Saturday, November 14, 2009

Starting Tomatoes for the Upcoming Growing Season

This past summer we grew alot of tomatoes in our garden and quickly realized that tomatoes have been the main staple to many of the dishes that we make. I absolutely love this fruit because of the many of things I can do with it and there never seems to be a dull moment when eating a tomato that is just screaming sweetness.

For our upcoming growing season we are going to do things a little different. For one thing we are starting now to grow all of our tomatoes in the sun room so that way when the spring comes we will have strong plants that will start soaking up all of that early warm Georgia Southern Weather and start producing fruits early. I followed a great recommendation from Growing Human to start pinching off the suckers early so that my plants produce really big juicy fruits and that worked very well. So by growing earlier I can get these guys started much earlier with healthier fruit.

Second, we are going to plant all of our tomatoes in containers this year because as I have learned Tomatoes are perennials if kept properly and can be overwintered. Being that I live in an urban environment I don't have much land so looking back we have identified ways to extend our growing season and free up our garden for veggies and fruit that really cannot be grown in doors. We will container garden alot of fruits and veggies this year so that we can over winter them next year and keep them for years to come to obtain a head start on every growing season. It should be alot of fun:)

7 comments:

Sue said...

Interesting post....
I don't think I could try bringing the tomatoes back in simply because we have so many gnats, etc. I've already brought tree frogs, ladybugs and numerous "icky" bugs in with the houseplants in the fall. Don is a patient man, but there are limits...
And in typical gardener style, I have ALREADY started drooliing over the seed catalogs dreaming of NEXT YEAR!

ATW said...

Sue- I hear ya about all the extra family pets. We have a clan of lizards living in our sun room along with all kinds of other creepy crawlers. I will post soon. My laptop died and Im in the market for a new. I have alot of cool things to post like my new hawk I trapped today.

Wendy said...

It's funny to read about you starting tomatoes, now, with the knowledge that we'll soon be under several feet of snow ;). It's even too early for me to think about seed catalogs (that's a February job ;).

I hear tomatoes can be grown upside-down in hanging planters, although I haven't tried it, yet ;). If I had a greenhouse of some sort, that might be something I'd do, because, like you, I love tomatoes, and just can never get enough ;).

ATW said...

Wendy- There are times that I really miss being up north and then when I just stop and literally smell the roses in DEC!! I begin to think about how wonderful it is to have an extended growing season. BIG LOL!! to the Upside down tomatoes. My wife and I were really considering buying them on some infomercial until I realized that I can make my own.

Judy T said...

I've overwintered peppers before but never tomatoes. In fact, we've got a jalapeno that is probably about 4 or 5 years old- I've lost track. We keep it in a huge pot and move it in and out of the house each year. It still has peppers on it when everything else outside is long frozen.
Judy

Josh Myers said...

did you get your bird for the season yet?

ATW said...

Josh- apologies for getting back so late. Yes I got myself a bird, She is alot of work more work than the others. I have one more week before I may release her and start over again. Sometimes the connection is not there and it does no good for the hawk. I can easily trap another one and restart, but I will give it one more week. Keep stopping by for updates and photos. Thanks