[CFrance]

I am about to start my second tomato crop. Lowes has tomatoes that are bred to withstand the Florida sun & heat.


I read a farmer's trick was to put a fish head in each hole when planting. It was suggested to freeze the fish heads first to avoid dealing with yucky heads.


I would imagine Winn-Dixie and Publix get their fish already beheaded. Maybe Lighthouse Seafood? Blue Fin probably uses theirs to make stock for chowder.


I wonder if I put half of a can of sardines packed in water into each hole if that would do the same thing.

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I am about to start my second tomato crop. Lowes has tomatoes that are bred to withstand the Florida sun & heat.


I read a farmer's trick was to put a fish head in each hole when planting. It was suggested to freeze the fish heads first to avoid dealing with yucky heads.


I would imagine Winn-Dixie and Publix get their fish already beheaded. Maybe Lighthouse Seafood? Blue Fin probably uses theirs to make stock for chowder.


I wonder if I put half of a can of sardines packed in water into each hole if that would do the same thing.

Why not buy fish fertilizer from Lowe’s, Home Depot, or a nursery

[davem4616]

decades ago I had read that the native Americans had used fish heads in their gardens....so being a fisherman, I saved a slew of trout and salmon fish heads in the freezer and planted them under my tomato plants, corn seed, etc.

later that day we went off to a birthday party with the kids...when we arrived home in the evening the whole garden had been dug up and completely destroyed....

never could tell if it was house cats that roamed free in the neighborhood, dogs or wild critters...but that ended my experiment with fish heads

lots of racoons in TV....they like to wash their food before eating it, so if you do put the fish heads under your plants, put out a bowl of water for the racoons to use

What has worked well for me growing tomatoes in the south is a tip that a Canadian gave me...1st week sprinkle a Tablespoon of Epsom salt around the base of the plant (no need to dig it into the dirt) and water...next week sprinkle a Tablespoon of powered milk around the base of the plant, (again no need to dig it into the soil) and water. Repeat this for about 3 cycles of each. You'll have a nice crop. At the time I was a snowbird...so I'd also do this when I went back north and planted a garden...those tomato plants were in the ground and they would grow to 12 ft lengths...I had to use the green metal fence post to keep them up, as they'd fruit from the bottom to the top and were so heavy they kept breaking the wooden stakes


Good luck... nothing tastes as great as a backyard tomato

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I am about to start my second tomato crop. Lowes has tomatoes that are bred to withstand the Florida sun & heat.


I read a farmer's trick was to put a fish head in each hole when planting. It was suggested to freeze the fish heads first to avoid dealing with yucky heads.


I would imagine Winn-Dixie and Publix get their fish already beheaded. Maybe Lighthouse Seafood? Blue Fin probably uses theirs to make stock for chowder.


I wonder if I put half of a can of sardines packed in water into each hole if that would do the same thing.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this post is kinda tongue in cheek . Can I suggest you forget growing your own tomatoes and buy them from someone at the Farmer's Market in Brownwood on Saturday morning. I cannot tell you his name, but he has a small covered stall and sells produce grown hydroponically and his tomatoes are $1.00 a piece and they are almost, not quite, as good as Northern tomatoes.

I am also going to shop The Villages Grown and see what their tomatoes are like, because the tomatoes in the stores are not edible. They all have a white core going through them that is kind of woody.

Mobile Market - The Villages Grown The Grown has a mobile van that is in my area tomorrow. Going to give them a try.

If you decide to experiment with growing your own toms I wish you the best of luck. I tried it for a couple of years and it was very disheartening, but the birds loved them!

[Chi-Town]

Check out Muri Ghonto sources.

[blueash]

Have you tried Dr. Demento's. They have the roly poly kind. Yum

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by blueash

Have you tried Dr. Demento's. They have the roly poly kind. Yum

??? Is this a joke I'm not getting? When I google Dr. Demento, I do not get a tomato!

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this post is kinda tongue in cheek . Can I suggest you forget growing your own tomatoes and buy them from someone at the Farmer's Market in Brownwood on Saturday morning. I cannot tell you his name, but he has a small covered stall and sells produce grown hydroponically and his tomatoes are $1.00 a piece and they are almost, not quite, as good as Northern tomatoes.

I am also going to shop The Villages Grown and see what their tomatoes are like, because the tomatoes in the stores are not edible. They all have a white core going through them that is kind of woody.

Mobile Market - The Villages Grown The Grown has a mobile van that is in my area tomorrow. Going to give them a try.

If you decide to experiment with growing your own toms I wish you the best of luck. I tried it for a couple of years and it was very disheartening, but the birds loved them!

We just finished havesting our first crop, from seeds I had that my neighbor germinated in January. We had grown plants we got in Leesburg several years ago. Growing herbs and tomatoes and container gardening has kept me from going crazy during quarantine. I thought it would be interesting to try this variety that supposedly tolerates Florida heat.


I will try the epsom salts and powdered milk idea mentioned above. I never thought about the cat/raccoon problem. Nothing is munching on the herbs, though.

[Marvic 1]

Originally Posted by CFrance

We just finished havesting our first crop, from seeds I had that my neighbor germinated in January. We had grown plants we got in Leesburg several years ago. Growing herbs and tomatoes and container gardening has kept me from going crazy during quarantine. I thought it would be interesting to try this variety that supposedly tolerates Florida heat.


I will try the epsom salts and powdered milk idea mentioned above. I never thought about the cat/raccoon problem. Nothing is munching on the herbs, though.

I'm bless that you don't live next to me, your gong to attract plenty of flies.... Shoo Fly! Shoo Fly!

...........

[600th Photo Sq]

Originally Posted by photo1902

Why not buy fish fertilizer from Lowe’s, Home Depot, or a nursery

That's to easy and it cost $$$.

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by davem4616

decades ago I had read that the native Americans had used fish heads in their gardens....so being a fisherman, I saved a slew of trout and salmon fish heads in the freezer and planted them under my tomato plants, corn seed, etc.

later that day we went off to a birthday party with the kids...when we arrived home in the evening the whole garden had been dug up and completely destroyed....

...

About 65 years ago, my father planted a rose garden for my mother, using all the fish heads from his latest cod trip, with much the same result. Thanks for the memories.

[Sensei]

Please consider calling Stokes Seafood in Leesburg
719 W Main St, Leesburg, FL 34748
Hours:
Closed ⋅ Opens 9AM Tue



Phone: (352) 787-3474

[Pinball wizard]

Originally Posted by CFrance

??? Is this a joke I'm not getting? When I google Dr. Demento, I do not get a tomato!

But you WILL get Fish Heads!

[Slapnut]

You can also buy fish emulsion that you mix with water at Lowe's or home Depot that does the same thing

[RoadToad]

Tomatoes like slightly alkaline soil conditions, a little salt promotes that condition. And, like most plants, they like nutrients. Decaying fish parts provide that. But hey, save yourselves all the mess and fuss and use reqular fertilizers and soil conditioners.
Google "how to grow tomatoes".