Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#1

Post: # 27513Unread post MsCowpea
Thu Aug 06, 2020 1:05 pm

In the book HOW TO GROW WORLD RECORD TOMATOES, Charles Wilber gives instructions on how he grew his Guinness World Record tomatoes.
He is not into individual size or growing biggest tomato. He is striving for maximum production with fertilization from organic inputs. 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅 In 1987 he grew 1368 pounds of tomatoes from 4 Better Boy plants. (342 pounds per plant). He also grew cherry tomato plant that was 27 feet 7 inches tall which was a record at the time. His whiskey barrel container tomatoes yield 100 pounds per container. (The book has to be read several times to put all the pieces together.)

His system also covers: planting a specific way, mulching, watering, caging, and pruning.

In his compost he utilizes the invasive plant kudzu which is a legume. He gives substitution for this key ingredient. (He also grows a cover crop and tills it in where he plants the tomatoes.) Never uses synthetic fertilizer with high nitrogen but does utilizes low natural nitrogen , mainly green inputs in his special compost.
The carbon or brown component of the compost would be a percentage from the hay. To grow tomatoes he uses Compost, compost tea, and alfalfa meal. Some companion planting.
Digs a large hole. Saves top 6 inches , scatter bottom 6 inches around area. Use 3 parts soil mixed with 1 part compost to refill hole.
Sprinkles alfalfa meal, mulches, and later may use compost tea or aged manure tea.

Mr. Wilber’s Compost Ingredients:
Shredded Green Kudzu
Hay (kudzu and sudex) ground coarsely. (3 inch layer) (This is the bottom layer.).
2 inch Cow Manure (OR 1 inch chicken manure , not his favorite)
Tiny amount of soil (1/4 inch)
Granite dust or hardwood ashes. (Sprinkling)
Colloidal Clay. (Sprinkling)
(Continue with the same layers)

Though he lists shredded green kudzu as a compost ingredient he doesn’t mention it in his layered components so when making a pile one could add a 3 inch layer of green material as well. OR It could be that he simply used the kudzu shredded up with the sudex and not as a separate layer.

He says you can substitute alfalfa or soybeans for the kudzu. And he says he realizes people have to use what is available.

Also WATERS AS HE BUILDS PILE, COVERS, NEVER LETS IT GET RAINED ON. TURNS A TOTAL OF 5 TIMES.

I have always had to substitute alfalfa hay and horse manure and bedding. But the bedding is high carbon with little manure.

This year I have legume cover crop to substitute for kudzu. And green grass clippings as well. Won’t add quite as much bedding from horse manure and bedding. The bedding looks to be some sort of wood shavings.




Legume cover crop substituting for kudzu.
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27517Unread post MsCowpea
Thu Aug 06, 2020 1:24 pm

I got this press photograph off of eBay for 15 bucks. Mr Wilber with 18 foot tall tomato plant. His book also has pics. I also have the Guinness Book of Records for the year he won , I believe, for 3 entries.

347796F3-D98F-4F13-8A09-406054F8F30F.jpeg
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#3

Post: # 27520Unread post MsCowpea
Thu Aug 06, 2020 1:41 pm

There is a phenomenal tomato grower and instructor who has developed a system with elements similar to Wilber’s. He said he read and researched and trialed various techniques to perfect it but doesn’t mention his specific sources.

He uses bagged composted manure. For planting the tomatoes and in compost tea. No homemade compost required. However, this grower recommends replacing the soil in your large hole completely with a good soilless mix using 3 parts mix to 1 part compost. He deviates from Wilber in that he does recommend using liquid fertilizer, either organic or synthetic (your choice), according to the label instructions. Uses thick straw for mulch and compost tea (ala Wilber). He is not into growing them Uber-super tall— just wants phenomenal production and great tasting tomatoes. He does cage and prune his tomatoes to 18 branches as Wilber recommends. (I still find this pruning hard to understand no matter how much I study explanations and pics. ) Goes to show that you can be successful with modifications that suit your circumstances.
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#4

Post: # 27547Unread post ponyexpress
Thu Aug 06, 2020 5:49 pm

Looks interesting. I went ahead and bought the kindle version for $7 so I can read up.

My friend is pretty successful in getting a lot of tomatoes. He uses lots of compost and puts straw/leaves into his garden. He'll space his tomato plants about 10 ft apart and has this giant teepee structure made of heavy branches (3" thick) to "cage" the plants and to support it. He does wonder why he's growing all of this stuff when it's just him and his wife at home.

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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27572Unread post MsCowpea
Thu Aug 06, 2020 9:14 pm

Hope you like the book. I think Wilber’s background story is very interesting too. He helped his family survive several tragedies. He endured several personal losses as well. Always worked hard and persevered until he perfected his method, always trying to improve it. Took 5 years to develop until he won Guinness World Records.

He is a bit of drill sergeant when it comes to his record breaking growing technique as he wants you follow instructions in order to succeed.
The book is organized but you will find additional tidbits tucked here and there in various chapters. For instance, he tells you to improve tomato growth with compost tea made a special way but that is in the chapter on pruning I think.

His neighbor encouraged him to write the book and in the last chapter he writes: “she, along with you , my readers , are charged with the task of keeping my life’s work intact, alive and growing.”
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#6

Post: # 27807Unread post MsCowpea
Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:20 pm

OK, on my way to over 300 pounds per tomato plant! :lol: Building a modified Wilber compost pile. I have actually done this off and on for years but this year I have really good inputs. (but lacking the infamous kudzu)
6889D396-4C26-4D60-A29F-34BE182E8FA0.jpeg
Still, despite the effort, I wont’t make it into the record books. :lol: The problem with growing in the winter in South Florida — it gets dark at 6:00. That is the absolute worse along with the chilly temps we may get that are in the 50’s.
The sun is very low in the sky so my yard with a lot of trees blocks the sun at certain times. I also have crummy water and crummy soil.
Yes, we grow a lot of tomatoes in the winter in South Florida but not Guinness World records. Still, fun to try. I plan on using some of this compost on a few Juliets. :lol: :lol: :lol: If you have grown Juliets you know they are super robust. The rest of the compost
goes with heirlooms but they need to be super productive, delish, and no cherries.

Still need to go up another foot and half.
BA42CA1F-9B3D-4119-8BDC-1ACD25C04014.jpeg

(You can get the book on Amazon through TomatoJunction’s Amazon link. Won’t appeal to everyone but I found it very unique. )
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27816Unread post Barb_FL
Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:24 pm

I hope you exceed all your expectations this coming season despite being at a disadvantage that our major growing time is when the daylight hours are the least.

I'm surprised you are using your Wilber-like compost for Juliettes since they are so productive anyway.

He did it with a hybrid, why not use it with Momotaro in a container vs an Earthbox? Since you have so much experience with Momotaro, you would easily be able to compare to prior years or even control plants.

I'm assuming you are not using this compost in an EB.

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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27856Unread post Ginger2778
Mon Aug 10, 2020 11:03 am

I'm going to start paying very close attention to all this. We got the concrete blocks this am, the back area was cleared 2 days ago for the first raised bed only 4 X 8 to go in. Its so hot that after clearing the remaining twigs and roots, and taking to get it more level, we had to quitnuntil this evening around 6:30. This is our learning curve bed, it will be in an area where there is only 4 hours fuĺ sun, and sun/shade the rest of the time, so brassicas and onions will go there, and whatever else likes it a bit cooler.
2 more beds will be built this week, they'll get 6-7 hours full sun, they will be 4 X 10. West side of the yard.
I'll take photos and put them in the raised bed thread, but now that I can use it, I'm going to be really interested in compost.
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27859Unread post MsCowpea
Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:14 pm

Barb, as you know that small pile will shrink down so have to be judicious with it. I have other much bigger piles made predominantly with horse manure and bedding and alfalfa hay (plus whatever was available) so all the tomatoes will get nice compost to thwart 👿 nematodes.

So I was thinking that small ‘special’ Wilber pile which is heavier on the green material like Wilber’s could be used to try and grow a tall and super productive
plant as he did just this once. I am getting too old and decrepit to ever attempt this again though Wilber was growing like this in his 80s!

I was thinking a double cage or maybe 3 when I am not in my right mind. 🤪 Don’t want to break our necks climbing ladders.
But you need a tomato that has the potential already there to get big and tall and I figure Juliet fits the bill. But Mountain Magic might be almost as good and the flavor is so much better to me.

I keep thinking about doing one Better Boy as that was his tomato of choice. Very average flavor though so not too keen. A great tasting heirloom would be so much better. I do care about flavor as much as production.

I do love Momotaro though last season was the first time ever that it wasn’t that great but that didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for it. Another hybrid I like for a scenario like this is Tomimaru Muchoo. I like the flavor and it is for greenhouse commercial growers so bred for low light conditions and high production. Nematode resistant too.

Won’t use this in Earthboxes though I have some other compost with added pine bark that might be OK.
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27861Unread post MsCowpea
Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:25 pm

Marsha, that is so exciting. Now you can have nice green salad to go with your tomatoes! I have always loved growing greens just as much as the tomatoes. Don’t know how you can do much in this heat though-just working on that small little compost pile is torture.

Marsha, do you cut your own grass or have a service do it?
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27865Unread post Ginger2778
Mon Aug 10, 2020 1:15 pm

MsCowpea wrote: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:25 pm Marsha, that is so exciting. Now you can have nice green salad to go with your tomatoes! I have always loved growing greens just as much as the tomatoes. Don’t know how you can do much in this heat though-just working on that small little compost pile is torture.

Marsha, do you cut your own grass or have a service do it?
No, even our place is too big for us to do it ourselves. Same yard service since 1994.
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#12

Post: # 27866Unread post Barb_FL
Mon Aug 10, 2020 1:22 pm

Elaine - who is the person you were referring to (the great tomato grower using purchased inputs)? This may be much more doable for me.

For me and the wind here, getting a tall plant like Wilbur is a detriment - getting the pounds of tomatoes would be the goal for me. I think my plants get so huge b/c of the time of year they are growing - then they start shading each other out so reaching for the sky. Then the wind takes its toll. In my corner back I am going to go with all determinate to see if that helps.

Marsha - that is so exciting re: your raised beds. I only have one now a 4X4 that I filled from my compost bin in the winter ( a purchased one that takes forever) - this year I dumped a bunch of my earthboxes into it too. I only grow broccoli in it.

This year being home would have been the perfect time for red wiggler composting worms.

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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27867Unread post Ginger2778
Mon Aug 10, 2020 1:32 pm

Barb_FL wrote: Mon Aug 10, 2020 1:22 pm Elaine - who is the person you were referring to (the great tomato grower using purchased inputs)? This may be much more doable for me.

For me and the wind here, getting a tall plant like Wilbur is a detriment - getting the pounds of tomatoes would be the goal for me. I think my plants get so huge b/c of the time of year they are growing - then they start shading each other out so reaching for the sky. Then the wind takes its toll. In my corner back I am going to go with all determinate to see if that helps.

Marsha - that is so exciting re: your raised beds. I only have one now a 4X4 that I filled from my compost bin in the winter ( a purchased one that takes forever) - this year I dumped a bunch of my earthboxes into it too. I only grow broccoli in it.

This year being home would have been the perfect time for red wiggler composting worms.
Yes, broccoli and cabbage, onions, I might even try quinoa in the back one that gets a bit more shade. I want to switch out 25 or so Earthboxes soil for new, so the bold mix will go into the beds. Thinking to get a few straw bakes to take up some of the space since the beds are going to be 16" tall. The concrete blocks have holes in the tops which might be good for soil and plants. Hoping they don't leach a bitter flavor. The ones at the UF garden did, lettuce in them was awful!
I think I'll grow soybeans and yellow summer squash too. You can easily cover a raised bed at night to keep out moth eggs.
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#14

Post: # 27877Unread post MsCowpea
Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:12 pm

who is the person you were referring to (the great tomato grower using purchased inputs)?
Barb,

He is Dave , the Tomato Guy . Out of southern Calif. I will put this link in tomato talk as well.

https://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-ga-d ... story.html

He has a blog that has all the techniques he uses to grow tomatoes. Many similar to Wilber’s but he made modifications. Wish he had referenced Wilber’s book — but at least he says he researched and studied
and trialed different methods and came up with what works for him.

https://growtomatoeseasily.blogspot.com ... fq0UW12XI8
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27880Unread post Labradors
Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:13 pm

Marsha wrote: You can easily cover a raised bed at night to keep out moth eggs.

What an interesting thought, since I'm dealing with hornworms. Wish I could cover the tomatoes at night!

Unfortunately, the caterpillars that eat brocolli, cabbage and kale are caterpillars from the Cabbage White butterfly! I don't know if they are active in the winter in FL. They aren't in NC, so it's so easy to grow those crops there!

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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27882Unread post Ginger2778
Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:30 pm

Labradors wrote: Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:13 pm Marsha wrote: You can easily cover a raised bed at night to keep out moth eggs.

What an interesting thought, since I'm dealing with hornworms. Wish I could cover the tomatoes at night!

Unfortunately, the caterpillars that eat brocolli, cabbage and kale are caterpillars from the Cabbage White butterfly! I don't know if they are active in the winter in FL. They aren't in NC, so it's so easy to grow those crops there!

Linda
So Linda, have you been growing those in NC?
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#17

Post: # 27886Unread post Labradors
Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:48 pm

Yep. I grew broccoli and kale in containers. I also volunteered at a wonderful public (walled) veggie garden where we tended all the usual winter crops including chard, lettuce, arugula, brussels, and also herbs. Hopefully, you'll be able to grow all of these in your lovely new beds :).

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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

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Post: # 27908Unread post MsCowpea
Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:51 pm

Finished. It is 3 feet by 3 feet.

I don’t think it will be ready even if we turn it frequently.
Peebee posted a link about Berkeley Fast Composting Method, ready in 18 days, which I was going to do with a bit of modification.
I do have some other compost that I can jazz up a bit and use.

Wilber says his compost will last a few years if kept tightly covered. So I can use this the following season if it is not ready.
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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#19

Post: # 27913Unread post Barb_FL
Mon Aug 10, 2020 9:04 pm

It looks really nice. Don't you need it when you transplant? 6-8 weeks? I start transplanting in October, 1 at a time just in case there is a hurricane looming. I remember one year bringing tons of EB into the house and the plants were huge.

Thanks for the link re: Dave the tomato guy. i'm going to listen to the youtube video now. I read a lot of his blog. I like when he also took the picture after removing the leaves and the plants were loaded with ripe tomatoes.

Something must be magical re: Better Boy although he had 100 lbs from Big Beef. I've never came close and grow one BB plant a year - Think of it as insurance. I will always get tomatoes from it.

On his blog, he also mentioned Champion - I grew Champion 2 one year and it had a massive amount of tomatoes. Probably more than any other tomato plant; although this year I grew one Chef Choice Orange and it was the most productive plant I've had in a long time. I was thinking ever, but I forgot about Champion until I saw his.

I think we can only come close to max production if we have our plants ready to start blossoming in mid-February. Then we will start getting longer days, still cool nights (and good temps during most days). How I do it now is timing the blossoming when the nights start cooling off (mid-October), but then when the plants are at their peak (Dec,January), the days are short, some really cold windy rain, etc.

Last year I had plants set fruit in really hot weather due to the orchid bees. I commented to my husband that the plants have adapted and night time lows of 70-72 didn't seem to matter. I think I will start a few cherry tomatoes this week to bring in the bees.
Also, some of the early tomatoes that ripened during the heat were not good. IE. Polish had these white gobs inside. They later got better but not nearly great like they were in 2018-19 when they were my favorite.

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Re: Charles Wilber Compost (How to Grow World Record Tomatoes)

#20

Post: # 27920Unread post peebee
Tue Aug 11, 2020 2:33 am

Thanks for posting about Dave the Tomato Guy [mention]MsCowpea[/mention]. Since he's from so.CA he can probably give me more insight into growing here.
So yes I did try the Berkeley method of composting and I did get compost fairly quickly, I would say I was satisfied it was ready after about a month. I could've gotten it faster if I had tended to it better but I'm not strong enough to turn large amounts of heavy material for a long time. At barely 5ft 3in it was a challenge for me. But it was so much fun and fast I made a second pile!
I'm going to make even more this winter. The hard part is to get enough grass here (no one has a lawn anymore in my hood) and dried leaves that are thin. We have trees that produces tons of leaves but they are thick and rubbery. I have to travel to get both materials. Coffee grounds, egg shells, vegetable scraps no problem. Also have to buy the manure.
I planted a cover crop and turned it in, in the bed where I later made the 1st compost pile. I saw lots of worms and thought I'd have a huge bumper crop this year but alas the weather did not cooperate. Lots of cool cloudy days. The tomatoes were meh.
Next time I'll do what Wilbur and Dave recommend: dig a big hole and put the compost and some potting mix inside, and use liquid fert only. I left a large amount of the compost on the top of the bed, not tilling it in as I read about the no-till method and thought I'd try that.
The tomatoes in my EBs fared no better this year, they were pretty watery tasting. I think I'll replace all the soil as next year will be year 3 for most. However my cucumbers exploded this year! I hadn't been able to grow any for the past few years cuz of the spider mites but the secret was to plant a month earlier. And in EBs. I grow Japanese varieties exclusively and I pruned them like I saw on Japanese youtube. I will devote 4 EBs to them next year. I already bought several varieties from Kitazawa Seeds. Unfortunately all my cukes succumbed quickly to powdery mildew so they're all gone and now my basil is going bad with it too. Well I got more than enough this year of everything so I can't complain. On to next season. :)
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