Official Hogville Annual Home Grown Mater Thread.

[LSUFan]

All things Mater go here, recipes, pics, favorite/best tasting.

I got 6 big boys in the ground this year, starting to bud.

What ch'all got?


Cue Pharmhog to come along and post pics of his three acres of tomatoey goodness

[Boarcephus]

Finished planting mine this weekend.  Got 4 Jet Stars and one each of the Cherokee Purples, Better Boys, Bradley Pinks, Juliet and Mortgage Lifter.  Pop told me the Mortgage Lifter was all his mother planted when he was growing up on the farm and thought I'd try them.  Story goes where the guy who developed it sold 6,000 of the plants for a dollar apiece and paid off his mortgage.   

[DeltaBoy]

Won't be planting any since I am paying off a Hospital bill and for a new HVAC system.

[Boarcephus]

Getting ready to try something different this year.  Not sure about the rest of you guys but the tomato blight has eaten me up the last several years.  At the end of last year I scraped out all of the old mulch I had in the garden and had it hauled off.  Dead leaves and everything.  This year I plan on putting down a layer 6-7 pages thick of newspaper around my tomatoes, soaking it with water and covering it with sand and dropping my tomato cage over it.  I was told the sand is basically sterile (ie, no diseases) so that will act as a disease barrier and should keep my plants from getting the blight.  We will see and if it works and if it does it will solve my problem.  I know the County Extension Office says to use Daconil to stop it but that does not work.

[PharmacistHog]

Too much rain. I have my garden disked, chiseled, fertilized, and tilled but cant get it dry enough to re-till and make my rows. I do have a flat of pink girls just begging to be planted. Hopefully this ten day forecast with no rain will make it possible.

[LSUFan]

Too much rain. I have my garden disked, chiseled, fertilized, and tilled but cant get it dry enough to re-till and make my rows. I do have a flat of pink girls just begging to be planted. Hopefully this ten day forecast with no rain will make it possible.

I will find you. And I will steal your maters.

[woodrow hog call]

Getting ready to try something different this year.  Not sure about the rest of you guys but the tomato blight has eaten me up the last several years.  At the end of last year I scraped out all of the old mulch I had in the garden and had it hauled off.  Dead leaves and everything.  This year I plan on putting down a layer 6-7 pages thick of newspaper around my tomatoes, soaking it with water and covering it with sand and dropping my tomato cage over it.  I was told the sand is basically sterile (ie, no diseases) so that will act as a disease barrier and should keep my plants from getting the blight.  We will see and if it works and if it does it will solve my problem.  I know the County Extension Office says to use Daconil to stop it but that does not work.

I did this one year without the sand, my cages are home made and held the paper down good.
Worked well as far as keeping weeds down.
This year I rolled out that fabric that is used under flower beds, 4 ft wide, covered the edges
with dirt, and made a small cut to plant my tomato plants then
stabbed my cages down through the fabric. It was quicker and
easier than newspaper but we'll see how good it works.

Put out about 22 plants, and maybe 18 pepper plants.

[PharmacistHog]

I did this one year without the sand, my cages are home made and held the paper down good.
Worked well as far as keeping weeds down.
This year I rolled out that fabric that is used under flower beds, 4 ft wide, covered the edges
with dirt, and made a small cut to plant my tomato plants then
stabbed my cages down through the fabric. It was quicker and
easier than newspaper but we'll see how good it works.

Put out about 22 plants, and maybe 18 pepper plants.

Surely you put a soaker hose under the fabric? 

[HawgWild]

I planted 11 different types (3 of each), 9 heirloom and 2 hybrid cherry, a couple of weeks back - Oaxacan Jewel, Amana Orange, Aunt Ruby, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Garden Peach, German Johnson, White Beauty, Vintage Wine and Cherry Honeybee & Super Sweet. I started them from seed the weekend after the Super Bowl. Many have blooms on them. Got a variety of peppers in the ground as well.

[BR]

Ready to Tomatoes in the ground this week. Up here in NW Missouri, May 1st is the day...  Should HOPEFULLY have all the frost past us...  Dirt is already to go, got Taters, Lettuce, Beets and onions in the ground now...

[woodrow hog call]

Surely you put a soaker hose under the fabric? 

No my garden is usually pretty wet, kind of low and gets a lot of shade.
If have to water I can, by pumping some pond water to it, and letting it soak in
around everything.
May not work, but I thought it would be worth a try, beats trying to
pull weeds from inside the cages I hope.

[DeltaBoy]

Ready to Tomatoes in the ground this week. Up here in NW Missouri, May 1st is the day...  Should HOPEFULLY have all the frost past us...  Dirt is already to go, got Taters, Lettuce, Beets and onions in the ground now...

Good looking Garden Spot!

[PharmacistHog]

No my garden is usually pretty wet, kind of low and gets a lot of shade.
If have to water I can, by pumping some pond water to it, and letting it soak in
around everything.
May not work, but I thought it would be worth a try, beats trying to
pull weeds from inside the cages I hope.

Yeah I hope. i used plastic last year with soakers but it rained so much it didnt matter. Ive got extra mulch leftover from the flowerbeds so I think Im putting down soaker hose and then mulch on top of that. We'll see. Should be able to get plants in the ground by the weekend.

[HawgWild]

I've got a jar of green tomatoes that I canned up in some leftover Mrs. Wages last summer after using up all the jalapenos. I need to open it up and see how that went. May want to do more this summer if it turned out well.

[Hog-Corleone]

1:  Cherry - for the wife...
1: Roma - for me
1: Early Girl
1: Celebrity
1: Heinz heirloom Classic - wanted to try this one
1: Super Fantastic

5 different pepper plants, Onions sets, home grown garlic hanging and braided, ready for salsa....(the rest of the recipe will have to be bought....)

[Hog-Corleone]

No my garden is usually pretty wet, kind of low and gets a lot of shade.
If have to water I can, by pumping some pond water to it, and letting it soak in
around everything.
May not work, but I thought it would be worth a try, beats trying to
pull weeds from inside the cages I hope.

I've done this for years, works great.  no problem with watering, the fabric i use will let moisture through.

[toshortrock]

got 48 mater plants,,12  squash,,12 cucumbers,,4 egg,,,8 jalpeno,,,row of okra,,,and d rain today just wat i needed

[HawgWild]

The tomatoes are liking this rain.

[PharmacistHog]

The tomatoes are liking this rain.

Looking good. Mine are a little late this year but finally got everything in this week. Everything is loving this cool drink its getting. Hoping we dont get hail and it beats everything flat.

[twistitup]

Cherokee Purple

Arkansas Traveler

Ozark Pink

[HawgWild]

What do you guys use to support your tomato plants? I've got mine in 54" cages. They're up past the top rung already and I haven't harvested the first tomato. I looked at the Texas Tomato cage but who wants to pay $30 a cage. Help!

[LSUFan]

What do you guys use to support your tomato plants? I've got mine in 54" cages. They're up past the top rung already and I haven't harvested the first tomato. I looked at the Texas Tomato cage but who wants to pay $30 a cage. Help!

It's a vine, most commercial growers just let them crawl.

Mine are at the top of the cage and are just starting to make. They love this rain though, they are so green they are almost blue.

[DeltaBoy]

Dad planted Early Girls, and Beef eaters with Cherry ones.

[woodrow hog call]

I made my own cages from the wire they use in concrete,
5 foot wide roll, cut off what you want for a circle.
Then cut the bottom strand off so you have 4 inch spikes around the circumference
Of the bottom to jab down into the ground.

Better than any I have bought or seen for sale.

Just looked on Lowes website, 150X5 foot roll for $107.00.
Probably about 4 feet per cage, depending on how big you want

[PharmacistHog]

It's a vine, most commercial growers just let them crawl.

Mine are at the top of the cage and are just starting to make. They love this rain though, they are so green they are almost blue.

Mine look HORRIBLE.  Rain is killing me. 

[LSUFan]

It must be the corn dog in the air down here 

[PharmacistHog]

It must be the corn dog in the air down here 

We had a lot of rain last year, too.  My vines grew big and dark.  Looked good, just never would bloom.  Had some pretty vines, though. 

[DeltaBoy]

We had a lot of rain last year, too.  My vines grew big and dark.  Looked good, just never would bloom.  Had some pretty vines, though. 

See if you can get a Bee Keeper to put a hive on your property.  My Parents did and it helped a ton.

[HawgWild]

See that white box in the back of the picture I posted? That's my bee hive.

[LSUFan]

See that white box in the back of the picture I posted? That's my bee hive.

We goin to yo house to steal/borrow maters 

address? please?

[PharmacistHog]

We have plenty of bees. My fruit trees are loaded. The rain is just hard on the garden. Rained so much last year it knocked the blooms off or rotted them.

[PharmacistHog]

But all five cherry tomato plants look great.

[LSUFan]

We have plenty of bees. My fruit trees are loaded. The rain is just hard on the garden. Rained so much last year it knocked the blooms off or rotted them.

Try any bloom rot spray?

Would seem melons and squash would do well with the high water content.

[HawgWild]

FWIW, even though I have a hive or two I really don't recall ever seeing a bee on my tomato blooms. Apples, melons, berries, beans, stuff like that, for sure.

[LSUFan]

FWIW, even though I have a hive or two I really don't recall ever seeing a bee on my tomato blooms. Apples, melons, berries, beans, stuff like that, for sure.

Would lead me to think tomatoes cross pollinate with wind.

Makes sense if Pharm's been getting a lot of rain and no maters.

[BR]

Our Plants up here in NW Missouri are looking great.  About 3-4 weeks behind you all, but have 8 different types of Heirlooms planted this year with about 5 types of Beef Steaks, Yellow and a few cherry's...

[woodrow hog call]

Mine look HORRIBLE.  Rain is killing me. 

Mine too, I'm starting to think that they will never recover from all the water.
Lower leaves just turning brown and shriveled up.

[PharmacistHog]

Mine too, I'm starting to think that they will never recover from all the water.
Lower leaves just turning brown and shriveled up.

Exactly. I hit mine with a side dressing of epsom salt.  We'll see.

[HawgWild]

Mine are looking really good. They're in a raised bed that I built a couple of years ago. I incorporated about 20 yards of "grower's base" that I purchased in bulk from Good Earth Horticulture in Menifee into the soil. It drains really well.

[woodrow hog call]

Exactly. I hit mine with a side dressing of epsom salt.  We'll see.

I'm using Spray-n-grow, but if it doesn't dry up soon I think they're done for.
In dry weather mine will thrive, not so much this year.

[DeltaBoy]

All of Dads are on top of his Raised Beds the rest drowned.

[Inhogswetrust]

What do you guys use to support your tomato plants? I've got mine in 54" cages. They're up past the top rung already and I haven't harvested the first tomato. I looked at the Texas Tomato cage but who wants to pay $30 a cage. Help!

Make your own out of fence wire. The ones with the large square openings. There are youtube videos as to how to make em.

[PharmacistHog]

I just drive t-posts and tie them with mater string. 

[HawgWild]

Some of mine are approaching 6 feet already. I think all heirlooms are indeterminate, so they'll continue to grow.

[LSUFan]

I have about 20 on one plant, they are really putting out like Michelle Wall in the 9th grade.

As an aside, I have a HUGE cucumber plant, blooms all over it, the cucumbers get to about 1/2 inch long, turn yellow, then brown, then fall off.

Any ideas?

[PharmacistHog]

I have about 20 on one plant, they are really putting out like Michelle Wall in the 9th grade.

As an aside, I have a HUGE cucumber plant, blooms all over it, the cucumbers get to about 1/2 inch long, turn yellow, then brown, then fall off.

Any ideas?

Too much rain. 

[LSUFan]

Too much rain.

Crap!

[DeltaBoy]

Mom said they are waiting and going to plant a fall garden since most of the Spring one drowned even after replanting 3 times.  Just too much Rain.

[HawgWild]

Sorry to hear that. All things considered, mine are looking pretty good. I'm guessing I'll start harvesting some next week.

[LSUFan]

Sorry to hear that. All things considered, mine are looking pretty good. I'm guessing I'll start harvesting some next week.

Bragging about mater sammiches before my maters are ripe is grounds for a bant 

Just keep that in mind