A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum The Tomato Forum Tomato Question For Clever Thinkers!

Help!

I love to grow tomatoes but the problem is, our nights stay too cool for them to do truly well in our shorter growing season.

So this year, I am thinking of somehow putting clear plastic tenting over or around them in someway, to help keep the heat in after the sun goes down. I do all my gardening in containers, so this might be easy to rig?

If anyone has any ideas, please share!

Thanks.

Merme

Get the veeeeeery large tomato cages put them, covered in plastic upside down over your plants. So the top ring of the cage is on the dirt, and the points that usually go in the dirt are at the top, like a tee-pee.
Have you tried oregon springbush tomatoes? They have a relatively short growing season.

Never did that ......

Let us know how they turn out.

How about this????

Umbrella Greenhouse

You can make a 2 or 3 tiered birdbath,
with that same set up!!!

Thanks, Weezie, for that link. I bookmarked it.

However, because I am container gardening up on the porch, I think Wrennie's teepee idea with the cages might work really well because they could be tailored for each pot.

Now I wonder what kind of plastic to get? And where to get it?

Merme

Hardware stores/ home centers sell clear plastic sheeting used to cover windows in the winter, or doorways during a construction job to keep dust at bay.

How about even bubble wrap??

Would it be right on your porch Merme???

Yes, Weezie, we do our tomatoes right on the porch. Some in upside down hanging pots and the others in the standard way. The hanging cherry tomatoes do just fine up here but the larger varieties just do not like to ripen in our cooler weather.

Merme

Mine took forever to ripen last year,
so I know what you mean..
*the woodchucks' got most of mine*

but I would think that even the bubble
wrap would work for you.. would let the sunlight in
and the air pockets would do a good job of insultation I'd bet.

One more question??
How much sun does the tomato plant get on your porch?
Is it moveable? *like if the sun moves, are you or someone
able to push it to get more sun???*

Something like this..
Wooden Plant Dolly

:clps:
We are eating red tomatoes indoors since february..
Planted them in late fall, seeds.
One window in my south side hall..........
It works ..

I had about NO tomatoes last year. August was uncommonly cool. I think we got a couple ripe cherrys and a couple ripe yellow litle pear toms.

Weenie
That is sad

I start early so I dont rum into that..Cant live without the buggers........maybe I have to send you soem.

I had the same sorta circumstances..
NO TOMATOES, cause of those D@RNED WOODCHUCK'S
Ate every big one I had....
*and the pea plants, some tomatoe plants, cucumber plants,
carrot tops, lettuce tops, acorns, butternuts, pumpkins..
Grrrrrrrrrrr*

I need a fence sooooooo bad...

:shck: :shck:

Thats horrible.......I have a nice doggie in the yard and cats prawling around....We dont get too much animal life in the yard..The woods are back off and we can see all around us.
However my sister in town has everything eaten by the rabbits and squirrel and birds......She feeds them all and they dooooooo come. Eating the tulips and pansies right now.

Wonder if planting garlic around helps that ?

Uh dodge, did you just call me a weenie?

:duhh:

ha ha ha ha ha ha

Sorry................weezie..........

Weezie ~ our porch faces East and slightly to the south so it gets good sun throughout the day.

Merme

:thum:

Thats a good start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merme..
Why I was wonderin' was, if it only had like a morning or side view of the sun..
Usually tomatoes, to ripen, need good heat from the direct sun, *6~8hrs* and if the sun was out, but filted thru the top of a porch, it might not be totally enough to harvest...

Why not try and find out?
No harm in that.

See if you can create a micro-climate using what you already have. For example, a southern facing brick wall will retain the days heat and radiate it back into the area at night. It will also prevent cold northerly winds from damaging the plants. The difference may be as much as 5 degrees or more. This is a microclimate. There are other ways to use this. I've heard of people having black water drums in a greenhouse to store heat thru the day for the same reasons. Is there an area you have which lends itself to this concept?

Longy ~ I will have to give this microclimate idea some thought! We garden only on our porch because we live in an apartment complex and everything must be wheelchair accessible for me.

Merme

Think outside the box Merme. You need to retain heat and radiate it out at night. Black absorbs heat. Water, bricks and other dense objects retain heat. Heat is a byproduct of airconditioning systems too. Good luck.

Just from experience, after may 15 , you get plenty of heat on the eastern side to grow tomatoes..And southern side.
I raise mine last year on eastern side on the ground and they was earlier than the others....
After may 15 the sun is hotter....More important is not to let them stand in wet and cold rains.. My opinion.

Some short-season and early varieties to try would be Kotlas, Koralik, Oregon spring, Stupice, Matina, Sophie's Choice, and Azoychka. Apart from that, I think perhaps a wee greenhouse setup might do the trick. I have no clue about the plastic thing.

Cheers,
Julianna

My question to you, where does one get the early ones? seedsa?

Are they in your posession?

Then what would you call me ? I have red tomatoe now and since february......SOuthern window and alittle lite.

4 years now in zone 5..........

What am I..........a miracle/
We ate some for easter too.

Ciao Dodge-

I get my seeds from all over, really. seed catalogues, trades, seed swaps, farmer's markets, family and friends. I have internet friends from around the world who know I'm tomato-obsessed and they send me seeds in cards. There's no cure for the heirloom-obsessed..might as well just feed it.

Cheers,
Julianna

In my Chicago garden years ago I scavenged old window panes, hinged them together and planted cherry tomatoes under them it worked great.

I have a photo of someone doing that .Perhaps it was yours.

Great ideas if you can scarf up enough.