# growing tomatoes



## moltenone (Feb 13, 2007)

if your like me and love the tomato here is a sure fire way to get plenty for the season.
we have so many we give tons away to family and friends all season long.
if you like them try this method you will be sold on it.
also a tip,i use a good comercial grade weed block.
try it and post your results.

Mark

THE JAPANESE TOMATO RING

Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll need about 80 quarts of good topsoil.  Mr. Rogers buys two bags of topsoil for each ring.  If you have an excess of good garden soil, use that; it will take about two wheelbarrows full.

Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll also need two bags of mulch.  Mr. Rogers uses cypress mulch, but you could use any other shredded bark mulch or good quality finished compost.  The only other ingredient is a 10 pound bag of 10-10-10.

Take 15 feet of five foot high farm fence (or concrete construction) wire and roll it into a circle five feet in diameter, placing the cylinder in a sunny spot protected from the north and northwest winds if possible.  Clear a seven-foot wide circle and break the topsoil a few inched deep.  Place the wire ring in the circle, leaving a foot of cleared soil a foot outside the ring.

Place the mulch or compost six inches deep in the ring and top it with a layer of soil and half the fertilizer.  Add another layer of mulch or compost, another layer of soil and 2/3 of the remaining fertilizer on top of that.  Save the rest of the fertilizer to sprinkle around the plants.

Pat the topmost layer down in the middle to create a depression to hold water.  Plant four, and only four tomatoes, spacing them evenly around the ring outside of the wire.  They will look small, but in time they will grow roots under and up into the pile.  Lightly fertilize the new plants.  We mean lightly, because too much will wither them.  If things start to look dry, water the plants outside the ring when they are small and inside the ring as they grow.  Support the vines by tying them to the wire with soft cloth.

Once tomato production starts, top off the compost with another five pounds of fertilizer.


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## TulsaJeff (Feb 18, 2007)

Do you happen to have any pictures of this? Sounds very interesting!


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## moltenone (Feb 18, 2007)

yes i have one digital photo,i also might add that you should leave plenty of room around the ring,probably a good five foot for starters.
keep in mind that i grow beefsteak and betterboy type tomatoes.
at the height of the grow season each of these four plants will be in excess
of eight feet tall.
in the picture which is early on you can see the top of the ring, left hand side
it sits just at five foot.
if i can find the old photos i'll scan the garden pictures.


Mark


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## jrollins (Feb 27, 2007)

That lookes like a good idea. Have you ever used epson salt in your mix.I get about three times the amount of blummes on my garden plants. With the amount of soil you use i would put a 4lb bag in with it. A little goes a long way. good luck jrollins


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## shellbellc (Feb 27, 2007)

Sounds interesting...Who's Mr. Rogers???


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## cajunsmoker (Feb 27, 2007)

Epsom salts is good in your soil and then once every week mix powdered milk in your water, they really love the milk


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## deejaydebi (Feb 27, 2007)

Now I've never heard of milk ... hmmm gotta try that!


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## moltenone (Feb 27, 2007)

shellbellc............
and the rest of the story,THE JAPANESE TOMATO RING

The â€œJapaneseâ€ Tomato Ring has a long and interesting story.  It was first created by a Charleston, SC postman about 40 years ago.  It seems a Miami newspaper reporter, Eddie Jones, interviewed Mr. Callahan (the postman) about the Tomato Ring.  As Mr. Callahan and Mr. Jones inspected the tomato ring, they talked about tomatoes and Mr. Callahanâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s tours in North Africa, Europe and Japan when he was in the Air Force.  Somehow or another, Mr. Jones got his facts confused and ended up thinking that the idea for the tomato ring originated in Japan, when in fact, Mr. Callahan just started implementing the idea on his farm in South Carolina.

The story about the Japanese Tomato Ring ran year after year in the Miami Herald, and was picked up by other newspapers across the country.  It came to Louisville, when Mr. and Mrs. Bob Rogers were traveling south for a vacation, saw the story in a Macon, Georgia newspaper, brought it home and tried out the idea.  Mr. Rogers was so impressed with the tomato production using this method that he called Fred Wiche to do a story about it.

When I first started this job, I had a bunch of requests for â€œFredâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Japanese Tomato Ringâ€, but I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have Fredâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s files with the instructions.  Then finally, one day, just in passing, Paul Rogersâ€”the 84WHAS Sportscaster Extraordinaireâ€”told me that it was his dad who gave Fred the instructions.  Small world isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t it?  Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s how it goes:

Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll need about 80 quarts of good topsoil.  Mr. Rogers buys two bags of topsoil for each ring.  If you have an excess of good garden soil, use that; it will take about two wheelbarrows full.

Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll also need two bags of mulch.  Mr. Rogers uses cypress mulch, but you could use any other shredded bark mulch or good quality finished compost.  The only other ingredient is a 10 pound bag of 10-10-10.

Take 15 feet of five foot high farm fence (or concrete construction) wire and roll it into a circle five feet in diameter, placing the cylinder in a sunny spot protected from the north and northwest winds if possible.  Clear a seven-foot wide circle and break the topsoil a few inched deep.  Place the wire ring in the circle, leaving a foot of cleared soil a foot outside the ring.

Place the mulch or compost six inches deep in the ring and top it with a layer of soil and half the fertilizer.  Add another layer of mulch or compost, another layer of soil and 2/3 of the remaining fertilizer on top of that.  Save the rest of the fertilizer to sprinkle around the plants.

Pat the topmost layer down in the middle to create a depression to hold water.  Plant four, and only four tomatoes, spacing them evenly around the ring outside of the wire.  They will look small, but in time they will grow roots under and up into the pile.  Lightly fertilize the new plants.  We mean lightly, because too much will wither them.  If things start to look dry, water the plants outside the ring when they are small and inside the ring as they grow.  Support the vines by tying them to the wire with soft cloth.

Once tomato production starts pumping, top off the compost with another five pounds of fertilizer.  Mr. Rogers harvests about 600 tomatoes per plant per year with this method.

Taken from Cindi Sullivanâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s website.


mark


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 9, 2007)

Here's a ? to all ya'll "mater" growers.  Doing my first EVER mater in a pot I keep on the deck.  It's a Bush Celebrity (determinate).  Planted deep like the tag said too and it has a beautiful, thick main stalk.  Do I have to put a stake in and tie the mater to it, or leave it be?  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Got lots of yeller flowers already.  Thing is about 22" tall and about 30" across.  Any info would be appreciated.


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## deejaydebi (Jun 9, 2007)

I run lines of weed wacker string (which I buy at the end of the season cheap) and help the tomatoes branches wrap around and climb it. In a pot put one line every 12 inches or so. 

In my garden (which are raised beds) I have 12" x 144" x 12" boxes for tomatoes, cukes and beans. I put a nail in the box front and back every 6". Then I run weed wacker line from the first nail around the EMTand back down the oppsoite side to another nail. This give me 48 trellises if you will to wrap tomatoes around. I pinch off all but 4 good branches from each plant when they start growning and run these up the trellis (4 per plant).

Doesn't sound like much but I normally can over 200 quarts of whole tomatoes every summer and eat them like candy and bring bags full to work every few days.

Do the same with beans, and cukes too! No roted bottoms, even ripening and sweet juicey tomatoes and with no bending. Something like this:


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 9, 2007)

Thanks for the info Debi, but I have Just 1 mater plant in a pot (also have a japapeno plant in another pot, but thats's another story 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 ).  On the internet, says determinates grow to a certain height, and (my words) "dump" all within a couple of weeks.  Not like indetermanites (vine growers).  Would you stake the single stalk of my mater?


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## deejaydebi (Jun 9, 2007)

I stake all tomatoes just because they take less space that way (I have a very small yard) and I don't like them laying on the ground. They all tend to splay out and take up alot of space, if you train them to stick to the string you can spot a ripe tomatoe at 50 yards.

Something like this:


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 9, 2007)

Muy Bueno Deb.  Thanks for the info (and that poultry rub from your download).  Hope ya having a beautiful day as we are having here in MI.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  No smoke going.  Too much stuff in the fridge and I gotta hit the "hen apple" tomorrow (golf).  Have a great weekend!


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## deejaydebi (Jun 9, 2007)

Welcome Dawg

We are having one H#ll of a storm! lost power twice and the cellars got water again, but I'm here!


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 12, 2007)

I feel like a proud parent.  Just checked the mater plant, and low and behold, 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 about 5 itty biddy maters the size of a dime have developed.  Cant wait to chow them down!


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## jts70 (Jun 12, 2007)

Nothing like garden freah tomatoes, between my neighbor and I we have 88 tomatoe plants(shared garden, he doesn't have the space). His sister in law was gonna throw away about 30 plants, so we just added to the mix. so there will be lots of canning going on at my house this year.


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## shellbellc (Jun 12, 2007)

OMG Jeff, I thought I had a lot going!  88 maters...that's huge!  You better stake out stoke in Ball Canning Jar co.


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## jts70 (Jun 12, 2007)

Shell, let me know if you run short I'll send a bushel or 9


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## shellbellc (Jun 12, 2007)

I've got 28 of my own!!  You can set up a little stand out front and sell them by the quart! I can't imagine how much sauce you'll be able to put up. You'll need to plant a couple basil and oregano plants for soem fresh herbs in all that sauce!!


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 12, 2007)

I may be able to take one or two off yer hands if ya need me to.  You know, now, since I'm a "farmer".


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## jts70 (Jun 12, 2007)

Got the basil going already, and get the rest of my spices at Mennonite store.
Gonna make some relish with the green ones and pickle some of them to. Freeze some as well.Give a couple of ton away as well

Geoff,
Let me know if you need any I will be more than happy to give you some!


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## shellbellc (Jun 12, 2007)

Hey Jeff, If you want to spike a few of those pickled green ones, I'll have plenty of hot peppers!!!

Hey Geoff, $10 bet next year you'll have more than one mater!


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 12, 2007)

I ain't gonna touch that one.  I'm already wishing I got a couple more.  Remember my mom had a lot of maters.  She could'nt give any more away and I refused to take anymore, so she made homemade ketchup.  Said she'll never do it again (too labor intensive).  Taste was ok, not worth the effort after seeing her do it.


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## jts70 (Jun 12, 2007)

Shell,

Sounds like we will have to do some horse trading! I can always use hot peppers. I have no luck growing them, aslways bloom late


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 16, 2007)

Too late to start another mater in a pot?


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## smoked (Jun 17, 2007)

heck out here the growing season is just starting.......got three roma maters going, four cherry maters, and two yellow pear maters......and hell I don't like maters at all....which is why most of the new garden is dedicated to hot peppers!!!!!!


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## ron50 (Jun 19, 2007)

Beefsteak and cherries are popping out all over. Now if the bugs and birds just leave me some I'll be good.


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 19, 2007)

Mater plant broke......
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Had a small gust front come through today and I found the stake and mater stalk (at ground level) broke at 90 degrees!  What  can one do except play taps for the 15 or so youngins........ Guess I gotta start over with another plant, but this time get a mater cage, not stakes!  Dont have ta "plow" up the back 2x4.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Still Pi$$ed!


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## goat (Jun 20, 2007)

What causes the ends to rot?


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## crewdawg52 (Jun 20, 2007)

See post #28.   Got me a new mater plant!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  It's in the pot, but this time, in a cage.  No stakes for me!


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## dacdots (Jun 20, 2007)

Goat,are you talking about a rotten spot on the end of the tomato away from the vine?If this is the case there are two reasons I know of.One is uneven water,to much then to little.The other is a lack of calcium in the ground.You can buy a product called "blossom end rot preventer" and Ill swear to you that it helps.


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## goat (Jun 21, 2007)

Thanks, I could be guilty of both.


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