Lets talk Gardening!!!!

F

Firecatguy

New member
What do you like to grow???any secrets to better Tomatoes??

I have been growing a few tomatos plants every year and thinking about adding a full garden this summer, anyone here do a raised bed??

Has anyone used a Topsy turvy???I tried one last year and had no luck!! one of the problems was the hole in the bottom was an old design that had plastic spikes things you had to shove plant thru...the new design has a sponge that holds the soil in....so far plants seem to be growing been 3 weeks now in TT....
also got 2 of The Strawberry TT planters!! I went with 2 Different Kinds of Strawberries the first one is fragoo and the second kind is Honeoye!!!one on 3 weeks and Honeoye is on second week both doing Awesome!!!I picked a red Strawberry this Am!!!This is my first strawberries ever and found alot great info on the web!!!has anyone ever done a TT strawberry??if so did you save the plants and store it inside?did they grow again in spring?

week 1 for strawberrys!!!fragoo.....

week13.jpg


had few xtra plants so i put in an old pot!!!!!

week17.jpg



week 1 for Tomatos

week16.jpg


The TT are sweet100 and cherry something!!!!wish i would have kept track of the Strain of Tomato I planted in them......

1..
week14.jpg


2..
week18.jpg


Here A few from week 3..................

Strawberries...........

Fragoo...
week3001.jpg


Honeoye.....
week3002.jpg


Fragoo in the pot......
wk32.jpg


Tomatos!!! week 3....

week3013.jpg


one of the Toms are not growing so fast!!!
week3003.jpg


the second one doing better but not as good as the ones in the ground!!!....
week3004.jpg


any info on the TT would be great!!!Have you had any luck? how much do you water the TT?
 
Last edited:
7

700classic

New member
I might have to do the same thing. Garden is still too wet to rototill. May have to do no-till in garden, poke a hole in the ground with a stick and drop the seed in.
 
F

Firecatguy

New member
I dont do seeds i did few years back its alot work to start inside and the transplant!!!I kinda cheat and get plant from local nursery!!!!

thinking the raised bed might be a great way to go just not sure how big i like to go?how wide, how many plants can you get in a bed?
 
E

ezra

Well-known member
licky for me the guy who lives behind me has like 10 or more vintage allis chalmers tractors and likes to play with them. he comes over every spring and fall with 3 diff tractors with 3 diff tillers to make the wifes garden look like a fluffy dirt cloud.think when he is done the dirt is 10 in higher than when packed uses the big like 8ft wide one with deep tines to get deep then 1 of the others from small tractor to finish it like potting soil . we do seeds every yr started about 2 mo ago have french 9pannel glass doors on the shed keep them there and have a small heater set at like 45 so they dont frost.cold crops like romane and iceberg are getting close to done and ready for a fresh crop.
 
F

Firecatguy

New member
polarisrider1 said:
Veggies are so cheap to buy. Meijer produce dept. Works for me.
Click to expand...

true...I grilled Tomatoes and onions 4nights in a row last week.....lol....I like the relaxing side of growing!!!!and the rewards of it......nothing better than homemade spaghetti sauce with your own tomatoes....mmmm or chili made with same matters in aug......ohhhhhhhmmmmmmmm
 
W

windingtrailgal

Active member
OK, Fcat - I don't have a yard so I've gotta be creative and make things like the TT work. First year I used just one and had no luck - tomato plant was just a runt. Last year I had 4 and it it weren't for the creative tree rats, would have had a bountiful harvest. Just like all tomato plants, they need almost total sun - which can get tricky with the TT. But I love mine after last season and after changing where I hanged them for maximum sunnage.
Trick is that you can't buy plants that are too big or they won't go thru the dam whole. And watering I've noticed has to go nice and slow right down the center or it just drips down the sides.
I also have Earth Boxes - which are just fancy planter boxes that actually allow you to water thru a pipe that then puts the water in the bottom tray under the soil. I like them too. Another bountiful crop of tomatoes and peppers and string beans. I also plant herbs in hanging baskets every year because they don't need direct sunlight and do fine just hanging around. My mommy gave me the money for my b-day for the earth boxes or I wouldn't have ever bought them due to the fact that I was thinking I could just buy or build a planter box. But the water system in the bottom is awesome and keeps me from having to remember to water the dam things every day?!
My biggest problem is tree rats. Buggers just suck the juices out of the tomatoes and then leave them. I'd shoot em if I could but my neighbors would have conniption fits!?
 
W

windingtrailgal

Active member
Agree with ya, PR1, on the price of the veggies...but I like growing them myself, getting mad at the tree rats, giving the kids yet another chore when they say they're bored and making a mess with dirt and mud. The benefits of the whole process is all good for me!

And F-cat - where did you get the strawberry growy thingies? I likey! I'm gonna have to get a few of those myself.
 
F

Firecatguy

New member
windingtrailgal said:
Agree with ya, PR1, on the price of the veggies...but I like growing them myself, getting mad at the tree rats, giving the kids yet another chore when they say they're bored and making a mess with dirt and mud. The benefits of the whole process is all good for me!

And F-cat - where did you get the strawberry growy thingies? I likey! I'm gonna have to get a few of those myself.
Click to expand...

they carry the strawberry tops turvy at all the local walmarts.home depot,Menard's etc they seem to be doing great!!!we just had a rain storm so i was out checking things and the strawberry seem to grow leaps and bounds over night!!!!

they have a TT pepper one too!!!I am rethinking where i have them hanging and might just have a different plan for them this week so they get sun allday...Menards had a sale on them back in march 4.99 with 4.oo rebate.......the ttstrawberry are still around for 6.99 at Menard's...I also picked up a hummingbird Topsy Turvy it seems to be doing the best of all my Plants........
 
Last edited:
W

windingtrailgal

Active member
earthbox is 28"x13" and then approx 10" tall. Is cool because it comes with the soil enhancers for plants and for tomato plants. Also with a plastic cover to go over the top with just the plants sticking out - no need to weed and then holds in the moisture in the soil as well.

I usually put 4-5 tomato plants in one, 6 pepper plants. I plant green/string beens by seed and I just spread the whole packg in there. They are awesome for a deck - which is pretty much what I have - a 2nd story deck on top of my garage.

Thanks for the heads up on the straweberry one. I was planning on planting a few weeks ago but the weather was just crappy. Am hoping to get to either HD or Lowe's tomorrow. Will go ahead and stop by Menard's then too and look at what they've got. Mem day is about as late as I can plant and still get my tasty tomaters!
 
bearrassler

bearrassler

Well-known member
I have never tried the TT's but I have a small garden. I like the grape tomatoes, they are little and you just pick them and pop them in you mouth.When they are growing good in late July and August we can get 100 per day or more. I also grow lots of cucumbers, and can get about 15 to 20 per day in late July and August also. Green beans, carrots, onions,and some peppers round out my garden. Firecatguy, it looks like you have lots of room for a regular garden, I think they work better than the TT's.
 
F

Firecatguy

New member
bearrassler said:
I have never tried the TT's but I have a small garden. I like the grape tomatoes, they are little and you just pick them and pop them in you mouth.When they are growing good in late July and August we can get 100 per day or more. I also grow lots of cucumbers, and can get about 15 to 20 per day in late July and August also. Green beans, carrots, onions,and some peppers round out my garden. Firecatguy, it looks like you have lots of room for a regular garden, I think they work better than the TT's.
Click to expand...

ohhh little cherries mmmmm my favorite hands down...I can stand at a cherry plant in late July with salt and pepper shaker and eat till no end!!!!
The TT caught my eye few years back as a novelty item and really wanted to try them...then this year they had the big sale and I decided totry again but this time i planted both small cherry variety and thought if i hung on side deck they would grow down to lower deck and I could just pick and eat!!!!!my main 4 Tomato plants do great every year!!this year I planted chef Jeff brand!!!http://www.chefjeff.com/ this was an Brand they Carry at Gertens in TC area!!!!3 different kinds 1 mortgage lifter, 1 rudgers select and 2 "Tomato delicious" I don't know anything about the varieties but the mortgage lifter I did from seed 5 years ago friend got them for me in Florida and they yielded the biggest Tomato's I ever seen...........

what I'm hoping to add is a raised bed, will not need any more tomato's but would like to try carrots,pepper,green peppers and few others!!!I had a in ground garden years back and was thinking the raised bed would be easier to get going and I can remove and grow grass without having any big issues!!
 
Last edited:
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
Firecatguy:

I'm sure you've Googled this but:

"Determinate tomato varieties tend to reach a fixed height and ripen all their fruit in a short period of time"

"Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost"

BTW, you're pics are making me very hungry for locally grown produce. Your address again?
 
F

Firecatguy

New member
skiroule said:
Firecatguy:

I'm sure you've Googled this but:

"Determinate tomato varieties tend to reach a fixed height and ripen all their fruit in a short period of time"

"Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost"

BTW, you're pics are making me very hungry for locally grown produce. Your address again?
Click to expand...

HAHA I did google it right after i made my last post..just got done reading up on it....

lol local...hmmmm..well south 61 left at Zywiecs

come by in july and you can hold the salt.......
 
Last edited:
gary_in_neenah

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
We've had a garden for about 12 years now. Nothing special, just the basics but it's a nice feeling to grow something from your own piece of the earth. Some years are better than others, the tree rats are always on the prowl and the wabbits aren't too far behind. I've found that once most plants are established the varmints leave them alone.

I start the peppers from seed indoors, about the time the snowmobiling season is ending in March. They're about 10" tall now and ready for transplanting.

I'll buy the tomato plants next week, weather permitting.
 
P

polarisrider1

New member
skutr said:
Have you tried to buy peppers lately? $0.79 for green peppers & $2,50 of red or yellow peppers.
Click to expand...

It probable cost me seventy-nine cents to read your post. I know that some love to garden and like the time out there in the dirt being one with the bugs. Do you raise your own beef? Now that is expensive. I live on a boat or at my cabin or at my maximum lot saturated (with structure) home. I would need to purchase land, gardening tools, etc. This makes that pepper a deal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top