No offense but the other tomatoes in your garden (not the beef) look like a bit messy to me. Hard to tell from the pic but I think they are.

As you may have noticed, another stem is growing from every axil.
We don't want that, we only need the main head.
Besides, it will cost the plant extra energy to grow them, we better make sure that energy is used for the plant and the fruit.
That's why we call those stems growing from every axil: thieves
They steal energy/growing strength from the plant.
You should take them out, just break them close to the axil.
Normally they are not as big as shown in the pic.
These are about 10 days old.
We pick thieves every week.

Also, you can see from the pic where the rope is for, you asked that in one of your previous posts.
Every week you have to rotate/wrap/turn (tr!) the plants around the rope. We do that at the same time when picking thieves.

Before picking thieves and rotating



After



Pics are from Unit 1, planted:05-07-2004

 

Those plants look amazing.

True or False?
Is it a good Idea to cut off the top 4 blooms? I heard it will make stronger, healthier fruit.

I took your advice and trimmed what is called the thieves. I cut off stems about a quarter of the way up the plant. The 3 first plants from my understanding are supposed to look like that.

As for the squash, they are getting pollinated some how. I noticed I have about 2 lil sqaush per plant, and I have 12 plants.

 

That's ok for beeftomatoes.
Growers here just keep 3 or 4 tomatoes per vine.
The real big one beeftomatos I mean.
You also got the smaller vbeeftomatoes.
Keep the nearest blooms to the stem or trim the last blooms on the vine.
The tomatoes will grow bigger and your plant will grow bigger too.

As for the round tomatoes, I have an average of 8-10 blooms on a vine. No cutting.
I also have double vines, it means they have split into 2 vines somehow.
I just keep them, plant is strong enough. Thus your picking more tomatoes.
Besides my crops are growing not that long of a time.
They will make it to the end of october anyway.
Makes a differecnce of course if growers already started in December 2003.
They grow tomatoes untill 15 November 2004.
Then in 2-3 weeks time they plant again for the new season.
If plants have to many tomatoes and it's constantly under a strain, they won't make till November or production will decrease.
For you it will be ok but it.s ok to trim a few tomatoes here and there.

Squash.

Asked about the cucumbers, growers don't pollinate the flowers here, they don't use bumblebees, cucumbers will grow anyway.
At least the plants over here.

Price of tomatoes has dropped to Eur 0.35 per kg.
That's $.22 per Lbs.

Just taking a break now, it's hot in the greenhouse.
Tomorrow, weather forecast is 30 degrees celsius.

 

What is that in ferinheight? About this time of year in East Texas it's aroung anywhere from 85-95 degrees with about 85% humidity. (YUCK)

 

86F outside, inside the greenhouse a bit heigher.
Yeah, humidity sucks here also.

Lucky though I live close to the coastline of the NorthSea.
We usually get a nice seabreeze.
That's why my ancestors established '"The Garden of Europe" over here in this area, the perfect growing climate.
Not too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter.



We don't get 86F that often, sometimes just a couple of days of 93F. Usually ending up in thunder and Lightning

 

Sounds like our climates are pretty close this time of the year. By August we will be over 100 Degrees.

We get a lot of thunderstorms in this area. Also, Texas is in what is called Tornado alley. We dont see alot of tornandos, thank goodness. It is very possible for tornandos in our area.

Last week we had a number of thunderstorms roll through my area. Some had hail, high winds (gusts up to 75 MPH) and in the the past 4 days, I have gotten close to 3 inches of rain.

 

Yeah, you can have some pretty nasty weather in America.
They show us on the news.
We don't have tornados or hurricans but it can be pretty nasty too.
I don't like windstorms, I am worried all the time.
Hail we do get but not this time of year and the hail is much smaller in size.Tank God for that.
Hail te size of softballs in the US I read.

 

Yup, and all this bad weather is beating my beans to the ground They are having trouble staying off the ground. They will make it though.

I'll trade you weather.