A Late July Container Update: 8 Varieties of Tomatoes & 5 Types of Peppers

A Late July Container Update: 

8 Varieties of Tomatoes & 5 Types of Peppers

A late July update of my container tomatoes and peppers. Some of the plants are well over 6 feet. The peppers have grown nicely and everything has fruit on them.

You can see how the techniques used in my other videos worked to help these plants grow. I also give you the names of the tomato and pepper varieties and talk a little bit about them. Just a basic tour. These were the tomatoes that were hit by a late season frost. Many were damaged. They all rebounded and grew!




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What are Those Bumps on My Tomato Plant/Stems?

What are Those Bumps on My Tomato Plant/Stems? 

The bumps that appear along the stems of your tomato leaves are root buds or nodes. These root buds normally form when a vine falls to the ground and stays moist. It recognizes the right conditions to grow roots.

When you get consecutive days of rain and 80% or higher humidity for several days... your tomato gets tricked into thinking it is contacting the moist ground. It forms these bumps up and down the stem anticipating the need to grow roots. It is not a disease and not a reason to worry. It just look bizarre and freaky.




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Yellowing Tomato Leaves Maybe Normal: High Temperatures?

Yellowing Tomato Leaves Maybe Normal: 

High Temperatures?

Yellowing leaves can be a sign of different issues that may be effecting your tomato plants. There are disease and fungi that create leaf patterns that may turn leaves yellow. There are nutritional issues that may turn leaves yellow. There are insects and pests that, you guessed it, will turn your tomato plant leaves yellow. Those reasons are reason of concern and often merit a specific treatment or response from the gardener.

There are however, other reasons for leaves to turn yellow that aren't red or should I say yellow flags of alarm. Determinate variety tomatoes die out once they reach a set height and set fruit. That is a normal yellowing and life cycle of the tomato plant. The video highlights my indeterminate varieties of tomatoes and follows 4 planting areas of the 'Brandywine' variety tomato. With 7-10 days of 95-105 degree heat and nearly 100% humidity... a healthy tomato plant responds. That response is often yellowing leaves. And that is nothing to worry about. The tomato sheds leaves knowing it can fall over, set roots to the ground from its stem and grow strong again. It doesn't know we have it staked up.

You do have to make sure you keep the basics going. Make sure they are being fed, watered and inspected and managed for diseases and pests. When all those thing are in check... sometimes yellow leaves are normal. The 'Brandywine' always gets yellow leaves and 'leaf die out' come the high heat in my area. My new variety 'Matt's Wild Cherry' is yellowing heavily. Around this yellowing tomato are healthy green tomato plants that have been cared for the same way. The only difference is the heat, humidity and how different tomato varieties respond to the climate in your Zone. There is something you can do and that is to try out different tomato varieties each year and remove varieties that do not do well in your Zone.





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What are Those Bumps on My Tomato Plant/Stems?

What are Those Bumps 

on My Tomato Plant/Stems?

You might find a lot of bumps or nodes along the stems of your tomato plants. They look funky and creepy but they are nothing to worry about. If you are in an area with high humidity or get long periods of rain... you tomato plants often get tricked.

The water vapor makes the tomato think the stem is touching the moist ground. The bumps on the stems are budding roots. It is not a disease or fungus and there is nothing to worry about. The video will show you examples of the bumps on the stems and explain why the occur.





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60 Seconds or Sow: All About Determinate Tomatoes /Massive Fruiting

60 Seconds or Sow: 

All About Determinate Tomatoes /Massive Fruiting

There are basically two kinds of tomatoes. They can either be indeterminate varieties, which grow all season long or they can be determinate varieties. Determinate varieties generally follow a standard pattern of quicker development and have their uses in our gardens.

Determinate Varieties:

1. They grow to a set height and stop growing
2. All their flowers bloom at once or in a short period of time
3. All the green tomatoes start forming within a short period of time
4. The tomatoes fully ripen within a short window of time (about 10-14 days)
5. After their fruit ripen, the plants die out

When you grow determinate tomatoes, you will end up with a massive amount of ripe fruit all coming at the same time. The video will give you a good idea of what they look like and how they mature.

Determinate tomatoes typically bring tomatoes to your table in 55-65 days. While indeterminate tomatoes may take 80-100 days to deliver mature tomatoes, determinates provide you with a great way to eat tomatoes while you wait for the larger indeterminate varieties to ripen. Determinates are also great in containers and for areas with shorter growing seasons.




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