Garden Of Shame: Part 2
"Anyone can grow tomatoes," my neighbor told me. And so I stuck a plant in a bucket and gave it all the love and attention it deserved.
AND THEN SOME.
It wasn't until the plant started yellowing and wilting that I said to myself, "Self? Maybe I should figure out how to take care of this thing."
And so I went to the Gardening Doctor himself, and found out all sorts of ways that I'd bombed. I'll highlight my successes and failures here:
Now, I've no doubt 837 of you will comment to say, "I've done all the wrong things too but *my* plants are thuh-riii-ving!"
Well*pfffffffffbbbbbbtttttttt* on you isn't that great!
Now you can share with me.
Has anyone else smothered their tomato plants with too much love?
*The cage you see in that picture was a recent sympathy gift from the same neighbor who gave me the plant. I suppose she figured that if the plant was gonna die, it should at least go out with some dignity.
AND THEN SOME.It wasn't until the plant started yellowing and wilting that I said to myself, "Self? Maybe I should figure out how to take care of this thing."
And so I went to the Gardening Doctor himself, and found out all sorts of ways that I'd bombed. I'll highlight my successes and failures here:
Put tomato plant in a spot where it will get maximum sunlight
Run the hose at the base of the plants
Do not water tomatoes with an over-head sprinkler
Water thoroughly (!!) when you water, then hold off for several days, before rewatering
Avoid watering your tomato plants in late afternoon or early evening
Water in the early morning
Tying plants to a stake can restrict growth and fruit production
Using tomato cages* or fencing allows the plants to grow more freely
Now, I've no doubt 837 of you will comment to say, "I've done all the wrong things too but *my* plants are thuh-riii-ving!"
Well
Now you can share with me.
Has anyone else smothered their tomato plants with too much love?
*The cage you see in that picture was a recent sympathy gift from the same neighbor who gave me the plant. I suppose she figured that if the plant was gonna die, it should at least go out with some dignity.
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10 comments:
Oh nuts!! I water too much and over the top. My poor tomatoes. :(
How 'bout those of us who did it all right and our plants STILL did not make it.
(Sigh.)
Well... I did everything wrong and my plants are THRIVING!
Actually... I think I had the possessed tomato plant from hell. I guess I watered it along with the other flowers that it was near (yeah... I put it in my perennial garden). But other than that, I did nothing, and it grew... and grew... and grew...
And came up for 2 more years on its own....
That thing was NOT going to die.
So, I'm doing EVERYTHING wrong. Seriously, everything! Bah.
Janaki: I almost posted a picture of you and your plants. Because they are awe. some.
How is it I am doing better than my cousin...who grew up on a farm?
That's not to say I haven't made my share of tomato mistakes. We have had 2 whole tomatoes this year. We have about 4 green ones, just waiting for them to mature.
I however will not be posting a pic because they are wilty and yellow, but still bearing fruit.
we have ours in a Topsy Turvy, but it still doesn't look too good. I think it has 3 little tomatoes right now. I don't think we watered it enough!
I am currently in my third planting this season on my back patio garden due to the over abundance of love.... ahem.
So...what about rain?
That comes down from above onto the leaves rather than watering down by the base.
We've had enough rain lately that I haven't had to water.
Mine look super-scrawny this year, so maybe it's that darned rain?
Our garden was pretty much a bust. With Dh not working for over a year and expecting a baby, I thought we could save money by gardening. It has cost us tons in set up and water bills. But has produced very little.
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