So....How big are YOUR tomatoes?????

   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #1  

Indydirtfarmer

Platinum Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2004
Messages
800
Location
Southern Indiana
Tractor
JD 2440/4440/4020/4955
I need a deal on LOTS of bacon and lettuce!!!!!
 

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   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes?????
  • Thread Starter
#2  
The tomatoes are "Beefmasters". They are ripening at "2-1/2" to 3" thick, and 4" to 7" in diameter. Had one 4.25 pounder! And GOOD! MMMMMMM mmmmmmmmmm!

Tractor is an Ertl (1/16th scale) "Precision" 4020, customized with weights, wide front end, scale 18.4" X 34" rears, ROPS and canopy.
 

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   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #3  
Indy, my garden is the worse I've had in over 20 years. We got drowned with rain a month ago and it is so dry now that it's unreal. I'm getting some tomatoes but not many and the big ones haven't started turning yet. First batch of corn didn't fill out real well, most of it got frost bitten and just didn't recover. Hoping the next batch is better, it's setting ears on now. The weeds are looking good though and are taking over.
 
   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #4  
Indy,
That 4020 has it's hands full. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Last year, I had bad luck with beefmasters so this year I only raised cherry tomatoes (we've been on a salad kick lately), and unfortunately some sort of a fungus already took them out. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I did, however have a better yield than last year though! To me, that's what counts most, is increasing yield, year to year. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Not repeating the mistakes I did last year. Next year, when I see the leaf tips turn brown, I'll dose it good instead of ignore it.
 
   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #5  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The weeds are looking good though and are taking over. )</font>

billbill1,
You know, my weeds have been looking better than they have in a good while! So, I must be doing something right. Additionally, my sticker crop is to be very jealous of! Too bad there's no market for them. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I've got a several species and can't sell them to no one. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #6  
Well, my tomatoes are over the top of my head.....that is the er plants I mean. The wifey picked our first "big beef" last night. Was it ever tasty along with the cucumber and onions in vinagar, new Macaslin pole beans, sweet potato , and venison roast. (sweet potato was from the store...mine are just starting to grow good).

I love eating out of the garden this time of year. I love to slice those big tomatoes about an inch thick...you know ...one slice covers your whole sandwich .

Good job Indy.... I think I am getting a tomato rush from looking at those pictures.

sassafraspete
 
   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #7  
OK it is SOOOOO dry where I live, and my garden is SOOOOO far away that I can't run hose to it, that I have LOST the majority of my corn crop. My bush beans are about 10" tall, but I have several hundred of the stunted little bushes. Not one of my tomatoes is over knee high, and only the cherry types have set fruit. My peppers are not setting either, most of the pepper plants range from 10" to 16" tall, the rest wilted and died. All of the eggplant survived, only 1 of the plants set fruit, out of 2 long rows.

We have about 2 acres planted with everything from watermelon to pumpkins to zucchini to leeks. I am about ready to till the whole thing under. The worst part is we grow the crops to donate to the food pantry and to the working poor. If we walk away with a couple bushels out of the entire garden I would be surprised.
 
   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #8  
Bob this sounds like a perfect excuse to run out and get yourself a BH. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Or at least rent a trencher as a fall project.


You can then trench a water line to your garden plot. We have 5 or 6 posts at various positions near the garden and each has a spigot mounted on it for easy watering.
 
   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #9  
Mike
The well is located up on the ridge where the house sits, it is 50' above the level of the garden area. In addition to running water down that hill, I'd have to cut through the woods too. From the well head to the beginning of garden area is roughly 500', the garden itself is slightly over 400' wide and varies in width. So I'd need to run 500' to get out there, then I'd probably need nearly another 1000' to post spigots in strategic locations around it? Sorry, but that is too much effort.

I did think about taking down a gas pump and dropping it into a small creek that is JUST BARELY OVER my property line on my neighbor's property. But that would have required buying new large diameter hose (which is expensive) and while the creek is close to where the garden is, I'd still have needed 500+' of that hose. And even my small pump would likely have pumped the creek dry, it is only about 6" deep where it pools.

It is really DRY here. I lost several ornamental trees this year (probably a dozen) and 3 of my 6 blueberry bushes are now brown too. We had one measureable rain last week. The last measurable rain prior to that was in May. It didn't even drizzle in month of June.
 
   / So....How big are YOUR tomatoes????? #10  
Bob I was in a similiar situation a few weeks ago.. my corn was drying up pretty bad.. leaves were curled for weeks.. bottom leaves yellowing & browning. I debated getting a gas pump.. but those started around $400.

But.. for just one sweet corn field: corn seed 50lb bag ($250).. 700lbs fertilizer ($150).. plus time/fuel spent discing, tilling, planting, cultivating.

(This is all temp... it will be put away for the fall/winter)
I had a deep well pump that I saved when "the well guys" replaced my original pump.

I bought 3/4 inch black poly pipe from Lowes... 400' roll is $76.. bought 2 rolls of 250' 3 wire. I would have gone w/ the 1 inch.. but the 3/4 inch roll of poly fit easily in my car.

Ran the electric from the house well pump breaker box 400' ft to the creek.. hooked the 3/4 inch poly to the deep well pump. Used a converter so I could connect a garden hose to the poly. I have 200ft of garden hose run off the poly w/ 2 sprinkler heads. W/out a pressure tank the pump keeps the pressure high enough that the 2 sprinkler heads cover a 60-80ft across circle each. I place the sprinkler heads on a 6ft step ladders for added distance.

I ran them for 3 days 24hr/day on one field.. it then started raining.

I couldn't even tell I was pulling any water from the creek.. the county I live in allows 10,000 gallons/day withdrawl for irrigation w/ out a permit.

I told the neighbor farmer.. that since I was watering.. if he cut some hay.. it was bound to start raining. He just laughed.. he never misses a rain when he cuts hay.

Since this was all above ground.. I had this set up & running in a couple hours.. hardest part was dragging the pipe/wire/pump down to the creek.
 

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