Carolyn

I love all your manure varieties, my first love will always be horse, followed by goat, rabbit. Worm has always been a staple as well.

I came up with a plan for all the composting and found homemade organic fertilizer mix recipe and how to use it in a regular garden plot or grow beds. I do have several grow beds. I have not completely figured out how to use it in containers
I only have a mild headache.

The fall tomato plants bloomed 2 to 3 weeks sooner than the spring crops does because they had more heat hours and more sunlight. They have ripened even earlier than the spring crop does. :surprised: The plants are only 12 wks old from sow date. All together, they are ripening 4 to 5 weeks sooner than the spring crop does. These are the Sweet Million. Saw a couple of Big Beef ripening too.

[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/100_5308.jpg[/IMG]

oh to have fresh maters and sweet million, I so want some home grown maters. Could I come stay with ya for a week and work for maters...LOL

LOL...I have a million chores.
one for each mater

What an amazing sight, Carolyn. Can I ask how far apart the 4-gallon pots are spaced?

The pots are spaced 6 to 8 inches apart. It really depends on how many vines I grow per pot. I try to make sure each vine has 8 to 12 inches of growing space for air circulation. I space them further apart if I have extra space.

Switching to organic growing?
 

Hi Carolyn,
Have you ever had your soil mixture tested for Ph, NKP etc... I'm new here and think I remember that you use half peat and half compost. I just started gardening again and have put in raised beds with the same mixture as used in Square Foot Gardening. Equal parts of peat, vermiculite and compost. Only have four 6' X 3' beds so I'll be able to spend alot of time caring for tomatoes. After looking at all your pictures I'm green with envy.
When you switch to organic growing I'd really be interested in your methods since you obviously have a very green thumb and I'll need all the help I can get. How you manage to do what you do and still find time to report on your hobby escapes me, but I'm glad you do! I hope you 'll continue to be able to keep us informed on how you approach organic growing.

pathfinder = I have never sent my soil in for testing cause that would be a lot of testing but I do have a home pH tester and some kits to help me keep the pH close to what it should be.
I will come back soon and post my plans for organic on a small scale and plans for partial organic.

Carolyn = I was wondering if you have a target Ph that you go after in your present set up? I think you're taking the right approach going "small scale organic" in light of your success in the past. It will sure provide a great test . Good luck!

pathfinder, I like to reach 6.5 to 7 pH. The nitrate in the calcium nitrate helps me keep it around those numbers if used on a regular basis but I am trying to get away from the calcium nitrate by using homemade compost with rabbit manure, chicken manure, dolomite lime, seaweed, fish emulsion and homegrown Worm casting tea.

I love SFG. I have several raised beds and grow by the square foot. Mels mix is great but the secret is in the compost and I don't use Mels Mix anymore.

to give yall something to look at while i come up with an organic plan, I put together a youtube slide show of the tomatoes I grew in 2009 in 5 gallon poly grow bags using the fertilizer I have mentioned here before.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwv9-7go_yg[/url]

I also grew a giant cantaloupe that weighed 45 lbs. It was grown on 90 % organic soil amendments of bone meal and gympsom, dolomite lime and a bucket of rabbit manure. 10% was a beginning application of the mittleider mix with micro nutrients but that was only one time. I foliar fed it with fish and seaweed. It's also listed on my youtube channel. Point is, If I could grow a melon that big with mostly organic, how many and how big of a tomato can I grow organically?

Organic list= I know I will be using fish emulsion powder and seaweed powder. Powder because It's cheaper in bulk and lower shipping than the liquid.
I know I will be using worm casting tea because I have been raising the worms.
Rabbit manure cause I raise rabbits and Chicken manure cause I raise those too.
Some folks don't like bone meal but I love it.!!! Grew some giant carrots with that stuff.
I know I will be using rock dust/phosphate but I need to find a supplier.

Carolyn = Just finished going thru all the photos on your Facebook site. Looks like you have a great family and I'm even more amazed by what you've accomplished, even with your family's help. I say that because unless you're quintuplets, getting everything done that needs to be done with just one person would be impossible in my mind! Before I saw the pictures I thought you just grew tomatoes. I was blown away by how big and varied your operation is. You grow so much and raise so many animals. You make it look so easy! I know that it isin't.............that's a lot of work. Folks on the forum should visit your Facebook page to see the extent of what you're involved in. At my age, it would wear me out in a couple hours (Hence my four small raised beds). Needless to say, I'll be checking on you on a regular basis. I've already learned a lot from you. Thank you so much.

your welcome pathfinder and thank you. I do all the gardening and the greenhouse plant sales and production but sometimes I have fall "clean up" help. My youngest son has the chore of feeding and watering the rabbits and I take care of all the birds.
I'm kinda hyper and I manage to get it all done.