OT-Any Tomato Growers?

John L

is a family of plant types and does not have the literal meaning of hight shade. Google gardenweb there is a whole forum on tomato growing.
Good growin'
John L

Mike T., Swampeast MO

A few years ago the University adjacent to me developed the land behind and below my house. My vegetable garden is back there and a high-powered lights are now near both corners.

Since then, my tomatoes have been pathetic. The few I get are fine, but the plants and yields are both far lower than before.

I was thinking the other day, "Tomatoes are from the nightshade family. What an odd name. Could it be that they need true dark at night?"

Have searched the web, but found nothing on the topic. I do know that my parents fest place for tomatoes at their house was below and near the edge of an overhanging, cantilevered deck. Pitch black at night.

Wayco Wayne_2

Never heard about

them being light sensitive, but I know they need to get cool at night to set new flowers to begin the fruit to growing. We've had some summers when the night was too hot to let them flower. Are you feeding them enough? I supplement my composted dirt with little tomato fertiziler spikes around the plant. Tomatoes are big eaters. In the still of the night you can hear them chomping. WW

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John L

the Mrs

who is the gardenin' xpert here abouts says that they need heat and the sun, full sun wherever possibe, most of the day. Dont over water when the flowers appear otherwise they won't taste as good, don't over fertilise as you'll get more stalk than tomato- just passin' on what she says, she grows about 15 varietites, and all heirloom and from seed. She says Growing in the shade is guys gardenin'.
John

Timco

We had a really long, wet spring and even though I had ours in when it was still frosting with blankets & a heater, we still have no tomatoes. Lettuce is really good this year...Zuccini always does well. I am pretty sure they need dark, even if for a few hours, or it messes with their grow process. Maybe test & pep your soil this fall...

Tim

Mark Hunt_4

Similar experience


Our tomato plants have not been the same since I removed a couple maple trees from the backyard. Not sure what effect, if any, that had on "night shade".

Next year I will re-locate them and see what happens.

My lower tomato yield is a small price to pay for the GREATLY reduced yard maintenance.

Mark H

Steve Ebels_3

Hear them chomping?

I always thought that was the big green tomato worms munching away

Ted R

Gardening in the City

My modest tomato patch gets City street lighting exposure. I started picking small quantities of grape and regular tomaotes this week.

mtfallsmikey

Mine

I've got 55 plants scattered about the yard, and in a couple of raised beds. Cool spring, wet June..all are producing, will have a decent crop. The Sugary plants really have done the best. Worst is on the west side of the house, afternoon sun/heat bakes them. Peppers have not done well, and others here in NW Va. locally have not had real good pepper production, but we picked a bushel of green beans from the garden yesterday, and they are just getting started..

S R Denny

Tomatoes are sensitive to a number of diseases. That's why many experts suggest they be rotated around the garden, so they don't grow in the same soil year after year. BTW: Other members of the night shade family include tobacco, peppers and potatoes, all of which are new world (western hemisphere) crops.

Jeff Lawrence_25

I have a customer

That has these.

The only place in her yard that gets consistent sunlight is her driveway, so she thought she'd try them. She's not doing too bad.

As it says near the bottom of the link, 'maters need a lot of water to produce fruit.

Mine at the house are too heavy for the cages I got so I'm going to have to build better ones for next year.

mtfallsmikey

And, let's talk beans as well!

Picked 2 1/2 bushels from the garden since Sunday...My back is killin' me!

Jeff Lawrence_25

Must be a big garden....