The Tomato Patch

O Wise One and I have alternated several days now in and out of the tomato patch. The tomatoes are off to a good start, all 54 of them. We did not lose even one plant. Now that they were established it was time to put the rings of wire around them. We took turns laying straw mulch around each plant and in the walk ways. This should help to keep the roots cool, retain water and suppress weeds. Each plant is planted 3 foot from it's neighbor which should be plenty room to grow and still allow for picking and airflow.  Each is encased in a 8 foot tall wire  ring to support the plant itself and protect it from being broken by deer or wind. Throughout the season we will continue to tie up and support branches as they become weighted with fruit. 

This year as always we have the open pollinated heirloom Brandywine and the open pollinated heirloom Oxheart. Both are large indeterminate and the Oxheart has a traditional leaf while the Brandywine is a potato leafed variety. 

You can find my tutorial for how I personally plant my tomatoes HERE

As we add straw mulch and rings we also sparingly apply rabbit manure around the base of each plant on top of the straw. As it rains through out the season this will melt down into the straw giving the plant nourishment.  We also remove any suckers and take off the bottom three leaves so that there are no leaves touching the straw or the soil. 

I also like to train my tomatoes with a double crown. You can see the plant in the picture above that it V's at the top. The left stem of that V is the original main stalk of the tomato. The right stem is a single sucker that I have allowed to grow along side the main stalk thus giving me eventually two strong stalks coming from my vine. I do this when my plant is about 18 inches to 2 foot tall. I remove all other suckers below  and above that .   

Here is another example. The stem on the left is the main stalk and the one on the right a sucker that will eventually become a second main stalk.

As my tomatoes grow I continually remove as many suckers as I can get around to and try to keep my plants tied to the cages because I don't want the wind whipping them around and breaking them. I also use the ties to help keep the vine contained in the ring and upright until large enough that it will remain that way and fill out the ring. 

I tie my tomatoes with none other than cut up panty hose. Yes I am the last woman on the planet that still wears panty hose or so my daughters tell me. 

My plants are already blooming and setting fruit which is a good sign and we are now able to sit back and monitor for garden pests, remove suckers and keep them watered from here on out. We are glad to get the heavy work of strawing and ringing done and behind us. As the July heat moves into the region we hope to move beyond the initial heavy planting and more into a maintenance and harvest cycle atleast with the tomatoes. 

The plants themselves look healthy and dark green with no sign of disease at this point. They have those nice thick and stocky stems for support which is what we like to see and no sign of fungal issues. We should be well on our way to a successful tomato crop God willing.

How many tomatoes did you plant this year?

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter