Any of you gardeners use Walls of Water?

[Jenise]

I was at the produce stand the other day, and a sweet little old lady was in line behind me with these 15 inch tall tomato starts. They're the first I've seen and they were unusually mature for what we typically see up here in April. Thing is, it's way too cold to plant toms yet. Or so I thought. "Going to keep those in the house?", I asked conversationally. Nope, said Granny in a firm steely voice, "they'll go straight in the garden. I'll have tomatoes by Memorial Day." WHAT? I asked where she lived, and she lives in about the same orientation and climate, just two bays down. "Then how...." "Walls of Water," she said, cutting me off.

Walls of what? She told me where she bought them. Intrigued, I just looked them up on the internet, and found the product and lots of testimonials, but also this interesting thread on a gardening website where people have made their own home-built versions of same.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lab/msg0516363918431.html

It would be cheaper for me to buy the contraptions since we don't drink stuff that comes in plastic bottles, but there are a lot of inventive other means described here for creating a little individual greenhouse for each tomato plant that would seriously help us northern gardeners get our tomatoes established before, say, August. As was about my lot year before last.

Anyone else used these successfully?

I have never had the need to try such a contraption, having always lived in long growing season areas. So what if the early maters get whacked by a late frost, just plant new ones and still have plenty of time for a crop.

Jenise, I haven't used these myself but I know of them and those who *have* used them say they are at least somewhat successful at extending the growing season. It's not just late frost that is the issue; tomatoes don't grow well until the soil warms up a little and tomatoes won't set fruit until night temperatures stay above 50 F or so. The water is supposed to help all of those things - preventing frost damage, raising soil temp, keeping the plants warmer at night. I don't think it would be enough here on west-facing Whidbey, though - I'm thinking greenhouse.

Yes, I used them a while ago. They worked well.

At my new home I have all my plants in pots, for a variety of reasons. The tomato and pepper that are already blossoming are just set against the sunny southwest-facing back wall of the house on the stoop.

[Robin Garr]

I have never had the need to try such a contraption, having always lived in long growing season areas. So what if the early maters get whacked by a late frost, just plant new ones and still have plenty of time for a crop.

The old saying here is "Plant tomatoes on Derby Day (first Saturday in May), harvest on the Fourth of July."

I've found this wisdom somewhat variable - as you said, you can start in mid-April and get away with it most years, and harvests have varied from late June all the way to the middle of July (which can be very frustrating).

Curiously, I've found that planting early or planting late doesn't seem to make much difference. The late plantings seem to "catch up," and harvest happens around the same time regardless. Once I learned this, I quit bothering to take the risk of early planting.

Jenise - I have never heard of these, but then again, I am a very amateur gardener! They look interesting though.

My Neighbor and his father grow the most delicious tomatoes ever. Last year they gave me 3 plants of my own and I managed to save about 50 seeds using a process to remove the outer coating. My neighbor stopped by yesterday and said, "Have you planted your seeds yet?". I thought it was too early, and he said I should start them inside now, and then, like Robin stated, I should be able to transplant them outside in 2 weeks (first weekend in May...he said around Mother's Day).

Re Robins comments...my neighbor did and experiement last year where he planted half his crop the first weekend in May and the other half a month later to see if he could have tomatoes into the Fall. It worked. The late planted crop produced tomatoes well into September, albeit, a smaller quantity than the earlier crop. It would be interesting to see if he does it again and how it turns out.

[Robin Garr]

my neighbor did and experiement last year where he planted half his crop the first weekend in May and the other half a month later to see if he could have tomatoes into the Fall. It worked. The late planted crop produced tomatoes well into September, albeit, a smaller quantity than the earlier crop. It would be interesting to see if he does it again and how it turns out.

I'm confused by this ... we plant out tomatoes all at once, and they produce fruit from July until the first frost (usually in mid- to late October) kills them. They do slow way down at the end of the season - I assume this is either because it's cooler or because the days are shorter - but they don't stop until frost.

I don't know Robin...it seems here in NJ, tomatoes stop in the beginning of Sept...my plants had stopped producing tomatoes last year during the first week of September. They were from the first crop planting. All the first plants started to yellow and die off by the 2nd week of Sept. The 2nd batch (planted in June, I believe) continued to produce tomatoes all through Sept and only stopped producing and began dying off in Oct. I thought it was strange too, since I thought tomatoes would continue to grow as long there were good temps. But it seemed like they plants just produced, produced, produced and then gave up the ghost.

[Robin Garr]

I don't know Robin...it seems here in NJ, tomatoes stop in the beginning of Sept...

Must. Not. Make. New Jersey. Joke ...

I don't know Robin...it seems here in NJ, tomatoes stop in the beginning of Sept...

Must. Not. Make. New Jersey. Joke ...

my neighbor did and experiement last year where he planted half his crop the first weekend in May and the other half a month later to see if he could have tomatoes into the Fall. It worked. The late planted crop produced tomatoes well into September, albeit, a smaller quantity than the earlier crop. It would be interesting to see if he does it again and how it turns out.

I'm confused by this ... we plant out tomatoes all at once, and they produce fruit from July until the first frost (usually in mid- to late October) kills them. They do slow way down at the end of the season - I assume this is either because it's cooler or because the days are shorter - but they don't stop until frost.

Robin, one possible explanation is that tomatoes fall into two categories: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate varieties tend to grow to a certain size and stop, making relatively compact plants. They also produce more or less all their fruit at once. Indeterminate varieties keep growing and producing more or less all summer. Most of the popular varieties - including yours, it sounds like - are indeterminate but it's possible Maria's neighbor planted determinate ones.

In California, like yours, ours continued ripening fruit until the first frost, often November. FWIW, we found that we could pick the green fruit, move them to a cool, well ventilated place and have them continue to "ripen" (well, turn red, anyway) during the winter. Not good enough for caprese but still OK to put in a sauce.

[Robin Garr]

... one possible explanation is that tomatoes fall into two categories: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate varieties tend to grow to a certain size and stop, making relatively compact plants. They also produce more or less all their fruit at once. Indeterminate varieties keep growing and producing more or less all summer. Most of the popular varieties - including yours, it sounds like - are indeterminate but it's possible Maria's neighbor planted determinate ones.

I'll bet you've hit the nail on the head, Mark! We plant mostly heirloom varieties, purchased as small plants from a trusted source at a local farmers' market, and I'm sure you're right. We went out to get ours today, as a matter of fact, but he didn't have the varieties we wanted. Next weekend for sure!

Robin, one possible explanation is that tomatoes fall into two categories: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate varieties tend to grow to a certain size and stop, making relatively compact plants. They also produce more or less all their fruit at once. Indeterminate varieties keep growing and producing more or less all summer. Most of the popular varieties - including yours, it sounds like - are indeterminate but it's possible Maria's neighbor planted determinate ones.

In California, like yours, ours continued ripening fruit until the first frost, often November. FWIW, we found that we could pick the green fruit, move them to a cool, well ventilated place and have them continue to "ripen" (well, turn red, anyway) during the winter. Not good enough for caprese but still OK to put in a sauce.

Sounds like the answer! Thanks for this Mark! This would definitely explain it.