Saturday, I bought most of my tomato plants and over the weekend I have been putting them in the garden. I always buy several varieties of mostly heirloom tomatoes. I have been doing this for a couple of years and I find this mixture of flavors makes my canned goods have a richer flavor to them. Combining all the subtle differences of tastes together really gives your taste buds something to think about. I buy my tomato plants from different farmers at the farmer's market who have grown them from seed at their farms. This way I know they have been well taken care of and where they have come from. The added bonus is I save on transportation fuel and support our local economy at the same time.
I plant my tomatoes in raised row beds about 3 feet apart within the row. This gives me plenty of space to pick them each year. I put the cages on them from the start. If I don't do this, I find that this task can get away from me and it is hard to put cages on a larger plant and not break off leaves and stems. The cages were made by a local farmer and are very sturdy. You can also stake tomatoes but I find the cages easier for me.
Our clay soil is acidic but tomatoes like a neutral to basic soil. After I plant the tomatoes, I then carefully sprinkle a little lime around the base of the plant. This will seep down into the ground as it rains or the garden is watered. I will repeat this procedure on a monthly basis until the end of the growing season.
I do not fertilize my plants with commercial fertilizers. When I prepare the garden soil I add a large amount of our compost. This conditions the soil as well as fertilizes it. I have always had beautiful tomatoes and plenty of them to use. Although, I rarely have a lot of pest problems, I handpick off any pests which get on my tomatoes and feed them to my chickens. Good companion plants for tomatoes are the onion family, nasturtiums, marigolds, basil and peppers. Several of these assist have the added benefit in repelling pests in your garden.
Tomatoes are my favorite crop in the garden. I look forward to eating the first ripe tomatoes each year and enjoy all the tomato products that I can from them year round. Growing tomatoes is an easy task and very rewarding They can be easily grown in flowerbeds and large pots. Almost everyone can find space for one plant. You will be glad that you did. There is no comparison in taste to a freshly picked tomato.
I plant my tomatoes in raised row beds about 3 feet apart within the row. This gives me plenty of space to pick them each year. I put the cages on them from the start. If I don't do this, I find that this task can get away from me and it is hard to put cages on a larger plant and not break off leaves and stems. The cages were made by a local farmer and are very sturdy. You can also stake tomatoes but I find the cages easier for me.
Our clay soil is acidic but tomatoes like a neutral to basic soil. After I plant the tomatoes, I then carefully sprinkle a little lime around the base of the plant. This will seep down into the ground as it rains or the garden is watered. I will repeat this procedure on a monthly basis until the end of the growing season.
I do not fertilize my plants with commercial fertilizers. When I prepare the garden soil I add a large amount of our compost. This conditions the soil as well as fertilizes it. I have always had beautiful tomatoes and plenty of them to use. Although, I rarely have a lot of pest problems, I handpick off any pests which get on my tomatoes and feed them to my chickens. Good companion plants for tomatoes are the onion family, nasturtiums, marigolds, basil and peppers. Several of these assist have the added benefit in repelling pests in your garden.
Tomatoes are my favorite crop in the garden. I look forward to eating the first ripe tomatoes each year and enjoy all the tomato products that I can from them year round. Growing tomatoes is an easy task and very rewarding They can be easily grown in flowerbeds and large pots. Almost everyone can find space for one plant. You will be glad that you did. There is no comparison in taste to a freshly picked tomato.
.bmp)
No comments:
Post a Comment