7 Tomato Growing Mistakes (To Avoid)

[@GardenerScott]

It's easy to mix up different tomato varieties. I misstated that San Marzano is determinate. It's actually an indeterminate tomato variety.

[@Felice537791]

Is your name “Gardener Scott”, or are you a “gardener” named Scott? Been wondering for months 🤷‍♂️

[@GardenerScott]

I'm a gardener named Scott.

[@carloscortes6669]

Really? I have them growing in rows with a Florida weave. 🤯

[@sarahcrossen550]

Carlos Cortes Yes. I grew them last year in brand new raised beds and my plants reached nearly 7 feet tall. And since I didn’t keep the suckers pruned, they also reached nearly 7 feet in diameter. On my two plants I harvested 793 usable tomatoes (lost probably a hundred or two due to bugs and rot) from Aug 1 to Oct 11. This year, my plants are staying pruned to a single stem! (I am growing several indeterminate varieties with a total of 6 plants this year and won’t be able to process a ton of extra tomatoes.)

[@mangog8277]

How often you would water if your soil is only sand like in FL?

[@randomharts]

I loved the butterfly making its appearance at 7:50...the flower in the foreground was a nice touch❤️

[@olivershinn8144]

I saw that as well. Pollinator alert!

[@jwstanley2645]

Thenk you. So helpful! So, help me, Scott.

[@amandavhb1630]

I have been attending master gardener zoom presentations in my region. I find them helpful, but NOTHING beats a Gardener Scott video! Best, clear, concise, informative info out there.

[@2200chuck]

I have grown to really appreciate Scott's episodes. They are concise, accurate and easy to understand. This channel is among the best gardening channels on KZbin.

[@FloridaGirl-]

Agree with both of you! 👍

[@Jamescityboygardening]

Check out permaculture online. Earth friendly..

[@b.bailey8244]

@@Jamescityboygardening also encourages growing invasives which become a real problem. Not entirely sold on permaculture for that reason.

[@Jamescityboygardening]

@@b.bailey8244 I love the wisdom Scott imparts on everyone. You ask him a question, you get and answer. Permaculture was something I was investigating. How about this weather, here in the piedmont two days last week we hit 99 wiped out my romaine lettuce.

[@carpediemjonah8110]

Gardener Scott is by far the most comprehensive and successful gardening guide I have yet found. A rare teacher and a genuine master gardener. Learning for a lifetime. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.

[@janicecooke1127]

"And not emotional support". Thank you for the emotional support! I've enjoyed watching your videos and spending time in the garden this year even more than ever before.

[@Neldidellavittoria]

Your tomatoes need support, and that's not emotional support but actual support. That blew me away! XD

[@DayLiaC]

9:17 Emotional support. lol Thank you so much, all your videos are so helpful for newbie gardeners like me. I can't wait for your upcoming greenhouse videos.

[@Jamescityboygardening]

Living system institute Golden, CO. Compliments, Gardener Scott. Anyone not following gardener Scott is missing the master gardener information. I am a believer in learning from others mistakes. I love growing for wife and neighbors. My neighbors all around me all grow to. Hopi g we can share our crops. My Grandfather was s a share cropper from the 30's to the 80's he was also a blacksmith.

[@nedcramdon1306]

I think this is the first time I've heard anyone saying to leave a lot of the suckers on. Going to try that this year.

[@VinceEspositoJr]

It's nice to finally hear someone confirm my own view on suckers! Could never understand why folks feel the need to pinch them off. I prune tomatoes similar to how I prune some trees. If for some (good) reason I don't want a branch, then off it comes. I tend to prune some of the thick, heavy "leafy" branches to let sun and air penetrate.

[@j.b.6855]

I learned about spreading disease this year. I had the tomato plants to close together because I had 15 of them, blight got in half of them. Then I pruned a few of them and did a health one with the same pruners, it got infected. I now use alcohol wipes on the pruners after each plant.

[@HeideHoney]

J.B thanks for the reminder!

[@brendag5820]

Ah thank you for this very informative video! I was sad that my determinant tomatoes were not growing much fruit at all - because I was told to pinch out all of the suckers! Learning as we go.

[@KeyAnah]

me too, i learn something new every time, this time it was also the pruning i did wrong.

[@heathicusmaximus8170]

I loved the butterfly having us focus on the flower when you said the plant wouldn't focus on the flower after given a ton of nitrogen. A helper!

[@jeffcrist2977]

I swear growing tomatoes is an art form. That's what I love about it. I've learned a good deal from this channel. We've had a storybook springtime this year. So far all your advice is producing results for me.

[@SuperEvilC]

Really loving the straw multch on my garden patches this year... put straw on my dad's garden too. We are both very happy with it and it's going to be used every year from now on around here.

[@ritasenergyherbs3650]

I thought of straw last year...I wondered about weed seeds falling into my raised beds...which were new with Purple Cow organic soil - which is weed seed free. I had none last year.

[@christianerardt3705]

Great advice - thank you for that! 👍💚🌱 I know some gardeners put a little pot in the ground on the base of the tomato plant to put the water in there. It works like a little depot for the water and helps not to splash the water at the plant.

[@carolynsteele5116]

Very good information as always! Another mistake Ive often made in growing tomatoes is to use way too small and flimsy of cages and have the plants overwhelm the tiny enclosures.

[@mitribaroudi4207]

I’m a first time gardener and have been watching your show for tips. Three months in i I have amazing tomato 🍅 plants. I have tons of tomato’s growing although they are still green. Thank you for all you do.

[@frankburns8871]

One mistake I've made (and continue to make, tbh, despite this warning) is starting the seeds off indoors too soon. You get that cabin fever in late winter, the days are getting longer, and maybe you've had a couple of springlike days...and you can't resist the temptation to start your little tomato and pepper plants off on that sunny windowsill. The problem is they get mature enough to be ready to plant outside way before the weather is conducive to doing so. While you wait for the weather to cooperate, the little plants are struggling to get enough light through the window, and get leggy (spindly and weak) in their vain efforts. You end up not getting the headstart you'd expected, and might actually end up having been set back a bit.

[@ritasenergyherbs3650]

I live in Wisconsin and plant on Memorial Day weekend...want to start seeds for the first time this year and just not sure when to start.

[@maureenodonnell9600]

Thank you Gardener Scott, you cleared up a lot of questions I had about growing my tomatoes!

[@GottabKD777]

I pruned all suckers from my IND tomatoes this year, but this video helped me decide to try letting some suckers grow to the first flower set next year and then terminate them after that. This way they won’t get too bushy and still have good airflow. Thanks.

[@growingmyveggies]

Omg! I just learned so much, I did some of this mistakes already and my romatoes plants are not happy. I will start them again. Thank you!

[@JohnandBobs]

Gardener Scott’s channel is refreshing because after studying Landscape Architecture at U.C. Berkeley and working as a nurseryman, landscape contractor and landscape architect for 41 years, the glaring misinformation I find in many gardening videos is frustrating. I find Gardener Scott’s videos to be topical, progressive, accurate and most of all realistic. His emphasis on the importance of soil quality resonates with me. So much so that I have made my own KZbin channel and company that focuses on specific methods to improve soil and to understand how to maximize soil productivity. I would love some support and feedback. Feel free to check it out!

[@cassidymassidy5664]

Very good explanation of Scott’s philosophy! I love his videos, they have helped me make my entire backyard and vegetable garden completely organic. I will definitely check put your videos, too!

[@treebeard7140]

Soil is alive man. It's amazing the chemical reactions and biological interactions. A few loads of food scraps I made a meadow. That soil is totally different than it started 3 years ago.

[@JohnandBobs]

Tree Beard one of the questions we love to ask a lot is “Is your soil alive?” The interconnectedness and complexity of microbiological soil life is astounding. Always nice to meet a fellow soil enthusiast! :)

[@serrielu8025]

It’s all about the worms.

[@treebeard7140]

John & Bob's Smart Soil Solutions it's quite fascinating once you.. dig a little deeper 👌 Trying to teach myself botany in doing so I end up learning about geology, history, meteorology, mycology.

[@michaelmarchione3408]

Thanks for such an informed video. It is always good to learn from others and I'm learning an relearning a lot from you..Sometimes you forget what you knew and did in the past. Your videos are a very good reminder.

[@Dee.C]

One big problem we have in the area where I live, SW Oklahoma , it can be frost one day and 100+ the next . So it can be tough getting them in the ground after all frost and before they literally burn up from the bottom up and die out.

[@GardenerScott]

I attempted to garden in Altus one year (many years ago) and encountered all of that. My garden was a failure.

[@Dee.C]

@@GardenerScott Then you have some idea , maybe of where I am. I am in the country south of the little town of Temple, almost a Texan and could probably spit on the Red River from here If I were inclined. It is horrible some years. I have had a few good years though. One year we had so many tomatoes we had canned, frozen, made sauces and still gave large paper sacks of veggies to friends and neighbors. That was a banner year . I had enough sauces and canned , frozen veggies for our large family for 2 years. Yes, a full 2 years. We don't get much of that here.

[@dougmorissette459]

Love your videos. I am growing tomatoes, peppers and sweet success cucumbers (hybrid self pollinators) in my greenhouse because we have a bad pest problem here. I am in zone 7b and the temperature in my greenhouse has reached as high as 105F. I have an 18 inch fan running inside pointed at the door which I leave wide open on sunny days and I have both of my roof vents propped wide open which has dropped the temperature to about 93F on the hot days. The soil was all replaced in the greenhouse with extremely rich in nutrients soil this year and I have about 2 inches of mulch covering all of the soil. I water when the soil feels just barely moist. But I have been having flower sets drop on the tomatoes and peppers. I had a lot of flowers on the cucumbers but about 25% of the small cucumbers have turned yellow and died. I have fertilized every 3 weeks with an organic fertilizer that have a very low nitrogen number that is supposed to promote flowering and fruit set. I transplanted everything into the greenhouse after hardening the plants off by June 16th. Everything is growing very well but not much fruit is growing. What am I doing wrong? Please help me. Thank you.

[@paulgiurleo7989]

Great advice for a new gardener! Thanks gardener Scott !

[@charleshawkins9540]

Extremely helpful, well-made videos. Thank you very much for all of the wisdom you impart from your experience. All of this great information will make gardening much more pleasurable and productive!

[@heidiclark6612]

Thank You for another informative video. Tomatoes have so much that could go wrong. There are so many diseases and wilts that they can get. Its hard to diagnose a lot of them. Thank you for some clarification.

[@heidiclark6612]

I love John and Bob's soil solutions

[@garden_geek]

Wow I had no idea excess nitrogen could cause calcium to not make it to the fruit. That’s very good to know! Installing a drip line on an automatic timer made a huge difference in the health of all my plants, but especially the tomatoes. I used to single stem my tomatoes meticulously. Every sucker was removed. But I eventually realized I was sacrificing a lot of fruit. Now I still prune a fair amount but I let them branch out a lot more. I made a trellis for my tomatoes instead of using a tall pole like before. One more tomato tip is check if the variety grows well in the conditions for your area. It gets very hot for prolonged periods here so many varieties won’t produce at all for me, even with shade cloths. San Marzano and similar Italian varieties, however, do quite well for me though because they’re native to an area with a similar climate. Learning new things every season!

[@ejfishes7610]

Excellent advice Gardener Scott, I know I’ve learned the hard way on some of these. Important thing is we gain knowledge and grow from those mistakes. Hands down one of the best channels on KZbin. Have a great Thanksgiving!

[@elizabethmcfarquhar1826]

Farmer Scott i just met you andi have learned alot. I planted some tomatoes and they bolt and not produce. Thanks for this great lesson.you are a timely teacher.

[@jefffarris9238]

Scott, great video. Very informative for newer gardeners and good reminders for more experienced gardeners. I'm surprised you didn't include improper spacing, particularly spacing plants too close, which often can be a problem if and when diseases show up.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks, Jeff. This video is intended to discuss problems after the plants are growing. I have a future video planned to discuss problems when planting, like spacing too close.

[@JupiterSun-888]

I’ve got a bunch of starter tomato plants from a nursery. I still have to determine which ones are determinate vs not. I am excited to see what comes of the tomato plants I got I know some are hybrids as well

[@natureswildplayground]

Thank you for posting this it was very helpful the way you explained this topic between different types of tomatoes

[@freakygardener8033]

Great video Scott! I built a bottom watering system (I show how I did it on my channel) so my tomatoes ALWAYS have water.

[@Mary95191]

Thank you! Great information!

[@Wisconsincatmom]

I learned tons of stuff watching this. So informative and helpful, especially in regards to pruning and diseases. Thanks again Gardener Scott😀

[@DerekBlais]

I am guilty of excessive sucker pruning. I only leave the ones that grow flowers within a few days of me noticing the new growth. I honestly thought it was better to take them all off. Thank you for the tip.

[@YouthfulHahaha]

NOT the emotional support. HAHAHAH. We love you GS!

[@josman0873]

Gardener Scott, i always love your videos and thank you for them, can you do a video of the different types of diseases and images of what it looks like? or how to determine and deal with each? Also how can you determine if you soil is diseased and what you can do about it? thanks!

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. Good suggestion and I am planning a video like that. I hope to film it in my garden, but so far I haven't had any disease issues. If you know that your plant has a disease that comes from soil, you can assume that your soil carries that pathogen and will need time for it to die out.

[@dustyflats3832]

Thanks for explaining about sucker pruning. Yes, many say to pinch them all, but I found out you lose a lot of harvest.

[@PegsGarden]

Thank you for all this useful information, I was always told to pinch off the suckers and I usually regrow them but I notice I didn't get that much fruit so this makes perfect sense!!

[@marymiller4155]

Very helpful! Thanks!🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

[@gaminggodxxlx5991]

Good evening! Thanks for the tips! I will use it when its my growing season again!

[@darlenesmith8186]

Thank you for so much good information!

[@fcjcheah]

Thank you very much for the good info!

[@Steve-ps6qw]

Great advice, as always! I learned the hard way about not using trellises.....

[@keithshumaker6402]

Thank you for all the great information a lot of these things I know but it is always good to have someone to remind you

[@johnhpalmer6098]

Great video and stumbled onto your channel a few days ago. I'm from the Pacific NW, Puget Sound area and am now in the mids (just starting actually) to divide my Iris rhizomes up as they've bloomed and the stalks are not ready to pull so will just cut back as they are crowding the bed around the perennial Fuschia and other plants in the west bed along my house. I did this in 2017, but early spring and replanted about half of the plants back into the same bed and now it's time to split and your video on that says late July/August is often a good time to split them after they've bloomed. I also am growing cherry tomatoes, they are bushes and in cages so they have not gotten tall, but rather somewhat bushy and are loaded, one plant more than the other but when I got them in May, they were in pots and came from a volunteer farm my sister worked at and were the extra plants they were trying to find homes for, so she took several I got two. They went in within a day of receiving them one looked a little less healthy than the other but both went into the ground in an area that gets sun from at least mid morning to early evening before the sun begins to go down, on the south side of my shed for reflective heat. They are doing reasonably well, one better than the other and they don't produce fruit all at once, but but do have a bunch that are still green and have been picking them nearly daily for a while, but now, I think they are slacking off a tad on ripening but I to pick them when they begin to ripen and let them ripen in my kitchen. I did learn a couple of years ago to pinch off some of the excess flowers so the plant can then direct energy to producing fruit and I do prune, but more to let light into the middle so the fruit can not only grow, but ripen. Other than that, some fertilizer along with good potting soil I had on hand with the initial planting and another sprinkling of fertilizer last week, just in case. I have not done much other than watering, Now, it's roughly every other day or 2 as we are in our dry season that is woefully short some years (namely late July through mid Sept generally speaking) and this spring was cool and on the wet side but so far, so good. I've tried growing Romas, which word has it do not do well here, but there are tricks to make them be successful though. I even grew a Brandiwine and it did OK, not fantastic (not a lot of fruit, but I think the weather may have had something to do with it). Anyway, good videos with a clear and concise dialogue about the subject at hand and agree that there is SO MUCH misinformation out there on the internet in general in all topics that it can get difficult to figure out what's worth heading or not.

[@monicam.8006]

I planted a bunch of tomatoes before I had my accident, and I put the open packet of seeds on a ledge near my garden. After my accident, I moved a massive flower pot near the ledge and planted casper pumpkins. Absolutely none of the tomato plants that I planted in my garden grew. I blamed the seed company- not my inexperience with outdoor gardening of course ! :). Now, my pumpkin plants are growing big, and I have a tomato plant that thinks its a pumpkin and is growing (in the ground not the pot) right beside them! I don't know what I'm constantly doing wrong. It's not got flowers on it, but I think it just wanted to be friends with the pumpkins.

[@vickyfarquhar3476]

Monica M. That is sweet! So far I seem to find that the self sown tomatoes in who-knows-what soil grow wonderfully and the ones I have planted and cared for and given all sorts of nutrients are not nearly as good. Hasn't stopped me doing the same thing again this year... Your self seeded tomatoes makes me think of throwing out our spent bird seed husks, and now I have sunflower sprouts all over the place. Google tells me that they don't mind what soil they are in, so suddenly I am really hoping to have sunflowers and then harvest the seeds! Good luck with the pumpkin. Hopefully you can harvest the seeds from it - they are delicious and cost a small fortune. It is a mission to peel the husks off though, but I am going to try growing them as well, especially for the seeds.

[@gaildunn8047]

I rewatch this every tomato season . I would love to have a detailed video about diseases,how to identify and treat . And when to give up and remove this plant. Just a thought, thanks.

[@GardenerScott]

I like to do videos showing what's happening in my garden and diseases are on my list of future videos. For good or bad, I don't have the common diseases in my garden which is why I haven't done that video yet.

[@TrueCanoe]

thanks for the advice brother!

[@MrDerJohann]

Nice, Informative Video. And greattings from Germany🇩🇪💝🇺🇸🍅

[@cgalvan1]

I have been hearing and learning about growing tomatoes on a single vine. This is pruning all suckers. Then lower and leaning them as they get taller. What are the pros and cons of each method and which gives more pounds of fruit?

[@mexcanfun4498]

My garden is full of weeds and my plants are growing perfectly in with the weeds which shade the ground. In southern Mexico 94 with solid sunshine every day so its different here than all the vids.

[@kimiyemlsmallgardendream8115]

Oh it’s so hard to pull a plant! ❤️🍅❤️

[@Wisconsincatmom]

Very painful indeed😖

[@karenlatham4053]

This was my first year to grow determinate tomatoes. I do like them because they're small. There was just way too many tomatoes on there. Every time I got a sucker, for some reason the whole tomato plant would wilt. When I pulled off the suckers everything went back to being fine . I just pulled off all the suckers. I had way too many tomatoes so I was fine.

[@juneshannon8074]

Karen Latham interesting info, thanks, I’ll give it a go

[@joseramos-ky6oz]

thnx 4 sharing ur knowlege. B@ peace and safe, Jose

[@roflstomps324]

Well done video, Sir.

[@customcutter100]

Never knew there were determinate and in-determinate varieties. Looks like the BigBoy variety we bought are in-determinate which is good, longer producing. However, they are hybrids so I can't save the seeds. Need to find an Heirloom for next year. Thanks

[@jefftangen6755]

Great video good info tyvm .

[@lukeg2091]

Great tips!

[@arndpelzer1227]

Well explained.

[@maxtoysplaytime]

Great video, big like!

[@Dee.C]

Simple solution with the bags, surround them with some straw. It will hold in more water.

[@GardenerScott]

Great suggestion. I haven't tried that. Thanks.

[@eyesblade]

About pruning; in the episode about pruning tomatoes, you have prescribed to prune the suckers, however, in this episode one of the mistake - as you've said - is to pruning the suckers which can cause a lanky vertical plant. Can you please clarify on the differences in suggestions?

[@GardenerScott]

It depends on how much space you want the plants to use. To grow vertically with one or two main stems, you want to prune suckers. To grow laterally and fill a stationary trellis, you can let some of the suckers grow.

[@eyesblade]

@@GardenerScott I'm actually growing them in 10 gal. grow bags with 2/3 finished compost, leaf mold, vermicompost and peat-moss. Thinking about adding some bonemeal since they started to flower. Any pruning tips for container tomatoes?

[@elisataylor556]

I heavily pruned around half of my tomato plants and left the other half to bush out. Especially the chocolate cherry ones. I plan to over-winter them inside under grow lights if necessary. So far I have 12 tomato plants plus one I managed to root from a pruning that's already over a foot tall.

[@barbaraperry2796]

Thank you!

[@katieloss5772]

Thanks for this timely video during tomato season on 7 mistakes to avoid growing tomatoes. I can count on one hand the mistakes I’m already making. At least it is not two hands! Lol. Is there a book that you would recommend on diseases which would help the home gardener identify what is likely wrong and what to do about it? Thank you!

[@GardenerScott]

Good question, but I don't have a go-to book. I need to determine one. Thanks.

[@katieloss5772]

Gardener Scott Thanks! Let us know in one of your videos when you have found one. :)

[@drhelenloney1426]

I have really come to regret over pinching out my tomatoes, I do indeed get a great straight plant with two tomatoes. I went from no pinching out to obsessive pinching out, ach. This year I started out as I usually do, then we had a 40 C heat wave and my green house got very hot, and my tomatoes ceased to grow entirely. They have restarted, except for one which is just stalled, and I'm letting the new shoots take over, because all of my main stems just ceased to grow. I also one year pinched out all of the flowers by mistake ;(

[@MaVdara]

Jealous with all those cattle panels. I’m still trying to figure out how to transport them home from the store. I’m using T post to Florida weave my indeterminates, but they get too tall. So I increased the length by connecting conduits to the T post, connected them, tie up some strings now they’re on a string trellis.

[@GardenerScott]

Good system. I'm doing that too and plan to show it in a video soon. Thanks. I hope you can get your cattle panels.

[@juneshannon8074]

Gerald St Augustine I’m in Australia and my local agricultural supply store will cut them free of charge for me. I live in a semi rural area. Might be worthwhile making a few phone calls regarding this. I also get them delivered free, but even if you had to pay delivery I consider it a good investment as I have found the cattle grids to be invaluable. Best of luck.

[@MaVdara]

June Shannon the only place that sell those (the quality cattle panels) in my area is Tractor supply which is 30 miles from me. Also they’re 16ft in length, I’m just going to time my purchase to when I need to rent a flat bed truck since I’m doing a lot of DIY improvements in the backyard. I’m sure I’ll get my hands on them, I just have to be patient so I could save $$$.

[@ritasenergyherbs3650]

What are you favorite determinate tomatoes and your favorite indeterminate types? Which type do you prefer Scott? All I want are good Romas for making sauce - do you prefer San Marzano or Amish Paste? And good slicers for BLTs and burgers - such as one Early Girl and one Beefsteak . Is the indeterminate variety the type best suited for vertical growing? I really appreciate this video - last year I tried to follow a "misinformation" video on pruning. I did not get much fruit butchering my plant. My plan this year is to build a strong vertical trellis. (My mother always told me to prune off lower branches and then just make sure your plants were not so thick that air could not move through. I should have listened to my mother.) I have one 4x12 foot and a 8x12 ft raised bed for my vegetables. Thank you - really appreciate your vids. Are you a Wisconsin grower? BTW The Spruce site has San Marzano listed incorrectly then "Many paste or Roma tomatoes are determinate varieties, such as 'San Marzano' and 'Amish Paste'."

[@GardenerScott]

I like Black Krim, Celebrity, Kellogg's Breakfast, Sun Gold, Sweet 100. It is indeterminate for trellising. I'm in Colorado.

[@christiensgarden3325]

Great video

[@davemeeks8109]

Over watering can be a problem but what are your thoughts on dealing with to much watering from rainfall. The beefsteak family of tomatoes develop cracks and splits when there's days of over inches of rainfall but what can be done.

[@GardenerScott]

One of the reasons I like raised beds is because they can have better drainage for the occasional heavy rainfall I get from thunderstorms. You can try covering the plants with a tarp to keep rain off, but for days of rain I suggest harvesting early and letting the tomatoes finish ripening indoors.

[@jend7103]

Scott last year I had tons of tomatoes but majority of them would not turn red. Such an abundance of green tomatoes. What was I doing wrong? I want to add I probably pruned too much

[@GardenerScott]

If it's too hot or too cold, tomatoes might not turn red. If it is a variety that takes a long time to mature, cool temperatures in fall could be an issue. Picking the full-size green tomatoes and bringing them indoors is one one for them to ripen inside.

[@2200chuck]

Excellent episode with SO much good information. Thank you. Just 1 quibble though. At mark 1:54 to 1:58 you said San Marzano and Roma are very common Determinate tomatoes. While Roma are the determinate type, the San Marzano is not - it is an Indeterminate variety. Other than that this is a really good teaching aid and will be downloaded into my permanent library. Thanks

[@stevejohnson7118]

I also understand Roma and San marzano to be indeterminate. I'm only growing San marzano this year but last year had Roma's at 7 feet tall.

[@GardenerScott]

You're right.

[@daniellebailey6802]

I like to grow a ton of flowers around my plants. This attracts pollinators and also attracts wasps that attack the tomato worms. I never have issues with them since I started doing that. Now what to do about stink bugs....🤣

[@mapofthesoultagme7143]

I heard if you grow tomatoes outside in cold climate places, like Calgary, Canada, where I live, then it may be better to not bury tomatoes so deep in the soil. It depends on the soil temperatures, which can be different from one house to another in the same city. The super hot temperatures, 26C or hotter, aren't around for that many days, but there are heat waves from climate change these years. Last year there was an extreme heat dome here and in some other parts of Canada. Have you heard of this concept? I want to plant outdoor tomatoes next year, but I am unsure if I should bury them deep. Calgary gets a lot of sunlight and has a dry prairie climate.

[@GardenerScott]

Yes, planting shallow in cold regions and deeper in hot ones can help moderate the differences in soil temperature. Using mulch helps reduce soil temperature variation with weather extremes.

[@Dee.C]

What about semi determinant tomatoes ? How would you raise them? Would you cage, trellis , bush or prune to one central leader?

[@GardenerScott]

I would let most of the suckers grow and train them in a large cage or sturdy trellis.

[@TheCookster64]

I use 8 foot 1x2 stakes, notched at two inch intervals for my indeterminates. Works great and I get...9 foot plants!

[@jimoyler1780]

I've been growing heirlooms and it has been a disaster. I'm now growing some Roma and Bella Rosa tomatoes. I do have a couple Belgium Giants that are looking good so far.

[@anniecochrane3359]

Gardener Scott, do you get tomato/potato psyllid in your region? This has become a big problem here in New Zealand. It apparently originated in the U.S. so I'm wondering if you have experience of this psyllid, and if you do, how you deal with it. I imagine you don't have it as you haven't mentioned it. As an organic gardener, I use neem granules in the planting hole, and then spray with neem oil. I have heard concerns expressed about using Neem granules regularly, in the soil. The best solution is to cover the crop with mesh - this works well for potatoes, but is really hard with tall tomato plants needing regular care. Any ideas? As always your videos are full of great advice that I look forward to implementing this summer.

[@GardenerScott]

They are the most damaging insect to potatoes and tomatoes in my state, but luckily I am outside the normal migration range and don't have a problem. Encouraging predatory insects is a good way to deal with them. Here is what my state publishes about control: extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/potato-or-tomato-psyllids-5-540/

[@lucaskolesar8145]

My garden has a lot of flies that are always on it's surface! Is that a problem and if so, what should I do? Thank you so much for your high quality videos!

[@GardenerScott]

Take a close look and try to identify them. There are many native bees that look like flies.

[@lucaskolesar8145]

@@GardenerScott Thank you!

[@lucaskolesar8145]

@@GardenerScott I looked and I believe they are! Why would they be on my garden, are they wanting the water? Thank you for your great videos!

[@stacythompson4211]

What do you do when you have determinate tomato plant that has a stopped growing, and it’s not growing anymore? Do you pull it out of the ground?

[@GardenerScott]

When I complete the harvest on the determinate tomato I usually pull the plant and then start new seeds or transplants in that area for a fall garden.

[@thomaslist252]

Im kinda surprised that spacing wasnt on the list. How "tight" should you plant indeterminate tomatoes on an arched trellis?

[@GardenerScott]

I plant about 18" apart but they can be closer with rich soil.

[@audreyhight]

Last year a local nursery tomato expert told me that I didn’t need to add anything to the soil to correct blossom end rot. She said that when temperatures rise above 95 or so, tomatoes are stressed and can’t take up available calcium in the soil, no matter how much I add. Rather than adding to the soil, she suggested shading my tomatoes when a “heat wave” of multiple days over 95 occurs. Have you heard this or tried this?

[@GardenerScott]

Yes, most soil has the calcium that tomatoes need. High temperature, too much water, and too little water are all reasons for blossom end rot when the plant can't absorb calcium. A consistently moist soil with some shade over the plants can greatly reduce the problem.

[@judikesselring-bursby8434]

We have been doing raised bed gardens for a few years with drip irrigation. Here in Sacramento it gets very hot and even though we water in the mornings the soil dries out half way through the day. I haven't been able to figure out how to keep the soil moist, but I'm hoping I just need to use a lot more mulch. Also, since the soil is drying out I'm wondering if we're losing nutrients in the soil as the water just goes straight through? I would appreciate any advice. I see these beautiful container gardens/raised bed gardens and am determined to also have one. Thank you.

[@GardenerScott]

Organic matter in the soil and mulch on top should reducing drying out. Most nutrients will remain but nitrogen easily leaches out if the water is running through.

[@tiffanyoconnor8468]

I'm new on my hand. My Mother had a beautiful green thumb for gardening veggies! Got a food dehydrater, for mostly of my chx bone broth. Im trying figure out what I can do for my fam when 💩 hits the fan! And when internet is unavailable! What BOOK would you suggest for survival gardening?

[@GardenerScott]

I think gardening requires more than a single book. Here's some of what I recommend: bookshop.org/shop/gardenerscott

[@kschleich1950]

I have a dilemma. Were having a cold nights in Seattle. My tomatoes are still in pots waiting for warmer nights but they’ve quit growing. If I plant them they may not thrive but if I leave them in pots they will get root bound and I don’t want to plant them in bigger pots at this late date. Any ideas? Its been mid to high 40’s at night.

[@GardenerScott]

You can go ahead and put them out if the long-range forecast is good. I suggest putting some hoops and plastic over them at night to help boost the temperature a bit.

[@jimsingleton3790]

We live in Colorado also! What city do you live in Scott? We live in Pueblo! We really enjoy your videos!

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. I'm near Colorado Springs.

[@dol3980]

Unlike Scott, I am a homesteader here in Eastern Ontario with 100 acres: saying that I have access to great mulch from cedars hollows that I cut for kindling and compost made from maple and oak leaves in abundance + decomposed birch tree tops-so a lot of nitrogen and carbon byproducts, and using hemlock or cedar bark takes decades to decompose in my garden-what a pain to remove this stuff. His "tips" on using straw are rite on, and too much N stunts fruit growth quid pro quo radishes and even cux. I cud go on n on but his advice is sooo pertinent even to egoist gardeners like me, who essentially live off the land, and not government handouts.

[@AtomixVlog]

Nice vidéo brother 💪👍👍🙋‍♂️✌🎀🌺🍀☘🌿🌱

[@fomomofo6917]

I’ve always been told to leave between 3-5 suckers.

[@terrimarks3694]

My pole beans don't have blossoms heat maybe. Now its cooler will they blossom? Or should I replant? WI gardener

[@GardenerScott]

They may blossom as they grow more. You probably have time to plant more if you choose that too.

[@nehalvishar]

Thank you so much !! Always learned lot from your videos.is that ok to use free mulch on top of my bed? Thanks again.

[@GardenerScott]

It depends on the mulch. If it is free of weed seeds, chemicals, and contamination, it's probably good.

[@nehalvishar]

@@GardenerScott thak you very much!!

[@kellyhumphrey979]

I live in Ontario Canada and I planted beefsteak tomatoes and the tomatoes on one of my plants turned a greyish black on the bottom. I have them in a raised bed right off the ground and also have them staked up. Do you have any idea what my problem is and what to do about it.

[@GardenerScott]

It's probably blossom end rot. Inconsistent watering is the most likely cause.

[@gmx440]

hi Scott gr8 info on tomatoes. is 9-4-12 water based fertalizer good for vegetables or its to high on nitrogen?

[@GardenerScott]

It depends on the soil. If the soil already has ample nitrogen, that could be a little high.