Re: [CH] Beefmaster Tomatoes (You say tomato, and I say ...)
Matt Prerost (mprerost@mindspring.com)
Mon, 17 Jul 2000 23:27:08 -0500
On Mon, 17 Jul 2000 21:00:59 EDT, you wrote:
>Mark and fellow Ch.Ds.,
>I grow them in Western Massachusetts. I get them in the ground BEFORE the
>last frost of spring. I bury them half a plant height deeper than the
>nursery sells them, nipping off all the lower leaves. In July, I sink a
>spade into the ground next (close) to one side of each one, cutting off
>one-fourth of all the roots. This technique tells the plant that fall has
>arrived. I'm an accomplished liar.
>I feed them 10-20-10 and MiracleGro for tomatoes at half strength. I add
>lime (just ask Lord Byron) to provide calcium to prevent blossom end rot (I
>also put eggshells [and a sardine] in the planting hole BEFORE last frost).
>In September, I hack the tops off the plants to put all energy into sizing up
>the lower immatures. This is also my stock for my artery clogging "fried
>green tomatoes" which I eat (sorry cardiologist) once a year. (Recipe anyone?)
>I get very large crops. Technique has never failed.
>Gareth the ChileKnight, Ph.D.
You scare me!
I was under the assumption that you add lime before or after the
growing season. But what the hell do I know. How much lime do you
add and what kind? Is it pulverized, pelted, what?
Not sure this is what I was looking for. I had to throw away two
beefmasters or was it big beef, because they got soft-rotted on the
bottom before the tops turned all red. Not a blossom end rot, I don't
think. I had some problems on another plant but it was at the tops of
them. This is like a rot from the inside like two tomatoes where
pressed against each other for a long period of time. All my other
tomatoes have no problems ripening up.
Matt Prerost