Tomatoes 2025

[Decoy1]

In my case @Decoy1 I'm not really after vigor so much as I am speed, especially in years like this where we had such cold temperatures until June. Growing outdoors, if I have any set backs like an early fall or a late start to summer (and heaven forbid if those two happen in the same year) I want the plants to get moving toward making tomatoes asap. I'm one of those tomato growers too that ripens all on the vine, never off. That said though, given my 'lazy' cages where I do no work on the plants, if more vigor equals more tomatoes I'm open to that as well.

Understood. Just to pursue this to the bitter end (!), have you observed that planting deeper, in whatever way, encourages speed? Is there an argument for thinking that the plant might put its energies into forming new roots rather than producing flowers and fruit? On the assumption that a trigger for fruit production is reproductive stress, then making the plant too comfortable and secure might work against fruit production?

The above is just a tentative thought. But I know that my spares, often just overlooked in a tiny pot, produce small fruit quite early.

 

[R2elk]

have you observed that planting deeper, in whatever way, encourages speed?

My experience is that tomato roots go no deeper than 8". The deeper the hole the cooler the surrounding soil temperature causing a slowing of growth while they grow new roots higher up in the warmer soil areas.

Planting before the soil temperature is 60°F also slows growth.

 

[flowerbug]

...The above is just a tentative thought. But I know that my spares, often just overlooked in a tiny pot, produce small fruit quite early.

for us (because we only plant the same type if we can get them) i've found that early stressed plants produce more BER fruits first - after the plants are established and growing well then the fruits are usually then fine until towards the end of the season.

we have a combination of issues which get our plants pretty much no matter what i try to do to avoid it.

first the plants may be attacked by the hornworms which reduce foliage cover for the fruits.

second there is the disease which sets in and the leaves start turning brown and then falling off.

and then at last when the regular cooler weather and heavy fogs and even more dewfalls settle in more it means more spots and compromised fruits which may be ok enough to eat if needing more trimming around the cracks or blemishes, but the quality declines.

i don't worry about any of this because after so many years i've found out the plants are producing enough that it is ok to lose some and i don't want to spray the plants.

 

[heirloomgal]

Understood. Just to pursue this to the bitter end (!), have you observed that planting deeper, in whatever way, encourages speed? Is there an argument for thinking that the plant might put its energies into forming new roots rather than producing flowers and fruit? On the assumption that a trigger for fruit production is reproductive stress, then making the plant too comfortable and secure might work against fruit production?

The above is just a tentative thought. But I know that my spares, often just overlooked in a tiny pot, produce small fruit quite early.

Years ago I did a test of sideways vs deeper planting with a couple varieties and the sideways planted tomatoes were considerably bigger in a month's time, and flowering more quickly. I think the main reason side planting seems to speed things up is increased warmth in the upper layers of soil, because the soil gets colder the deeper I go. My experience with young plants flowering under stressful conditions is they may fruit earlier, but those yields are always poor as the plants are typically too small when it happens. This happened to me last year with the bean Robert Hazelwood, it had some kind of stress just after planting and so flowered very early, and even produced and dried bean pods but it was very few seeds, a handful. This is also why I don't let peppers flower until they are a good size, it really limits my yields.