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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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SEAMSFASTER
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East Carbon, Utah
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Entry 1 of 50 |
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I'm going to be doing a side-by-side test between two strategies for growing giant tomatoes:
1. Huge Plants
vs.
2. Heavy Pruning
Gordon Graham used the Huge Plant approach. Giant Pumpkin growers (a different beast, I realize...) use this approach quite successfully
To the best of my knowledge, nearly all of the recent giant (3+ lbs.) tomatoes have been grown using the Heavy Pruning approach.
Briefly, my Huge Plant strategy will involve:
• An extra early start (see pic - 12 seeds started on 12-16-2011)
• Transplant up to 4-gallon pots as needed
• Transplant into a heated hoop-house type structure two months early (not built yet), around March 1st
• Feed plant heavily, especially the roots, until around August 1st
• Trim off all blossoms until around mid-August
• Set 3-5 fruit from good megablooms
• Once fruit are set, gradually terminate all vegetative growth and focus on feeding just the fruit (no more nitrogen)
• Thin to the fastest growing, most promising looking tomato
My Heavy Pruning strategy will be similar to what other growers use:
• Use the same number of plants of the same lineages (a paired experiment)
• Start seeds in mid to late April
• Transplant in late May
• Keep plant trimmed to 2-3 stems
• Use the Missouri modified pruning method (summer sun is pretty intense here - I don't think a little extra leaf surface will hurt)
We'll see how it works out! Gotta get that hoop house build SOON...
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