Anyway, the tomatoes have graduated from their peat pots to tumblers. I can't believe I haven't thought of this in past years. All day I was kicking myself for tossing out my collection of large cottage cheese containers that I had been saving since last season for tomatoes. There was warm weather. I felt like cleaning. Recycling truck took them away. A moment of insanity. I went to Walmart this morning looking for large plastic cups or cheap containers that would be deeper and large enough to sit the peat pots on the bottom. The 16 and 18 oz. plastic cups weren't quite wide enough inside. Then I had a brainstorm. The cheap tumblers I use for my drinks...so the kids can't break them...Well, they come in four packs....for ONE DOLLAR. Plus I can wash them up well and reuse them year to year. I bought 4 packs of them, and the fun began. Here's what I did:.
1. In each tumbler I punctured a hole in the bottom to allow for drainage. I used an old, pointed steak knife, but a drill would have been much easier. I placed the cup upside down and twisted the knife until it drilled a hole in the bottom.
.2. I removed as much of the peat pot as possible without disturbing the roots very much.
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3. I placed the tomato plant in the bottom of the tumbler and filled them with potting mix up to the first set of true leaves. Roots should form along the newly buried stem.
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4. I watered them well to fill any air pockets. Below are pictures of the finished product. My tomatoes should be very happy for the next 2 or 3 weeks. And when they look happy, I'm happy! 
They look good--and nice cheap tumbler find. Good for you for waiting to plant your babies out... I wish I had, and even though they're growing, I just *know* they aren't going to produce as well as they could've if I'd waited...
ReplyDeleteGreat idea--can't beat 4 for a dollar!
ReplyDeleteI think my plants had such a tough time being planted in early May, because it was sooooo rainy. There were a few nights I had to cover them with buckets due to cold temperatures, but they survived without harm. I'm sure the non-stop rain contributed to the problem with speck that I had early on. The temperatures and weather are much better for tomatoes going in the ground right now, but I think I'm still a bit gun shy. I'll keep coddling my babies along for a few more weeks.
ReplyDeleteA good friend gave me two good tomato tips that I will be following this season. First, mulch underneath the plants so diseases can't splash up from the ground soil. Second, once plants are tall enough, prune off all foliage that comes within a foot of the ground. That'll help reduce the chance of disease from the ground soil as well.