Wanted: beautiful, orderly tomato patch... - Page 2

barkeater · May 25, 2007

Suze,

My tomatoes grow out of their cages by September 1. The only thing I do is top them as the later vines won't produce ripe tomatoes..

Spacing is based on width x length. The total square footage per plant is what's important, i.e, 18" in the row X 5 foot rows equals 7.5 sq. ft. per plant. 2' x 6' rows equal 12 sq. ft., which is optimum with adequate fertilizer

garnetmoth · May 26, 2007

Mr. Feldon- why the frames around the beds, for bird net? shade cloth?

I like the folks who suggested gaps in their wire cages, the holes in the wire I bought are a bit akward to get your hands through to fiddle with the plants.

also, tent stakes work great for me to anchor the cages!

feldon30 · May 26, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by garnetmoth

Mr. Feldon- why the frames around the beds, for bird net? shade cloth?

We had a cold snap:

And if the mockingbirds find my garden like they did last fall, I can throw some netting up real quick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by garnetmoth

I like the folks who suggested gaps in their wire cages, the holes in the wire I bought are a bit akward to get your hands through to fiddle with the plants.

also, tent stakes work great for me to anchor the cages!

I have to thank Bully for that idea.

Although I did not buy T-posts since they were quite expensive. Instead, I used wire to secure the cages open about 12" in front, and then I tied all the cages to each other with wire. In the 4' x 16' bed, once everything started to set fruit, the cages did all start to collectively lean over to one side, but some rearranging and lifting the cages a bit up onto the lip of the raised bed solved that problem. I am having no cage tipping problems at all.

**nctomatoman** · May 27, 2007

We have quite a different set up from previous years - all tomatoes, eggplant and peppers in the driveway (indeterminates along the border so I can drive the 8 foot stakes into the lawn, dwarfs in the middle in grow bags with short stakes in the pots), and other stuff in the main garden (electric deer fence, basil in front, then beans, cukes and squash, melons, peas and lettuce and chard in the back).

barkeater · May 28, 2007

Craig, looking at your first picture, obviously you never have grown any rotten tomatoes

Otherwise, there would be a distinctive pinkish-red stain on that basketball backboard.

oh2fly · May 29, 2007

Playing hoops could get interesting. Lots of defenders on the way to the rack!

May 25, 2007	#16
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Suze, My tomatoes grow out of their cages by September 1. The only thing I do is top them as the later vines won't produce ripe tomatoes.. Spacing is based on width x length. The total square footage per plant is what's important, i.e, 18" in the row X 5 foot rows equals 7.5 sq. ft. per plant. 2' x 6' rows equal 12 sq. ft., which is optimum with adequate fertilizer

May 26, 2007	#17
garnetmoth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: cincinnati, oh Posts: 492	Mr. Feldon- why the frames around the beds, for bird net? shade cloth? I like the folks who suggested gaps in their wire cages, the holes in the wire I bought are a bit akward to get your hands through to fiddle with the plants. also, tent stakes work great for me to anchor the cages!

May 28, 2007	#20
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Craig, looking at your first picture, obviously you never have grown any rotten tomatoes Otherwise, there would be a distinctive pinkish-red stain on that basketball backboard.

May 29, 2007	#21
oh2fly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 29	Playing hoops could get interesting. Lots of defenders on the way to the rack!