This was so helpful! I planted 9 indeterminate varieties in my garden this year and tried to stake them! Needless to say I have an unmanageable jungle. I have never been really successful at gardening as each year I come across issues I hadn't encountered before. I may not have it right yet, but I have certainly learned a lot of ways on HOW NOT to garden. This video helps on my HOW TO garden learning adventure. Thank you 😊
Oh wow! The tomato jungle is a real issue and I've been there before! It's all a learning process though- and each year we learn how to tackle new issues!
@@Securo-Bytes As said in the video, "cherry" tomatoes are indeterminate. My current tomatoes are clips I grew from seed around November / December 2021~!
Less than 200 likes in 10 months Lady you are way under rated, Your videos are informative and you are a great teacher , Please don't get discouraged from numbers as them. I'm 69 and keep a surburben garden almost every year and I live in Ohio,19 years in Iowa land of 30" black topsoil and Kentucky loose loamy sandy topsoil that my family worked for nearly 100 years and I believe every garden is different. Most of my gardens been in clay base soil of Ohio and you are teaching and doing great in your garden. I'm going with your teaching so don't quit me please. Intro into seed starting and grow lights and dang knats killed most of my tomatoe but I still have probably a t least one of each so I have samples hope to save and do a great job of seedlings next year. Thanks for the many fine videos and your teaching of garden vegetables. Do a canolope after you test a few and recommend a few canolopes to try here in Ohio
I appreciate it, John! It's definitely easy to get discouraged with TH-cam, but I don't plan on giving up anytime soon. It's wonderful to hear feedback like this. You are right- every single garden is different- my parent's farm, just 5 minutes down the road, is shockingly different than mine. It's still clay soil, but even within similar soil types there are big differences. Not growing much in the way of cantaloupe this year- but I'll definitely keep that in mind for future, thanks for the suggestion! Cantaloupes are one of the biggest challenges for me, primarily due to disease. They tend to get Bacterial Wilt (spread by cucumber beetles) and die before the fruit matures. Sevin would work to kill the beetles, but I won't use the stuff on my garden- so it's an ongoing challenge for me!
@@GrowfullywithJenna two years later and your channel is almost the only one I watch and not just because we live in OH also. Your, "no BS," style is what keeps me coming back. Most of the people making content on this platform try to pad their content worse than a 90s computer self-help book. (Remember those 900 pg. books with about 10 pages of useful information?) Keep up the awesome work. Have you written a book yet? Maybe you should! I think I'd buy it.
Thank you for the info, I can tell by video your a thorough busy person. Those are hog panels, they won’t hold a cow or bull. But thank you for the helpful info. Would like to know, indeterminate tomatoes are a vine that grow fruit at the end of newest growth. So do you trim the old branches at the opposite end to save plant energy.
I pruned my indeterminates mercilessly and then realized my main stem was quickly 8 feet tall- no way I could harvest from that height! Started letting some suckers fill in below. It's going a careful balance! I feel like letting suckers start at 2 or 3 feet off the ground will be my strategy next year.
Just came across your channel and have always used small baling wire or zip ties for tomato training. I just added 50' of velcro tape to my cart. Reusable and easy to use! Subscribed!
I’ve been binging your videos since finding you…making the wait for warm weather easier! Love your videos as they’re not too long and bloated but packed with info and garden eye candy. 🙏🙏🙏🙏
took a gardening class last year, learned that picking tomatoes at first sign of color is as good as letting them ripen on the plant and helps avoid disease and sun scald etc.
We worked many years in immokalee Florida. We planted the small plants. We watered each plant by hand with a small can. We only pruned new branches one time in-between the main plant and the leaves. These were what they call stake tomatoes. Once the plant reached about 10 in wheat item from wooden stakes. After that the only care they got was fertilizing and watering. Never removed anything else. Tomatoes of course were picked green. The good sign of when to pick a tomato was when the tomato is green and had a star ,where the bloom used to be. Tomatoes are usually shipped green to the supermarket, so we always picked them green, they were beautiful tomatoes nice solid and healthy.
Thanks for the video. I used your trellis idea last year and had great success. I had some septoria on my tomatoes this year and mulched with hay straw, now I don’t have the splashing when it rains on my lower leaves.
Back in the 1970’s you use to be able to buy much better tomato cages. I use to sit on a bucket with a cage around me when I was a kid. It was fun. Wish I could find those quality at a reasonable price. Any videos on potted tomato cage options for determinate and indeterminates?
Thank you so much for this video! My tomato jungle was a total mess last season. But they were very productive. I will get the cattle panels and stay on top of them this season. Thank you so much for sharing!!
You may pay a good price,but can be yours for ever ,if you don't leave them out all year long. Some ex gardeners will pass them to the next generation.
Awesome job done explaining how you prune and train your maters. I use the suckers for new plants most of the time. My plan B in Monday video will be showing where I used a bunch of those with hopes to save the year. Thanks for the info and how to. You shonuff know how to Git-R-Done! Stay safe and cool as ya can my friend! Hope you folks have a great weekend!
Love this video, so informative and just what I was looking for. I just found this video as I search for ideas on how to better support my ID tomatoes this year. Love it! I noticed the hand trimmer tool you used for pruning the tomatoes. I've never seen one like that. Can you share details on those trimmers- name or maker? Thanks
Where did you get the pruning snips, looks so comfortable. Right now,I have a full panel, bent lengthwise in an A frame shape I used for grow bags. Also weave branch’s thru the panels. Take old t shirts and cut strips of fabric to tie branches off. It works great and the cost is next to nothing. When a branch grows to far out to bend back I’ll tie a knot around the branch and use 2 foot of cloth strip to tie it back to the panel. So it’s suspended.
Hi Jenna! I just recently came upon your videos, Good content! Before this, I have been following Gardener Scott. Another great Gardener! The two of you have similar but, different guides on trimming indeterminate tomatoes. Have you watched Gardener Scott's Videos? In my opinion, He tends to prune and train, concentrating more on filling in the gaps of the overall growth earlier with suckers growing and filling in the open spots, verses your video of cutting out growth which is not wanted or needed. indescriment
Hello! I love Gardener Scott's channel! I've not watched his tomato pruning in particular- but I've found that different methods work for different growing areas and tend to be based on the gardener's goals. Here, I'm all about optimizing air flow, reducing potential soil splash up and basically doing all I can to avoid the nasty bacterial & fungal diseases that abound here in Ohio. I'm guessing based on Gardener Scott's growing area he isn't dealing with the same disease issues that I am here (lower humidity) and therefore his pruning style is based on different goals.
Great idea about the Velcro strips! I use garden twine which is a pain. I actually use Texas tomato cages. I find that they work well for me in my raised beds. But I really need to do more bottom pruning here in humid southern Maryland.
I'm glad you found it helpful! I've tried cages & stakes for indeterminate tomatoes and they just haven't provided enough support for all that weight. I hope this works well for you!
Thank you for this tutorial! It’s very helpful! I’m disinfecting my pruners now. I usually have the worst luck growing tomatoes. It’s strange because I can grow a lot of things? I’m here in Arizona and I am new to the area. My tomatoes are growing but now the leaves are curling? I’m assuming it’s the heat? Do you have any suggestions? Or is this something I will have to live with now that I live in the desert ? Thanks again for the helpful tips!
Leaf curl can be caused by quite a few things- but heat is definitely one of those! I've never grown in a climate like Arizona- but I'm curious if the tomatoes might actually benefit from the use of a shade cloth?
I love the idea of using cattle panels. My tomatoes plants so heavy. Is this an issue when using the panels. Do you have to reinforce them to keep them from falling over?
I use bird house to help control my tomato pest. I grew around 100 tomato plants 2022. I have never had any issues with insects on my tomato plants. I used 6 bird houses attached to my T posts. I also have several bird baths to attract birds. One of them is a large DIY bird bath with a solar fountain. I get up to 50 birds at a time in my garden. I also feed the birds using black oil sunflower seeds. I also last year had around 5 frogs in my garden that I would see as I watered. Note: Best to place bird houses around 40 to 50 feet apart and place them at least 3 months on post before spring appears. Clean them out each late fall. It is said that some types of bird will not use the same bird house twice in a row. My birds love my cattle panels trellises that I use for tomato's, cucumbers, or other climbers. I would rather have a little bird poop rather than pest eating my plants. Birds are attracted to moving water. I garden in a community garden with hundred of plots. My goal is to attract the birds to my garden.
Very cool! And it's a great idea to make your gardening environment welcoming to these helpful creatures! I'm curious if you know which species of birds specifically is taking care of your tomato pests?
@@GrowfullywithJenna I have a assortment of birds. Chickadees, gold finches, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, robins, red wing blackbirds, warblers, wrens, and other birds. I going to have 8 bird houses this next season. 2 smaller pedestal bird baths and I'm going to have two larger DIY skid size bird baths. The amazing thing about the larger bird bath with fountain is the amount of birds you will attract. After the birds find the fountain you will get up to 50 birds at a time. I go thru about 3 gal of black oil sunflower seeds per week for 2 bird feeders. If you build your own bird bath, remember to only have the water up to 3 inches deep to prevent drowning of birds.. Use a tile base to allow easy cleaning. I place some flat rocks in mine to allow smaller birds to bathe. Birds love to bathe, it also allows them to cool down. I will sit about 50 ft away and just watch them. They will fly thru the fountain, drink, and bathe in it. A lot of smaller birds like chickadees fly in groups of 10 to 25 birds at a time and they will continue throughout the day to cycle over and over to your garden. Perching on the cattle panel tomato rows, and vining plants on the arches/upright rows. They also land on my pepper plants and smaller cages to feed. Birds like Robins use the bird bath and they are a insect feeder; they roam the rows eating bugs. If you are interested in building a DIY bird bath, feel free to contact me and I will be happy to help you design something that will be easy to clean. To build a DIY one with solar fountain for under 50 dollars. You would be surprised by the amount of birds that it will introduce to your garden environment. Even if you don't feed them as much, the fountain alone will attract them.
I used the stairs going up to a second story deck to train my tomatoes and cucumbers upward with some trellises and some 2' wide rolled fencing cut into 6' or so lengths and a center support. Works great! Love your videos!
One item I did not mention is the height of the t-post so are they 10’ or 8’ with about 1’ separation between the ground and the bottom of the panel? Moving to a new 6b house this spring and interested in a new method Thanks enjoy your channel
Thank you! I was just looking at some video of last year's tomato plants and it seems soooo long ago. Can't wait till it's tomato season again! Take care!
I've been told you can find cut worms with a black light at night, they will glow. Don't have a black light so I haven't tried it but it seems plausible. Thanks for doing your videos for us!
I am going to follow these steps this year with a cattle panel. What do you think about adding rabbit manure as the fertilizer when planting? I am going to try that this year, unless you recommend something in addition.
Hey Jenna, since your trellis is off the ground, have you tried hydroponics? Im going to try your trellis idea and combine it with my 3 liter containers i get from the dollar store. ❤
Great video. Mine are in pots and I have tomato cages but thinking they will outgrow that too. Thanks for mentioning suckers as that was what I was looking for!
Thank you! I grew some in containers with cages last year and they all fell over & broke during a summer storm. I've got to figure out a better system for supporting container tomatoes as well! I suppose if you had the space, you could just set the pots underneath a cattle panel and do it this way, but I know a lot of folks growing in containers just don't have the room for this. I see some experimentation in my future! What do you think you'll do if your tomatoes outgrow the cages?
@@GrowfullywithJenna My co-worker built a wood frame in her garden. I’ll likely add a tall plastic pole and tie them to that. But, will try to think of something else.
@@GrowfullywithJenna I saw a tip to take two round tomato cages and basically make an hour-glass pattern with them. Put one upside down on the pot and secure it with landscape fabric pins. Spread out the loose wires at the top just a bit (the ones meant to go in the ground), then take the second cage with it's wires down and set it on top of the first cage and twist the wires together (at the center of the 'hourglass"). You can zip-tie them together if you like. I hope that made sense!
So what you need there is a dead crab apple tree and some tripl crop tomatoes, then a 16 foot ladder and some heavy duty rope. LOL LOL. j/k Jenna. This is a great evergreen video for sure. Hit all the main points as far as I can tell. I like that you emphasize there is no particular way that is best for each situation. Well, obviously clear out the bottom, but after that I agree, it really depends on a lot of things. Example (for those reading this) if you have limited space and plant numbers UP, WAY UP is best. Harder to harvest but UP is all you got in that situation. Anyway Jenna, good stuff. Made be ashamed cleaning those pruners. I am horrible at keeping stuff clean. I feel the need to go clean my pruners now. lol. Be well and have a super weekend!
Haha... now that TripL Crop situation is an innovative gardening technique for sure! And I really only got diligent about cleaning my tomato snips because we have such bad issues with Septoria Leaf Spot & Blights, otherwise I'm not great! Hope you have a great weekend as well!
@@GrowfullywithJenna Hey I got an update on that the Trip-L coming next week. The video rambles about like a blog. It's not really straight to the point, but I hope you watch it. You might pick some things up. I don't know. It's all an experiment to me. But I will say, so far it is looking pretty good! We might hit a bonanza! Maybe. :)
Thanks! The tomato plants on the trellis are 'Radiator Charlie' (heirloom, indeterminate beefsteak), 'Raspberry Drops' (hybrid, indeterminate grape) and 'Buffalosteak' (hybrid, indeterminate beefsteak).
How tall are these cow panels? The largest I’ve been able to find is 16’x52”. I’m new to your channel, and enjoying it a lot. Any chance you listen to, or ever been a guest on the In The Garden With Ron Wilson radio show?
You are welcome. Tomatoes will do best in full sun. In partial sun, the yields will likely be smaller and flavor typically is not as good as in tomatoes grown in full sun.
I use those same ties and pruners with an arched cow panels. Right now my biggest challenge is certain varieties (mainly my Blue Cream Berries) are so bushy and branchy that I'm not sure if letting them bush a bit is better or aggressively 2d would be better. Thanks for sharing your method.
I know what you mean! I've not grown Blue Cream Berries, but have grown others (in particular cherry & grape tomatoes) that have this type of plant habit. I don't prune them as aggressively as I do, say, a beefsteak type, where I may only leave 3 main leads. Instead I focus on just pruning back enough growth the make them manageable! Though last year I had some 'Juliet' grape tomato plants that I basically hacked clear back to within 2 feet of the ground... within a month you couldn't tell I pruned them 😆. I've been wanting to try tomatoes on a cattle panel arch- maybe I'll give it a shot this year. Take care & enjoy your weekend!
That's true- and if I were only growing one or two plants I'd be more prone to keeping all the branches. As is, I have more tomatoes than I can eat, so it's not a big concern. Plus, removing some of those branches helps to open the plant up for more air circulation. Not a big concern if you don't have the awful fungal & bacterial diseases I deal with here.
Thanks- great suggestion, I will try to get that video done! But in the meantime, I simply put heavy-duty tomato cages around my determinates when I plant them, and the only pruning I do is to remove any leaves at the base that are touching the ground. Other than that, I just let them do their thing!
Air circulation is truly a must to keep plants healthy through the growing season. As far as stuff to avoid putting in a compost pile is concerned, if it’s slow composting it’s better to place with REAL garbage or burn it if you’re allowed to. Only exception is if you know how to do a hot compost so unwanted fungi gets cooked to death ………provided one does not mind the work that comes with that method of composting.
Where do you get the Velcro tape. I use those same panels for my cucumbers never thought to use them for my tomatoes I’m about fed up with homemade tomato cages
I get mine at my local Menards store, but I see they have it on Amazon: www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Adjustable-Gardens-Gardening/dp/B005755YSQ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=velcro+tape+for+plants&qid=1624801802&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFTUlhUWFlMWjFBQzAmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxMjM0NTQyQ0tJU0RBSFdNWU9ZJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMjQ0OTIyUkZCWFE5Tjk4SldEJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
There are quite a few types of velcro tapes on the market. Most of them have to do with sowing. Can you pin or send a link for the type of velcro tape that you are using in this video to anchor your tomato branches to the cattle pannel? Thanks
This is the velcro tape I'm using: www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/plant-supports/velcro-reg-1-2-x-50-garden-ties/vel-30071-usa/p-834636628942713-c-1463608034801.htm?tid=3029509295785516823&ipos=4
When you weave them through the fence, do you run into any problems with the fence cutting into the main leaders as they mature and thicken and harden? Thanks for the great tips.
Yes- tomatoes are typically grown as an annual in temperate climates. I do have these videos that cover how I transplant/upgrade tomatoes which you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/u55JFK6LIsI/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/PWB_dNZlkQw/w-d-xo.html Take care!
I usually grow my semi-determinates the same was as my indeterminates- up a trellis like this. Otherwise I will grow them inside of a large, sturdy tomato cage.
m planting tomatoes for the first time. I have jus got a 4 feet tomato cage and ordered for a 8* 4 with 1 feet tall metal garden bed .. how many tomato plants can I plant in them .. plz guide me on that ..
It’s not rigid so you’ll need a rigid frame to support the soft wire or just make your own trellis this year by criss crossing your bamboo pea canes together with cable ties, (that what I use so costs relatively zero)..
I'm going over this video again and this time I noticed you put the panels with the small opening at the top. I didn't notice that earlier and you should have mentioned that ( oops I think your first mistake or you expect me to watch harder. I tried the string system double the branches and believe my tomato plants produce more when I did four branches and more as you let the plants grow. You don't need to reply , YOU Must work to hard. But thanks for the teaching Lady
Keen observation, John! This was an oversight on my part- I have actually done them both ways (small opening on top AND small openings on bottom) and don't notice a particular advantage either way. I've yet to try the string system- would you recommend it? Have a great day!
Lady, I think I learned ( last season I was trying to be a better Stewart of my tiny surburben garden and a more productive gardener and use no or less poison on what we eat . I did the double stems ( because if I break the only stem well that ends the plant) I did spend $11.00 on the clips I will have clips on hand for the using as your Velcro tape Clips are handy for if the plants get stiffer later in the heat and you still need your Velcro tape and reusable ( I'm new with them and don't know how long they are reusable yet ) I have gotten about 1/4 mile of 1/8" rope on huge spool for $5.00 garage sale and the white plastic did well but outside only one season. The trimming of the plants I'm new and I probably have 30 tomatoes ( this season 11 type). About 16 plants ?, About 20" apart and because of deises only lost one plant and cut the second limb of 2 plants . Yes the more I mess with them the more I can damage sometimes, Your cattle panel is less time and you get a larger plant , seems like more productive. But I am 70 and the construction wire for cement foundation is cheaper and will outlast my self, If would be young the galibinize cattle panels are worth every penny.. No I don't recommend the string but inside the high tunnel I see it's place. Yes I plan to find the clips handy for cucumbers squash as I like the typical"tomatoes cage" that doesn't work for our tomatoes as we learn to make them get full size. Hopefully I didn't say to much , trying to help you help people like myself. Thanks
That's a great question. The way I understand it, suckers divert energy from the main plant by acting as competition for nutrients. However, upon digging around a little more on this topic I found this article: laidbackgardener.blog/2017/07/08/the-truth-about-tomato-suckers/ which claims that what most gardeners (myself included) refer to as suckers on tomatoes are NOT actually suckers by definition but secondary stems, and that the only real benefit to pruning them is that it will result in larger fruit. I've not had time to investigate this further (and don't know how credible the author is), but there may be something to this. If I am able to find something more definitive on this topic, I will let you know. Thanks for asking this!
Husband bought me 2 tomato plants. We didn’t know they would just keep growing up. They are over 8 foot tall now and I’m running out of options as it keeps growing up. 😅
You can top them if you like! Especially if you are nearing the end of your growing season- this will help force the plant into ripening the fruit it already has rather than putting on more vertical growth, flowers & fruit.
Jenna, I bought some velcro garden tape this week and will be tying up my tomatoes and cucumbers with it. Thanks so much for this helpful tip! I always enjoy your videos and gain very useful information from them. Side note - we are hitting the mid to upper 90's here in zone 7b in Mississippi and are forecast for 3-4 days of 100-plus temps in the 10-day forecast. Hope you are not experiencing this in Ohio. If you are, we may need a video on proper watering and mulching during extreme heat. Ha! I am breaking out the hardwood leaves, pine straw, wood chips and newspapers to try to keep my flowers and vegetables going in this heat wave. Thanks for all you do! I appreciate you!
Ugh yes... we're getting it too. 97 and 95 the last two days with about 1000% humidity. Not at all typical for mid-June in Ohio. Sorry to hear you're dealing with it too. But I'm glad to hear you're breaking out all the mulch... that's an excellent idea. I will try to get that video done!
@@GrowfullywithJenna welcome to typical Mississippi summer humidity. Ha! That is the statement we hear over and over from non-residents of the South - “How do you people tolerate this awful humidity?” We just say that we are used to it. We are a resilient bunch, southerners. Hope that you soon catch a break in the temps and humidity, stay cool as best you can.
@@dennisclayton8442 You are a resilient bunch. High humidity is typical here in July & August (not so much in June, but this year's been weird all around)- but you deal with it for a much longer span through the summer! Hope you stay cool too!
Are you referring to these? hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/hornworms/ Tobacco & Tomato hormworms are the only huge caterpillars I get on my tomatoes. I typically hand-pick them and smoosh them or feed them to my chickens OR if I just can't find the darn things and they're doing a lot of damage to my plants, I'll resort to a Bt spray.
I have been only pruning downward pointing branches because they don’t produce tomatoes and not pruning small branches that some call suckers because they have flowers an will produce tomatoes. So many different kinds of advice. A couple of years ago everyone was saying to do it this way and now they are calling the ones I don’t prune “suckers”….sigh I plant in boxes on an arched trellis and train the plants to grow up it.
I thought only the east coast (New York) had crappy soupy humid weather in the summer. Sometimes its 99% humidity and not raining. Its literally like walking thru soup. lol 90F and 99% humidity is no bueno.
Yep... walking thru soup sounds entirely accurate! 😂 During those times, I don't even like to go indoors, because it just makes coming back out into the humidity that much worse!
I get mine here: www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/plant-supports/velcro-reg-1-2-x-50-garden-ties/vel-30071-usa/p-834636628942713-c-1463608034801.htm?tid=8758627550738346179&ipos=4
You've reminded me-- I have to get a few more of these set up this year! Glad you found the video. That's the first time I've ever been told that-- I don't know if I look like her, but I sure do wish I had her strength! Thanks for watching & take care!
To buy the supplies brand new (which I didn't), it's around $20 for the cattle panel and $6-7 a piece for the T--posts (plus a negligible amount for the wire/zip ties to secure them). Look for used cattle panels to go even cheaper.
How am I supposed to get any posts longer than like 5 feet home from lowes or Home Depot or wherever without renting a truck or paying out the ass for a delivery fee? 😔
The tomato plants on the trellis are 'Radiator Charlie' (heirloom, indeterminate beefsteak), 'Raspberry Drops' (hybrid, indeterminate grape) and 'Buffalosteak' (hybrid, indeterminate beefsteak).
Look up the variety of tomato you have on a search engine like "Startpage" "Bing" or "Duck Duck Go" (that won't filter results based on your past searches and based on what it thinks you can understand like Google does) along with the keywords "determinate" "Indeterminate" . Which ever one it is should be included in the search results. For example, "Cherokee Purple determinate indeterminate"
This was so helpful! I planted 9 indeterminate varieties in my garden this year and tried to stake them! Needless to say I have an unmanageable jungle. I have never been really successful at gardening as each year I come across issues I hadn't encountered before. I may not have it right yet, but I have certainly learned a lot of ways on HOW NOT to garden. This video helps on my HOW TO garden learning adventure. Thank you 😊
Oh wow! The tomato jungle is a real issue and I've been there before!
It's all a learning process though- and each year we learn how to tackle new issues!
How do I get indeterminate tomatoes seed
@@Securo-Bytes As said in the video, "cherry" tomatoes are indeterminate.
My current tomatoes are clips I grew from seed around November / December 2021~!
Which indeterminate plants do you recommend that produce an abundance of fruit like the pictures in your video?
Thank you for taking the time and putting this video out. I pray for you to have an abundant garden always!
Less than 200 likes in 10 months Lady you are way under rated,
Your videos are informative and you are a great teacher , Please don't get discouraged from numbers as them.
I'm 69 and keep a surburben garden almost every year and I live in Ohio,19 years in Iowa land of 30" black topsoil and Kentucky loose loamy sandy topsoil that my family worked for nearly 100 years and I believe every garden is different.
Most of my gardens been in clay base soil of Ohio and you are teaching and doing great in your garden.
I'm going with your teaching so don't quit me please.
Intro into seed starting and grow lights and dang knats killed most of my tomatoe but I still have probably a t least one of each so I have samples hope to save and do a great job of seedlings next year.
Thanks for the many fine videos and your teaching of garden vegetables.
Do a canolope after you test a few and recommend a few canolopes to try here in Ohio
I appreciate it, John! It's definitely easy to get discouraged with TH-cam, but I don't plan on giving up anytime soon. It's wonderful to hear feedback like this. You are right- every single garden is different- my parent's farm, just 5 minutes down the road, is shockingly different than mine. It's still clay soil, but even within similar soil types there are big differences.
Not growing much in the way of cantaloupe this year- but I'll definitely keep that in mind for future, thanks for the suggestion! Cantaloupes are one of the biggest challenges for me, primarily due to disease. They tend to get Bacterial Wilt (spread by cucumber beetles) and die before the fruit matures. Sevin would work to kill the beetles, but I won't use the stuff on my garden- so it's an ongoing challenge for me!
@@GrowfullywithJenna two years later and your channel is almost the only one I watch and not just because we live in OH also. Your, "no BS," style is what keeps me coming back. Most of the people making content on this platform try to pad their content worse than a 90s computer self-help book. (Remember those 900 pg. books with about 10 pages of useful information?)
Keep up the awesome work. Have you written a book yet? Maybe you should! I think I'd buy it.
Thank you for the info, I can tell by video your a thorough busy person. Those are hog panels, they won’t hold a cow or bull. But thank you for the helpful info. Would like to know, indeterminate tomatoes are a vine that grow fruit at the end of newest growth. So do you trim the old branches at the opposite end to save plant energy.
I pruned my indeterminates mercilessly and then realized my main stem was quickly 8 feet tall- no way I could harvest from that height! Started letting some suckers fill in below. It's going a careful balance! I feel like letting suckers start at 2 or 3 feet off the ground will be my strategy next year.
It is definitely a balancing act!
You are my favorite gardener! Thanks for all of your wonderful info Love you!
Wow, thank you!
Out of all the videos that I've seen today this one was the most informative and I'm taking this route thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the helpfull tips. Will keep mind the warnings you mentioned.
Just came across your channel and have always used small baling wire or zip ties for tomato training. I just added 50' of velcro tape to my cart. Reusable and easy to use! Subscribed!
I’ve been binging your videos since finding you…making the wait for warm weather easier! Love your videos as they’re not too long and bloated but packed with info and garden eye candy. 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thank you so much, Jess! I try to get right to the point, as I know most folks don't have the time to sit around and listen to my life story! 😆
took a gardening class last year, learned that picking tomatoes at first sign of color is as good as letting them ripen on the plant and helps avoid disease and sun scald etc.
Didn't know that
We worked many years in immokalee Florida. We planted the small plants. We watered each plant by hand with a small can. We only pruned new branches one time in-between the main plant and the leaves. These were what they call stake tomatoes. Once the plant reached about 10 in wheat item from wooden stakes. After that the only care they got was fertilizing and watering. Never removed anything else. Tomatoes of course were picked green. The good sign of when to pick a tomato was when the tomato is green and had a star ,where the bloom used to be. Tomatoes are usually shipped green to the supermarket, so we always picked them green, they were beautiful tomatoes nice solid and healthy.
The Velcro tape is the bomb! Never even heard of it. So jealous of how great your plants look!
It is! I love that stuff!
Thanks for the video. I used your trellis idea last year and had great success. I had some septoria on my tomatoes this year and mulched with hay straw, now I don’t have the splashing when it rains on my lower leaves.
Back in the 1970’s you use to be able to buy much better tomato cages. I use to sit on a bucket with a cage around me when I was a kid. It was fun. Wish I could find those quality at a reasonable price.
Any videos on potted tomato cage options for determinate and indeterminates?
Very good trellis system. I started making my cages out of concrete reinforcement mesh. But your method seems easier. So I think I'll try that.
My dad made the same type of cages! But I've converted him to the cattle panel trellises 😄
Thanks for sharing the Velcro tape, what a great idea. Loved the fast motion music segment😎
Thanks!
Great video, thank you!
Thank you so much for this video! My tomato jungle was a total mess last season. But they were very productive. I will get the cattle panels and stay on top of them this season. Thank you so much for sharing!!
You may pay a good price,but can be yours for ever ,if you don't leave them out all year long. Some ex gardeners will pass them to the next generation.
Beautiful Trellis system! Your tomatoes look amazing!!!!
Thanks so much!
Awesome job done explaining how you prune and train your maters. I use the suckers for new plants most of the time. My plan B in Monday video will be showing where I used a bunch of those with hopes to save the year. Thanks for the info and how to. You shonuff know how to Git-R-Done! Stay safe and cool as ya can my friend! Hope you folks have a great weekend!
Thanks CB-- that's an excellent use of the suckers, and I can't wait to see 'Plan B'! Hope you all have a great weekend as well!
Love this video, so informative and just what I was looking for. I just found this video as I search for ideas on how to better support my ID tomatoes this year. Love it! I noticed the hand trimmer tool you used for pruning the tomatoes. I've never seen one like that. Can you share details on those trimmers- name or maker? Thanks
Glad it was helpful! I love that little trimmer-- I got it here: amleo.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=184&url=37
I love your tips Jenna! We use the same cattle panel trellises but we use 5 t-posts for the 16’ length and 3 t-posts for the 8’ cattle panels.
Nice!
You can get pre-bent ties specifically for tying barbed wire or panels to T-Posts.
Where did you get the pruning snips, looks so comfortable.
Right now,I have a full panel, bent lengthwise in an A frame shape I used for grow bags. Also weave branch’s thru the panels.
Take old t shirts and cut strips of fabric to tie branches off. It works great and the cost is next to nothing. When a branch grows to far out to bend back I’ll tie a knot around the branch and use 2 foot of cloth strip to tie it back to the panel. So it’s suspended.
I love that little snips! I got it here: amleo.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=184&url=33
Great tip on using the old t-shirts!
your tomato plants look awesome!
Thanks so much! Now just eagerly awaiting some ripe fruit. I've got a few that are starting to color up, I can't wait!
Hi Jenna!
I just recently came upon your videos, Good content!
Before this, I have been following Gardener Scott. Another great Gardener!
The two of you have similar but, different guides on trimming indeterminate tomatoes.
Have you watched Gardener Scott's Videos? In my opinion, He tends to prune and train, concentrating more on filling in the gaps of the overall growth earlier with suckers growing and filling in the open spots, verses your video of cutting out growth which is not wanted or needed.
indescriment
Hello! I love Gardener Scott's channel! I've not watched his tomato pruning in particular- but I've found that different methods work for different growing areas and tend to be based on the gardener's goals. Here, I'm all about optimizing air flow, reducing potential soil splash up and basically doing all I can to avoid the nasty bacterial & fungal diseases that abound here in Ohio. I'm guessing based on Gardener Scott's growing area he isn't dealing with the same disease issues that I am here (lower humidity) and therefore his pruning style is based on different goals.
Great idea about the Velcro strips! I use garden twine which is a pain. I actually use Texas tomato cages. I find that they work well for me in my raised beds. But I really need to do more bottom pruning here in humid southern Maryland.
I LOVE my Velcro tape!
This is helpful. Iv been struggling to tie up and help my plants stand. I need some of that fencing next year. I’m buying that tape now!
I'm glad you found it helpful! I've tried cages & stakes for indeterminate tomatoes and they just haven't provided enough support for all that weight. I hope this works well for you!
Thank you for this tutorial! It’s very helpful! I’m disinfecting my pruners now. I usually have the worst luck growing tomatoes. It’s strange because I can grow a lot of things? I’m here in Arizona and I am new to the area. My tomatoes are growing but now the leaves are curling? I’m assuming it’s the heat? Do you have any suggestions? Or is this something I will have to live with now that I live in the desert ? Thanks again for the helpful tips!
Leaf curl can be caused by quite a few things- but heat is definitely one of those!
I've never grown in a climate like Arizona- but I'm curious if the tomatoes might actually benefit from the use of a shade cloth?
@@GrowfullywithJenna Oh that’s a wonderful idea! Thank you so much!!! Much appreciated
I love the idea of using cattle panels. My tomatoes plants so heavy. Is this an issue when using the panels. Do you have to reinforce them to keep them from falling over?
I drive the posts quite deep into the ground, so even with heavy plants and a fall crop load, I've not had any issue with them falling over.
I use strong fence posts and then fix the trellis to them.
I use bird house to help control my tomato pest. I grew around 100 tomato plants 2022. I have never had any issues with insects on my tomato plants. I used 6 bird houses attached to my T posts. I also have several bird baths to attract birds. One of them is a large DIY bird bath with a solar fountain. I get up to 50 birds at a time in my garden. I also feed the birds using black oil sunflower seeds. I also last year had around 5 frogs in my garden that I would see as I watered. Note: Best to place bird houses around 40 to 50 feet apart and place them at least 3 months on post before spring appears. Clean them out each late fall. It is said that some types of bird will not use the same bird house twice in a row. My birds love my cattle panels trellises that I use for tomato's, cucumbers, or other climbers. I would rather have a little bird poop rather than pest eating my plants. Birds are attracted to moving water. I garden in a community garden with hundred of plots. My goal is to attract the birds to my garden.
Very cool! And it's a great idea to make your gardening environment welcoming to these helpful creatures! I'm curious if you know which species of birds specifically is taking care of your tomato pests?
@@GrowfullywithJenna I have a assortment of birds. Chickadees, gold finches, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, robins, red wing blackbirds, warblers, wrens, and other birds. I going to have 8 bird houses this next season. 2 smaller pedestal bird baths and I'm going to have two larger DIY skid size bird baths. The amazing thing about the larger bird bath with fountain is the amount of birds you will attract. After the birds find the fountain you will get up to 50 birds at a time. I go thru about 3 gal of black oil sunflower seeds per week for 2 bird feeders. If you build your own bird bath, remember to only have the water up to 3 inches deep to prevent drowning of birds.. Use a tile base to allow easy cleaning. I place some flat rocks in mine to allow smaller birds to bathe. Birds love to bathe, it also allows them to cool down. I will sit about 50 ft away and just watch them. They will fly thru the fountain, drink, and bathe in it. A lot of smaller birds like chickadees fly in groups of 10 to 25 birds at a time and they will continue throughout the day to cycle over and over to your garden. Perching on the cattle panel tomato rows, and vining plants on the arches/upright rows. They also land on my pepper plants and smaller cages to feed. Birds like Robins use the bird bath and they are a insect feeder; they roam the rows eating bugs. If you are interested in building a DIY bird bath, feel free to contact me and I will be happy to help you design something that will be easy to clean. To build a DIY one with solar fountain for under 50 dollars. You would be surprised by the amount of birds that it will introduce to your garden environment. Even if you don't feed them as much, the fountain alone will attract them.
I like the idea of attracting extra birds around the tomato plants, that makes a lot of sense! thank you!
I used the stairs going up to a second story deck to train my tomatoes and cucumbers upward with some trellises and some 2' wide rolled fencing cut into 6' or so lengths and a center support. Works great! Love your videos!
TalkingStick2u what a wonderfully innovative idea! I bet that’s lovely to look at as well.!Thank you for sharing!
One item I did not mention is the height of the t-post so are they 10’ or 8’ with about 1’ separation between the ground and the bottom of the panel? Moving to a new 6b house this spring and interested in a new method
Thanks enjoy your channel
Yes 8’ posts and I leave 1 to 2 feet between the ground and the bottom of the panel
Awesome, absolutely awesome. I will do this next year !!! and thanks for the tip on "velcro tape"- I've been using zip-ties by the hundreds :-)
Oh the velcro tape is SO much handier- I think you'll really like it... and you can reuse it season after season!
had to get up and dance during your musical interlude!!! whew, wore me out... FUN
😀
Thank you for your videos they are helpful . God bless your family
You are so welcome! Take care!
Good all around advice. I grow mine a lot like you do yours. Very nice looking tomato plants!
Thank you! I was just looking at some video of last year's tomato plants and it seems soooo long ago. Can't wait till it's tomato season again! Take care!
I've been told you can find cut worms with a black light at night, they will glow. Don't have a black light so I haven't tried it but it seems plausible. Thanks for doing your videos for us!
I've been wanting to try this! Maybe this season I will.
(We don’t have that name of worms in the U.K.) do we get them here (or is that the U.S. name for slugs?)
I am going to follow these steps this year with a cattle panel. What do you think about adding rabbit manure as the fertilizer when planting? I am going to try that this year, unless you recommend something in addition.
I've not used rabbit personally, but have heard from many folks who use their rabbits' manure in their gardens and they LOVE it!
Nice and to the point. Sharp mind.
Hey Jenna, since your trellis is off the ground, have you tried hydroponics? Im going to try your trellis idea and combine it with my 3 liter containers i get from the dollar store. ❤
I have not-- but I do think this should work with a hydro system!
good video. i like your style
Thank you 😊
Great video. Mine are in pots and I have tomato cages but thinking they will outgrow that too. Thanks for mentioning suckers as that was what I was looking for!
Thank you! I grew some in containers with cages last year and they all fell over & broke during a summer storm. I've got to figure out a better system for supporting container tomatoes as well! I suppose if you had the space, you could just set the pots underneath a cattle panel and do it this way, but I know a lot of folks growing in containers just don't have the room for this. I see some experimentation in my future! What do you think you'll do if your tomatoes outgrow the cages?
@@GrowfullywithJenna My co-worker built a wood frame in her garden. I’ll likely add a tall plastic pole and tie them to that. But, will try to think of something else.
@@GrowfullywithJenna I saw a tip to take two round tomato cages and basically make an hour-glass pattern with them. Put one upside down on the pot and secure it with landscape fabric pins. Spread out the loose wires at the top just a bit (the ones meant to go in the ground), then take the second cage with it's wires down and set it on top of the first cage and twist the wires together (at the center of the 'hourglass"). You can zip-tie them together if you like. I hope that made sense!
Very helpful, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
So what you need there is a dead crab apple tree and some tripl crop tomatoes, then a 16 foot ladder and some heavy duty rope. LOL LOL. j/k Jenna. This is a great evergreen video for sure. Hit all the main points as far as I can tell. I like that you emphasize there is no particular way that is best for each situation. Well, obviously clear out the bottom, but after that I agree, it really depends on a lot of things. Example (for those reading this) if you have limited space and plant numbers UP, WAY UP is best. Harder to harvest but UP is all you got in that situation. Anyway Jenna, good stuff. Made be ashamed cleaning those pruners. I am horrible at keeping stuff clean. I feel the need to go clean my pruners now. lol. Be well and have a super weekend!
Haha... now that TripL Crop situation is an innovative gardening technique for sure! And I really only got diligent about cleaning my tomato snips because we have such bad issues with Septoria Leaf Spot & Blights, otherwise I'm not great! Hope you have a great weekend as well!
@@GrowfullywithJenna Hey I got an update on that the Trip-L coming next week. The video rambles about like a blog. It's not really straight to the point, but I hope you watch it. You might pick some things up. I don't know. It's all an experiment to me. But I will say, so far it is looking pretty good! We might hit a bonanza! Maybe. :)
@@JulesGardening I look forward to watching it!
@@GrowfullywithJenna Looks like it will post Thursday. Long one, so doing the premiere chat thing, but I will leave it up anyway.
What kind of tomatoes are you growing there ? They are beautiful and plentiful, growing looks so evennand organized ? Thank you !
Thanks! The tomato plants on the trellis are 'Radiator Charlie' (heirloom, indeterminate beefsteak), 'Raspberry Drops' (hybrid, indeterminate grape) and 'Buffalosteak' (hybrid, indeterminate beefsteak).
Awesome video
Thanks!
How tall are these cow panels? The largest I’ve been able to find is 16’x52”.
I’m new to your channel, and enjoying it a lot. Any chance you listen to, or ever been a guest on the In The Garden With Ron Wilson radio show?
Mine are 16' x 52". I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the channel! I've not heard of that show, but I will check it out- thank you!
Thank you for this Very informative video! I can't wait to try the indeterminate kinds. Do they do well in partial sun?
You are welcome. Tomatoes will do best in full sun. In partial sun, the yields will likely be smaller and flavor typically is not as good as in tomatoes grown in full sun.
Thank you! Love your channel!
What about healthy leaves that grow downwards towards the ground. Should they be removed or left alone?
I think next year I will try the trellis. My tomato plants are a mess this year
I hope you do! The trellis definitely helps keep the tomatoes from becoming a mess, and they're so much easier to pick!
We have a similar set up. How do you keep the beds underneath the trellis weed free? Would appreciate learning something new. Thanks.
I rely heavily on natural mulches- you can see more detail on how I mulch my tomatoes here: th-cam.com/video/u55JFK6LIsI/w-d-xo.html at about 06:45
@@GrowfullywithJenna thanks so much!
I pull my weeds out while I’m pottering..
What size T-post was used? I’m curious why not the 8ft panel? Do the tomato’s grow tall quickly?
Great trellis Jen👍🇺🇸
Thanks!
Jenna, what is that pruning tool? It looks amazing!
That's one of my all time favorite pruners! I got it here: www.amleo.com/hands-free-ring-pruner/p/RP2
What height posts do you use??
Awesome video btw, thanks for your help! :)
Thanks- those are 8' posts.
I use those same ties and pruners with an arched cow panels. Right now my biggest challenge is certain varieties (mainly my Blue Cream Berries) are so bushy and branchy that I'm not sure if letting them bush a bit is better or aggressively 2d would be better.
Thanks for sharing your method.
I know what you mean! I've not grown Blue Cream Berries, but have grown others (in particular cherry & grape tomatoes) that have this type of plant habit. I don't prune them as aggressively as I do, say, a beefsteak type, where I may only leave 3 main leads. Instead I focus on just pruning back enough growth the make them manageable! Though last year I had some 'Juliet' grape tomato plants that I basically hacked clear back to within 2 feet of the ground... within a month you couldn't tell I pruned them 😆. I've been wanting to try tomatoes on a cattle panel arch- maybe I'll give it a shot this year. Take care & enjoy your weekend!
Hi Jen shalom the cow panels are great standing up
When u cut you cut fruit I'd rather just tie it back 🔙😂
Wonky isn't bad 😂 lol
That's true- and if I were only growing one or two plants I'd be more prone to keeping all the branches. As is, I have more tomatoes than I can eat, so it's not a big concern. Plus, removing some of those branches helps to open the plant up for more air circulation. Not a big concern if you don't have the awful fungal & bacterial diseases I deal with here.
😆
Thank s i’m growing I believe Cherokee tomatoes tomatoes purple .
Nice!
A lot of great info, thanks! Now how about a video on determinate tomatoes?! 😁
Thanks- great suggestion, I will try to get that video done! But in the meantime, I simply put heavy-duty tomato cages around my determinates when I plant them, and the only pruning I do is to remove any leaves at the base that are touching the ground. Other than that, I just let them do their thing!
great video !!! thank you !!!
You're welcome!
Air circulation is truly a must to keep plants healthy through the growing season. As far as stuff to avoid putting in a compost pile is concerned, if it’s slow composting it’s better to place with REAL garbage or burn it if you’re allowed to. Only exception is if you know how to do a hot compost so unwanted fungi gets cooked to death ………provided one does not mind the work that comes with that method of composting.
Where do you get the Velcro tape. I use those same panels for my cucumbers never thought to use them for my tomatoes I’m about fed up with homemade tomato cages
I get mine at my local Menards store, but I see they have it on Amazon: www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Adjustable-Gardens-Gardening/dp/B005755YSQ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=velcro+tape+for+plants&qid=1624801802&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFTUlhUWFlMWjFBQzAmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxMjM0NTQyQ0tJU0RBSFdNWU9ZJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMjQ0OTIyUkZCWFE5Tjk4SldEJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
@@GrowfullywithJenna thanks I found some I’ve been using butcher twine for years but at least the Velcro I can reuse
(On line) also useful for tidying IT cables under your work station etc…
i use wipes to clean my tools when I'm out in the field
Smart!
This is perfect!!!
Thank you!
Thank you!
You're welcome, Rowan!
There are quite a few types of velcro tapes on the market. Most of them have to do with sowing. Can you pin or send a link for the type of velcro tape that you are using in this video to anchor your tomato branches to the cattle pannel? Thanks
This is the velcro tape I'm using: www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/plant-supports/velcro-reg-1-2-x-50-garden-ties/vel-30071-usa/p-834636628942713-c-1463608034801.htm?tid=3029509295785516823&ipos=4
When you weave them through the fence, do you run into any problems with the fence cutting into the main leaders as they mature and thicken and harden? Thanks for the great tips.
You'd think that might happen, but I've actually never had any problems with it!
No.
Can tomato plants be grown as an annual in Mahoning county, Ohio? If so how and can you make a video, please.
Yes- tomatoes are typically grown as an annual in temperate climates. I do have these videos that cover how I transplant/upgrade tomatoes which you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/u55JFK6LIsI/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/PWB_dNZlkQw/w-d-xo.html Take care!
Hi Jenna I have got semi determinate tomatoes variety . Can u plz advise me on how to grow it ?
I usually grow my semi-determinates the same was as my indeterminates- up a trellis like this. Otherwise I will grow them inside of a large, sturdy tomato cage.
@@GrowfullywithJenna thank you Jenna 😊
m planting tomatoes for the first time. I have jus got a 4 feet tomato cage and ordered for a 8* 4 with 1 feet tall metal garden bed .. how many tomato plants can I plant in them .. plz guide me on that ..
Hi, good morning 🌹🌹🌹
Good morning
That is good
Thanks
Cattle panels are too expensive for me. Will chicken wire work as a trellis?
It will- you may just have to add some extra reinforcement. It's going to be pretty flimsy with just the 3 stakes as I've shown here.
It’s not rigid so you’ll need a rigid frame to support the soft wire or just make your own trellis this year by criss crossing your bamboo pea canes together with cable ties, (that what I use so costs relatively zero)..
Wouldn't the plant get burnt from the contact with the wires in the heat of summer? Thanks
I've never had an issue with that here (in Ohio). Not sure if if would be a problem in extremely hot/sunny environments.
I'm going over this video again and this time I noticed you put the panels with the small opening at the top. I didn't notice that earlier and you should have mentioned that ( oops I think your first mistake or you expect me to watch harder.
I tried the string system double the branches and believe my tomato plants produce more when I did four branches and more as you let the plants grow.
You don't need to reply , YOU Must work to hard.
But thanks for the teaching Lady
Keen observation, John! This was an oversight on my part- I have actually done them both ways (small opening on top AND small openings on bottom) and don't notice a particular advantage either way. I've yet to try the string system- would you recommend it? Have a great day!
Lady, I think I learned ( last season I was trying to be a better Stewart of my tiny surburben garden and a more productive gardener and use no or less poison on what we eat .
I did the double stems ( because if I break the only stem well that ends the plant) I did spend $11.00 on the clips I will have clips on hand for the using as your Velcro tape Clips are handy for if the plants get stiffer later in the heat and you still need your Velcro tape and reusable ( I'm new with them and don't know how long they are reusable yet ) I have gotten about 1/4 mile of 1/8" rope on huge spool for $5.00 garage sale and the white plastic did well but outside only one season. The trimming of the plants I'm new and I probably have 30 tomatoes ( this season 11 type). About 16 plants ?, About 20" apart and because of deises only lost one plant and cut the second limb of 2 plants . Yes the more I mess with them the more I can damage sometimes, Your cattle panel is less time and you get a larger plant , seems like more productive. But I am 70 and the construction wire for cement foundation is cheaper and will outlast my self, If would be young the galibinize cattle panels are worth every penny..
No I don't recommend the string but inside the high tunnel I see it's place.
Yes I plan to find the clips handy for cucumbers squash as I like the typical"tomatoes cage" that doesn't work for our tomatoes as we learn to make them get full size.
Hopefully I didn't say to much , trying to help you help people like myself.
Thanks
Hi there. Why do you think that "suckers" take energy away from the plant? It seems to me the "sucker" would actually feed more energy to the plant.
That's a great question. The way I understand it, suckers divert energy from the main plant by acting as competition for nutrients. However, upon digging around a little more on this topic I found this article: laidbackgardener.blog/2017/07/08/the-truth-about-tomato-suckers/ which claims that what most gardeners (myself included) refer to as suckers on tomatoes are NOT actually suckers by definition but secondary stems, and that the only real benefit to pruning them is that it will result in larger fruit. I've not had time to investigate this further (and don't know how credible the author is), but there may be something to this. If I am able to find something more definitive on this topic, I will let you know. Thanks for asking this!
Jenna, excellent article about tomato suckers. Thank you
Husband bought me 2 tomato plants. We didn’t know they would just keep growing up. They are over 8 foot tall now and I’m running out of options as it keeps growing up. 😅
You can top them if you like! Especially if you are nearing the end of your growing season- this will help force the plant into ripening the fruit it already has rather than putting on more vertical growth, flowers & fruit.
Great , do you have an update for these tomato trees?
You can see them here: th-cam.com/video/7CUWhZs8x5o/w-d-xo.html
THX!
Welcome!
Jenna, I bought some velcro garden tape this week and will be tying up my tomatoes and cucumbers with it. Thanks so much for this helpful tip! I always enjoy your videos and gain very useful information from them. Side note - we are hitting the mid to upper 90's here in zone 7b in Mississippi and are forecast for 3-4 days of 100-plus temps in the 10-day forecast. Hope you are not experiencing this in Ohio. If you are, we may need a video on proper watering and mulching during extreme heat. Ha! I am breaking out the hardwood leaves, pine straw, wood chips and newspapers to try to keep my flowers and vegetables going in this heat wave. Thanks for all you do! I appreciate you!
Ugh yes... we're getting it too. 97 and 95 the last two days with about 1000% humidity. Not at all typical for mid-June in Ohio. Sorry to hear you're dealing with it too. But I'm glad to hear you're breaking out all the mulch... that's an excellent idea. I will try to get that video done!
@@GrowfullywithJenna welcome to typical Mississippi summer humidity. Ha! That is the statement we hear over and over from non-residents of the South - “How do you people tolerate this awful humidity?” We just say that we are used to it. We are a resilient bunch, southerners. Hope that you soon catch a break in the temps and humidity, stay cool as best you can.
@@dennisclayton8442 You are a resilient bunch. High humidity is typical here in July & August (not so much in June, but this year's been weird all around)- but you deal with it for a much longer span through the summer! Hope you stay cool too!
Found this fantastic Video, I said to myself, I know her, glanced at the name, and mistakenly read it as GROWLING withe Jenna!
😆
I always have problems with those ginormous blue caterpillar like bug. What are good ways to eliminate them?
Are you referring to these? hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/hornworms/
Tobacco & Tomato hormworms are the only huge caterpillars I get on my tomatoes. I typically hand-pick them and smoosh them or feed them to my chickens OR if I just can't find the darn things and they're doing a lot of damage to my plants, I'll resort to a Bt spray.
@@GrowfullywithJenna yes those crazy wonderful looking things destroyed my whole plant in a matter of days! Im hoping to prevent them this year!
I have been only pruning downward pointing branches because they don’t produce tomatoes and not pruning small branches that some call suckers because they have flowers an will produce tomatoes. So many different kinds of advice. A couple of years ago everyone was saying to do it this way and now they are calling the ones I don’t prune “suckers”….sigh I plant in boxes on an arched trellis and train the plants to grow up it.
If it’s working for you- stick with it!!
I thought only the east coast (New York) had crappy soupy humid weather in the summer. Sometimes its 99% humidity and not raining. Its literally like walking thru soup. lol 90F and 99% humidity is no bueno.
Yep... walking thru soup sounds entirely accurate! 😂 During those times, I don't even like to go indoors, because it just makes coming back out into the humidity that much worse!
Love your videos! Also a bonus we’re in the same zone, easier to relate. What kind of pruners are you using?
Thank you, Brianna! I love that little pruners- I got it here: www.amleo.com/hands-free-ring-pruner/p/RP2
New subscriber supporting my fellow content creators
Did you have your rows of tomatoes running east to west?
Yes- this particular row is running E-W. I've also got them planted N-S in other locations.
Can someone explain why this matters?
Madam video super madam thank you so much 👌👌👌👌👌
You're welcome
lol I like your thumbnail
Thanks 😆
Do you keep the number of main stems to one or two?
I do not.
Where do you get the
tape ?
I get mine here: www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/plant-supports/velcro-reg-1-2-x-50-garden-ties/vel-30071-usa/p-834636628942713-c-1463608034801.htm?tid=8758627550738346179&ipos=4
2 for 2. Cucumber video and now the tomato video. Great trellis set up.
Side note...you look a little like Rhonda Rousey.
You've reminded me-- I have to get a few more of these set up this year! Glad you found the video. That's the first time I've ever been told that-- I don't know if I look like her, but I sure do wish I had her strength! Thanks for watching & take care!
@@GrowfullywithJenna Rhonda is my client, you DO look a bit like her, she's hilarious and sweet, and thanks for the videos!
@@vandorn50 very cool- thank you for sharing!! Take care & I hope you have a great week!
how much was your fence??
To buy the supplies brand new (which I didn't), it's around $20 for the cattle panel and $6-7 a piece for the T--posts (plus a negligible amount for the wire/zip ties to secure them). Look for used cattle panels to go even cheaper.
How am I supposed to get any posts longer than like 5 feet home from lowes or Home Depot or wherever without renting a truck or paying out the ass for a delivery fee? 😔
The thumbnail!
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what kind of tomatoes are those?
The tomato plants on the trellis are 'Radiator Charlie' (heirloom, indeterminate beefsteak), 'Raspberry Drops' (hybrid, indeterminate grape) and 'Buffalosteak' (hybrid, indeterminate beefsteak).
Have you heard of leaf footed bugs? They destroy my tomatoes and I am completely frustrated. 😢
I've heard of them, but haven't had to deal with them here yet. I'm sorry to hear they are destroying your tomatoes.
How do i know if my tomato plants are indeterminate or not?
Look up the variety of tomato you have on a search engine like "Startpage" "Bing" or "Duck Duck Go" (that won't filter results based on your past searches and based on what it thinks you can understand like Google does) along with the keywords "determinate" "Indeterminate" . Which ever one it is should be included in the search results. For example, "Cherokee Purple determinate indeterminate"
So…….how do you grow cows 🐄 on this panel with tomatoes 🍅🤓🧐🤨
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