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karen anne on Things to do while awaiting your harvest Sheila on Things to do while awaiting your harvest Rudi Hempe on Things to do while awaiting your harvest karen anne on Things to do while awaiting your harvest To comment on any posting, click on the word 'Comments' at the end of the item. |
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« Garden game for PC or Mac grows on you | Main | Don't give in to garden theatrics » July 1, 2007Things to do while awaiting your harvest
The blog editor recently posed this question: "Are you just watching your veggies grow at this point or is there tending to be done to promote a better harvest?" The answer is there is plenty of tending to be done. At the Master Gardener Demonstration Vegetable Garden at East Farm (Route 108 1/2 mile south of Kingston) we have a model drip irrigation system that can be viewed by visitors any day (although on August 11 we will have an open house there). Drip irrigation installations put the water right at the root zones. Water is conserved and evaporation is eliminated. Dripworks is one supplier that will even devise a drip irrigation plan for your garden if you send them a description and drawn layout. Many farmers are using drip irrigation these days to conserve water and reduce costs. To conserve more water, put down a mulch of straw (not hay!) -- shredded straw works best but is more costly. If you lack soaker hoses (which do not last very long) or drip irrigation it is best to avoid overhead sprinklers which wet leaves and can promote diseases. Rather, use a watering wand and place the water at the bases of plants. Pests Critters Weeding Fertilization For tomatoes, make sure you side dress with some kind of fertilizer when the blossoms appear. Clip off the lower branches to promote air circulation at the bases of tomato plants to reduce the chance for disease. Supports Coming soon Posted by Rudolph A. Hempe Commentskaren anne | July 1, 2007 7:45 PM link I agree with Karen that the type of cage she uses is better than the tapered ones. But with the quantity of tomatoes that I raise (I raised 400 plants this winter--most of which go to charity gardens) I found those cages to be a bit pricey. I do have three of them and found them superior. Rather, the last two years I have been suspending tomatoes with a system that I saw in a commercial greenhouse. Will describe that soon. Rudi Hempe | July 2, 2007 8:35 PM link Dozens of gardeners have explained what they're using to keep the tomatoes up here: Tomato Support Techniques. Here are some, although you may learn more from what people say didn't work: I use old broken rake or hoe handles, even worn out broom handles. Pound them in the ground next to the growing tomato plant, then gently tie the plant to the stake with worn out bed linens torn in strips. These are soft and gentle for the plant. I take thin plastic clothesline and tie knots in it about six inches apart and then string this up to an overhead support. As the plants grow I simply tie them to the line.(Knots prevent ties from slipping down) Fred, Glen Cove, ME I use traditional tomato cages. As the tomatoes out grow the cage, I use old torn pantyhose to suspend the tomato plants so they don't touch the ground. Louise, Saint James, NY Sheila | July 3, 2007 10:11 AM link I have pretty much gone thru many, many tomato varieties each year, but I was reconsidering as I read about the fellow's 5' wide cages and wondered what variety needed that. Then I realized from his description of building them that he meant 5' circumference, darn :-) I note someone was trying to avoid having green tomatoes. What's better, a mayonnaise and freshly picked tomato sandwich, or picalilli made from green tomatoes... Then someone mentioned shopping at the Outlet (not ours, of course) and I got all nostalgic. karen anne | July 5, 2007 9:03 AM link Post a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. |
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Hi,
I don't use the tapered tomato cages. You can buy ones that are rectangular and quite sturdy. I believe I got mine thru the mail from Gardener's Supply. Here is a link to the cages in their current web catalog:
http://www.gardeners.com/Tomato-Support-Cages/default/15172.prd
A nice thing about these is if you grow very tall tomato plants, like Brandywine, you can stack the cages as the plants get taller (bend the legs of one cage inward, and slip that cage into the top of another cage.) I use plastic hinged clothes pins where the cages join for extra reinforcement, a couple of clothes pins on each side.
This normally works fine. If the plants get very big, I tie adjoining cages together for extra stability. (The neighboring cages don't have to be really close together, it's that if a whole bunch are tied together, a heavy plant can't take them down, they are stable, esp. if they are planted in a block instead of a row.)
The cages fold flat for easy storage when not in use.