Comments on: Maximizing Raised Bed Tomatoes

By: Ivory Soap

Ivory Soap — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:19:50 +0000

francis….gosh I hope not!

By: FRANCIS

FRANCIS — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:51:55 +0000

Are we going to have that same blight we had last year where once the tomatoes were almost ripe they developed black stems and went bad real quickly.

By: Ivory Soap

Ivory Soap — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:26:16 +0000

If you have the room, just trim at the bottom to let air circulate, you don’t have to be drastic like me if you have the room.

By: Ivory Soap

Ivory Soap — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:25:27 +0000

I know. It scares me, but it’s what Mel says and he grows them up single strings.

By: Jennifer in MN

Jennifer in MN — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:08:06 +0000

Oh ooh ow ow ow…that was awful. Not sure who had more trouble doing the deed–my husband or me. We still have a little more pruning to do after reading the other readers’ posts. Back out there. And someone, do fill us in on the rooting gig. Thanks TL/Ivory and everyone!

By: rowena___.

rowena___. — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:28:33 +0000

thank you, ivory, for guiding us so patiently thru the learning curve of tomato growing! i’ll be pruning today, although what you suggest seems more radical than what is usually recommended.

javalady, i think what you are looking for is called “blossom set”, not “bloom set”. you should be able to find it at a good nursery or online.

By: Brown Thumb Mama

Brown Thumb Mama — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:29:54 +0000

Wow, looks like I need to get pruning too! I don’t have any tomatoes in my raised bed, but they’re spread out in the area immediately adjacent. They have plenty of room to sprawl, but if this will make them healthier then I’m all for it. Thanks for the photos!

By: JavaLady

JavaLady — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:49:27 +0000

Has anyone seen “bloom set” for sale ? Ya spray it on those little yellow tomatoe flowers and it ‘’sets” the bloom to be a fruit. No bees necessary. I can’t find it at my local gardening stores or any where for that matter. It guaranteed that every flower turned into a tomatoe, or a pepper, or a squash. I remember using it when I lived in an apartment and had a patio full of container gardening. I had tons of fruitful plants!. Or is there something we can mix up at home that will do this??

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:38:17 +0000

Well, I just came back in from doing radical surgery on all my tomato plants – poor babies! Holy cow – you’re right – that was seriously hard!!!! Some of those shoots had BLOSSOMS on them! *sob!* Well, beloved Ivory, I hope you’re right and that my babies are happier and more productive with their new “haircuts”. Otherwise I’m sure you’ll be able to hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth coming from all the way here in Minnesota! ;o) You Girls have always been right before – praying that my faith in you pays off! lol!
I’m also doing what Kenneth Moore did and am going to attempt rooting some of my biggest cuttings in water. But then what do I do with them??? Stick them in a pot with soil? Stick them in the garden? What? As you can probably guess, I’m pretty new to this “real gardening” stuff – hence all the questions and frantic behavior over my girls’ “trims”. ;o)
Thanks so much, TL and Ivory – I really do always enjoy your blog and follow your advice to a “T” – usually (although I did leave a couple large shoots on one or two tomatoes )
God bless!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:48:28 +0000

Auuugh! ONE stem per square foot???!!!! AAAugh!!!!!!!!! That’s going to be like
right-arm amputation in my little garden bed!!!! I was leaving two branches per plant and so many of them have buds and babies on them!!! Poo!!!!!!!!
Here’s a question for you – the bell peppers in my beds are forming perfectly beautiful little flowers, then in the next day or two, the flowers (and tiny stems attatched) are yellowing, wilting and falling OFF!!!! This happened to me last year and I never did figure out what I was doing wrong – can anyone here help me???? Please, PLEASE!!?