Days - Page 2

 Craig said:

This is an old tip that I've never had the occasion to test directly (but I
will comment more after):

Drive a small spade down in one or two spots  around one of your
plants and cut a few roots.  This might shock the plant into ripening
the tomatoes.

OK, this year one of the new varieties I was trying was not ripening any
tomatoes, not even a hint of color, even after all the others were doing
so.  It was so full of green tomatoes that the stake was leaning over
threatening to crash into the fence. (I have electric wires at the top so
this would have been a Bad Thing.)   I drove in a couple of small stakes
to tie off the larger one and stop the leaning.  And shortly after that, a
whole bunch of tomatoes on that plant started turning red.

 Now, I would think this was entirely coincidental, except for having
remembered that old advice.  So I may have unintentionally confirmed it
works.  Or, maybe not.  I doubt it would hurt to try.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)
  
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

 Kay Lancaster wrote:


Hmm, well, although the plants are clearly intertwined, I can't train
them to go anywhere. Again, my embarrassment in being ignorant.

Last fall I gathered some datura seeds figuring they had a nice look to
that plant. I put the seeds in the tomato garden and also some other
wild seeds from buffalo squash plants I found (while riding my bicycle).
Also a bunch of flowers I can't ID.

The upshot is my garden is a riot of plant activity. I can't see even a
square mm of dirt if viewed from above. There is no room for anything at
all. I had no idea the size these plants would grow if I put them in a
garden I made with Miracle Grow dirt and the same brand chemical
fertilizer. I have buffalo squash plant tendrils intertwined within my
tomato plants, peppers in the squash, datura in everything and gosh
knows what else is in there such as flowers, a watermelon plant and some
morning glories.

I've harvested maybe 10 tomatoes. They tasted great and didn't have any
insect damage. I can't spray for insects because my wife forbids this.
She's an organic person.

I'm anticipating a good tomato crop as I have maybe 50 green tomatoes on
the 6 plants and another 30 on the 'cherry' tomato plant. Next year I
plan on drastically expanding the garden to accommodate the plants in
their real sizes. I had no idea a plant the size of my thumb (tomato)
would grow to be 170 cm tall in two months.

As to the reaction of datura to Miracle Grow, well the less said the
better. I'm feeling a bit embarrassed but also tickled that my first
garden is so green.

-paul