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Garden Gate:  Tomatoes - EGADS!!!  |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 29 2009 : 11:50:05 AM
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This post is not meant as a brag, honestly it's not. I'm waaay beyond that at this point! Remember my new greenhouse I built this spring? Remember my illusions of grandeur of how many wonderful tomatoes it was going to grow? Well a lesson to be learned...watch what you wish for!! 
So far that greenhouse has produced 510 lbs of tomatoes and there are at minimum at least half that much again! 
I've sold a lot, done down stewed, diced, sauce and today I'm making ketchup (or trying to).
So now great farmgals of greater wisdom...what next???
Di on VI
Farmgirl Sister #73 |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2009 : 12:23:40 PM
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What next??? Teach me, Oh Wise Tomato Guru!!
That is awesome, Diane! So tell me what you do for your tomatoes. How often and with what do you fertilize? Do you prune them? What do you think made the difference in this greenhouse?
How are your other crops doing? As far as what else to do with the tomatoes, have you canned plain ones? Or made salsa, juiced, or dried some? Maybe you could look into tomato sauce as a beauty product and bathe in it??  |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2009 : 12:25:33 PM
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Dry them, make juice, find a pig farmer and trade him tomatoes to feed his pigs with for some fresh bacon!
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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mandymcar
True Blue Farmgirl
73 Posts
Mandy
Montana
USA
73 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 08:23:28 AM
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How do you dry them, just slice and put them on a food dehydrator?
I make salsa and they actually freeze really well.
www.haystackstudio.etsy.com |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 10:12:04 AM
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Honestly Toni, I have no secrets. The variety that produced so heavily was called "Big Beef" and is easy to find I think. I didn't think the tomatoes would do that great this year as by the time I got the greenhouse up, there wasn't a whole lot of time left to work the soil. I did work in a little peat as the soil in there seems to not like to absorb water. I used a fertilizer three times during the season called "Rain Gro" which is approved for organic use...once when I planted, two weeks later and then once when the fruit started to set. I mulched with newspapers and old llama hay to help prevent it from drying out too quickly and kept the plants well pruned (I have to keep the plants open and airy as we have a real tendency to blight here, but mostly I just remove stems that grow between the main stems and the leaves. I also only allow two main stems per plant to grow and pick two strong ones when the plants are about a foot high). I have to hand fertilize with Q-tips as there's no bees in the greenhouse and that gets a little tedious. That's it really. I did notice that fertilizer really seemed to grow things...it is expensive, but concentrated so it goes a long way.
Everything else seems to have grown well this year except the peppers and eggplant - they were pretty much a bust. I think that was my fault though, as I put them out too early and we had some unusually cold spring nights. Oh well, next year, right? :)
Anyway, back to tomatoes, I've canned plain diced ones, a batch of sauce (holy it takes a lot of tomatoes to make sauce!), two batches of salsa and an attempt yesterday at ketchup. Anyone have a better ketchup recipe?? Mine tastes more like a good sweet & sour sauce...glad I just made a small batch.
To dehydrate them Mandy, just slice them and put them on your dehydrator racks. At least that's how I do it, somebody may have a better method?? I'd like to try sun dried, but too many bugs. haha
Di |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 5:18:08 PM
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WOW!
I am so jealous!
We have maybe 7 tomatoes left for 'mater sammiches then tha's it for the season.
"Someone" didn't trelis all the vines, so those were the ones that stpopped producing the quickest. That coupled w/ a teensy drought.
I had great plans for some killer salsa this year, but alas. I'll just have to wait 'till next year 
Enjoy!!!!! |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 7:39:35 PM
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What a blessing! Diane, have you ever made Chili Sauce? My Grandmothers used to. It's not a hot sauce but thicker than a ketchup with cloves and allspice. very yummy. If you make some, I'll buy some from you
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2009 : 2:14:01 PM
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I would send you some in a heartbeat Brenda if customs wouldn't meddle! As of this morning we are at 746 lbs and that doesn't include the odd one that was picked for a sandwich or given to someone. It's absolutely amazing and I wouldn't even believe it if I hadn't done it myself. I'm sort of in shock!
I can't remember if I uploaded this pic or not, but here's a partial photo of the greenhouse.
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2009 : 2:22:08 PM
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Wowser! I have got to get my own greenhouse up. I knew it would make a difference in tomato production (our nights are usually in the 40's throughout the summer) but I had no idea it could be that much! Thanks for the inspiration, Diane!
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog:
http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My apron website:
http://lisamariesaprons.bravehost.com |
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Tapestry
True Blue Farmgirl
1223 Posts
Cheryl
Wisconsin
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2009 : 9:05:39 PM
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Holy cow am I ever jealous! I have such a tiny yard and last year only had 4 tomato plants. This year we found room for 2 more plants and production is not even close to what we had last year. I think I need to amend the soil and hope for better next year.
Happy farmgirl sister #353
Look for rainbows instead of mud puddles
http://www.Tapestry2u.Etsy.com
http://tapestrysimaginings.blogspot.com/ |
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DebbieSue
True Blue Farmgirl
199 Posts
Debbie
TX
USA
199 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2010 : 4:58:26 PM
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| That picture is so inspiring! Love Love Love tomatoes! I am going to make stewed tomatoes with green bell peppers and onions this next year...and planning to use a couple of crock pots to do it...nice and easy way to go for me! Then I will put some in freezer bags....and some in canning jars and water bath it...Will I need to add lemon juice or anything before sealing the jars?? |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2010 : 6:57:18 PM
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| when canning tomatoes it is best to use lemon even thought they seem acidic thet do not have enough acid to prevent bocholisum i cannot spell it lol lol i also use a pressure cooker if i do tomatoes. it helps ensure a good seal. follow recipe closely when doing maters. just a thought sherrye |
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Cindy Lou
True Blue Farmgirl
2325 Posts
Susan
Lonsdale
MN
USA
2325 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 1:33:52 PM
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I'm so envious about the greenhouse! We have hopes of getting one set up in the near future. Today we were looking through the catalog for a nursery company called Totally Tomatoes. DH found about 75 varieties he'd love to try!?! As it is we were thinking of 3 or 4. I just stumbled on this thread and also wondered how your catsup turned out? Years ago I tried a recipe we liked but lost it. This past fall I used Mrs. Wage's seasoning mix from a local grocery. We're on the last jar now and DH is wondering if I can convert some of the sauce I canned.
I also found another catsup recipe that had ginger in it and is especially great with chicken an pork. For that one I used only yellow tomatoes so it has a color like slightly orange mustard.
"You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd.....
But you can be happy if you've a mind to. All you've gotta do in knuckle down, buckle down and do it, do it, do it!" |
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Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1409 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1409 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 1:53:54 PM
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What sort of temperature do you have to maintain in your greenhouse?
I really love your picture of all those tomatoes. They would really taste good right about now.
Betty in Pasco |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 5:36:32 PM
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What I wouldn't give on this dark and stormy winter day to be able to go out and pick one of those maters!! I had forgotten about this pic...I need to print it and plaster it on my forehead or something so I remember what can be once again! Oh to taste a sun ripened tomato!!
My ketchup was a bust Susan. We used it up, but it was a great sweet & sour sauce, nothing at all like the storebought stuff.
Betty - I don't heat the greenhouse at all. We live quite close to the ocean and our summer nights are typically cool and damp. I can't grow tomatoes outside at all without them getting horrible blight. This greenhouse may give me an extra month in the growing season, but mostly it just keeps the tomato plants dry and warm. It can get smokin' hot in there during the summer, but it has a window and door on opposite ends and two venting windows along one side.
Di |
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Garden Gate: Tomatoes - EGADS!!! |
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Tomatoes - EGADS!!!
