create a row cover to keep the plants warm.
We do use a wind screen now. We found it does improve plant health and productivity.
My dad use to take off all the leaves and leave the top tiny ones. Then bury the whole plant up to the top tiny leaves. Causing the root ball to be 6 inches down. He said they wouldn't need so much water and the stem would grow roots all the way up to the surface.Man did it work.If you got small plants you put them in a hole till they get tall enough to hill.
Use a electric fence post. That way you can hook the wire cages to the post. Works great.
@see3ga The recommended wire has 4"x4" squares so it is easy to reach in. Ours has 2"x4" openings. So we just cut the wire where ever we want to reach in to get tomatoes so the opening is 4"x4".
really great ideas,, I found that cutting off the suckers lets the light get in the plant and prevents disease a lot also,,, but like the idea of the plant bending and lay them in a trench,, thank you
Spend a little more money and buy the bigger wire, so you can get your hand in to pick your tomatoes.
I've heard that putting a bird bath near your tomatoes will help keep them from poking holes in them before you can pick them. They are looking for something to drink and the bird bath provides that a lot better than a tomato.
Thank you for the recommendation. Someone recommended putting a band-aid on my camera. Since my camera goes in and out of my pocket all day long I will give that a try and see if it helps lower the noise.
I recommend feeding plants weekly with a high quality natural mineral fertilizer, not just at the beginning of the season. I'd contact a local nursery or master gardener assoc. in your area and ask them about what to do about your specific plant symptoms.
great video and your raised beds look very nice. I will use that tip of letting the tomato plant fall over and planting more of it to increase the root system. That's a much better way to do it than some ideas I've heard. I'll add a tip: when I transplanted my tomatoes into the garden, I put powdered egg shells into the whole before I put the plants in. My tomatoes are doing GREAT. Don't forget that you loose a lot of nutrition by not letting the fruit ripen on the vine
Great video. I used a couple spinning toy windmills in my garden last year and it worked great. A little breeze will get them spinning and the movement freaks the birds out. Plus it adds some cool colors to your garden.
Thanks for sharing your tips, LDS Prepper. Ignore the people who have rude comments. Some people feel they need to put down others to make themselves look better (I have someone like that in my family). I've shared some of my comments on other people's comments below, also. It's so easy to share comments without being negative & rude - others should give it a try :)
I will try laying them on the side this next year. Sounds the same as planting them deep. But much easier!
Tomatoes are self pollinating. However they typically only set fruit when the nights are cool but not cold and the days are warm but not hot. We don't have any tomatoes growing now because they will not set fruit this time of year in Houston.
The beds are about 12" deep. They are in direct contact with the ground below. There is no bottom to the boxes.
I have bird baths all around the raised beds and the birds still prefer the tomatoes as soon as they start to blush. ... Joseph
I was gonna suggest the same, since I was taught always give the birds water if they're eating your tomatoes. Great presentation Prepper, aside from the wind and great looking Toms!
I leave my tomatoes on until they are red, red and not orange. I'm in Corpus Christi area and birds don't bother my tomatoes. I also have pinwheels turning in the containers. The taste is outstanding if you can wait to pick. I have had a bird problem in the past, but not lately.
Tomato plants will grow roots on the stock if it is underground. Bending the plant allows you to put more stock underground thus making a larger and stronger root system.
I think using nets is a great idea. Then you can leave the toms on to fully ripen.
Hi! suggestion for foliar feeding. We have a worm compost set up and we compost our veggie scraps (I can't throw veggie scraps in my yard composter or I get rats.) Anyway, part of the process of the system is a compost tea which you can scoop up, dilute with water and is excellent for spraying onto foliage. You also get worm castings that can also be made into a tea. Love this system, it's stink free, very efficient and much more natural. :)
If I'm growing vine tomatoes (indeterminate) I remove suckers. For bush tomatoes I don't. I do give extra calcium. I now use the Mittleider gardening method and have produced even more tomatoes that way. Please see my Mittleider Gardening Method playlist for more great gardening info.
No problem. You have to do what works for you. I'm glad you found a solution. Good luck with your toms. I here the Cherokee purples are great.
@Itaintnutn I'm with you on that. The reason I do the fruit trees and my wife does the garden is because she is much better then I am. I figured I would do less damage if I just stuck to fruit trees. However, I killed 1/2 of them the first year. But I am learning. The new trees are looking great!
I love how the Yorkie decided to help water the plants at 9:31. Hahaha. Too cute. Great video. I've really been wanting to grow my own, but needed a strong jumping off point with tips and tricks. This video was just that and more. Thank you.
i dont know if you know this but if you fertilize fruiting plants too much they will grow very green and thick but will not produce much friut. this is because most ferts stimulate green growth and not friut production
Yes, nitrogen spurs green growth. For a good website to explain all nutrients, see gardenstuffs.com/essential-plant-nutrients
Thanks for being honest & giving tip on growing with twine
About a month sooner than you think. The longer you have them growing the more fruit you will get. Get them out and cover them from the cold so they get a head start. Once the weather warms up they will really start growing. Tomatoes only grow fruit with the right weather so plant early. In order to plant early enough you need to start seeds inside. If you wait for nursery plants you are behind the curve.
Loved the reaction to the yellow tomatoes! Try purple next- also good. I was taught yellow tomatoes have less acidity, & I do know elders & people that found they could enjoy tomatoes again eating yellow only. Good option for some kids, too.
@anenna0618 Thanks for viewing. I hope you have a great garden too.
30 years ago when I grew tomatoes I used concrete wire mesh made circles.
for bird control try hanging old cd's from thin mono fishing string. also try running a few lines of fishing string abouve the tomatoes and on the sides. we have lots of crows here and this seems to help a lot. great video.
For all off you who want to get an earlier start on your garden, try EZ-walls Plant Protectors. They set up in a fraction of the time of similar wall of water type products with their single fill tube and have a drawstring that closes the tender transplants off when the temps dip below freezing. They are also extreamly wind resistant! The closed tube fill point keeps the water from evaporating and keeps the beneficial bugs from drowning too! Check out the video for EZ-walls Plant Protectors!
Excellent video. I'm looking at my tomato plants in a whole new light.
They're great when stewed with tomatoes onions and one small bay leaf
aww the little dog wants to help water the plants! lol ..I need to get those pipes!
i think the little dog is into the organic method too. Nice vid thanks.
I would recommend you take some photos and talk to someone at a local nursery. They would be your best source of help. Best of luck.
great video. if you trim all the suckers from your plants and leave just the main vine you will get more and bigger tomatoes
Calcium amendment to the soil is good for a problem called blossom rot, and it is just what it sounds like. Blossom rot can also happen in soil that's been too dry because not enough water to transport calcium into the plants. When I had a problem I got some expired vitamins and minerals supplements ( one a days or some such) and sprinkled them in my garden and watered. My tomatoes were great, and I also had a great side benefit, my earth worms were really big and fat.