Subject: WILL PLASTIC COVER BURN MY TOMATOES??

From: [email-masked] (R. Myers)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 03:46:52 GMT

My tomato seedlings are beginning to pop up this week!

When they're fairly well developed, I plan to put some of them in 
10-gallon plastic pots on my VERY WINDY (by the beach) balcony in SO. 
California.

My plan is to plant one seedling per pot, put up a tomato cage, and then 
wrap the cage with clear plastic to keep the wind off the seedling.

If you think the combination of sun and plastic will burn my seedlings, 
PLEASE let me know.

Last year I got almost no tomatoes:  the plants were incredibly stunted 
because (i suspect) of the wind. But I can't just put up one big 
windbreak on the patio because we have a fabulous view and my boyfriend 
would kill me!

PLease say yea or nay to the plastic-wrap cages, and offer other 
suggestions if you've got them.

Thanks in advance!!:)

Renee

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From: [email-masked] (Nielsen Richard)
Date: 3 Mar 1995 17:09:01 GMT

R. Myers ([email-masked]) wrote:
: My tomato seedlings are beginning to pop up this week!

: My plan is to plant one seedling per pot, put up a tomato cage, and then 
: wrap the cage with clear plastic to keep the wind off the seedling.

: If you think the combination of sun and plastic will burn my seedlings, 
: PLEASE let me know.

My mother has done this for years in her garden Utah.  I've tried it once 
or twice here in North Idaho, and it really does help.  The only time 
I've had problems with burning was when the foliage touched the plastic.  
I do lift the cage to provide some ventilation when it gets really warm. I 
don't know the climate in So. CA that well, but I expect it would work 
while the seedlings get established.

_____________________________________________________________________
Richard Nielsen				voice:	208-885-8961
Department of Civil Engineering		fax:	208-885-6608
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID  83844-1022

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 1 Mar 95 23:55:30 -0600

> wrap the cage with clear plastic to keep the wind off the seedling.
The plastic over the cages isn't going to let the tomatoes spread
far.  Does the wind come mostly from one direction?  If so, why
don't you experiment with blocking the wind and seeing what the
air flow is like  in the areas you want to put the tomato pots.
If you can get a pretty good reduction in wind velocity, you could
use clear plastic sheeting or plexiglass to give you both the view
and the wind reduction.

Kay Klier  [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (QTSINC)
Date: 3 Mar 1995 14:58:06 -0500

Shouldn't be a problem.  Here in Tucson (where it is already pushing 80')
I have employed a chicken wire cage with plastic drop-cloth sheeting
wraped and taped around the wire.  This creates a greenhouse effect which
the plants enjoy.  Some suggest covering the soil directly with the
plastic but this creates a mess when applying fertilizer and so I avoid
this.

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 1 Mar 95 23:55:30 -0600

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From: [email-masked] (QTSINC)
Date: 3 Mar 1995 14:58:06 -0500