Whos growing tomatos?

[Sayonarax]

Hay Guys,

Ive recently started a crop of tomatos and was wondering when do the rest of you usally start to grow?

I checked out some of the threads about tomato growing and seem to be having the same issue with the sun just baking my plants and stunting growth. I noticed they seem to do better with midday shaded areas vs the ones out in the sun ( Im using the local tomato seeds you get at any local pot shop.)

When do you guys start fertilizing? I got some liquid fert called Gods Power which just says N 2.0 P2.30 K2.50 (Unsure of 0-0-0 percentage as Thai companys love discluding the information on the labels)

[namdocmai]

I tried many tomato's but only small one succeeded. Beef tomato's from the best seeds died soon. I grew them in only morning sun untill 2 pm and always fertilised them.

Today i bought a thai cherry tomatoplant and grow it in full sun in a big raised bed. We will see.

[namdocmai]

I also grew some on a thai eggplant rootstock, they gave small tomato's. You can try it. You can even glue them onto that rootstock with second-glue. There are movies about it on the web.

[Sayonarax]

I tried many tomato's but only small one succeeded. Beef tomato's from the best seeds died soon. I grew them in only morning sun untill 2 pm and always fertilised them.

Today i bought a thai cherry tomatoplant and grow it in full sun in a big raised bed. We will see.

Nice, did you buy a seedling from a nuresry ? How much did they cost? Cherry tomatos are always nice

[namdocmai]

I bought a small tomatoplant which had many flowers. It costed 30 baht which probably is to much but i like that old saleslady. I bought many tree's from her as well last week. I know i can bargain from her but i don't care for 10 baht lod dai (discount).

My thai is not good but she could tell me that this one has the small tomato's. I m tired of growing tomato's from seed, i had expensive topseeds in the past but that was a waste of time and money. I only want some tomato's to eat with my rice. I will also try to grow paprika again, i had better succes with them some years ago, just the small thai paprika's that you can buy in the supermarkets.

[Iamemjay]

It depends where you are located. I have no problem growing them as soon as the rainy season finishes, but we are at higher altitude. Better in part-shade despite what the "experts" tell you and better to buy DRV's (Disease Resistant varieties) because they tolerate the heat and humidity better - Start with Tropic or Moneymaker - medium sized and much easier to grow. As soon as the flower bunches appear cover them with small cotton squares - protects from the heat of the sun plus fruit-fly. Another local trick is to grow them under a "roof" of clear plastic, say about 2m high - protects them from some of the harmful rays of the sun plus helps to control watering if it rains.Mulch heavily to keep the soil temperature down as well as to maintain moisture.

Go easy on the fertiliser - you might end up with beautiful plants but no fruit - better to enrich the soil beforehand with lower nitrogen substances such as compost, humus and cow (not chicken) manure. Tomatoes respond amazingly to potash - a little difficult to buy in Thailand and expensive. A handful around the plant in its early growth stages and again as it is preparing to flower. Always water the ground (sparingly) NOT the leaves, and practice bed rotation to prevent soil borne diseases. Also to prevent disease, space them out well, stake them and NEVER allow the leaves to touch the soil.

If all this fails, grow cherry tomatoes. They grow like weeds, even in the rainy season. If they fail, give up!!!

Edited October 28, 2013 by Iamemjay

[schondie]

My wife has just started her first batch of tomato plants, she just used the seeds from the fresh tomatoes from the market as she found the seeds from the packets didn't grow.

As we don't have much space around the house she's got them growing in old 6 litre water bottles hanging around the house - the plants are hanging upside down as they are meant to give more fruit that way and the branches need less support.

She made her own mix of soil, coconut husk and cow dung and the plants are looking very healthy. I'm looking forward to our first crop of home grown tomatoes. No chemical pesticides needed as the green parts (leaves) from the top of the tomatoes can be soaked in water and sprayed on the tomatoes to keep hungry insects off.

[rice555]

Hello All, plants started 8/21/13, plants on 10/18/13, Hwy 226 was flooded by my house,

only one lane into Korat was open.

Brandywine OTV, Black Cherry, Black from Tula and Cisineors Genovese, all OP alive and

well, need to get them up on plant hangers soon, all Ind.

Second and third pic are 10/27 and today.

You can buy a packet of cherry toms seed here for Bt.20 for 100+ seeds in downtown at

3 ag shops.

rice555

[kikoman]

I had a great medium size tomato plant, that spouted from seed from a discarded tomato and it grew great giving us many tasty tomato's, this year I planted the large variety grew them from seeds in containers, I will hope for the best, thank for giving the heads up on the sun, as I read they needed about 7 hours of full sunshine a day.

as this is my first year growing tomato's from seeds it is a learning experience, as I have a great many tomato seedling I will plant some in partial shaded areas, and see what is the difference in growth.

Also plant some Tomatillo's, no problems up to now, I will see what happens to those also.

Cheers:

[Torrens54]

In Chiang Mai, my wife grew some beautiful Tomatoes last year, called TASTI-LEE, from seeds we had imported from the USA.

You can "Google" them but they are rather expensive and the company won't post them to Thailand. We had relatives in the US bring them over for us.

They were planted a bit late I think, about mid November, so we've started earlier, mid October and this year's lot is doing fine. They are in shade during the hot part of the day and full sun in the mornings in planter boxes with fertilizer applied in small amounts every couple of weeks.

Good Luck!

[rice555]

Hello All, Torrens54, you can order your seed from Tomato Growers Supply

in FL online and they will ship to LOS, I've used them many times.

The Black from Tula, Black Cherry and Cisineors Genovese I listed in post #8

are from them.

rice555

$4.65 for 20 seed.

Tasti-lee VFFF Hybrid #5755 (20 seeds) This is a breakthrough new variety of large round red tomatoes developed at the University of Florida by Dr. Jay Scott. It is notable for its potential as a commercial tomato bred especially for vine-ripe harvest and great flavor. This also suits it well to home gardens and to production for fruit stands and farmers' markets. Tomatoes have just the right balance of sugar and acid plus high levels of health-promoting lycopene and rich red color inside and out. Firm texture and juicy flesh make it wonderful for slices, salads, or chopping into salsas or sauces. Determinate. 75 days.

[alant]

Little tomatoes grow like weeds, started by accident from waste, crop up all over the bloody garden

[newatthis]

Rice555,

Thanks for the photos.

Just need some help.

Where did you get those plastic wrap around type of containers and what mixture are you growing your tomatoes in?

[Mekong Bob]

In Chiang Mai, my wife grew some beautiful Tomatoes last year, called TASTI-LEE, from seeds we had imported from the USA.

You can "Google" them but they are rather expensive and the company won't post them to Thailand. We had relatives in the US bring them over for us.

They were planted a bit late I think, about mid November, so we've started earlier, mid October and this year's lot is doing fine. They are in shade during the hot part of the day and full sun in the mornings in planter boxes with fertilizer applied in small amounts every couple of weeks.

Good Luck!

Sounds good. Can we see some photos?

[Mekong Bob]

My wife has just started her first batch of tomato plants, she just used the seeds from the fresh tomatoes from the market as she found the seeds from the packets didn't grow.

As we don't have much space around the house she's got them growing in old 6 litre water bottles hanging around the house - the plants are hanging upside down as they are meant to give more fruit that way and the branches need less support.

She made her own mix of soil, coconut husk and cow dung and the plants are looking very healthy. I'm looking forward to our first crop of home grown tomatoes. No chemical pesticides needed as the green parts (leaves) from the top of the tomatoes can be soaked in water and sprayed on the tomatoes to keep hungry insects off.

Can we see some photos? Thanks!

[LawrenceN]

It depends where you are located. I have no problem growing them as soon as the rainy season finishes, but we are at higher altitude. Better in part-shade despite what the "experts" tell you and better to buy DRV's (Disease Resistant varieties) because they tolerate the heat and humidity better - Start with Tropic or Moneymaker - medium sized and much easier to grow. As soon as the flower bunches appear cover them with small cotton squares - protects from the heat of the sun plus fruit-fly. Another local trick is to grow them under a "roof" of clear plastic, say about 2m high - protects them from some of the harmful rays of the sun plus helps to control watering if it rains.Mulch heavily to keep the soil temperature down as well as to maintain moisture.

Go easy on the fertiliser - you might end up with beautiful plants but no fruit - better to enrich the soil beforehand with lower nitrogen substances such as compost, humus and cow (not chicken) manure. Tomatoes respond amazingly to potash - a little difficult to buy in Thailand and expensive. A handful around the plant in its early growth stages and again as it is preparing to flower. Always water the ground (sparingly) NOT the leaves, and practice bed rotation to prevent soil borne diseases. Also to prevent disease, space them out well, stake them and NEVER allow the leaves to touch the soil.

If all this fails, grow cherry tomatoes. They grow like weeds, even in the rainy season. If they fail, give up!!!

This all seems to be good advice. I have tried and failed to grow tomatoes. Recently, I visited a tomato farm and was told they apply a fertilizer high in magnesium when the tomatoes are growing, to thicken the skins to prevent splitting. Can anyone confirm that?

What are you successful gardeners using to support your tomatoes? Wooden stakes? I tried fence wire cages as I did in the U.S. A Thai neighbor said the metal fence was the reason the vines wilted. Comments? Experience?

[muratremix]

Can anyone give me help to produce this type of tomato?

http://www.agaclar.net/forum/attachments/domates/3389d1156330072-img_4097.jpg

I had seeds and I'll get some more from my home country again. This tomato looks ugly, we call it pink tomato (not really ping), however it tastes amazing.

Another photo

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__wpjdLo-yUs/Sh9xiefZv6I/AAAAAAAALkk/cfCRLrtTnPY/s400/pembe.JPG

and

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yXNMRBlPi5o/Tm0hkaWU0FI/AAAAAAAABVk/5OhMe5t0q7A/s1600/KucukBahcem_Pembe_Domates_tohum_alma1.jpg

[BKKBrit]

I tried tomato seeds from the UK. Potted on my balcony here in Bangkok. Morning sun only and they took off like crazy. Re-potted, tied to bamboo sticks and then they grew to around 80cm and then stopped. A massive show of flowers on all and after all that, one fruit appeared. It grew and I watched the thing expand on an almost daily basis. The maid then came in one day, plucked it and ate it. (she claimed it had fallen off) but gave me a thumb's up and said 'aroi mak!'. And as sod's law would have it, all the plants then withered and died.

[little mary sunshine]

I would kill for a Beefsteak tomato like I had in NJ when

I was a kid....so delicious....must be something in all the

polluted soil in NJ that makes em so good.

[Wimbledon]

You must remember as much sun as u can ,however not at the hottest part of the day! And hanging them upside down works , however watering is alittle tricky

Edited October 29, 2013 by Wimbledon

[Scoop1]

Can anyone give me help to produce this type of tomato?

http://www.agaclar.net/forum/attachments/domates/3389d1156330072-img_4097.jpg

I had seeds and I'll get some more from my home country again. This tomato looks ugly, we call it pink tomato (not really ping), however it tastes amazing.

Another photo

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__wpjdLo-yUs/Sh9xiefZv6I/AAAAAAAALkk/cfCRLrtTnPY/s400/pembe.JPG

and

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yXNMRBlPi5o/Tm0hkaWU0FI/AAAAAAAABVk/5OhMe5t0q7A/s1600/KucukBahcem_Pembe_Domates_tohum_alma1.jpg

Hi Muratremix, those pics I would safely say are "brandy wine" { Pink } a very big and old Heirloom variety and they also suffer from cat facing and misshapen fruit as your pics show

Cheers

Scoop

[sunsamourai]

the plants are hanging upside down as they are meant to give more fruit that way and the branches need less support.

Wow. I'd be curious to see that, any pictures please ?

[Sayonarax]

Wow, lots of tomoatos growers here.

[RedQualia]

In Chiang Mai. Ordered this set of seeds a while back. Started plants sometime in August, I think it was... A bit earlier than I should have. Much too much rain, IMO. Plants are all 2-3 feet tall now. A couple of the plants, at least, have been making flowers (the others, not so much). Happy to report that there are two very small tomatoes as of this morning on one of the plants. Because I worry that the extended rainy season will have inhibited tomato production, I'll start another set of seeds sometime soon.

http://www.tomatofest.com/Tomato_Seeds_collections_s/4.htm

[shaurene]

I brought a lot of seeds from New Zealand and never had any luck. I have noticed Thai growers always cover their young plants with black netting. The sun here is to strong and best grow stuff in the shade and little breeze helps but plenty of watering.

[cooked]

I'm fairly sure that we have a soil born disease here as the wife had been growing tomatoes and aubergines on the same plot for some time. The aubergines do alright for a bit and then wither away, as do the tomatoes. So this year I am trying growing bags (sacks of a decent compost I found in Chiang Mai flower market). If at first you don't suck seeds...

[dunque]

"When do you guys start fertilizing? I got some liquid fert called Gods Power which just says N 2.0 P2.30 K2.50 (Unsure of 0-0-0 percentage as Thai companys love discluding the information on the labels)"

Whoah! No need to assume it is a Thai thing although I know that is often the default - google is your friend here:

NPK Rating

[Torrens54]

Hello All, Torrens54, you can order your seed from Tomato Growers Supply

in FL online and they will ship to LOS, I've used them many times.

The Black from Tula, Black Cherry and Cisineors Genovese I listed in post #8

are from them.

rice555

$4.65 for 20 seed.

Tasti-lee VFFF Hybrid #5755 (20 seeds) This is a breakthrough new variety of large round red tomatoes developed at the University of Florida by Dr. Jay Scott. It is notable for its potential as a commercial tomato bred especially for vine-ripe harvest and great flavor. This also suits it well to home gardens and to production for fruit stands and farmers' markets. Tomatoes have just the right balance of sugar and acid plus high levels of health-promoting lycopene and rich red color inside and out. Firm texture and juicy flesh make it wonderful for slices, salads, or chopping into salsas or sauces. Determinate. 75 days.

Thanks rice555,

As we don't always have family visiting from the US, "FL online" sounds like a good alternative. The people at "Twilley Seeds" in the US were NOT at all inclined to be of any help and they wanted $53 for 250 seeds. (We are now growing from seeds gathered from last year's crop.) Will see how they go.

Cheers,

Torrens54.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Torrens54

[Iamemjay]

I use bamboo stakes - free, renewable and easy to work with.

magnesium OK. Bot if you enrich the soil beforehand and use some potash if you can get it you'll find the fertiliser totally unnecessary and you avoid the risk of over-nitrogenising the plants. The potash does the same thing as you describe for the magnesium. If you feel you MUST fertilise, use Seaweed Emulsion - a much healthier and cheaper option - just add water and with a watering cam apply around the root region.

As for seed sources, I find the best are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I buy them on-line. They are good quality, and cheaper than most others in the US, and FAR cheaper than Australia and far more generous in their packs. Just make sure you buy varieties that are suited to the tropics and humid conditions.

It depends where you are located. I have no problem growing them as soon as the rainy season finishes, but we are at higher altitude. Better in part-shade despite what the "experts" tell you and better to buy DRV's (Disease Resistant varieties) because they tolerate the heat and humidity better - Start with Tropic or Moneymaker - medium sized and much easier to grow. As soon as the flower bunches appear cover them with small cotton squares - protects from the heat of the sun plus fruit-fly. Another local trick is to grow them under a "roof" of clear plastic, say about 2m high - protects them from some of the harmful rays of the sun plus helps to control watering if it rains.Mulch heavily to keep the soil temperature down as well as to maintain moisture.

Go easy on the fertiliser - you might end up with beautiful plants but no fruit - better to enrich the soil beforehand with lower nitrogen substances such as compost, humus and cow (not chicken) manure. Tomatoes respond amazingly to potash - a little difficult to buy in Thailand and expensive. A handful around the plant in its early growth stages and again as it is preparing to flower. Always water the ground (sparingly) NOT the leaves, and practice bed rotation to prevent soil borne diseases. Also to prevent disease, space them out well, stake them and NEVER allow the leaves to touch the soil.

If all this fails, grow cherry tomatoes. They grow like weeds, even in the rainy season. If they fail, give up!!!

This all seems to be good advice. I have tried and failed to grow tomatoes. Recently, I visited a tomato farm and was told they apply a fertilizer high in magnesium when the tomatoes are growing, to thicken the skins to prevent splitting. Can anyone confirm that?

What are you successful gardeners using to support your tomatoes? Wooden stakes? I tried fence wire cages as I did in the U.S. A Thai neighbor said the metal fence was the reason the vines wilted. Comments? Experience?

[Iamemjay]

I'm fairly sure that we have a soil born disease here as the wife had been growing tomatoes and aubergines on the same plot for some time. The aubergines do alright for a bit and then wither away, as do the tomatoes. So this year I am trying growing bags (sacks of a decent compost I found in Chiang Mai flower market). If at first you don't suck seeds...

Buy disease resistant varieties (DRV) and ALWAYS rotate your crops. NEVER grow tomatoes (and that includes capsicums) in the same plot 2 years in a row. Make sure the leaves do not touch the ground - stake them and cut off the low hanging branches. Even with all these precautions you can be fairly certain in the tropics that disease will eventually set in. Its just a question of whether you can get your crop ripened before the diseases take over.

With your clearly diseased soil. you need to give it a long rest from tomatoes (2 years at least) and grow some soil sterilising crops to kill the diseases (Google it for more help here.)