Lawn Care

Growing Striped German Heirloom Tomatoes in a Bucket

When you develop a Striped German heirloom tomato (Solanum lycopersicum “Striped German”), then you’re putting your faith in a Stump Removal estimates Littleton that is seen over five years with no attempts to improve its characteristics. The Striped German benefits proper care with months of sweet, juicy and quirkily squat fruit. Every single red-and-yellow tomato weighs in at 1 to 2 lbs. If you’re short on space, then a 5-gallon bucket readily accommodates this Shrub Removal backyard Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Selecting the Bucket

Because Striped German is a 4- to 6-foot tall, deep-rooted tomato, decide on a bucket that is at least 18 inches deep. Vinyl keeps moisture better than clay, which means you won’t have to water as often, and dark-colored plastic absorbs heat, so supplying the warm growing medium strawberries love. Five-gallon vinyl paint buckets available from home improvement stores or frosting buckets from grocery store bakeries make excellent tomato pans, with each one holding a single Shrub Removal companies Bakersfield.

Preparing the Bucket

Healthy tomatoes need excellent drainage. Drilling four to six evenly spaced 1/2-inch holes in the base of your plastic bucket provides it. Without them, the expanding medium gets waterlogged and exposes the tomato to root rot. If you don’t have a drill, then use a screwdriver and hammer to punch several smaller holes into the bottom of the bucket.

Planting Cape Coral the Tomatoes

Fill your bucket one-half to two-thirds full with soilless potting mix, or make your own with equal parts of compost, sphagnum peat moss, sterilized Shrub Removal cheap Fort Lauderdale, FL soil, perlite and composted cow manure. Insert slow-release, balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer at the speed of 1/2 tbsp per 1 gallon of medium. Put the foundation of the Shrub Removal cheap Bakersfield, CA’s root ball around the medium’s surface and fill the remainder of the pot. Roots sprouting along its partly buried stem provide Striped German with extra support.

Caring for your New Transplant

Right after planting San Diego, water the tomato until water drains in the bucket’s drainage holes and place it in a shady location for 2 days while it recovers from transplanting. Then move it into a spot with at least six hours of daily sun. As an indeterminate tomato, Striped German keeps growing until cold weather kills it or — in U.S. Department of Agriculture Stump Removal prices Phoenix, AZ hardiness zones 10 through 11 — sends it into dormancy. Either way, it needs a tomato cage or wax trellis to support its growth.

Watering and Feeding

During very hot weather, bucket-grown plants might need daily water. If the medium doesn’t cling to an embedded stick, your Shrub Removal prices Bakersfield is thirsty. To help it cope, apply a 1-inch layer of organic mulch and shelter it in sunlight. When the tomatoes appear, feed Striped German weekly or biweekly with water-soluble tomato food. Mix 1 tbsp, or the tag’s specified amount, of this fertilizer per 1 gallon of water and apply it evenly over the medium.

Potential Problems

Unlike hybrid tomatoes, Striped German is not bred for disease resistance or heat tolerance. Its fruit bruises easily and might crack or change flavor during hot weather. Growing it in a bucket increases its risk of blossom end rot, or blackened decayed tissue about the bases of this fruit. Drought stress or intense changes in soil moisture cause blossom end rot by interfering with the Stump Removal companies Bakersfield’s calcium absorption, therefore watering consistently is critical.