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Old December 10, 2019   #87
MsCowpea
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10
Posts: 369
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That is an interesting abstract. I have always been able to successfully grow tomatoes in the ground in raised beds
with no crop rotation for years in S Florida which is a nematode Mecca. I was able to get great yields but always had bad nematode infested roots at the end of the season which I just accepted. I have tried various
Suggestions over the years. The marigold that is recommended was like a woody shrub and hard to incorporate. Univ of Fla. recommends cover crop sun hemp which was a stink bug nursery and I believe
Introduced fusarium. It also , if allowed to get too big, was hard to incorporate. Grew thick and big like sugar cane. Clear plastic solarization was not practical for me . A nematode expert that lectured a class I took didn’t think is was all that helpful anyway unless you doubled layered the plastic with a space between the layers. Mustard, another brassica, has been studied as well.
But the aphids LOVED it and I would never plant again. Broccoli is pest free for me so I should
Give that a try.

I have over the years been convinced that the advice of compost and more compost is the secret in our sandy soils. We compost horse manure and bedding in big quantities sometimes adding alfalfa hay as well. (See Charles Wilber, How To Grow World Record Tomatoes for composting tips)

I also have used chicken litter fertilizer for years so the abstract you site says it helps with yield but not the galling and I didn’t even know it. I took a workshop at Wordens Organic Farm Punta Gorda Fl. They used microstart
60 (chicken litter) which I was able to purchase for years. Can’t get it anymore so I use Black Hen,
Told it was the same thing. Good luck with dealing with the nematodes. Hope you get a decent
Yield in spite of them.

(***My raised beds were put in 18 years ago. I have 3 really large ones , about 15 feet by 15 feet. And 8 smaller ones, no wider than 4 feet and about 10 feet long)
__________________

"When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work."
Carl Huffaker

Last edited by MsCowpea; December 10, 2019 at 11:57 AM. Reason: Correction
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