@@wingdingdmetrius8025I’d prefer cooking be kept to a second channel. E.g epic cooking. Would also like to see an epic hunting/fishing channel. Growing the fruit and veg, and hunting for the meat. Maybe throw some foraging in there to.
Kevin, between you and the Garden Hermit, I've learned everything I need to grow tomatoes. I feel so confident about the process now. I have 14 healthy tomato plants this year! You don't know what that means to me. I couldn't keep one alive until last year. Thank you from a Serial Plant Killer.
Ok, so, “plant serial killer” is the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard, and I totally relate because despite having a garden my whole life, tomatoes never grew good for me, and I could never figure out why, which is why I’m here. I too love the garden hermit. Very helpful channel.
First year actually trying to grow a few things. I told my wife I expect everything to die, so if I get anything it's a win! So far, only issues I've had- didn't use proper aoil mix for container potatoes, and dealing with bottom end rot on several tomatoes. Watering seems to be biggest issue. Didn't realize how quickly ground dried up here in mid Tennessee! Didn't want to buy more stuff, so I used door screening, and some leftover PVC, to make a basic sunshade. That helped immensely. This channel, and just a couple others, have helped a ton. Thank you. ✌️😊
Hi I lived on a horse farm, so every 6 months the Farm Bureau came and cleaned up the manure pile. I would go back to the pile area and get about 8 big wheel barrels of the soil and spread it out over the plot. Then I would use a cultivator to mix it up. It was a 20 x 20 plot but the tomatoes and other stuff we planted and harvested were awesome. Great Video Thank You 🙏
I use top twine method but not twine, I use macrame type cord, thick and soft stuff. Twist the plant around the string every so often, the soft thick string stops any damage.
I did my very first Florida weave trellis this year and I must say, it’s been spectacular. I’ve been able to find every single hornworm immediately, airflow is much better, and pruning is so much easier. I’ll be doing this every year!
My homemade Tomato cages, 6yrs old are done. I bought 16ft L x 5ft W cattle panel. Cut it in half too 2, 8ft pcs. Attached them to 7ft t posts in a 4x8 raised bed. 3 tomato plants up each side. We are growing 3 San Marzano's and 3 Rutgers. So should be plenty of room for a few, orderly suckers. Right? Now the fun part. Each plant has 6-8 growing stems weaved up through the openings in the panels in the shape of a fan. All other suckers above getting pinched. So, at ground level 3 plants on each side, at panel level, it looks like 3 Menorah's. Takes almost daily attention training each grow stem, but so far worth it. Clusters everywhere, over 40 Tomato's started on each of our 3 San Marzano plants and still blooming as they are trimmed and woven upward. Yeah, gardening can be fun.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see you in Ethan's video he just uploaded on tomatoes! I always felt like you two both break down ideas in the same easy to digest way for people who are new to the subject, but also provide a lot of nuanced details for those of us who are already in the know.
So you suckered me into growing some of my own food 3 years ago and since you got chickens made me want to get them. I need a basics on Chicken raising videos like all the knowledge you know plus some. Maybe do one if those videos where you introduce other chicken farms from around the country. Could be a mini series. Also you could talk about growing plants that you can feed your chickens and make the perfect food mix for your chickens and how to feed so many chickens in the smalls square space garden. So I can start a chicken garden to feed my chickens all year long.
It's interesting how different varieties perform differently in different climates and soils! I suggest trying lots of varieties to start and learning which you like best. Of course, you'll want to grow different varieties every year because it's so much fun! I'm in the Midwest and my favorite indeterminate varieties are Purple Calabash, Green Zebra, Cosmonaut Volkov, Pineapple and any of the Brandywine variants. Happy tomato growing!
Thank you Kevin. I've been following you for a few years. I grow tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers on my terrace in grow bags. I've learned a lot from you.
An experiment where you grow a tomato on the ground like a squash or a pumpkin would be cool, since in the wild they would grow horizontally along the ground in a bush style, maybe it's easier for the plant to transport nutrients and water compared to being vertical. Perhaps burying the vines like you would a pumpkin might also boost yields since tomatos root on the entire stem so easily it seems obvious.
Lat year I had a volunteer yellow pear tomato that I left vining on the ground. Of course this year I had several dozen sprouts. I had few issues with critters/bugs, more of an issue with forgetting to harvest so there were tons of rotten tomatoes. This year I left a few of the volunteers growing the same way but I have a visiting rabbit so we will see if he/she likes tomatoes.
We had to change course early as my large tomatoes just didn't do well as starts. So I put out a ton of Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. My cherry tomatoes have wildly exceeded my expectations in both production and flavor. Two cherries were in a Greenstalk and one in a jumbo container. The Romas are a mix of in ground and container. I have worked hard this year to prune those bottom leaves & crossing stems to improve air flow in our heat/humidity. I'll never have picture perfect tomatoes, but even with a heat index at 110, we have Romas coming in with that pruning and a shade cloth.
Cool idea I started doing and I would recommend for gardeners looking to learn and experiment: have a section of your garden dedicated to plants you have never grown before!
Watching a few of your tomato videos this morning has been a game changer for me. Thank you so much, Kevin. Your epic gardening tips are amazing. Next years harvest is going to be phenomenal!!
This was my first year trying Brads'. Despite all the bad press, we gave it a try. It is such a drama queen! Leaves flopping over all the time. BUT it is the most flavorful delicious tomato I've ever had. There must be some variable that explains the wildly different reviews on this variety. Some swear by at and some say its bland. What we did: added a ton of compost prior to planting, minimal pruning (it's extremely prolific and we didn't hold it back), wait till they are RED and purple (instead of orange and purple like you see in pictures).
I’ve never pruned my tomatoes and I always have too many 😂 overhead watering has always been the downfall of my tomatoes. I think the bushiness actually helps my tomatoes as it attracts beneficial insects. I’ve also never planted a mono culture and I believe this helps as well
It's a useful tip for storing peaches etc when you buy a case and they aren't all ripe. Upside down, not touching (so potential mold won't spread), covered in newspaper or tea towels (to discourage fruit flies).
I feel your pain. I've had that happen too. They also like pepper plants. At least they leave garlic and onions alone. I've been looking to replace my wire fence which is 6 feet tall with a polyethylene fence. I've read people's YT posts that say an "invisible fence" that deer can't see can be effective. The deer bump into it and since they can't see it they don't know how high it is and won't jump it. I watched some TH-cam videos on this topic. I've since done some internet research and there's a company called "Critter Fence" that makes these invisible fences. Apparently the fences, depending on which you buy, can last as long as 25 years. Not all of the fences they sell are invisible. Some are rated for deer, others for elk. Depending on the size of your garden it can be a bit pricey. My garden is only about 250 square feet and it would cost me about 300 to 400 dollars to replace my current fence, which is doable for me. I don't work for the company. I have no experience with their products and nobody I know does either but I think I'll give them a try next spring because my fence DOES need to be replaced and I need a taller fence - about 8 feet - to deter the elk in my area. This spring the elk tried to jump my fence but misjudged the height and landed on top of it which bent it halfway to the ground. They're beautiful but so are my vegetables and I don't want to share! 😂. I hope this helps you. Best of luck to you. 🙂
You can leave out some water. If the bird bath has water, the deer don’t go for my tomatoes. They ate the first ripe tomatoes this year and I was so ANNOYED! I’ve kept the bird bath full and they stopped harassing my garden.
This video was amazing and full of great tips for a beginner like me. I absolutely love your channel and out of all I’ve watched it seems to be the most user friendly and informative without getting too complex. Thanks for such great content.
Great tips. You've covered all the tips that cover the US. I'm inland on the central coast of California and sunburn and large temperature swings are my nemesis in the garden. I only prune to keep the tomatoes out of the the pathways. I need all the leaves I can get to keep the sun off the tomatoes. In our micro climate the temperatures can swing from the 50s in the morning to the 100s in the afternoon. The harvest every year has been great. I encourage everyone to plant different varieties and discover the ones that work for them and their garden.
I live in Sacramento. For me, setting up some shade structures above my garden beds, on which I can retract the cloth when it is not too hot out, was about the best thing I’ve done for my garden.
@@AlowisciousMahoneyI’m in Sacramento as well and getting ready to branch out in the world of gardening. My prep plans also included purchasing some shade cloths for those heat waves as we are currently experiencing temperatures at 112 degrees
i love your show.... i had my husband watch your channel and he said you are addictive to watch lol... thank you for taking the time to not only explain things in words but by showing us step by step. Love love love your channel! Im watching you while i cook, do laundry, while having lunch and while i play w our bunny
Love your tips! I just starting growing the sun gold cherry tomatoes this year and I agree. They are my new favorite cherry tomato. Also, I'm growing the Cherokee Carbon tomato too.The Cherokee tomato has been my favorite full-sized tomato for awhile so the Cherokee Carbon is right up there with it.
I have a plant (gardeners delight) where the suckers are coming out of the leaf branches. Not in the elbow as usual but out of the actual leaves themselves!
The top twine method works well for me I’ve done this the last few seasons with great success! I absolutely love the cooking at the end. It just adds another dimension to your content 🙂
I have watched tons of your videos but this has to be the MOST HELPFUL video yet. Thank you for this! Would love to see you take a similar approach to other veggies / fruits / flowers! Thank you!
I love Cherokee purple, but live in Washington state where I have a short growing season. I prune but never give it one stem. I want tomatoes. I prune enough to give air flow. When the season stars to cool down I prune the tops to give the fruit below time to grow bigger and ripen.
To be fair, san Diego and Florida are almost polar opposite climates, only thing they have in common is the lack of hard frosts depending on where you are
I'm so pleased you said that because I tried to grow them in my first year on a new property, but they were a failure....Now, 3 years later, I was just debating trying again ... they look so beautiful, any tips?
I'm also in Florida and have grown them several times. I've found them relatively unproductive, thick skinned and prone to splitting, and good tasting but nothing special. I tried both spring and fall with similar results.
I have so so many tomatoes, at least half of my varieties are from botanical interest, it’s a thing of beauty, but now what do i do with all the tomatoes??? And they are 100% organic, at least 200 tomato plants in full force, hundreds of pounds of tomatoes ready for harvest now i need some helping hands to share the bounty.
I’ve had a few tomatoes split on me and now I’m grabbing them asap 😂❤ I cut off a truss (?) that had several cherry tomatoes ready to pick, but like 3 were still green. Live and learn😂❤
I have a black crim tomato that is over a year old fruiting beautifully this year. I just cut off the old growth and the new growth takes over. Weirdly enough, tomatoes are perennials. Ironically it is an indeterminate tomato growing in a self watering planter and it is fairly happy if not a bit hot lol. SoCal heat is no joke right now!
I'll note some indeterminate varieties perform better in a weave vs a single leader method. San Marzanos don't seem to be as vigorous in vertical growth for example and would do well with a weave. Amish paste on the other hand does swimmingly with single leader and would probably overwhelm a weave method if unpruned
I’m learning so much from you! Thank you so much! I totally messed up my tomato seedlings this year! I started more than I was capable of maintaining. When it was time to up pot I lost track of the variety. I wanted lots of Roma tomatoes for canning sauce. I ended up with way more seedlings than I had room for! I couldn’t tell what type of tomato I ended up with and because nobody I know near me grows food I couldn’t even give them away. So sad! Anyway long story short I ended up with one Roma and 20 Sun Gold. I got the seeds from you. Way too many and need to figure out how to preserve them. I understand that you can’t count on memory and need to prepare labels in advance and put in pots immediately! Lesson learned!
Another epic video.Have you heard of the new SUNGOLD SELECT variety bred from sungold F1 bred in Germany? Less prone to splitting, just as tasty. I'm going to try growing them this season (Australia) 💛🍅
for a small bushing type like the yellow patio choice I feel like a conical cage is good like maybe even the only exception to the "rule" and by small one, one that only has two tiers and "spikes" to which then you might have to supplement with bamboo later if it takes off... the reason why I like those is for numerology and my C name and the dark green color of the ones in my local store. if you are bad like me and miss days you can bend the plant some into and over the tiers which is nice but listen to the pros not me.
I had NEVER experienced blossom end rot until I stopped working from home. Now that i have a new office job, i dont have the luxury of gardentime lunch breaks where i could walk around and water, pick and prune my veggies. I miss it 😢
You know what I would love!? A video on hardy kiwi. Arguta and Kolomitka, though espeically arguta. I have never had such a hard time growing ANYTHING like I have this dang vine!
I know this is such a tricky question, but, as far as watering your tomatoes 2-3x a week... we have a timed irrigation, and I've had them getting 10 minutes of water in the morning each day, but it's pure guess work for me. The cherries and heirlooms are growing strong, tall, and producing good fruit. But the San Marzanos are getting blossom end rot like crazy. I just sprayed them this morning with a calcium/fish emulsion mix (I've been giving them fish emulsion every 2-3 weeks since they were planted). But I'm curious if you think the watering is part of that issue? They are all in the same bed. And if you were to shift to watering every 72 hours, how many minutes would you start off with? 3x the amount? 30 minutes?
Next year, go with the short season tomatoes. You can plant a few novelty ones that take longer, but you'll just have to hope for a good season. I am in Alberta, Canada and that is my go-to method.
I live in SD near kev and have an abundance of these cherry tomatoes lol. they are so much easier to grow than any of the larger tomatoes and they are soooo abundant
Would love some additional info on Dwarf Indeterminate varieties ... it seems like they sort of follow "the rules" of bush varieties but also sort of follow "the rules" of vining varieties. 🤔
Have you not tried German Johnson tomatoes? If not I recommend them! They are easy to grow and a perfect size for a good sandwich and imo the best tasting tomatoes by far!
Kevin, I've been watching your videos for a long time and have learned so many things from you that I follow everyday. One thing I would disagree with you is about harvesting tomatoes before it is fully ripe. You might be right that the flavor is already developed when it starts to show colors. But, I have tried to harvest early and I have harvested "vine ripe", the sugar content is just not the same! I mostly tried it with sungold and super sweet 100 variety.They were so sweet when vine ripened, but if ripened on the counter, they are not as sweet. I haven't tried with larger tomatoes, I just cook them or eat them without even noticing! lol. But this year I will try again to figure out if really vine ripened tastes different or not
*My personal tip:* Never sow your tomato seeds in *coco coir*, even if it comes with fertilizer. Mine sprouted just fine, but then the growing just stopped, and for about 2 months almost nothing happened. In the meantime I sowed new seeds in peat moss, and they completely overtook the earlier ones. Now I'll only use coco coir to mix with real soil, peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite.
@@kaylap4924 Thanks for your input! Sometimes one never feels completely sure one way or the other. For some reason my zucchinis and cucumbers liked the coco coir much better, but the tomatoes and peppers seemed like they were on puberty blockers.
@@ThePentosin I know that coco coir in itself lacks nutrients, but this coco coir came pre-fertilized, and extra fertilization with specific tomato fertilizer week after week did almost nothing. Other plants, however, grew perfectly fine in the coco coir, just not tomatoes and peppers. I may try a few tomato plant again next year in a different coco coir just to see if I got unlucky with a bad batch from the supplier.
I am working on my sack tomato planting for a 1 plot of land. Been having challenges on how to run the support since 1 sack houses about 10 seeds. Will appreciate your advice.
I live in Sacramento and we have had 9 days in a row over 105f. I do not prune tomato plants at all, either type. The fruits get sunscald enough with all their leaves and branches, But otherwise I love your videos.
Please purchase a proper post pounder for Jacque. The sed geo hammer is a versatile tool for sure, but setting T-posts is not a first- or second-tier application for this every-day-carry. I've used mine in many unconventional ways, but couldn't sink a T-post in my dense clay soil if I had all day! Thanks for the concise tomato guide and the non-eponymous title. Good move. Cheers!
i love tomatoes but my area is very much a boom or bust growing season for them. collecting rain water makes it easier to keep things watered when rain is consistent, but if your area gets a large amount of inconsistent rain you're going to end up with blossom end rot regardless of what you do.
Thanks for the tips! 🙌🏽 Been trying to recover my crops from Hurricane Beryl. It destroyed most of my tomatoes but trying to save some of them. 😬 😥 🤞🏽 #lovemesomegraza
Hi, I live in Northwest Florida and planted mortgage lifter tomato seeds. I have four plants that are very tall with only two producing tomatoes. The tomatoes on the two plants have grown to full size but they are still green and have been green for the last 15 days. Is it too hot for them to turn red? Also, the blooms have stayed on the plants a long time, I don’t think they will be producing any additional fruit. Thank you for your knowledge and videos! 🍅
Same here 😢 I’m in NW Iowa where the recent flooding was. I have pulled 8-10 tomatoes so far (I lost count; started out with 48) that are sick with water logging. Then hot- cold -hot weather. Blame it on the weather! It’s not you ❤️
@@WS-by5cl Oh dear, I feel for you😔, I can relate... Oh that I did not have a small space and could have a greenhouse 🤔. But not to be. I can say I am thankful for our ever so small harvest, it's a blessing. We hope for a somewhat 'good' harvest. Enjoy the fruit of your hands😁
The blossom rode is Basicaly caused by the deficient of calcium that's right but i explain why, the most hard problem for tomatoes is Salinity which mostly caused by the "Nacl" In most of times that can make your plant don't get the élément of calcium to be consumed i'll go further little bit it's because the calcium is having what we called "antagonism" With the sodium in root area which means that it be like a competition between this two elements where the sodium block the calcium from being consumed in a suffisant way
The Sungolds that I grew from Botanical Interests seeds did this weird thing where they ripened from the shoulders DOWN, instead of from the blossom end UP. If picked with ANY green left at the blossom end, that area never ripened, but the shoulders overripened and became mushy. Is this normal for Sungolds? First time growing them. I will say, once I dialed in the best time to harvest them, they are sweet and delicious (in the raw state. I found that when cooking them, they disintegrated and all that was left was bitter skins).
Cooking at the end of EVERY video would be an EPIC addition to the already epic channel
Agree!!!!
Makes a lot of sense😅
Always wanted this out of ALL of the gardening channels I watch.
he could def get a san diego chef that would do it for exposure alone lmao
@@wingdingdmetrius8025I’d prefer cooking be kept to a second channel. E.g epic cooking.
Would also like to see an epic hunting/fishing channel. Growing the fruit and veg, and hunting for the meat. Maybe throw some foraging in there to.
Kevin, between you and the Garden Hermit, I've learned everything I need to grow tomatoes. I feel so confident about the process now. I have 14 healthy tomato plants this year! You don't know what that means to me. I couldn't keep one alive until last year. Thank you from a Serial Plant Killer.
Ok, so, “plant serial killer” is the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard, and I totally relate because despite having a garden my whole life, tomatoes never grew good for me, and I could never figure out why, which is why I’m here.
I too love the garden hermit. Very helpful channel.
First year actually trying to grow a few things. I told my wife I expect everything to die, so if I get anything it's a win! So far, only issues I've had- didn't use proper aoil mix for container potatoes, and dealing with bottom end rot on several tomatoes. Watering seems to be biggest issue. Didn't realize how quickly ground dried up here in mid Tennessee! Didn't want to buy more stuff, so I used door screening, and some leftover PVC, to make a basic sunshade. That helped immensely. This channel, and just a couple others, have helped a ton. Thank you. ✌️😊
Hi I lived on a horse farm, so every 6 months the Farm Bureau came and cleaned up the manure pile. I would go back to the pile area and get about 8 big wheel barrels of the soil and spread it out over the plot. Then I would use a cultivator to mix it up. It was a 20 x 20 plot but the tomatoes and other stuff we planted and harvested were awesome. Great Video Thank You 🙏
Hello how do I contact you
I use top twine method but not twine, I use macrame type cord, thick and soft stuff. Twist the plant around the string every so often, the soft thick string stops any damage.
I did my very first Florida weave trellis this year and I must say, it’s been spectacular. I’ve been able to find every single hornworm immediately, airflow is much better, and pruning is so much easier. I’ll be doing this every year!
My homemade Tomato cages, 6yrs old are done. I bought 16ft L x 5ft W cattle
panel. Cut it in half too 2, 8ft pcs. Attached them to 7ft t posts in a 4x8 raised bed.
3 tomato plants up each side. We are growing 3 San Marzano's and 3 Rutgers. So
should be plenty of room for a few, orderly suckers. Right?
Now the fun part. Each plant has 6-8 growing stems weaved up through the openings
in the panels in the shape of a fan. All other suckers above getting pinched. So, at
ground level 3 plants on each side, at panel level, it looks like 3 Menorah's. Takes
almost daily attention training each grow stem, but so far worth it. Clusters everywhere,
over 40 Tomato's started on each of our 3 San Marzano plants and still blooming as they
are trimmed and woven upward. Yeah, gardening can be fun.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see you in Ethan's video he just uploaded on tomatoes! I always felt like you two both break down ideas in the same easy to digest way for people who are new to the subject, but also provide a lot of nuanced details for those of us who are already in the know.
I literally guessed right before he said Kevin’s name who it was gonna be
So you suckered me into growing some of my own food 3 years ago and since you got chickens made me want to get them. I need a basics on Chicken raising videos like all the knowledge you know plus some. Maybe do one if those videos where you introduce other chicken farms from around the country. Could be a mini series. Also you could talk about growing plants that you can feed your chickens and make the perfect food mix for your chickens and how to feed so many chickens in the smalls square space garden. So I can start a chicken garden to feed my chickens all year long.
It's interesting how different varieties perform differently in different climates and soils! I suggest trying lots of varieties to start and learning which you like best. Of course, you'll want to grow different varieties every year because it's so much fun! I'm in the Midwest and my favorite indeterminate varieties are Purple Calabash, Green Zebra, Cosmonaut Volkov, Pineapple and any of the Brandywine variants. Happy tomato growing!
I do the same recipe but less oil and hubby loves it
What herbs do you use?
Thank you Kevin. I've been following you for a few years. I grow tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers on my terrace in grow bags. I've learned a lot from you.
An experiment where you grow a tomato on the ground like a squash or a pumpkin would be cool, since in the wild they would grow horizontally along the ground in a bush style, maybe it's easier for the plant to transport nutrients and water compared to being vertical.
Perhaps burying the vines like you would a pumpkin might also boost yields since tomatos root on the entire stem so easily it seems obvious.
Ground bugs just eat everything
Self sufficient me did this, on accident, but he did it and talked about the results
He had one do that on the homestead channel.
Same as what others said. I tried this one year and all the critters and bugs got to them way too quickly.
Lat year I had a volunteer yellow pear tomato that I left vining on the ground. Of course this year I had several dozen sprouts. I had few issues with critters/bugs, more of an issue with forgetting to harvest so there were tons of rotten tomatoes. This year I left a few of the volunteers growing the same way but I have a visiting rabbit so we will see if he/she likes tomatoes.
We had to change course early as my large tomatoes just didn't do well as starts. So I put out a ton of Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. My cherry tomatoes have wildly exceeded my expectations in both production and flavor. Two cherries were in a Greenstalk and one in a jumbo container. The Romas are a mix of in ground and container. I have worked hard this year to prune those bottom leaves & crossing stems to improve air flow in our heat/humidity. I'll never have picture perfect tomatoes, but even with a heat index at 110, we have Romas coming in with that pruning and a shade cloth.
Cool idea I started doing and I would recommend for gardeners looking to learn and experiment: have a section of your garden dedicated to plants you have never grown before!
Watching a few of your tomato videos this morning has been a game changer for me. Thank you so much, Kevin. Your epic gardening tips are amazing. Next years harvest is going to be phenomenal!!
This was my first year trying Brads'. Despite all the bad press, we gave it a try. It is such a drama queen! Leaves flopping over all the time. BUT it is the most flavorful delicious tomato I've ever had. There must be some variable that explains the wildly different reviews on this variety. Some swear by at and some say its bland. What we did: added a ton of compost prior to planting, minimal pruning (it's extremely prolific and we didn't hold it back), wait till they are RED and purple (instead of orange and purple like you see in pictures).
Kevin you are a gem to the gardening community 🙌🏽
Probably one of the best videos you've done in a long time
I’ve never pruned my tomatoes and I always have too many 😂 overhead watering has always been the downfall of my tomatoes. I think the bushiness actually helps my tomatoes as it attracts beneficial insects. I’ve also never planted a mono culture and I believe this helps as well
Thanks for that pro tip on storing the tomatoes upside down!
It's a useful tip for storing peaches etc when you buy a case and they aren't all ripe. Upside down, not touching (so potential mold won't spread), covered in newspaper or tea towels (to discourage fruit flies).
I love the pacing and content of this video. Great job Kevin 👊🏻💥👊🏻
My goodness! I am so discouraged the deer have ate my cherry tomatoes ! I will try again next year.
I need time to heal
I feel your pain. I've had that happen too. They also like pepper plants. At least they leave garlic and onions alone. I've been looking to replace my wire fence which is 6 feet tall with a polyethylene fence. I've read people's YT posts that say an "invisible fence" that deer can't see can be effective. The deer bump into it and since they can't see it they don't know how high it is and won't jump it. I watched some TH-cam videos on this topic. I've since done some internet research and there's a company called "Critter Fence" that makes these invisible fences. Apparently the fences, depending on which you buy, can last as long as 25 years. Not all of the fences they sell are invisible. Some are rated for deer, others for elk. Depending on the size of your garden it can be a bit pricey. My garden is only about 250 square feet and it would cost me about 300 to 400 dollars to replace my current fence, which is doable for me. I don't work for the company. I have no experience with their products and nobody I know does either but I think I'll give them a try next spring because my fence DOES need to be replaced and I need a taller fence - about 8 feet - to deter the elk in my area. This spring the elk tried to jump my fence but misjudged the height and landed on top of it which bent it halfway to the ground. They're beautiful but so are my vegetables and I don't want to share! 😂. I hope this helps you. Best of luck to you. 🙂
Martha, I sympathise, I don't have deer, but I am fighting unseasonal cold weather and a truckload of rain, I am ver, very, very very sad😢
You can leave out some water. If the bird bath has water, the deer don’t go for my tomatoes. They ate the first ripe tomatoes this year and I was so ANNOYED! I’ve kept the bird bath full and they stopped harassing my garden.
Should have called it "ultomate" guide
Graza comes in a beer can. that would be a shock to not see the label and crack it open and get a mouth full of olive oil instead of a beer lol
This video was amazing and full of great tips for a beginner like me. I absolutely love your channel and out of all I’ve watched it seems to be the most user friendly and informative without getting too complex. Thanks for such great content.
Great tips. You've covered all the tips that cover the US. I'm inland on the central coast of California and sunburn and large temperature swings are my nemesis in the garden. I only prune to keep the tomatoes out of the the pathways. I need all the leaves I can get to keep the sun off the tomatoes. In our micro climate the temperatures can swing from the 50s in the morning to the 100s in the afternoon. The harvest every year has been great. I encourage everyone to plant different varieties and discover the ones that work for them and their garden.
I live in Sacramento. For me, setting up some shade structures above my garden beds, on which I can retract the cloth when it is not too hot out, was about the best thing I’ve done for my garden.
@@AlowisciousMahoneyI’m in Sacramento as well and getting ready to branch out in the world of gardening. My prep plans also included purchasing some shade cloths for those heat waves as we are currently experiencing temperatures at 112 degrees
i love your show.... i had my husband watch your channel and he said you are addictive to watch lol... thank you for taking the time to not only explain things in words but by showing us step by step. Love love love your channel! Im watching you while i cook, do laundry, while having lunch and while i play w our bunny
Love your tips!
I just starting growing the sun gold cherry tomatoes this year and I agree. They are my new favorite cherry tomato. Also, I'm growing the Cherokee Carbon tomato too.The Cherokee tomato has been my favorite full-sized tomato for awhile so the Cherokee Carbon is right up there with it.
I have a plant (gardeners delight) where the suckers are coming out of the leaf branches. Not in the elbow as usual but out of the actual leaves themselves!
The top twine method works well for me I’ve done this the last few seasons with great success! I absolutely love the cooking at the end. It just adds another dimension to your content 🙂
I have watched tons of your videos but this has to be the MOST HELPFUL video yet. Thank you for this! Would love to see you take a similar approach to other veggies / fruits / flowers!
Thank you!
I love Cherokee purple, but live in Washington state where I have a short growing season. I prune but never give it one stem. I want tomatoes. I prune enough to give air flow. When the season stars to cool down I prune the tops to give the fruit below time to grow bigger and ripen.
I’m in Florida and my Brad’s Atomic Grape tomatoes have always been a great producer in my garden and very flavorful.🤷♀️
To be fair, san Diego and Florida are almost polar opposite climates, only thing they have in common is the lack of hard frosts depending on where you are
I'm so pleased you said that because I tried to grow them in my first year on a new property, but they were a failure....Now, 3 years later, I was just debating trying again ... they look so beautiful, any tips?
I've heard they were quite untasty
I'm also in Florida and have grown them several times. I've found them relatively unproductive, thick skinned and prone to splitting, and good tasting but nothing special. I tried both spring and fall with similar results.
I have so so many tomatoes, at least half of my varieties are from botanical interest, it’s a thing of beauty, but now what do i do with all the tomatoes??? And they are 100% organic, at least 200 tomato plants in full force, hundreds of pounds of tomatoes ready for harvest now i need some helping hands to share the bounty.
And I thought I was out of control 😄
I’ve had a few tomatoes split on me and now I’m grabbing them asap 😂❤ I cut off a truss (?) that had several cherry tomatoes ready to pick, but like 3 were still green.
Live and learn😂❤
8:39 thank you!🐠🐟🐡
That tomato confit looked amazing! 🤩😋 I am so loving watching your cooking skills grow right along with your garden!
One of the best videos, very informative and visuals, helps a lot!
Cheers! Roasting up some tomatoes tonight. Perfect timing to try out your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
This was a great video! Keep these series coming please. Epic job team!
Kevin, amazing presentation of great information and cooking! You rock!❤
I have a black crim tomato that is over a year old fruiting beautifully this year. I just cut off the old growth and the new growth takes over. Weirdly enough, tomatoes are perennials. Ironically it is an indeterminate tomato growing in a self watering planter and it is fairly happy if not a bit hot lol. SoCal heat is no joke right now!
I decided to use a cattle panel trellis for my tomato. I let the tomato grow single leader style and it gets 16’ to grow and produce along the way.
I'll note some indeterminate varieties perform better in a weave vs a single leader method. San Marzanos don't seem to be as vigorous in vertical growth for example and would do well with a weave. Amish paste on the other hand does swimmingly with single leader and would probably overwhelm a weave method if unpruned
Roasting has become one of my absolute favorite ways to eat tomatoes (other than raw).
I’m learning so much from you! Thank you so much! I totally messed up my tomato seedlings this year! I started more than I was capable of maintaining. When it was time to up pot I lost track of the variety. I wanted lots of Roma tomatoes for canning sauce. I ended up with way more seedlings than I had room for! I couldn’t tell what type of tomato I ended up with and because nobody I know near me grows food I couldn’t even give them away. So sad! Anyway long story short I ended up with one Roma and 20 Sun Gold. I got the seeds from you. Way too many and need to figure out how to preserve them. I understand that you can’t count on memory and need to prepare labels in advance and put in pots immediately! Lesson learned!
I bet that confit was amazing!
Drooling over here. Now I have new ideas for my tomatoes
Another epic video.Have you heard of the new SUNGOLD SELECT variety bred from sungold F1 bred in Germany? Less prone to splitting, just as tasty. I'm going to try growing them this season (Australia) 💛🍅
I cant grow any tomato plants rn 😢 its to cold in the southern hemisphere! I'll use these tips next season! Ty Kevin!
Hell yeah just saw your segment on the video with Ethan. What an awesome crossover!
Glad you enjoyed it!
for a small bushing type like the yellow patio choice I feel like a conical cage is good like maybe even the only exception to the "rule" and by small one, one that only has two tiers and "spikes" to which then you might have to supplement with bamboo later if it takes off... the reason why I like those is for numerology and my C name and the dark green color of the ones in my local store. if you are bad like me and miss days you can bend the plant some into and over the tiers which is nice but listen to the pros not me.
I had NEVER experienced blossom end rot until I stopped working from home. Now that i have a new office job, i dont have the luxury of gardentime lunch breaks where i could walk around and water, pick and prune my veggies. I miss it 😢
Now this is one of the best videos yet!
summer in Sydney Australia for me means, tomato and basil on buttered toast with some home fermented habanero sauce. Yep… every day.
You know what I would love!? A video on hardy kiwi. Arguta and Kolomitka, though espeically arguta. I have never had such a hard time growing ANYTHING like I have this dang vine!
I know this is such a tricky question, but, as far as watering your tomatoes 2-3x a week... we have a timed irrigation, and I've had them getting 10 minutes of water in the morning each day, but it's pure guess work for me. The cherries and heirlooms are growing strong, tall, and producing good fruit. But the San Marzanos are getting blossom end rot like crazy. I just sprayed them this morning with a calcium/fish emulsion mix (I've been giving them fish emulsion every 2-3 weeks since they were planted). But I'm curious if you think the watering is part of that issue? They are all in the same bed. And if you were to shift to watering every 72 hours, how many minutes would you start off with? 3x the amount? 30 minutes?
I'm having issues with my tomatoes but seeing as I'm in the the UK it's because I have too much water and not enough sun. Please send some sun!
Next year, go with the short season tomatoes. You can plant a few novelty ones that take longer, but you'll just have to hope for a good season.
I am in Alberta, Canada and that is my go-to method.
Great stuff! Would love to see one on cucumbers!!
I’ve gained many tips from you and the team.
My tomatoes this year are amazing.
This was a great video. These are great helpers, thank you! I'm going to try that single leader system out. But that recipe though 😍👌
I’m obsessed with the Graza olive oil squeeze bottles lol. The quality is great too but the bottle is so damn convenient.
I live in SD near kev and have an abundance of these cherry tomatoes lol. they are so much easier to grow than any of the larger tomatoes and they are soooo abundant
Thank you, Kevin. 😊
I have or I should say had. The squirrels are relentless. Any advice would be appreciated. I love your channel!!
a neighbor told me to sprinkle red hot pepper around the perimeter of my tomato beds to keep them away and so far it’s been working!
Would love some additional info on Dwarf Indeterminate varieties ... it seems like they sort of follow "the rules" of bush varieties but also sort of follow "the rules" of vining varieties. 🤔
Have you not tried German Johnson tomatoes? If not I recommend them! They are easy to grow and a perfect size for a good sandwich and imo the best tasting tomatoes by far!
great tips. Watering method and storing. Thanks.
This truly is the ul-tomate guide to growing tomatoes!
Thanks for the tips. Great work
Kevin, I've been watching your videos for a long time and have learned so many things from you that I follow everyday.
One thing I would disagree with you is about harvesting tomatoes before it is fully ripe. You might be right that the flavor is already developed when it starts to show colors. But, I have tried to harvest early and I have harvested "vine ripe", the sugar content is just not the same! I mostly tried it with sungold and super sweet 100 variety.They were so sweet when vine ripened, but if ripened on the counter, they are not as sweet. I haven't tried with larger tomatoes, I just cook them or eat them without even noticing! lol. But this year I will try again to figure out if really vine ripened tastes different or not
Great to see your cameo in Ethan Chlebowski’s new vid. The epic tomato crossover I didn’t know I needed!
*My personal tip:* Never sow your tomato seeds in *coco coir*, even if it comes with fertilizer. Mine sprouted just fine, but then the growing just stopped, and for about 2 months almost nothing happened. In the meantime I sowed new seeds in peat moss, and they completely overtook the earlier ones. Now I'll only use coco coir to mix with real soil, peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite.
This happened to me. Set us back hundreds of plants and several months
@@kaylap4924 Thanks for your input! Sometimes one never feels completely sure one way or the other. For some reason my zucchinis and cucumbers liked the coco coir much better, but the tomatoes and peppers seemed like they were on puberty blockers.
It grows perfectly fine in coco coir. But you still need to water them with nutrients.
@@ThePentosin I know that coco coir in itself lacks nutrients, but this coco coir came pre-fertilized, and extra fertilization with specific tomato fertilizer week after week did almost nothing. Other plants, however, grew perfectly fine in the coco coir, just not tomatoes and peppers. I may try a few tomato plant again next year in a different coco coir just to see if I got unlucky with a bad batch from the supplier.
Another great video thanks Eric 👍👍👍
this deserves wayyyyy more likes
We had lots of tomatoes come back this year due to the mild winters in NC
I am working on my sack tomato planting for a 1 plot of land. Been having challenges on how to run the support since 1 sack houses about 10 seeds. Will appreciate your advice.
I live in Sacramento and we have had 9 days in a row over 105f. I do not prune tomato plants at all, either type. The fruits get sunscald enough with all their leaves and branches, But otherwise I love your videos.
you have to try black cherry tomatoes! :D
My favorite cherry, grow them every year. Great greenhouse plants
I struggle to grow them but I'm not giving up because black cherry tom's are so delicious 😋
First time for me and well worth it for the flavor
So glad Eric is back 🤣
That was a lot of great information about Tomatoes 🍅
Hey Kev, can you respond to the Millenial Gardeners video on not pruning your plants. I'd love to hear your opinion on what he says.
1:09 the minecraft bite 😂 I love watching your videos so much
thanks so much for a lot of good tip
Loved the info and video! I make this recipe as well but you put a new twist on it for me. Yummy 😋
Thank you!❤
Please purchase a proper post pounder for Jacque. The sed geo hammer is a versatile tool for sure, but setting T-posts is not a first- or second-tier application for this every-day-carry. I've used mine in many unconventional ways, but couldn't sink a T-post in my dense clay soil if I had all day!
Thanks for the concise tomato guide and the non-eponymous title. Good move. Cheers!
i love tomatoes but my area is very much a boom or bust growing season for them. collecting rain water makes it easier to keep things watered when rain is consistent, but if your area gets a large amount of inconsistent rain you're going to end up with blossom end rot regardless of what you do.
Thank you Kevin!
I needed this, my tomatoes are struggling this season
Thanks for the tips! 🙌🏽
Been trying to recover my crops from Hurricane Beryl. It destroyed most of my tomatoes but trying to save some of them. 😬 😥 🤞🏽
#lovemesomegraza
Awesome all-in-one video 👍
Hi, I live in Northwest Florida and planted mortgage lifter tomato seeds. I have four plants that are very tall with only two producing tomatoes. The tomatoes on the two plants have grown to full size but they are still green and have been green for the last 15 days. Is it too hot for them to turn red? Also, the blooms have stayed on the plants a long time, I don’t think they will be producing any additional fruit. Thank you for your knowledge and videos! 🍅
Thanks for this Keven!
I am having a really dire year with my determinate toms😭, it was HOT and then rained for days.....I feel like a failure 😔
It's not you! It's the weather.
Same here 😢 I’m in NW Iowa where the recent flooding was. I have pulled 8-10 tomatoes so far (I lost count; started out with 48) that are sick with water logging. Then hot- cold -hot weather.
Blame it on the weather! It’s not you ❤️
@@WS-by5cl Oh dear, I feel for you😔, I can relate... Oh that I did not have a small space and could have a greenhouse 🤔. But not to be. I can say I am thankful for our ever so small harvest, it's a blessing.
We hope for a somewhat 'good' harvest.
Enjoy the fruit of your hands😁
The blossom rode is Basicaly caused by the deficient of calcium that's right but i explain why, the most hard problem for tomatoes is Salinity which mostly caused by the "Nacl" In most of times that can make your plant don't get the élément of calcium to be consumed i'll go further little bit it's because the calcium is having what we called "antagonism" With the sodium in root area which means that it be like a competition between this two elements where the sodium block the calcium from being consumed in a suffisant way
Can you make a short of just the confit part? I keep coming back to it!
I like your tomatoes, I tried growing them without success, the climate and weather are quite harsh for them to grow
Got some of them bird holes in my gorgeous slow growing heirlooms. I will put some water out nearby. Dagnabit.
The Sungolds that I grew from Botanical Interests seeds did this weird thing where they ripened from the shoulders DOWN, instead of from the blossom end UP. If picked with ANY green left at the blossom end, that area never ripened, but the shoulders overripened and became mushy. Is this normal for Sungolds? First time growing them.
I will say, once I dialed in the best time to harvest them, they are sweet and delicious (in the raw state. I found that when cooking them, they disintegrated and all that was left was bitter skins).
I got mine from Trueleaf and they don’t do that.