I tried growing a few tomato plants in some big patio-type pots this year. (a cherry and two "regular" types) I had to buy some chicken wire fencing to keep squirrels and chipmonks out, and bird netting over that. Lousy Home Depot charged something like $60 for about 30 feet of the chicken wire! With this, and other costs, and the cost of the tomato plants (started late), I was down about $80! Before I even got the chicken wire up, squirrels (or chipmonks, not sure), already ate the ripe cherry tomatoes that came with the plant I bought. I got all the protective measures in place, and happily watched as a new crop of the cherry tomatoes came in, and other tomatoes too. Just a couple of days before I was ready to harvest the first regular tomato (I had at least enjoyed a few of the cherry tomatoes along the way (sungold; delicious if you haven't tried them!)), I wanted to wait until it was so red it would hurt your eyes to look :) , the vermin broke in again, and ate a huge chunk of the tomato, and whatever cherry tomatoes were ripe! I cut out the bite chunk and still ate the rest, but it wasn't as ripe as I wanted. I then further "vermin proofed" the setup by adding dirt around the bottom of the chicken wire (more than I had originally put down), and secured the bricks on the dirt. I waited for the 2nd big tomato to ripen, AND THE VERMIN GOT IN AGAIN! So now, I've moved the pots to a concrete patio (they had been on grass), so there is no way for chipmonks to burrow under, and believe it is totally sealed from other entry. I now await the one last regular tomato to ripen (it's pink now; woo hoo!) and hope there is enough sun and warmth for the small crop of remaining cherry tomatoes to ripen. Next year, I'm planting a real garden inside of our above ground pool which I have drained. I'm getting some kiddie pools to put in there and fill with soil. It should keep deer, squirrels and chipmonks out, and I'll probably put bird netting over the individual kiddie pools.
I'm glad I stocked up on chicken wire a few years ago when it was a lot cheaper.
If you buy indeterminate tomato varieties, they will grow and produce as long as the temperature is warm enough. I've actually had tomatoes freeze on the vine in December. I was still picking them up to then.
I was visiting my son over near PA last weekend and his inlaws have a huge garden and we were given a bunch of tomatoes, zuchini, corn, beets, and for my wife, kale. It's hard for me to tolerate buying the gassed tomatoes in the store; it would be like buying oranges that are orange, but not ripe. Those sungold cherry tomatoes are like grapes they are so sweet!
I do not buy raw tomatoes at a store. If I don't grow them, some are given to me by neighbors. Store bought tomatoes taste like green tomatoes that have been dyed red.
I tried growing a few tomato plants in some big patio-type pots this year. (a cherry and two "regular" types) I had to buy some chicken wire fencing to keep squirrels and chipmonks out, and bird netting over that. Lousy Home Depot charged something like $60 for about 30 feet of the chicken wire! With this, and other costs, and the cost of the tomato plants (started late), I was down about $80! Before I even got the chicken wire up, squirrels (or chipmonks, not sure), already ate the ripe cherry tomatoes that came with the plant I bought. I got all the protective measures in place, and happily watched as a new crop of the cherry tomatoes came in, and other tomatoes too. Just a couple of days before I was ready to harvest the first regular tomato (I had at least enjoyed a few of the cherry tomatoes along the way (sungold; delicious if you haven't tried them!)), I wanted to wait until it was so red it would hurt your eyes to look :) , the vermin broke in again, and ate a huge chunk of the tomato, and whatever cherry tomatoes were ripe! I cut out the bite chunk and still ate the rest, but it wasn't as ripe as I wanted. I then further "vermin proofed" the setup by adding dirt around the bottom of the chicken wire (more than I had originally put down), and secured the bricks on the dirt. I waited for the 2nd big tomato to ripen, AND THE VERMIN GOT IN AGAIN! So now, I've moved the pots to a concrete patio (they had been on grass), so there is no way for chipmonks to burrow under, and believe it is totally sealed from other entry. I now await the one last regular tomato to ripen (it's pink now; woo hoo!) and hope there is enough sun and warmth for the small crop of remaining cherry tomatoes to ripen. Next year, I'm planting a real garden inside of our above ground pool which I have drained. I'm getting some kiddie pools to put in there and fill with soil. It should keep deer, squirrels and chipmonks out, and I'll probably put bird netting over the individual kiddie pools.
I'm glad I stocked up on chicken wire a few years ago when it was a lot cheaper.
If you buy indeterminate tomato varieties, they will grow and produce as long as the temperature is warm enough. I've actually had tomatoes freeze on the vine in December. I was still picking them up to then.
I was visiting my son over near PA last weekend and his inlaws have a huge garden and we were given a bunch of tomatoes, zuchini, corn, beets, and for my wife, kale. It's hard for me to tolerate buying the gassed tomatoes in the store; it would be like buying oranges that are orange, but not ripe. Those sungold cherry tomatoes are like grapes they are so sweet!
I do not buy raw tomatoes at a store. If I don't grow them, some are given to me by neighbors. Store bought tomatoes taste like green tomatoes that have been dyed red.
They turn red without dye, but they use acetylene gas to cause them to turn red, appearing to be ripe.