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TheUrbanFarmer · June 20, 2015

5/17/2105

In this tray was 2 Cherokee Purple, 2 Rosso Sicilian and 4 Blue Beauty. The beds being 20' long, I think the plants were put 1.5' in from the ends and then every 2.5' on center, if I remember correctly. We left this much space to allow room for companion planting of other favorable crops.

5/30/15

Things have taken well. The second bed was only partially filled at this point, I think. It holds 2 each of Chocolate Cherry, Riesentraube, Purple Bumblebee, and Red Velvet.

6/2/2015

6/6/2015

A view down Bed 1 - roots starting to take - bacteria inoculating roots - soil food web forming - nutrient uptake becoming apparent ; plants stalks starting to beef up a bit and secondary lateral growth (errr..."suckers") starting to show some growth.

6/9/2015

Plants had outgrown their make shift stakes (weed reeds from the yard) and needed support. It was time to get serious and get the t-posts set in place. I could only find 7ft locally and I really wanted at the very least 8ft. I truly felt 10ft would have been ideal - ALWAYS better to have more than you need than not enough, right???

I used 14 gauge galvanized electric fence wire for support. I wanted 12 gauge, but again, couldn't find exactly what I was seeking so made do.

The setup in general was MUCH cheaper than trying to cage everything and we all know cages are useless past a certain point with indeterminate vines.

That gets me closer to current. But I will say...things are growing exponentially. It's shaping up to be a good season.

During the last 2 weeks we have been getting extreme heat. Daily temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. I wasn't quite on top of the heat wave and got slack on watering. I noticed this because the bottoms of a couple of earliest my Cherokee Purples had begun to sink in and harden.

My first thought was - OH NO!!! BLOSSOM END ROT! IMPOSSIBLE!!! - I know my beds have plenty of calcium. So I studied a bit and noticed the differences. This was not mushy/softened fruit. It was not perfectly circular along the bottom of the fruit, etc.

So, I increased my watering amount and frequency to twice a day and things have been flourishing ever since and there has been zero indication of such on any other fruits. Makes me a happy urban farmer when my plants are happy!!!

June 20, 2015	#7
TheUrbanFarmer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Zone 8a Posts: 64	5/17/2105 In this tray was 2 Cherokee Purple, 2 Rosso Sicilian and 4 Blue Beauty. The beds being 20' long, I think the plants were put 1.5' in from the ends and then every 2.5' on center, if I remember correctly. We left this much space to allow room for companion planting of other favorable crops. 5/30/15 Things have taken well. The second bed was only partially filled at this point, I think. It holds 2 each of Chocolate Cherry, Riesentraube, Purple Bumblebee, and Red Velvet. 6/2/2015 6/6/2015 A view down Bed 1 - roots starting to take - bacteria inoculating roots - soil food web forming - nutrient uptake becoming apparent ; plants stalks starting to beef up a bit and secondary lateral growth (errr..."suckers") starting to show some growth. 6/9/2015 Plants had outgrown their make shift stakes (weed reeds from the yard) and needed support. It was time to get serious and get the t-posts set in place. I could only find 7ft locally and I really wanted at the very least 8ft. I truly felt 10ft would have been ideal - ALWAYS better to have more than you need than not enough, right??? I used 14 gauge galvanized electric fence wire for support. I wanted 12 gauge, but again, couldn't find exactly what I was seeking so made do. The setup in general was MUCH cheaper than trying to cage everything and we all know cages are useless past a certain point with indeterminate vines. That gets me closer to current. But I will say...things are growing exponentially. It's shaping up to be a good season. During the last 2 weeks we have been getting extreme heat. Daily temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. I wasn't quite on top of the heat wave and got slack on watering. I noticed this because the bottoms of a couple of earliest my Cherokee Purples had begun to sink in and harden. My first thought was - OH NO!!! BLOSSOM END ROT! IMPOSSIBLE!!! - I know my beds have plenty of calcium. So I studied a bit and noticed the differences. This was not mushy/softened fruit. It was not perfectly circular along the bottom of the fruit, etc. So, I increased my watering amount and frequency to twice a day and things have been flourishing ever since and there has been zero indication of such on any other fruits. Makes me a happy urban farmer when my plants are happy!!!