Last night as I was watering in the greenhouse I noticed something rather peculiar.
The tomatoes are almost through the roof. Holy Crack! Because I am a newbie greenhouse gardener, this is something I never anticipated. Now what? Do I just cut the top off the tomato plant to prevent more growth? Do I remove the glass panels at the top so the tomatoes can grow even higher? What do I do? Help!
Have I told you about Mrs Hillbilly’s Mom? Back in the spring, she sent me some pepper {and tomato, okra, and tomatillo}, seeds from Mississippi. There were so many seeds I couldn’t plant them all. But, check out the long green pepper on the left. I’m not sure what it is, but it has Mrs. Hillbilly’s name on it.
I’m also growing eggplant this year. I am not a hug fan of eggplant, but the HH likes it. And what he can’t eat, I give to the lady up the street from us.
And check out the gutters filled with basil and vining cucumbers. I have a feeling I’ll be making a batch or two of basil this weekend.
One thing is for sure, I am running out of room to walk around in the greenhouse. I’m beginning to think I may have planted a few to many plants in there. Yikes! This is only the beginning of the summer growing season too.
I guess this means I won’t be using the greenhouse as a sauna this summer.
Peace Out Girl Scouts, I’ve gotta run. There’s word of doublers this weekend, plus we have a big project in the works. I need to head outside and get it started.
Have a great weekend,
♥ Mavis
If you are looking for a greenhouse but don’t want to spend a ton of dough on one, I highly recommend the 5 foot Pop Up Flower House. Before we had our greenhouse installed I used a smaller version of this and loved it. Plus, the reviews are great and you could even grow lettuce in the winter with this baby!
- Quick and Easy Set up on Soil or Hard Surfaces in minutes
- Protects your plants and extends your growing season.
- Clear PVC material with UV protection for longer life.
- Promotes and maintains high humidity levels to create a superior growing environment.
- Open floor allows greenhouse to be setup over existing trees and bushes.
Sarah says
So jealous of that beautiful, huge, full greenhouse! 🙂 You’re doing great. You will be swimming in veggies soon. I’m not sure about cutting the top of the tomatoes off, but I have heard that cutting the runners off of the main stems helps the plant produce bigger (and maybe more) fruit. It seems harsh, but it seems to work. So i’m not sure if that would be the same for cutting the top off or not.
I might have to try the Flower House pop-up greenhouse. I was swaying away from plastic ones because I live in KS and it’s WINDY here. But I think I can tie it down like a tent with stakes.
Love all that basil! Have you ever made basil tea? It’s supposed to be super great for your health.
Can’t wait to see what project you’re working on!
Sue V says
Dear Mavis,
Is there anyway you can move a few of the tomatoes out of the greenhouse? It looks pretty crowded and it’s good to keep some air circulating around them to prevent diseases. You can take off the side leaves that don’t have any fruit on them but only after the fruit is set. The plant will produce larger fruit if you do that but otherwise it’s not necessary. It might help with creating more space.
Good luck!
Sue
Lucky L says
The peppers are looking like a Marconi or Corno di Toro. After they ripen to red or orange, I roast the skins off and then pickle and can them for use on sandwiches.
PonyRyd says
I am interested in this as well.
I actually have a couple of tomato plants growing aquaponically (fish water is being circulated through a gravel bed that the tomatoes are growing in). The problem is they are getting too tall and are up into the grow light. I can’t decide if I should just cut off the top part growing into the light or leave it be. I have moved the light as high as it will go.
Any feedback anyone has on this variation of the problem would be appreciated.
btw – love your site, keep the great content coming.
Dayla says
to the person in KS…I grew up in SE KS….the wind & heat makes awesome veggies!!! can u send me some Beefmaster tomatoes?
Mavis, you do need airflow in the greenhouse. to improve production, pinch off & remove “suckers” where main branches come off the main plant. as said in other posts! Move a few plants outdoors?
bobbie says
I also have tomatoes in cages….my problem is that they are about two feet above the cage tops at this point and whenever we get a rain storm the branches get blown around and hang lower. I’m afraid a storm might come and break the plant 🙁 anyone have any suggestions? Love your blog, mavis!!!
Kari says
I could be wrong, but I think those are Anaheim peppers, the kind you make diced green chiles from. Char, steam, de-skin, remove seeds and chop. Freeze them for use throughout the year!!!! So jealous! I have some planted, but they look nothing like that yet 🙁
Mavis says
Are Anaheim peppers hot? Mrs. Hillbilly thinks they are hot peppers and they are going to turn red. ? ? ?
Kari says
Anaheim are medium. I personally think they are more flavorfull than spicy. Again, I could be wrong. Watch them for a bit and see if they turn color. You could also take a field trip to the produce section and check out their peppers for comparison purposes.
Katie says
I work in a grocery store and my first thought was that the peppers were poblano peppers. They are usually a bit greener though.
Kate says
FYI, if anyone on here lives in the Seattle area, Bartell’s Drugs has little 4ft reach-in greenhouses on sale for $14.99! Normally $39.99… Pretty good buy! It won’t grow monster tomatoes like the amazing Mavis, but it’s a darn good starter and will help lengthen your growing season!
Here’s a link to the same product on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009J3EX2/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?tag=mell23-20
Dawn says
Hey Mavis, so did some research on your issue with the tomatoes and this is what I found. I do not although know what an indeterminate and determinate varieties means. Perhaps you do…. I found the info on iVillage. There is a ton of info out there. Some people are saying if you cut it off it will just grow back??? Here is what I found to be the most “scientifical” as we call it in our house….
“Your plants are both indeterminate varieties so while you can do whatever you wish of course, you need to know that trimming the tops off of indeterminates only results in more new top growth. Trim off 1 and 2 more vines will sprout from the node just below.
That’s just the way they grow and why most just let them drape back down naturally and keep on growing.
So if you want to use your tent set-up stick with determinate varieties. ” Her were Big Boy and Early Girl varieties or the other way around, hmmmm…. No telling with my memory??? Hope this helps.
CathyB says
Determinate variety basically means a variety that all the tomatoes on the plant ripen at approximately the same time; so you end up with a whole bunch of tomatoes over a very short period of time and then they are done producing. This type is very nice for canning and preserving. Indeterminate varieties produce a few tomatoes at a time through out the season and continue producing until frost. These are great for fresh eating tomatoes – not too many at once and continually producing.
The planting tag often tells you whether the variety is determinate or indeterminate. Usually paste tomatoes (like Roma) are determinate. I hope that helps.
junquejules says
Those are more than likely Anihiems, which are about the same as a New Mexico or Hatch chili. They can be harvested green as green chilies or left on the plant to turn red and dry for dried “New Mexico” chilies. Green are used to make green chili and red are used to make green chili sauce.
I lived in Albuquerque during middle school, so green chilies are the most important thing I plant here in Michigan!
Mavis says
Thanks Jules!
Alexis E. says
I can’t wait to purchase our own greenhouse for next spring! What about moving some of your plants out now that they are growing well and bigger? Can you do a raised bed? Can you create a fenced in garden space?