Post by Alan on Sept 27, 2007 23:36:55 GMT -5
Hey Guys, just wanted to give everyone the first of many updates about the Winter Greenhoue Tomato Crop here at Bishop's Homegrown for 2008, Kim will be taking pictures every so often to post as well, we will probably take the first set this weekend sometime.
I started plants in late July to give them a head start this year. I decided to grow a fairly uniform, but highly rated (in taste, productivity, disease tolerance) hybrid, the semi-determinate variety of Celebrity Tomato. A lof of folks growing in cold frames in this area grow the "trust" tomato or some other "hothouse" tomato, not Bishop's Homegrown, we pride ourselves on bringing our customers Quality.
Anyhow, 140 plants were seeded into peat pellets, I selected the best 70 of these plants at the 6 week stage (after being fertilized with bonemeal/ash/bloodmeal in a weak solution once) and potted them up into five gallon nursery pots. The potting mix is one that I have developed myself, mostly spahgnum moss and pearlite with Dolomite lime thrown in (in no scientific manner, usually about 10 lbs to a bale of spahgnum moss) and about 15-20 lbs of vermicompost (worm manure) thrown into the mix for a good, fertile start.
I let the plants set outside due to heat for a couple of weeks and then move them into the well ventilated greenhouse (two end fans, two overhead fans, three doors) where they sit on tables one cinder block (layed flat) high and made of cattle panel (for air ciruclation which is vital in a fall/winter greenhouse set up).
Once a week I fertilize with dry bone meal and water deeply. I also fertilize with a vermicompost tea with some other goodies added in the mix here and there, usually twice a week (mostly lime, greensand, bonemeal).
Last week they got hit with a good mix of dry bonemeal and greensand along with a bit of Ash and a tiny bit of bloodmeal, they got this treatment twice last week and watered deeply both times (I also water in between when necessary).
At the begining of this week tied up the support nylon strings from the purlins to the plants, every couple of days these are adjusted to make for new growth, I also sucker the plants down to one terminal tip every day.
The plants started blooming this week and are currently about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall, I pollinate using a cheap electric toothbrush, on an average day I pollinate 3 to 4 times, a couple in the mornings and a couple in the evenings, it is generally to hot and humid during the day to get any pollination.
I already have tomatoes setting on the plants which is a good sighn that I should have some ripe tomatoes come the first week of November, Tomatoes prior to Thanksgiving here are a good thing and demand a high market price. Last year I was getting $2.50-$3.00 a lb on tomatoes at that time of year!
I'll keep you guys updated, I hope I didn't ramble too much and sorry that this isn't particularly well writen or scientific information but you can check all of that out at the end of the year in my research journal.
If you haven't notice it is my intention to get these things to bloom early and often hence the bonemeal/greensand fetilizers
Your friend,
Alan
I started plants in late July to give them a head start this year. I decided to grow a fairly uniform, but highly rated (in taste, productivity, disease tolerance) hybrid, the semi-determinate variety of Celebrity Tomato. A lof of folks growing in cold frames in this area grow the "trust" tomato or some other "hothouse" tomato, not Bishop's Homegrown, we pride ourselves on bringing our customers Quality.
Anyhow, 140 plants were seeded into peat pellets, I selected the best 70 of these plants at the 6 week stage (after being fertilized with bonemeal/ash/bloodmeal in a weak solution once) and potted them up into five gallon nursery pots. The potting mix is one that I have developed myself, mostly spahgnum moss and pearlite with Dolomite lime thrown in (in no scientific manner, usually about 10 lbs to a bale of spahgnum moss) and about 15-20 lbs of vermicompost (worm manure) thrown into the mix for a good, fertile start.
I let the plants set outside due to heat for a couple of weeks and then move them into the well ventilated greenhouse (two end fans, two overhead fans, three doors) where they sit on tables one cinder block (layed flat) high and made of cattle panel (for air ciruclation which is vital in a fall/winter greenhouse set up).
Once a week I fertilize with dry bone meal and water deeply. I also fertilize with a vermicompost tea with some other goodies added in the mix here and there, usually twice a week (mostly lime, greensand, bonemeal).
Last week they got hit with a good mix of dry bonemeal and greensand along with a bit of Ash and a tiny bit of bloodmeal, they got this treatment twice last week and watered deeply both times (I also water in between when necessary).
At the begining of this week tied up the support nylon strings from the purlins to the plants, every couple of days these are adjusted to make for new growth, I also sucker the plants down to one terminal tip every day.
The plants started blooming this week and are currently about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall, I pollinate using a cheap electric toothbrush, on an average day I pollinate 3 to 4 times, a couple in the mornings and a couple in the evenings, it is generally to hot and humid during the day to get any pollination.
I already have tomatoes setting on the plants which is a good sighn that I should have some ripe tomatoes come the first week of November, Tomatoes prior to Thanksgiving here are a good thing and demand a high market price. Last year I was getting $2.50-$3.00 a lb on tomatoes at that time of year!
I'll keep you guys updated, I hope I didn't ramble too much and sorry that this isn't particularly well writen or scientific information but you can check all of that out at the end of the year in my research journal.
If you haven't notice it is my intention to get these things to bloom early and often hence the bonemeal/greensand fetilizers
Your friend,
Alan
