Here comes a bunch of details.

Every Spring we get tornado weather, windy thunderstorms and hail storms.
Every Spring my tomato plants and other veggies get beat up by all the storms and a few frost bites. I designed and built a greenhouse to protect my tomato plants. I designed it so the poly roof would stay on year around but the side wall poly comes off and the ends up to the roof comes off. All the poly is attached with wire lock system for easy removal. The greenhouse is 24x75.
The side wall poly comes off in 3 different 25 ft sections so that I can gradually remove the poly as the temps warm up or I can detach and lower the poly in sections to allow air flow. By Summer all the poly walls are off and 30 % Shade cloth is put on the poly roof to lower the heat and prevent fruit sun scald.
The poly walls are made of 4x4 post that are concreted into the ground. I dug all the holes and concreted them myself with occasional help. My husband set the roof rafters.
[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/102_0798.jpg[/IMG]

Rather my plants are in grow beds or in pots, I give them the same fertilizer mixture
If they are in 4 gallon pots, I put 1/4 cup of dolomite lime in each pot.
If they are in 25 gallon and or in the grow bed to grow a full size plant with little pruning then I put 2 cups of dolomite lime for each plant or 25 gal pot.
I use the micro-nutrients sold at [url]http://www.foodforeveryone.org[/url]
The fertilizer mixture contains 20 pounds of 13-13-13, 3 pounds of epsom salt, and 8 oz of the micro nutrients. The foodforeveryone.org gives instructions for the mixture. I give them a tablespoon of calcium nitrate every 10 days or if I know I will use my entire fertilizer mixture, I will mix 3 to 4 pounds of the calcium nitrate in the mixture. The calcium nitrate dissolves easily and if it is not used quickly or kept very dry when added to the fert. mix, it makes the fert wet and nasty.
I fertilize the 4 gallon potted plants once a week ---estimated 1 tbs per week.
I give the larger plants 3 to 4 tablespoons per week. (large 5 to 6 foot plants with around 15 vines on the plants.
I just sprinkle it around the plants.

The grow bed soil consist of Peat Moss, Vermiculite, existing soil and commercial compost . Sometimes a little homemade compost is added.

This year, I grew some tomato plants in 4 gallon pots and set them 2 inches into the grow bed soil. (my idea of semi rotation) And the tomato plant roots always find their way out the bottom of the pot and take root to the ground anyway====so----this gives them a place to go to find more nutrients and a place for excess water to flow. I do occasionally put my calcium nitrate around the outside of the pots and water it in. Next spring the plants will be set directly into the grow bed.

I did not heat the greenhouse this year. I set the plants out April 1st. ish.
We never got a hard freeze after that. Had a few frosty nights and that was it.
I did have a diesel turbo heater standing by if I needed it.....I don't like using the diesel turbo heaters. After a while they start putting out too much ethylene fumes and that will harm the plants and stunt their growth and cause distorted growth. (been there, done that) If I use a turbo heater, I like for the heater to be fairly new. Cleaning the heaters never helped.

The plants growing in the 4 gallon pots have 2 to 3 vines on each plant. Some have 5(experimental)

Watering. I have used watering systems in the past. I rather manual watering. It gives a better distribution of the water. Full soil coverage. It doesn't take long to water. Takes me about 40 minutes every morning. Plus at the same time I can inspect the plants. Every two days I will shake the plants to help pollination and I inspect while doing that too. I gradually remove all the leaves below the first cluster of fruit. Gradually.

You don't have to have a greenhouse to use the same trellising system either.
The plants growing in pots are pretty much trellised like a Clothes Line Method.
There are a few examples at the foodforeveryone.org web site. It is a non profit organization. They do offer e books. I was lucky and got my books when they offered paper back years ago. They do have some free information on the website and I think they have a small greenhouse construction plan. It is really nice.
I will take more detail pics today.

Great looking plants, and thanks for that link. Seems like a very informative site with lots of free info even includes directions to make what they are offering yourself and and an easier substitute.

Keep the pictures coming. I am a month behind our frost plant out date here, so at least I can see some pics of tomatoes this year. LOL

I am new to this forum, and this is a little off topic, but why can't I see the pictures in this thread? I see pictures in some threads, but not in others where people are commenting on "how great your plants look". What could be wrong? I looked in the FAQ and searched on "Why can't I see pictures", but came up empty.

Wow Carolyn, that is a great looking setup. What do you do with all those tomatoes?

Vita, I have no idea why you cant see the pictures. If you have dial up= maybe it takes a while for them to load like it does for me on some web sites.
Maybe you can view the pictures at my photobucket account. /but you will also more than just tomatoes and gardening at this link. You will also see burned home, mobile home, and new home construction.(currently in progress) And you will see my greenhouse plant sales business which is now currently out of plants and closed for the year.
[url]http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/[/url]


What do I do with all those tomatoes. I can some, and make salsa. And I sell some. My big hobby supports itself. I sell from right here.==down in the boondocks. Not really the boondocks. Just seems that way. I live on a busy road in the country.

Took a few more pictures.

I am 5ft 11 inches tall. I don't have small hands but I don't have big hands either. So I will compare this brandywine fruit with a tennis ball.

[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/100_1079.jpg[/IMG]

more

[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/100_1070.jpg[/IMG]

Big Beef - should be ripe around June 8th= ish

[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/100_1087.jpg[/IMG]

Big Beef growing in 25 gallon pots. They are much younger than the ones under the greenhouse roof.

[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/100_1068.jpg[/IMG]

Very nice. Some of my tomatoes will be in 5 gal containers. I don't
have the micro-nutirents but I do have calcium nitrate, dolomite lime
and osmocote 14-14-14. How much calcium nitrate? 1tsp per week?
Thanks for all the details.

Sometimes I get bored and just want to talk tomato. (my obsession)

I only grew 8 tomato plants in the 25 gallon this year. I could of done 26 but have too many other responsibilities this spring.


Top of the trellis system in the greenhouse structure. Chain Link Fence railing.
trellis is for the plants in the 4 gallon pots.

[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii105/CricketsGreenhouse/100_1069.jpg[/IMG]

Roper= I guess I should of added to start out with small amounts of fertilizer and gradually build the dose up as the plants get bigger.
I start my young plants out with just a pinch of calcium nitrate for a few weeks then up to tsp ==then up to a tbs when they are about 4ft tall

thanks for all the lovely comments. I do what I love and I love what I do.

Happy Gardening

Awesome job. Thanks for the pics and the good info. Very inspiring.