tomatoes

pete black · Apr 25, 2014

i tilled up a portion of the garden with the tractor today and plan on planting tomatoes tomorrow. times past i have tended to get my plants, which are caged with re-enforcing wire, too close together. what distance do you find works best for you? this is in nw alabama. thanks.

Gerry....WI · Apr 25, 2014

Four feet works best for me. Leaves me access to all sides when picking and plenty of air movement.

El Toro · Apr 26, 2014

I set them 3-feet apart since I don't have a big garden anymore. I think I made those wire cages
about 35 years ago from heavy reinforcement wire.
I grew all my tomato plants. I have them in a small mini greenhouse now. It's been too cold to plant them in the garden. Hal
PS: My wife has Earth Boxes for growing veggies. Our daughter has Earth boxes too.

gtractorfan · Apr 26, 2014

Started these from seeds 2 months ago, helps with spring fever.

JRSutton · Apr 26, 2014

Last year I tried planting my tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets, one plant per bucket. I don't think I'll ever go back to the old way.

Weeding is a non issue.

I can move them anywhere I want.

Watering is so much easier to ensure I get enough to the roots.

I can't understand why I waited this long to try it.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 26, 2014

Just the opposite for me. I planted some in 10 gal pots several year's ago. Never again. Worst tomatoes I ever raised.

Dean Olson · Apr 26, 2014

I plant on 6' rows at 6' spacing. I use concrete wire mesh for cages that are 18" in diameter and 5' tall. I irrigate and use composted manure tilled in. I don't trim or prune. Just let them go wild. They'll get 6-7' tall and towards the end I have to use a machete to cut a path between plants.

You do have to go well into the plant to find tomatoes. Deep enough that the birds and bugs can't find them.

john in la · Apr 26, 2014

Determinate 24 to 36 inches on 36 inch rows
Indeterminate 36 to 48 inches on 48 inch rows

VaTom · Apr 26, 2014

Hi Dean, what birds go after your tomatoes? I've never experienced that.

Otherwise I grow the same way you do except I use raised beds that hold 8 cages (no machete needed), a little larger diameter than yours. Easier on my back.

I usually find 3-4 tomato hornworms every year, but that's the only bug problem. Generally I find them before the parasitic wasp eggs hatch. My tomatoes appear all over, easy picking.

Might be different varieties. I only grow Italian heirlooms, and one hybrid.

tomatoes

pete black

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Gerry....WI

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El Toro

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gtractorfan

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JRSutton

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Anonymous-0

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Dean Olson

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john in la

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VaTom

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