Container Makeover, Denver

[whistech]

Ricky, your garden is absolutely beautiful and I can tell it must take a lot of effort to make it look that way. Your tomatoes look fantastic!

[Ricky Shaw]

Thank you Mark, Nema, Whis.

Funny you say that Whis, about the work. It's more than I had originally planned, and two weeks ago just when I thought I'd hit the wall, on this being more work than fun. I take in the scope and see blushing fruit, and start thinking of what I can I change and make better next year.

[Ricky Shaw]

This is more vegetation than I probably need on some plants, maybe it will cut down on sun scald.

Pic2 Chapman is coming on and now setting toms when a lot of plants are stalled in the heat. The leaf roll is some of the worst in the garden, but otherwise a nice shade of green and healthy. Slow starter, but this is one I'd like to keep in the line up. It's staying short and stocky, nice traits for indeterminates in containers.

Pic3 Cosmonaut Volkov, is in the running with Moskvich for first tomato. It's also the plant in the foreground of pic1, load up nicely.

[AKmark]

Is that Chapman in the middle pic?

[Ricky Shaw]

The glow green, flatter ones. The pictures lined up funny, the Cosmonaut Volkov was the portrait pic, the two others are landscape.

I've not grown Chapman before, the big oblate and stocky plant fit, you'd know. What you think?

[jillian]

Nice work Ricky Shaw! How do you find the taste of Moskvich? I almost grew it this year, perhaps it will make the cut for next year.

[Ricky Shaw]

Jillian I'll let you know, this is the Moskvich I have my eye on. It looks more ripe than it is on camera. I've not had a full size tomato of any kind from the garden, just cherries.

It will have to taste real good to keep a place, it has some negatives for containers. Very succulent plant, grows somewhat like a determinate and is difficult to prune and still leave adequate shading. Yield is okay, but it drinks ferts/water at the same rate as a four-stem Brandy Boy with 3 times the tomatoes.

Edit to add: Plant photo. They stand about 5ft not including the container.

[Gerardo]

Good to know about Moskcvich's thirst. I have two at the seedling stage about to move into a bigger container.

Things are looking outstanding, strong work.

I know the feeling of hitting the wall, I get it sometimes after replacing all of my plants for the 3rd time in the same year.

You will like Chapman, it has deep tomato flavor akin to the Brandywines.

[Ricky Shaw]

Strong work is the highest praise, thank you for that Gerardo. And I'm an artist too, this vegetable abstract I've named, "Hippie Girl in a Yellow Bandana".

Pic 2 is the Moskvich, tasty and juicy. Had one sliced on 1/2 a BLT, the other half was with Cosmonaut Volkov. I liked CV better, but both were marvelous.

[AKmark]

I like your modern art display

[Ricky Shaw]

Excellent production and heat tolerant, a staple in our garden, Big Beef is on the hottest end of the garden and still some of the healthiest plants.

Cukes on the trellis, the fore is Green Dragon hybrid and they were good early, but have turned bitter with the heat. The far plant is my first time with Diva and I'm giving them five-stars. Crisp and flavorful, zero bitterness and everyone is raving about them.

The squash and zukes were the hybrid container varieties, Spacemiser/green and Buckingham/Yellow. Both very good, and the Spacemiser is a production machine. (10gal poly grow bags)

[Ricky Shaw]

Pic 1 Crnkovic Yugoslavian has the best features for container growing of any heirloom in the garden. A very high fruit to foliage ratio with smallish diameter pliable vines. The best producing OP plant in this garden, pound for pound, on water/ferts. This one is pruned to 4 stems in a 15gal pot and most toms are ripening to softball size. I love the taste of this tomato and will grow two plants next year, a 2 stem in a 15 gal, and 1 stem in a 10gal.

Pic 2 Rose de Berne

Pic 3 & 4 Cosmonaut Volkov

Pic 5 Orange Russian #117

Pic 6 Couple of Brandy Boys loaded up.

Pic 7 garden view

[Nematode]

Really beautiful, well done.
CY on my list for 2017.

[PureHarvest]

Yeah, good to hear on the CY. It is on my 2017 list for one of my pinks.

[Hellmanns]

Beautiful, beautiful, work, Ricky! I wish I had found this forum years ago.