Weekly Garden Thread - July 16-22, 2022 [Ode to a Tomato Edition]

July 16, 2022 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Sacajaweau]

a teaspoon of sugar...

[BipolarBob]

Golden Jubilee and Chefs Choice are large sandwich size tomatoes.

[who knows what evil?]

LOL...I just noticed that I am growing a couple of varieties that do NOT appear on that list.

[GaltAdonis]

"... Put netting over my plants ..."

Chipmunks dig / burrow right under netting / fencing.
And sometimes they are too STUPID to get back OUT of the mesh net.
Very short memory - except when it comes to where the tomatoes are.

Happened to me once - a totally panicked chipmunk bouncing around
the inside of the mesh trying to find it's way back OUT.
What an annoyance.
They are NOT the most intelligent of creatures - nope.

[Sacajaweau]

Sounds like like they're having fun with you....

Hmmmm...I'm pondering...

[Sacajaweau]

This is the best I could find...I know my local farmer said pie pans clinking works. Also, I used soap chips for my melons and that seemed to work.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-get-rid-of-chipmunks/

[Sacajaweau]

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-get-rid-of-chipmunks/

[Sacajaweau]

I’m sure you’ve tried everything. Go to your local farm market....support your local farmers. :-)

[bert]

I support my chipmunks and shoot stray cat killers with my BB gun

[bert]

If you give them plenty of sunflower seeds they will leave your garden alone

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

In addition to suggestions from Diana and other posters, You tube has all kinds of videos about tomato varieties which is a good way to get familiar with them without spending

Video of One mans choices for tomatoes. (Chance to see what they look like and his comments.)

If I Could ONLY Grow 7 Tomato VARIETIES for the Rest of My Life, These are My Choices!

His list....Super Sweet 100, polish heirloom Soldaki, hybrid Chef's Choice orange (developed from the Amana Orange tomato), Sun Gold, European heirloom Rosa d Burn, Costaluta Genovese, Lemon boy. (I would include Pinapple or old German and at least one dark tomato like Black from Tulsi. )

Here is another video one about the most productive varieties.

My MOST PRODUCTIVE TOMATO Varieties! [And 4 Varieties To Avoid]

(no cheat sheet for this one!)

These are just two videos, there are lots more!

[GaltAdonis]

"...varieties ..."

Thanks for that list!
Bookmarked and saved.

BTW - This year I'm only doing Roma Plum, and Early Girl.
I've found them the be tried and true reliable.
Smallish plants and smallish tomatoes - but early, quick,
and superb producers! LOTSA tomatoes - they just keep going...

And perfect for container gardens - just use 5+ gallon pots.

.

Roma Plum:

Early Girl:

[Sacajaweau]

There's a good "think out of the box thought".

Maybe even grow sunflowers nearby.

[LilFarmer]

I’m having the same problem, only tomatoes up to about 1’ up, half eaten. At first I thought it was my hen, but now I’m thinking chipmunk or raccoon - not sure how to tell the difference?

[ansel12]

Which cheap fertilizer has the calcium for tomatoes?

I did just order Miracle-Gro Shake ‘N Feed Tomato, Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food because of the calcium but your sounds better at 8%.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

“If you give them plenty of sunflower seeds they will leave your garden alone”

And you will ensure that you have a massive colony of chipmunks and next years sunflower patch, but ... cute chipmunks to watch!

[Sacajaweau]

Cayenne Pepper?? Any of the hot peppers.

You need a spy camera....LOL

[GaltAdonis]

"...If you give them plenty of sunflower seeds..."

Yup.

So 'Sunflower Stew' (black oiled sunflower seeds in water)
is what I use to bait the trap.

Sunflower seeds are the one thing chipmunks love more than tomatoes.

But NO I am not going to pay big $$$ feed black oiled sunflower seeds
to chipmunks all summer long. The things have become relatively expensive.

And I do NOT want feed and breed multitudes of chipmunks either...

[who knows what evil?]

For those of you who grow in five-gallon pots; the 150 or so varieties designed by the 'Dwarf Tomato Project' are PERFECT for those pots. (I use 5-gallon root pouches for mine.) The exclusive source for all 150 varieties is Victory Seeds.

[KC Burke]

I learned the hard way about wiring insulation that is non-petroleum based that GM and other car companies used the last 18 years trying to be eco-friendly. In the winter time, chipmunks love to chew it. I had a car port stored Tahoe that had a thousand dollars in wiring damage from those cute little monsters.