My apologies for not responding to people’s comments. It got to be so many and I’ve got an immigration law and criminal defense practice to manage so that was more important (not interested in bringing politics into the garden but I’m sure someone will have a comment). I live next door to my parents so we share the tomato garden and my mom has strong opinions about her tomatoes. She always plants too many and never wants to cut any suckers, especially when they’ve grown large. It’s a constant battle but I cherish the time we spend together in the garden.
The varieties are: some cherry variety, sunrise bumble, Cherokee purple, San marzano, Dr. Wyche, a variety my mom calls “big red”, a variety my mom calls “oval red,” brandywine, Kellogg breakfast, pineapple, and big beef plus.
I ended up trying to do two leaders per plant but per my comment above, my mom will sneak into the garden and tie up another leader without my knowledge. So now I probably have an average of three leaders per plant.
People were right about them getting too crowded but I’m doing my best to thin internal leaves to keep the airflow going. I’d also like to raise the trellis up higher next year as several of the plants have already reached the top and I’m going to have to top them. Every year we say “we planted too many. Next year we are planting less,” but when spring rolls around, my mom gets greedy and wants to plant even more.
I water the plants with irrigation tape covered with salt marsh hay. For those near the coast, salt marsh hay has been an excellent option for ground cover as it doesn’t break down quickly, is nice and thick, and can be reused the following year. I fertilize every two weeks with garden tone.
I hope this answers some of the questions and comments from my previous post. I love growing tomatoes and I’m happy to share my progress with you all. Working in the garden before I head off to court in the morning is my self-care that gets me through all the pain and suffering I witness on a daily basis. That intoxicating smell sticks to my fingers throughout the day and reminds me that there is beauty in this world.
May all your plants grow strong and tall and may your tomatoes grow fat and juicy!!!
by DeanTheMean
7 Comments
how long are those spans of rebar? first time setting up a lower and lean plot and i used 5f long electric conduit as the spans between t-post, wanted to do 10f spans but the conduit sagged too much.
You’re gonna have a tomato problem soon! That’s an awesome plot 😁
You should try some Black Krim next year if you can find them, they are stunning and some of the best eating heirlooms I’ve ever had.
Love that setup! I got the same T posts and would love to do a string setup like this. Any way of a close up on how you’re clamping those iron rods in?
And I thought I over grew my tomato plants with 36…lol I have 6 of each kind from cherry to yellow plum to beefsteak.
My original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/tomatoes/s/q6NnWjBll5
Definitely not your first rodeo!
I accidentally got a Pineapple tomato from this nursery this year. Im gonna be growing that every year now. Its so creamy and perfect for just about everything from sandwiches to caprese salads. Nice tomato garden!