Posted by admin | Posted in How to grow tomatoes from seeds | Posted on 07-09-2009
Tags: Blossom End Rot, Calcium Chloride, Concrete Reinforcement Wire, Friends, Giant Tomatoes, Liquid Fertilizer, Plants With Lots, Roots, Seeds, Shallow Trenches, Tiny Tops, Tomato Cages, Tomato Plant, Tomato Plants, Wheat Straw, Wooden Stakes
You can plant thirty tomato plants the old-fashioned way, and have plenty of tomatoes, or you can plant ten my way, and have the same. I used to plant twenty, thirty, even forty tomato plants every year to ensure enough fruit for eating, canning, etc. I started growing my tomatoes from seed a few years ago, and discovered along the way how to grow GIANT tomato plants with lots of GIANT TOMATOES on them.
The first year I started my seeds I started them a little early, and ended up with some 18 inch tomato plants by planting time. They were too big to plant the regular “dig a hole and stick it in there” way. So I dug shallow trenches about a foot long. I then stripped all the limbs off of these beautiful plants and left only the tops. I know that sounds harsh, but trust me on this.
I then planted them in the trenches horizontally, leaving only the tiny tops above ground. I placed small tomato cages over them to prevent them from being stepped on. After a thorough watering I mulched them with newspaper and wheat straw.
In no more than three days I noticed growth! It was absolutely amazing, you could see the difference from day to day. The buried stem became one huge main root with thousands of smaller roots growing off of it! The plant was able to accept all the water and fertilizer I could give it. I use a liquid fertilizer every two weeks, and also spray them with Calcium Chloride every two to three weeks. This prevents Blossom End Rot, and also causes the plants to set more tomatoes.
I replaced the small tomato cages with large ones made from concrete reinforcement wire. As they grew to the top of these cages I extended them with three wooden stakes wired to the sides of the cages. They grew to seven feet tall, and kept growing out of the top and down.
The crop was amazingly plentiful, each plant producing as much fruit as three or four regular tomato plants. I had twelve plants, but had enough tomatoes for eating, canning, freezing, and giving to friends and neighbors. Of course you don’t have to go to these extremes, but by planting your tomatoes deep, you can make a large crop in a small space.
Related posts:
- How To Choose Or Grow The Perfect Tomato ... antioxidant abundant in red tomatoes and processed tomato...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.