Why is my gargantuan tomato plant taking over the yard?
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A luscious vine ripened tomato can't be beat for flavor and versatility in cooking. We regularly purchase them in grocery stores in every size, shape and degree of ripeness. We also purchase them canned for use in preparing different and assorted dishes. Who doesn't have things like ketchup or salsa's made with tomatoes in their refrigerator for adding instant garnishes to other preparations? Tomato in one form or another is considered a staple pantry ingredient for most people that I know.
So why have I had a hard time growing tomatoes in Houston?
Let me digress for a moment...
As a child I watched my grandfather grow almost every type of vegetable in his large gardens and my grandmother and my mother would freeze and primarily use canning methods to preserve all the excess of what could not be readily eaten.
My dad had built a wonderful array of shelving in the basement of our house one room of which was partitioned off (also as the laundry room) to hold all of these beautiful glass jars filled with that season's tomatoes, homemade dill pickles and mustard pickles, applesauce, green beans, beets, peas, sauerkraut and more. The root cellar held the potatoes and carrots in a cool, moist and darkened area so that they did not have to be canned. The shelves also held homemade preserves.
Often these two women (my mother and grandmother) would have worked really hard preserving these tasty and healthful vegetables during the harvesting season when my grandmother would spot my grandfather coming in with another wheelbarrow filled with some other harvested crop. "Oh no, here he comes again!" would be the tired remark from one to the other.
Gardening became a hobby for my grandfather and after he retired his garden expanded. This was in Wisconsin and as we lived nearby, even next door the last number of years prior to moving to Texas, much of what we consumed all year long came from that bountiful garden.
So you see...I was introduced to this idea of growing tomatoes and other vegetables early on in my life.
When my husband was transferred to central Wisconsin for four years, this was my chance to branch out and have my very first vegetable garden of my own. We lived on a 1/2 acre lot so there was plenty of room and our garden grew into a thing of beauty producing not only vegetables but flowers as well. (My grandfather always co-mingled flowers with his veggies too.)
Not knowing exactly what I was doing, the first year I planted 43 tomato plants. Yes...you read this right. 43 tomato plants! There was just the two of us. All of the 43 tomato plants produced a bumper crop from each and every plant!
Now.....we both like tomatoes, but for those of you who garden and know anything about what one plant can produce.....needless to say, I learned how to can tomatoes that summer.
Fast forward...
Ever since moving back to Texas I have tried my hand at growing tomatoes and with fond memories of the days in Wisconsin I have high hopes of being rewarded with luscious, fragrant and tasty red ripened globes of succulence. Occasionally we harvest a few tomatoes, but I have had much better luck with green peppers and eggplants and herbs than tomatoes.
We have two growing seasons in Houston, Spring and Fall. Once the summer heat sets in (which seems to come earlier every year) the tomatoes sizzle out and cease production.
This year, once again with high hopes I purchased just 4 tomato plants. My husband chides me each year saying "Why bother? With the luck you seem to have, it is cheaper to purchase them in grocery stores." But I retain dreams each year of a better result.
I planted each in a different location experimenting with what might do well this year. The one pictured here was planted in a bed near the house next to a camellia plant as well as some small azalea plants, begonias and caladiums.
This is a spot in the garden that gets a little more sun and I just thought that I would give it a try. You can see the results! A gargantuan plant that is totally taking over the space and it only produced a handful of tomatoes and most of them were pecked by birds prior to ever ripening. It is so large that I had my mother pose next to it so that you could appreciate the true size of it. Also, the birdhouse above it is attached to the soffit just under the roof. So that also lets you see the dimension of the tomato plant.
Can you guess my husband's response to this trial effort? I'll just bet that you can!
Giving some perspective as to its height and girth
- Pruning Tomatoes - Fine Gardening Article
How to manage your plants for better health and better fruit
Do I continue to try and grow tomatoes?
Good question!
OK...you now know the results of this one tomato plant. I have three others. One is a spindly thing that is still deciding whether to live or die. It has not put out a single bloom, and we all know we need to see some flowering before any fruit can set.
Another one...the very last cherry tomato plant that the nursery had for sale the day that we were shopping was almost totally uprooted. I mentioned to the nursery person that I did not know if it was worth paying the $1.29 price because it already looked more dead than alive. She agreed and as she was the manager, she told me to take it and "give it a try" and she let me have that one for free.
It is still alive and finally decided to live instead of die. It is planted in nutrient rich soil with built in fertilizers (Miracle Grow...for those familiar with that name) and it is now about a foot tall and producing a few blooms. Yippee!
The other plant is healthy looking and is a Roma tomato with green tomatoes hanging on the vine! Will we harvest them prior to the birds finding them? Yes......I could purchase netting (another expense!) and drape it, but I must confess something.
This plant was also placed in a bed with roses and flowers in front of our everyday dining area. While it is not as large as the gargantuan tomato plant, it is blocking the scenery of much of the yard that my husband used to enjoy viewing while sitting there. If I add netting over it, making the tomato plant look even more unattractive, even if we harvest a few tomatoes off of it, just how happy do you think that will make my husband?
Decision time!
That gargantuan tomato plant (it is a Jet Star for those that are interested) has been cut back to about a foot from the ground. I could no longer tolerate it's menacing presence. The birds were having to file flight plans just to navigate in and out of their house!
I figure if it survives this summer heat, I just may try and transplant it to another location in the Fall which is actually a better growing season down here anyway. It will be further from the birdhouse (which is always occupied with a revolving number of tenants) and it will no longer obliterate our view of the landscape bed filled with pretty flowers and shrubs.
If we do not get at least $1.29 worth of tomato harvest from each of these plants this year...I just may throw in the towel for good and let others raise the tomatoes that we consume.
I have recently read about proper pruning techniques regarding the harvesting of better, plumper tomatoes. Should I try again?
Three questions go into this decision making process...
#1...Why was my gargantuan tomato plant overtaking our yard?
#2...Do I make my husband happy and start buying our tomato plants in grocery stores?
and finally...
#3...Whatever happened to Teresa's missing tomato?
I did not start with garbage nor reaped tomatoes like this!
What do you think I should do?
See results without votingWhat happened to Teresa's tomato?
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Comments
Hahaha, this reminds me of my childhood when I loved sowing tomato seeds on my mom's rose pots. Everyday I checked for the seedlings to appear, then when the plant was about a few inches tall, I'd transfer it to the ground. Nice hub, as ever, Peggy.
Hi katyzzz,
Wonderful skills...perhaps not. About 50-50 on the plant growing, but the results are still out on harvesting any tomatoes. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. My mouth is still watering also...LOL
Hi Melody,
Bet your garden was a wonderful one. Always nice to see things coming up from seed. Thanks for the comment.
Wow Peggy what a size lol. I am growing a few tomato plants this year that a colleague gave me. I doubt they will produce much either but we shall see.
Hi Ethel,
Hope you get better results! LOL
My late sister-in-law had a garden full of fruits and vegetables. Since she passed away we haven't done much. This year we planted two tomato plants, two green peppers, and two zucchinis. So far they are coming along. We always get a ton of tomatoes from the plants. We are always looking for people to take them since we have never mastered any of the preserving methods.
Hi Pete,
If you "get a ton of tomatoes" from 2 plants, now you must know WHY I had to quickly learn how to can when I planted 43 tomato plants at one time many years ago. LOL
Amazing ! it is growing so well and looks really big and healthy- I have one in my pot , the local variety of round tomatoes...Lovely hub and interesting as laways peggy, thanks a lot :)
I have given up looking for the tomato, and have since enjoyed many more that were given to me from the same source. The thing is to enjoy the tomatoes -- so if you enjoy trying to grow them, that's what matters. Thanks for the mention!
I'm jealous that you know all about canning and preserving. I just know about making pasta sauce!
Peggy,
Great hub as always. I learned a few tips from some of the "old-timers" around here about growing tomatoes in hot climates. I am sure they would work in Houston as well.
I use several different types but for the large tomatoes I find Arkansas Traveler, Big Beef or Beefsteak, Homestead and Sunmaster seem to do the best. They need good drainage, which it seems you have, and lots and lots of mulch and organic matter. I dig in hay and compost into my tomato beds over the winter, then mulch the surface about 3 inches deep after planting.
In addition tomatoes need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day according to the Ag Extension folks. They also recommended digging the seedlings in to at least cover the bottom set of leaves to allow the roots to establish themselves. I also add banana peels and coffee grounds to the soil during the winter and when the plants are growing - seems to help and everyone up here does it!
Don't forget you can also plant tomatoes in the late summer in Texas for fall and early winter fresh tomatoes. Take your existing plants and bend a branch down without snapping it off and then cover well with soil and mulch. It will sprout roots and take off on its own!
This year I tried purple tomatoes - they are really unique and beautiful in salads although the crows seem to like them too!
Best of luck!
Hi Kiran,
Best of wishes for growing the tomato in your pot. Always nice to have fresh home grown ones on hand. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Teresa,
I wondered if you would stumble upon this hub. I loved your lost tomato hub so much that when I decided to write this hub about our tomato misadventures, I just had to include it. LOL
We have several good tomato sauce recipes as well. Should we do more recipe hubs? Thanks for your comment. How's the arm?
Hi Mardi,
Lots of good advice from you! Thanks! The reason that I tried sticking a few tomato plants in our beds near the house is for the hours of sunshine factor. We have lots of old large oak trees in our yard and our neighbor's yards and shade is what we battle with regard to gardening vegetables. The herbs (for the most part) seem to do OK but it is more difficult growing vegetables without the necessary sunlight.
I really do miss the days of being able to grow a large vegetable garden! That was fun and rewarding.
I think that the weather has compromised the growing in Houston this year. We had that flood that I wrote about and since then, except for a few scattered drops of rain (NONE here!) it has been in the upper 90's and topping the 100 degree mark for so long a time now...have broken several records...and the yards and plants are showing the stress.
Even my zucchini are not flourishing and you KNOW how zuchinni normally grow!
When the Fall tomatoes are sold, I might just try a couple of the varieties you recommended. May try one more new spot and see what happens. Again, thanks for all of your recommendations.
Have you ever seen the (and one of my faves) movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes"? I think you're breeding them! LOL!! Send me some salsa if you have extra!
I am so jealous!!
dori
Hi Candie, Have never seen that movie but probably should in case these in our yard are getting any ideas. I'll put you on the list for salsa. LOL
Hello fortunerep (or Dori), Nothing to be jealous of YET. So far only a couple of green bird pecked tomatoes. LOL
peggy - is that green bird-pecked tomatoes or green-bird pecked tomatoes? Please leave these out of the salsa.. if I may make a special request!
Funny Candie! I think the green tomatoes were pecked by sparrows if that clears up the description of the problem for you. What.........you don't like green salsa?
LOL, That was the biggest tomato plant I had ever seen! There must be some way to find a happy medium. Good Luck!
Hi Kari, I agree! LOL Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I've never had green tomato salsa, but I like the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"!! Does that count? And I generally like sparrows.
Hey Candie, I loved the movie "Green Fried Tomatoes" and have you ever eaten green fried ones? They are delicious! I like them coated with flour instead of cornmeal. Yum! Might just fry some up today! And the fact that you "generally" like sparrows...you are a nice person. The birds cannot all be colorful like cardinals and bluejays. Just like people I guess... LOL
Awesome hub, Peggy W: that plant is huge! Like others have said, there has to be a happy medium... massive attack of the pruning shears, perhaps? I really enjoyed reading this, thanks for publishing it!
Hi Nicole, Maybe I should invest in a machete! Ha! Thanks for your comment.
43 tomato plants LOL, I know you were busy. I have lived in the south my entire life and Mardi's advice is good. We always bury the new plants deep leaving only the top set of leaves above the ground. They will then develop lots of roots all along the buried stem. While tomato production slows when it gets really hot, we always have lots of tomatoes.
Wow, very large tomato plants! You planted great! I would also like tomato
Hello dllhubpages, Thanks for the good advice. I knew that about the planting. Do you baby them through the hot summers and then they again start producing in the Fall or do you start over with new ones? Most of the people I know just buy new ones for the Fall season. Thanks for leaving your comment.
Peggy W, keep trying, don't give it up! Maybe...? Try different named tomato, including yellow ones. Use LOW nitrogen feritlizer. Plant in full sun. Pinch off the tiny new sprouts that start in the large branches.
My mom had a huge tomato plant like yours last year, but it had lots of golf ball sized tomatoes. You CAN do it too. :-) Thanks for fun hub!
Greetings lovemyself, Thanks for reading and commenting. Many people, it seems, like tomatoes. LOL
Hi frogyfish,
Thanks for the encouragement. I definitely need to do some pruning and I have learned so much from your comment and those of others. Thanks!
When I had 43 tomato plants, pruning, etc. was not so necessary to know. LOL
When we bought a house in a So-Cal suburb, we had a huge lot-- everyone gave us tomato plants-- we truly had an overabundant crop. My kids tomatoed all of the neighbors-- sold or donated them, while I canned them as fast as I could.
Now at a higher elevation in a rural area, my tomatoes are just now starting to ripen-- My husband who was tired of seeing plants disappear because of gophers, put some in pots in the ground.
The plants are smaller-- but starting to produce ripening fruit. Love tomatoes!
Your plant looks healthy. They like heat AND lots of water at the root. Do you just have one plant? I'm not sure if they need cross pollinating.... maybe?
I have always had several plants at a time.
Hi Rochelle,
I purchased 4 plants this year and the one in a lone location is doing poorly. The other 3 that are in near proximity to one another are thriving.
We are in a drought situation (after the earlier flood!) but our sprinkler system is set to go off daily at this point...so water is not an issue. But our hotter than normal heat...100 degree temperatures is not good.
The Roma tomato plant is now bearing lots of fruit...not ripened yet...but looking good.
Thanks for your comment. Enjoy your tomatoes this year!
Soils that are really rich will cause too much green growth, and inhibit the formation of the actual fruit. A similar thing happens to sugar cane, making it less sweet, and taller. just don't fertilize your large tomato plant with any nitrates. Stick with the mineral and phosphate fertilizers.
We have always just keep the plants well watered during the heat of the summer and then they will start to produce tomatoes when the temps cool down some.
Hello Robubba, Thanks for your good advice. Will make sure that the correct fertilizer is used. I did put Miracle Grow soil under the plants when they were first planted, but I think that the big one robbed some of the nearby azalea and camellia fertilizer and just went crazy with it. Have cut it back now and am thinking of transplanting it to a new spot...or just start over in the Fall with a new one (different spot). Thanks for leaving your comment. Always nice to see a new face in the comment section!
Hello again dllhubpages, Thanks for telling me what you do. Will give it a try and see if I can't keep them alive.
Great hub. I grow outdoor tomatoes every year in pots. My tips are:
1) Always remember to remove the sideshoots that appear where the leaves meet the stem, (otherwise the plant puts all it's energy into foliage rather than fruit). Support plants with canes.
2) Water daily with at least a gallon of water per plant.
3) Feed weekly, or mix slow release plant food granules with the compost.
4) Ensure plants receive plenty of sunlight throughout the day.
Follow these tips and you should get a bumper crop of tomatoes every year.
Whoops, duplicate comment, seemed to be taking far too long to post so submitted again. Sorry :)
Hello mistyhorizon and welcome! Thanks for all of your good advice. A gallon of water a day! Guess they eat and drink a lot to produce those bumper crops of tomatoes. You must have large pots! Thanks for your comments.
I am so jealous! My tomato plants are small and the small fruits that are on them only weigh it down. It is pretty sad looking really.
Hello Ashley Joy,
With all the good comments on this hub perhaps we can learn a few things on how to improve our plants. Good luck with yours and thanks for the comment. That is sure one cute baby with the photo on your avatar!
well kiddo----you saw my next to caput plants with fruit----since then----adios they're bye-bye ,but you know me never quit ----we'll beat the odds----hugs,m.
Wow that is some tomato plant! We started growing our own this year and we are just starting to harvest them. It is interesting to see how different all the varieties taste.
Hi EverythingMouse,
That gargantuan tomato plant is no longer a part of our landscape. Since it was right under the birdhouse, you might guess who got most of those tomatoes! Our cherry tomato is just now starting to produce and our Roma tomato did a good job of producing.
Good luck with yours. What varieties did you plant?
katyzzz says:
5 months ago
Delicious, next time I'm driving past I'll call in, well done Peggy and I'm sure Mary would sympathise with you.
She was just thrilled to bits when her self sown tomato plant brought forth its fruit.
You certainly have some wonderful skills with yours, you made my mouth water.