Fall and containers...winding down

[Ed of Somis]

Even in zone 10...I see evidence of my toms winding down a bit. I think the combo of less sunlight hours and the pots being root-bound by now...is taking it's toll. All-in-all, it has been a great first year of serious tomato growing. Loving my Cherokee Purple....

[KarenO]

nothing great lasts forever Glad you had a great year! I am watching the forecast up here and so far no frost in sight in my zone 3a garden but it's only a matter of time before I am out there picking lots of unripe green tomatoes to ripen in the house. I have been saving lots of seed and thinking about next year already. What would you do differently next time based on what you learned this year?
KO

[Ed of Somis]

K...I plan on doing two things differently: 1. I will increase the size of my containers from 15 gal (nursery) to 20 gal Husky trash cans. They are a bit pricey ($10)...but are light gray and solid. 2. I will have a much better support system (T stakes and wire support)...rather than the panicked stake, rope, ties, at the 11th hour. How about you???

[cythaenopsis]

^ I started out with bamboo stakes and plastic tape to lash the plants in place. It works fine for short growing plants, but anything over 4 feet tall and a metal cage is the way to go (or t-stakes with wire support). The two main reasons are the heavy weight of maturing tomatoes and high winds.

The only real prominent change I've witnessed so far is the lack of blossoms (which is good). It's a definite sign that the plants are moving toward the last stage. I've also started to see more leaves begin to dry up, especially the older ones.