Tomato plants have the ability to root all along their stems...
If you feel comfortable enough and want to try an experiment.. cut/snip the top of that tomato plant right off.. and stick it in the ground/dirt..

It will not only continue to grow on the bottom one... the side branches will grow up and take over for the main leader trunk..

But the one you stick into the ground will also root..

To help it along, get some liquid fertilizer with a high middle number *ie; 10~60~10* and do two things, drench the ground around the stem in the ground, and pour on the leaves..

then get a sprayer bottle and pour that same stuff into it... then hand spray as a foliates feed....
****NOT in the sun though, early in the morning, late afternoon, and the first couple of days, shade the plant for the hot afternoon sun..
And umbrella or something to cover it...

keep it moist.. and you'll end up with extra plants this year...

Tomato plants are really resilient.....

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Oh, Absolutely!!!

The first time I did this, was in a bucket..

My dad had been sick for quite some time, and
loved vegetable gardening... and the year before,
it was just about all he could do was get to the garden, let alone work in it..
So, I suggested to get some pots and make a make~shift garden right outside their front door..

And I got the buckets from a restaurant owner than I knew, they got BBQ sauce in them, and we washed them out and drilled holes in the bottom and put some heavier bigger rocks and some small rocks for drainage... and then loaded it up with topsoil, compost and a little bit of vermiculite and perlite...*watch the dust on those, it's not good for your lungs, but if it's wet, it's fine to work with*..

Then I was loading the tomato plants into the pots, and Ooooooops, it snapped, I was like, darn it all..
*and my mom had bought Patio Tomato plants, and we're sorta frugal here, and to buy them, they're a bit more pricey, so I was mad and disappointed and just cause...
But I knew about the tomatoes and their ability to root along the stem and well, it won't look pretty as them regular lookin' patio plants, but we'll still get our tomatoes and that was the bottom line....

Did what I suggested above... and got a bunch of tomatoes.. it was nice to have a garden, and to have my father look after them, and they didn't do with out fresh veggies..

I grew them some assorted kinds of lettuce in another bucket, peas, and cucumbers and Swiss Chard... they were exstatic to get a good crop too, and like I said, they didn't have to miss out on their fresh veggies, maybe just smaller amounts...
*they used to have a garden about half as long as a football field, not exaggerating...
10 different varieties of tomatoes alone....
*We love tomatoes.*
but if you want to get into certain varieties or heirloom varieties, Sorellina/Julianna and Johnct are very well versed in those..
And others can give you alottttttttt of growing advise on them too..
*tomatoes are a passion to alot of gardene's here*

I have pictures of some swiss chard I did in a rectangle container...(just don't over crowd them like I did... put only a couple of plants, they have a nice root system...)


and some peas in a round tub like container too...


Hope that gives you some more ideas for containers on your balcony...

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

I love yakkin' about tomatoes...
It's hard to stop...

My dad passed away 5 1/2 years ago...
But we had the bucket/container garden for 3 years...
And it worked out nice....

About the potted Valencia orange tree.
I would make a seperate post on that, about picking the buds, Papito should be able to help a weee~bit more than I can with those, he grows alot of fruit trees in containers, and also lives in Calif..

If you make a new thread about it, he should see it, and answer, if he doesn't come thru in a bit, let me know and I'll PM him...

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Hello Weezie13 and Deborah,
Thank you all so much for the valuable posts. Weezie13, my condolences too about your father.
Those are some beautiful pictures. I planted the snapped branch into a pot, and shaded it too. But today morning the stems and leaves are looking all dried up. May be its stressed out a little bit. The main stem still seems to have some life. I'll wait to see what happens and let you know. I too have many flowers in the tomatoes , but no tomato yet.
I have a few banana peppers. Will post the pictures soon. One question, I bought 1 banana, one jalapeno, one hot and one bell pepper, but now two of the plants seem to have banana pepper,wonder why that is ! May be a wrong label on the plant? I bought little plants from walmart.

Deepanwita

* * * *
http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i74/deepanwita/Garden_2006/

And thanks on the condolences' for my dad...
He was an avid gardener....
and a rock gardnener and rock wall maker...
and loveddddddd tomatoes like crazzzzzzzzzzzy!!!
That's why when he couldn't do the big garden any more, I was more than happy to do the container garden for him...

**I on the other hand was a disgruntaled worker back in my YOUNGER days, and didn't appreciate gardening AT ALL!! We worked in the garden, every friggin' weekend, haulin' water *(cause there wasn't a hose), weedin', planting, sifting compost, in the hot sun, and full force of bug season.. had to cover when frosts' hit until 10:00pm and the job got done ~100+ tomato plants took a long time to cover, with boxes, newspapers, tarps, what ever we could get our hands on..
But around 14 someone gave me a roll~out garden thing full of zinnia's..
I have been madlyyyyyyyyy in love with gardening ever since....

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Hello Weezie13, I did spray "Miracle grow - all purpose plant food" on the plant. I am keeping my fingers crossed now. Thanks for the tip about picking the flowers. I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning.
Deborah, we would like to see the pictures of the celebreties soon
I am counting days when I'll see my first tomatoes. I do have a couple banana peppers . Waiting for them to grow to their maximum size.

Deepanwita

* * * *
http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i74/deepanwita/Garden_2006/

Deepanwita,
I'm keepin' my fingers *(and everything else
) for you and the plant too!

I still have to start mine from seed yet!

Deborah,
Once you figure out all that stuff, it's alot of
fun doing photo's...

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

I have started my tomatoes from seed inside for 2 years. Last year I didn't have enough room in my garden to plant them, so I used 5 gallon buckets. I drilled some holes, added some rocks, a layer of mulch and soil mixed with peat moss, compost and manure. I had a very nice bucket tomato patch!

I don't worry too much about my seedlings getting leggy because I just plant the leggy portion well below the soil and they end up with an incredible root system.

I too love tomatoes! My dad was a very avid gardner in his younger years. As a little girl if dad couldn't find me he would look in the garden where he would usually find me either in the tomato plants or the cucumbers!

Now that dad is older and doesn't garden anymore I make sure I plant extras so that I can supply him with a multitude of fresh veggies. I also do alot of canning. Dad taught me this from the time I was a little one. I remember pulling a kitchen chair up to the sink and sitting on the counter peeling tomatoes to can.

I am very thankful that I have a father that enjoys gardening, he has taught me alot that I am now passing on to my own children and step children.

* * * *
~Heidi

The fuchsias probably are dead.
They like half shade, or light sun.
You could keep them moist, prune off the dead parts, and they might come back.
I'm not sure, but maybe in frost/snow areas, they might be grown as annuals.
Never let fuchsias get soggy.

* * * *

thank you Deborah L.,for all your info on the fuchsia ,i will look here and try what u said with the pruning ,thank you again

* * * *