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Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2015 6:50 am
by panamint_patty
Getting your garden to produce using less water :sun:
The lady in this news clip says that peppers and tomatoes are two water-wise plants that will do well during drought conditions. She talks a lot about the importance of mulch. Also she says that tomatoes don't like it when the night time temperature drops below 60F. Apparently the news studio is right next to a train track. Seems like an odd place for a news studio.

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2015 10:46 am
by surfsteve

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 7:19 am
by sandman
I'm a little reluctant to start growing tomatoes considering that water restrictions may soon be imposed. With my luck they'd be just about to set fruit and the water company would forbid any and all irrigation and my plants would all die before producing any tomatoes. Otherwise I might just give growing a few plants a shot!

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 4:57 pm
by surfsteve
I will use wastewater before that happens! Since I put the tomatoes in the tent water usage has cut down by about 400% or more anyway. I like that guy in the last video's ideas. I want to try growing 100% organic and in the ground next year so I'm going to need to start preparing the soil this year. I want to be the owner of the best little hoop house in Trona. Mostly because I like the way it sounds!

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 7:47 pm
by mrgreen
HoopHouse Hints :bigger:
There are a lot of hoop house videos on YouTube. Most seem to be focused on dealing with cold temperatures...

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 7:47 am
by shadylady
BEST LITTLE HOOP HOUSE IN TRONA! LOL Yes, it does have a nice ring to it! If the morality police don't shut you down on account of the sound of the name, the water police are likely to treat you with suspicion on account of the fact that you are actually watering plants inside it. But seriously, I'm really hoping that things don't get to the point where we have water nazis going around in a gestapo goon squad spying on everyone to make sure they're not using too much water!

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 8:24 am
by mrfish
Gestapo Goon Squads and Water Nazis: What I hear is that in some places they are not only not allowing you to water your plants with tap water, but they also won't allow you to water your plants with so-called gray water. They say that the sewer system will get clogged without some water running through it and so using gray water to irrigate the yard is a big no-no in those places. On top of that there are water patrols in some localities. That kind of reminds me of hall monitors from school. I'm with you shadylady. I hope it doesn't come to that!

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 8:34 am
by farmerbob
The prospect of water nazis is definitely a cause for concern, but this hoop house stuff is what I find most interesting. If it saves water and provides a better environment for the tomatoes, then it is definitely worth looking into. What other plants can be grown productively in the desert version of the hoop house?

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 3:29 pm
by surfsteve
As far as I know you can grow anything inside a hoop house that you could grow outdoors in more humid regions like Bakersfield provided it doesn't get to tall. Lettuce and leafy plants should do particularly well. I'm torn between converting to plastic in the winter or sticking it out with shadecloth year round. I am leaning towards dedicating to a large full time shade house with a small plastic cold frame for starting seedlings. I read that shade cloth can protect from frost down to 26 degrees. Will believe that one when I see it though.

Re: Tomatoes!

PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 3:48 pm
by surfsteve
I also read that Ridgecrest's watering restrictions allow watering between 8pm and 8am but there are no restrictions by the water nazis on how much or how often you can water. The same thing happened in Denver around the late 70's, early 80's and rather than water by hand, everyone put in automatic sprinkler systems. That was when I went from doing lawn service to installing them. I think that's pretty much a done deal in ridgecrest though. Seems like everybody has them already though it looks like a lot of them don't work very good.