How Can I Improve the Taste of Container Grown Tomatoes? - Page 2

ContainerTed · February 20, 2009

I'm always amazed at the way most of us look for the panacea of taste, fruit size, and other factors. I'm convinced that we could all grow the same varieties each year and some would rate one above the other in any given category of taste, production, etc...

So, I will continue to grow as many varieties as I can each year and decide (eventually) that my setup gets me some good tomatoes from certain varieties. There are too many variables in the formula to make concrete statements.

But, I think that we can gather a list of a few that will produce for us (individually) each year in an "acceptable" harvest of flavor and quantity.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Ted

sprtsguy76 · February 20, 2009

Its funny because I grew a half dozen well known varieties in 18 gallon homemade SWC's. They all got the exact same soil, fertilizer strip, inconsistant watering schedule and sun. One variety stood out that had that "wow" factor and the rest were spitters. So all in all my inground tomatoes were much better than my containered ones last year. Go figure!

Damon

amideutch · February 21, 2009

As I am very happy with my liquid ferts I use (BioBizz Bio-Grow) which is organic I'm thinking of tweaking my aggregate I'm using (rhododendron mix), with a couple products I found at "Planet Natural". One is "Kelp Meal" and the other is "Shellfish Fertilizer". Also some new one's for my foliar which I have already mentioned in that thread. Ami

hasshoes · February 21, 2009

I've read in a couple of places that Miracle Grow like products and soil mixes can negatively affect the flavor of your tomatoes. . . that's why I've been hesitant in the past to grow in containers.

Don't know if it's true though!

geeboss · February 21, 2009

A touch of Boron, a dap of Pacific Sea water with rain water and your nocturnal sprinkling mixed with some kelp will assist you in your quest, Ray.

George

**nctomatoman** · February 21, 2009

I just thought of something....the single best tomatoes I've had in recent years - Green Giant and Lucky Cross - were both grown in containers. Just incredible flavor. And Sungold grows in a container each year and the flavor is identical to when grown in the ground.

rnewste · February 21, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeboss

A touch of Boron, a dap of Pacific Sea water with rain water and your nocturnal sprinkling mixed with some kelp will assist you in your quest, Ray.

George

George,

Could you be a bit more specific on the Boron additive? Is it in a commercial product form where I could purchase it at Lowes? As I live about 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean, I certainly could fetch a couple gallon jugs of seawater, and I think I've got the "nocturnal sprinkling" well in hand...

Wi-sunflower · February 21, 2009

Boron = Borax = Boraxo

Many parts of the country are low in Boron, especially the mid-west. I forget just what it does for tomatoes, but for broccoli and cauliflower if you get "hollow stem", especially if it's rusty or brownish inside, you are low in Boron.

You need to be careful tho as too much can be toxic to the plants. That can be used to your advantage tho if you grow beets. Beets are 1 of the few plants very tolerant to Boron. After seeding, you can sprinkle a narrow strip of Borax on the ground above the beet seed. It won't hurt the beets but will serve as a "herbicide" to keep the weeds down in the beets.

I don't know the exact amount to use tho as that is something a neighbor market grower friend of mine does. I would think you could find it somewhere in the internet tho. I have seen it in some university bulletin years ago.

Carol

dice · February 21, 2009

Tomato-tone contains Boron. So do a lot of other pre-mixed
organic fertilizers. I think even Miracle-Gro has some.

There was a thread last year or the year before on kelp and
flavor on the GW tomato forum. A few people expressed the
opinion that kelp enhances flavor (micronutrients), while
one grower said that he had grown the same cultivar side
by side with and without it and that he could not taste any
difference in flavor. He did notice that it seemed to have a
positive effect on seedling vigor and health, though.

My impression is that brix comes down to minerals and
microbes, mostly, and a reasonable pH. The farther you get
below 6.0 or above 7.0, the worse your brix readings, because
mineral nutrients that the plant needs quickly become insoluble
at those pH levels. If your soil is actually deficient in something
vital, you get the same brix downgrade even if the pH is right
on at 6.5. If your soil lacks soil microbes (killed by sterilization
or chemicals), a lot of the minerals that are there are not made
available to the plant. (This is where compost and manure teas
and earthworm castings can help a container mix, repopulating
it with beneficial microbes that were killed off in the process
of making it disease-free from the factory.)

Notice on the fertilizer labels where it splits nitrogen and other
elements into "soluble" and "insoluble" proportions? Without
the soil microbes that can break down those insoluble
compounds into water soluble components, the plant never
gets the benefit of that part of the fertilizer.

amideutch · February 22, 2009

For those interested in more information on Brix here's a link.

http://www.tandjenterprises.com/brix_equals_quality.htm

Here's a link to the forum at Yahoo where they discuss brix and ways to increase the qualities of produce grown thus increasing the brix as well. Ami

BrixTalk@yahoogroups.com

rnewste · February 22, 2009

Good Morning Ami - - I am ready to go to bed here tonight (Saturday evening)!

As always, great information to read up on. Thanks,

Ray

amideutch · February 22, 2009

Yes, when I come online in the AM most of you colonials are getting ready to hit the rack. A big world we live in. Ami

newatthiskat · February 22, 2009

Or you get us night owls! Off tonight and am hoping I can get a nap soon
Kat

amideutch · February 22, 2009

Kat, I new that was comming.

That's why I said most. I worked shift up till 2001. Then I became a "Day Bagger". At least now I get every weekend off but still miss shift work. Problem is the older you get the longer it takes the body to recuperate, especially when you flip flop between days and nights. Ami

newatthiskat · February 22, 2009

Yes it does! Have to go to days for next 1-2 weeks for some intense computer training. Of course I have seen the program and no way it will take two weeks unless there is more than I have had a glimps of
Kat

February 20, 2009	#16
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	I'm always amazed at the way most of us look for the panacea of taste, fruit size, and other factors. I'm convinced that we could all grow the same varieties each year and some would rate one above the other in any given category of taste, production, etc... So, I will continue to grow as many varieties as I can each year and decide (eventually) that my setup gets me some good tomatoes from certain varieties. There are too many variables in the formula to make concrete statements. But, I think that we can gather a list of a few that will produce for us (individually) each year in an "acceptable" harvest of flavor and quantity. Of course, I could be wrong. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

February 21, 2009	#18
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	As I am very happy with my liquid ferts I use (BioBizz Bio-Grow) which is organic I'm thinking of tweaking my aggregate I'm using (rhododendron mix), with a couple products I found at "Planet Natural". One is "Kelp Meal" and the other is "Shellfish Fertilizer". Also some new one's for my foliar which I have already mentioned in that thread. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

February 21, 2009	#19
hasshoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: MT Posts: 438	I've read in a couple of places that Miracle Grow like products and soil mixes can negatively affect the flavor of your tomatoes. . . that's why I've been hesitant in the past to grow in containers. Don't know if it's true though! __________________ Sara

February 21, 2009	#21
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	I just thought of something....the single best tomatoes I've had in recent years - Green Giant and Lucky Cross - were both grown in containers. Just incredible flavor. And Sungold grows in a container each year and the flavor is identical to when grown in the ground. __________________ Craig

February 21, 2009	#24
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Tomato-tone contains Boron. So do a lot of other pre-mixed organic fertilizers. I think even Miracle-Gro has some. There was a thread last year or the year before on kelp and flavor on the GW tomato forum. A few people expressed the opinion that kelp enhances flavor (micronutrients), while one grower said that he had grown the same cultivar side by side with and without it and that he could not taste any difference in flavor. He did notice that it seemed to have a positive effect on seedling vigor and health, though. My impression is that brix comes down to minerals and microbes, mostly, and a reasonable pH. The farther you get below 6.0 or above 7.0, the worse your brix readings, because mineral nutrients that the plant needs quickly become insoluble at those pH levels. If your soil is actually deficient in something vital, you get the same brix downgrade even if the pH is right on at 6.5. If your soil lacks soil microbes (killed by sterilization or chemicals), a lot of the minerals that are there are not made available to the plant. (This is where compost and manure teas and earthworm castings can help a container mix, repopulating it with beneficial microbes that were killed off in the process of making it disease-free from the factory.) Notice on the fertilizer labels where it splits nitrogen and other elements into "soluble" and "insoluble" proportions? Without the soil microbes that can break down those insoluble compounds into water soluble components, the plant never gets the benefit of that part of the fertilizer. __________________ -- alias

February 20, 2009	#17
sprtsguy76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Santa Clara CA Posts: 1,125	Its funny because I grew a half dozen well known varieties in 18 gallon homemade SWC's. They all got the exact same soil, fertilizer strip, inconsistant watering schedule and sun. One variety stood out that had that "wow" factor and the rest were spitters. So all in all my inground tomatoes were much better than my containered ones last year. Go figure! Damon

February 21, 2009	#20
geeboss Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fairfax, VA Z7 Posts: 524	A touch of Boron, a dap of Pacific Sea water with rain water and your nocturnal sprinkling mixed with some kelp will assist you in your quest, Ray. George

February 21, 2009	#23
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	Boron = Borax = Boraxo Many parts of the country are low in Boron, especially the mid-west. I forget just what it does for tomatoes, but for broccoli and cauliflower if you get "hollow stem", especially if it's rusty or brownish inside, you are low in Boron. You need to be careful tho as too much can be toxic to the plants. That can be used to your advantage tho if you grow beets. Beets are 1 of the few plants very tolerant to Boron. After seeding, you can sprinkle a narrow strip of Borax on the ground above the beet seed. It won't hurt the beets but will serve as a "herbicide" to keep the weeds down in the beets. I don't know the exact amount to use tho as that is something a neighbor market grower friend of mine does. I would think you could find it somewhere in the internet tho. I have seen it in some university bulletin years ago. Carol

February 22, 2009	#25
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	For those interested in more information on Brix here's a link. http://www.tandjenterprises.com/brix_equals_quality.htm Here's a link to the forum at Yahoo where they discuss brix and ways to increase the qualities of produce grown thus increasing the brix as well. Ami BrixTalk@yahoogroups.com __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

February 22, 2009	#26
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Good Morning Ami - - I am ready to go to bed here tonight (Saturday evening)! As always, great information to read up on. Thanks, Ray

February 22, 2009	#28
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	reply Or you get us night owls! Off tonight and am hoping I can get a nap soon Kat

February 22, 2009	#29
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Kat, I new that was comming. That's why I said most. I worked shift up till 2001. Then I became a "Day Bagger". At least now I get every weekend off but still miss shift work. Problem is the older you get the longer it takes the body to recuperate, especially when you flip flop between days and nights. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

February 22, 2009	#30
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	reply Yes it does! Have to go to days for next 1-2 weeks for some intense computer training. Of course I have seen the program and no way it will take two weeks unless there is more than I have had a glimps of Kat