Greenhouse Tomatoes

Started  blog collection   SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
I grow tomato produce in a greenhouse for an additional income.
I have grown tomatoes in everything that I can think of.
My basic plan is to keep the vines at least 6 inches apart no matter
where I grow them or how I grow them. 8 inches apart is better
and 12 inches apart is the very best===all to allow air flow through
the vines to help prevent fungus and disease.

In 12 inch pots which are normally 4 gallon or 5 gallon, I grow Either:
Two plants with single vines each , OR
One plant with 2 single vines each.
In a 25 gallon pot---or half of a 50 gallon drum , I use reinforcement cages
and space the vines according to how many square sections are on my cage
cause the squares are 6 inches apart. If the cage has 13 squares--then I prune
the plant to have 13 vines.
September 7, 2010
I use the same plan when growing in the ground.
Here is my problem: I am tired of mixing soil and filling 5 gallon pots. Planting
in the 5 gallon pots, cleaning out the dead tom plants,
then emptying the 5 gallon pots --bleaching the 5 gallon pots so I can start
over again. I grow for produce sales. I end up filling about 300 5 gallon pots.
I normally only do this for early spring sales. I am working on doing a
winter crop that should be ready for sales mid Dec. I want to put them
in the ground in the greenhouse. I know of some other greenhouse companies
that have grown tomatoes in the same greenhouse soil for more than 10 years
and never had a problem. Questions are---are there procedures to prevent
problems if growing in the same beds---year after year In addition to removing
the top 6 inches of soil every 2 years?

My beds in the greenhouse will be 3 feet wide and 65 feet long.
There will be 3 beds. Each bed will have a double row of tomatoes.
Each tomato plant will have only two vines.
The greenhouse is 24ft X 75ft.
My tomato seedlings are growing (sown Aug 24th) and need to be transplanted into the grow beds
in 2 more weeks. I have two weeks to clean up the greenhouse and prepare
the beds. The clean up is from spring crop ----tons of 5 gallon pots to empty and
floors to clean up---bleach to spray--fungicide to spray, insecticide to spray before
I transplant my tomatoes. (400 tomato plants)

Then I had to cut out the ground cover where my grow beds had to be.  Tilled the soil.

I amended the soil by adding commercial bagged compost manure  and added peat moss.
Two beds had 50 cu.ft of compost added and about  18 cu. ft of peat moss.
I cultivated it in using a Mantis 2 cycle Cultivator.    Fresh Homemade compost would be best.
I applied  garden lime and calcium nitrate to the beds.
Then I planted the tomatoes in the first two beds.


September 21, 2010

The third bed was goin to be much different.   It would be located on  an old ditch that had fist
size rocks in the ditch that is between 12 inches deep to 2 feet deep.  I had to build a raised bed
using   untreated 2x8s  67 feet long.

I had to cut the ground cover and fold it up and nail it to the inside of the  2x8s.

Then I  added my soil mixture  which was  50% peat and 50%  bagged commercial compost. Mixed well.
Added garden Lime and calcium nitrate.
Then I planted my tomatoes  like the other beds----1 foot apart.

September 26, 2010

I fertilized all the toms with  a mixture  of
20 pounds of 13-13-13
3 pounds of Epsom Salt
3 pounds of Calcium Nitrate
8oz of Micro-Nutrients
I put about 2 tsp around each plant. I fertilize weekly
Later the amount of fertilizer increases to about 1 tbs per plant.
Now it was time to  support the tomato plants ---since there are so many---before they get
big and fall over.
I used twine--tied it to the base of each plant---making sure the twine was loose around the vine
so it does not choke as it gets bigger.  (about an inch play)
The twine is tied to  rails that are running down the length of the greenhouse.  The rails are
chain link fence railings.

October 1st, 2010 =  5 1/2 weeks after Sow Date

I was originally going to water manually.  I just like it better.  But became tired and had much to do elsewhere and decided to put in my   watering system..........which would of been easier if I had done it before I planted the toms.
This is the pile of water tubing with sprayer stakes and aqua  turrets that had to be inspected--repaired--and installed.

Water system installed down the center of the double row of tomato plants and a sprayer stake in between each tom.

Toms began to open their first blossoms Oct  5th.  at  6 weeks old from  Sow Date.

The toms now have there second set of blossom clusters  blooming.

 October 14, 2010,   7wks, 3 days from sow date.

SIDE VIEW

My   manure   producer  for future  COMPOST   (working on it)
Plus I have neighboring  cows and horses.   Should not run out of compost in the future.
Until then--I have to use chemical fertilizer and   some organic soil amendments.

 

October 19th ,  2010,     Two weeks after pollination

An over view  before lower leaves are  pruned off.

    Most of the  Lower Leaves pruned off below the first cluster.   This allows more air flow at the base of the plant which will help prevent fungus.

1ST WEEK OF NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER 28TH, 2010

ALMOST READY FOR HARVEST--FEW MORE WEEKS

PLANTS GROWING IN THE RAISED GROW BED

ONE SINGLE CLUSTER OF  SWEET MILLION CHERRY

DECEMBER 14, 2010.   THANKS TO THE ARTIC BLAST-- the tomatoes are slow to ripen.
turning orange.= one step closer to ripe toms.

little dirty----God made dirt and it wont hurt, put it in your mouth and let it work.  :)