TOMATOES - Pruning, Staking and Spacing Options and How to Tie...

With tomatoes, you want to maximize the efficiency of photosynthesis and minimize the risk of disease. This is best accomplished by ensuring that each leaf has plenty of room and is supported up off the ground. When a tomato plant lies on the ground, or when its growth is extremely dense, many of its leaves are forced into permanent shade, greatly reducing the amount of sugar they produce. If a leaf uses more sugar than it makes, eventually it will yellow and drop off. A pruned and staked plant will produce larger fruit two to three weeks earlier than a prostrate one.

A properly pruned and supported single-stem tomato plant presents all of its leaves to the sun. Most of the sugar produced is directed to the developing fruit, since the only competition is a single growing tip. The result is large fruits that are steadily produced until frost. If more stems are allowed to develop, some of the precious sugar production is diverted from fruit to multiple growing tips. Fruit production, although slowed, never stops. The result is a nearly continuous supply of fruits throughout the season. In general, more stems means more but smaller fruits, which are produced increasingly later in the season.

RULE 1 Get plants off the ground.

RULE 2 Give plants room.

RULE 3 Never prune or tie plants when the leaves are wet.

Pruning also affects plant health. The leaves of a pruned and supported plant dry off faster, so bacterial and fungal pathogens have less opportunity to spread. Soil is less liable to splash up onto staked plants. The bottom line: Upright plants have fewer problems with leaf spots and fruit rots because their leaves stay drier and free from pathogen-laden soil.

The way you choose to train and prune your tomato plants will affect how you space your plants, as well as the best method of support . There's no one right way to do it. Instead there are a few good patterns to follow.

Once flowering commences, all tomato vines must be tied to their supports. Although vigorous, the plants are also easily damaged, so take care in how you tie them and what you use. Cloth strips work well as long as they're not too old and threadbare. Pieces of panty hose cause the least damage to plants, but they're not biodegradable. Twine should be at least 1/8 inch thick, or else it can cut into the tomato stems.

There are two types of ties. Training ties direct plant growth upwards, and supporting ties keep it there. The top foot of a tomato stem, or leader, is very succulent and easily snapped; it needs to be directed upwards, gently. I would wrap a short piece of twine around the middle of the leader, cross it over on itself, and loosely tie it to the support. The resulting figure-eight tie reduces the chance the tender stem will rub against the support and get bruised.

Fruit will form along this stem. If left to the devices of the loose training ties, the weight of the fruit will pull the ties down the stake. Eventually, the stem will bend over and crease. Luckily, as the stem matures, it toughens; by the time fruit develops, the stem can tolerate a tighter tie. To support a fruit cluster as it fills and gains weight, I would loop a longer piece of twine, 12 to 18 inches, around the stem just above the fruit cluster, creating a sling. Then I would gently pull it up to take the weight off the stem. I would wrap the twine twice around the stake, and firmly tie it to the stake 6 to 10 inches higher than the point of attachment to the vine. To keep the tie from slipping, I would knot it underneath the point where the sling meets the stake.

Which method of support you use and how far apart you set tomato plants depends on the number of stems you allow to grow.

Cages work for plants with three to five stems. I would use them almost exclusively for determinate tomatoes. Ready-made tomato cages are too little for all but the smallest determinate cultivars. An ideal tomato cage is made from 5-foot-tall galvanized fencing with openings at least 4 inches square, so you can reach in and pick the fruit. A 4-foot section makes a cylinder about 15 inches in diameter. Secure it with baling wire, and stabilize it with two stakes, one of which is at least 6 feet long. Drive the stakes in within a week of planting, but wait to set cages over the plants until the first fruits form, to simplify weeding and pruning. Space caged plants about two-thirds of their final height in all directions.

Use the same type of fencing to make a tomato fence, which works best for plants with one or two stems. To get a good, solid fence, you need a helper. Secure the fencing with 6-foot stakes every 4 feet. Here's how I would keep the fence taut. Loop each non-end stake through the bottom rung of the fence, then start to drive it into the ground so its bottom is angled away from the previous stake. Once it's about 4 inches into the ground, bring the stake upright and drive it in the rest of the way. Set single-stemmed plants 18 inches apart, and double-stemmed plants 24 inches apart. If you stagger the planting (successive plants on opposite sides of the fence), you can knock 6 inches off these distances. Erect the fence before you plant your tomatoes.

Stakes work well for plants of one to four stems. I would use 1 inch x 1 inch x 6-foot lengths of untreated oak or cedar, sharpened on one end. Drive the stakes 8 to 12 inches into the ground, depending on your soil (deeper for loose, sandy ground). To avoid damaging roots, drive your stakes in within a week of planting. Space staked plants at 18 inches for a single stem, 24 inches for two stems, and 36 inches for three or four stems.

Watering Your Veggies

While it may seem like watering a vegetable garden is an easy thing, in reality there are a lot of factors that play into the process of the best way to water a vegetable garden. Variations include the type of soil your vegetables are growing in, the types of vegetables you're growing and even the season and weather pattern that is prevalent where you live.

Step 1 - Check the soil to see what kind it is. The soil type that you have will determine how often you need to water your vegetable garden. For example, sandy soil doesn't retain water well, so you will want to water your vegetable garden more often. Clay soils are great at holding water, so you would need to water your vegetable garden less often.

Step 2 - Choose how you're going to water your plants. Much of this depends on whether or not it rains a lot where you live. If it does, it may not be necessary for you to do much in the way of watering your vegetable garden. You may want to set up an irrigation system, or just use your garden hose as needed.

Step 3 - Add some organic matter (if necessary). Adding organic matter is one way that you can help the soil, whether sandy or clay based. For sandy soils, organic matter gives the water something to soak into, rather than the water just sinking right through it. For clay soils, organic matter gives the soil some lightness and air.

Step 4 - Add a fertilizer (when needed). Generally speaking, most soil fertilization is done when prepping the soil for a vegetable garden, but it is sometimes done (sparingly) afterwards. Whether or not you need to use fertilizer largely depends on how much organic matter is already in your soil. If there is a lot of organic matter in the soil, you probably don't need to fertilize your vegetable garden, or only need to do so sparingly. Organic fertilizer, such as compost, horse manure or chicken manure is best. However, if you do decide to use a commercial fertilizer, use it sparingly and be careful around young plants because commercial fertilizers can burn your roots.

Step 5 - Water your vegetable garden as needed. One thing to keep in mind when watering your vegetable garden is that most of the roots are near the surface of the soil and need to be thoroughly soaked. One way you can ensure this is by using a soaker hose, which allows water to seep out of the entire hose all along its length. Alternative ways are via sprinklers, the garden hose, and even a special irrigation.

The more you know:

• When the days are sunny and warm, your vegetable garden will need more water.


• If you live in an area where the humidity is low, you may have to water your vegetable garden more often.


• If the wind blows a lot where you live, this could cause some water to evaporate before getting to the plants, so you may need to add extra water.


• Be sure and keep the water off the leaves of your vegetable plants, as this can lead to disease.


• If it is a warm day and you notice that by the evening the leaves on your vegetable plants have turned brown and wilted, don't add extra water.


• Sometimes when plants are growing quickly the leaves get ahead themselves and the roots cannot get them water quickly enough. If this happens, you will notice by morning that the vegetable plants are lush and green because the roots have caught up with the leaves.


• Watering your garden in the morning helps prepare it for the day.


• If you live in a hot climate, you should water your vegetables before 9:00 a.m., or as early as possible.


• No matter where you live, never water your vegetables during the heat of the day. Even if you forget to water them in the morning, watering during the heat of the day will do more harm to your vegetables than good. If you live in a dry climate, you may want to water your plants twice daily: in the morning and the evening

Good Morning Gardeners!

I went home to find that although there were few signs of over watering in my garden...there is definitely a lack of sunshine.

The only casualty we have suffered is a loos of our musk melon more commonly know as a Cantaloupe Melon. It's poor little stem just rotted away..just like this ones did..

You can see the wilting discoloured part and this is a sure sign of a problem!

As it turns out we were a little hasty in planting our melon buddy as he would be much happier in warmer conditions..

Upon doing some research about tips on how to recover from over watering I found that the biggest factor in determining a plant's watering needs is the soil that contains the plant.

If we all had perfect loamy soils it would only take one answer but many gardeners have clay soils which take water in slowly and lose it slowly while gardeners here in WA have sandy soils. These sandy soils receive the water quickly but unfortunately lose it just as fast.

Another factor is evaporation. In the winter months when evaporation is low (and rainfalls are usually higher - unless you live in the tropics) the watering needs of your plants are less. In summer your plants will need increased watering.

Also, Try grouping your plants with the same watering needs. Don't put exotic annuals together with native shrubs or vice versa. We plant our squashes (zucchini, pumpkin, buttercup, summer) together with our cucumber as they have the same watering needs. Broccoli, Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts are another good grouping. We also like using companion plants to enhance the growing environment and keep pests at bay in a particular bed or around certain plants. I will devote a whole post to this topic as it has proved very fun and useful for us at the Lake House!

These Marigolds have been planted near the cucumbers to attract the pests. Marigolds are wonderful as bugs love them and they add a burst of colour!!

If you have been over watering your plants, the only way to save them is to cease watering until the soil has begun drying out. If the plant is in a container try moving it to a sunnier, drier location. If the plant is in a garden bed and the bed is constantly getting too wet, you may need to raise it so that the water can seep through rather than sit.

The golden rule in watering is only water when your plants need it and then water them thoroughly.



Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful garden filled weekend!

- Elizabeth

Rain Rain Go Away

While the garden looks fabulous and things are certainly growing, there has been NO sunshine!!

The weather here in Vancouver is just the pits! Check out the forecast - follow the link

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-74_metric_e.html

This turn of weather has caused me to research the effects of too much water on a veggie garden and how to spot sings of trouble.

Here is what I found out:

While it's important for vegetable plants to receive enough water for proper growth and to produce a good crop, too much water can weaken and even kill them. Some of the signs of an over-watered garden can look deceptively like the signs of one that hasn't received enough water. If you monitor your garden closely, and are aware of the symptoms of over-watering, you'll be able to avoid problems.

Wilting
Wilting is typically associated with not enough water, or extreme temperature changes, but is also a sign of a plant whose roots are struggling in wet soil. You might notice that the leaves are wilted, but in severe situations, the entire plant may look wilted and withered. Wilt from over-watering results from plant roots that are unable to receive oxygen from the soil. This causes plant suffocation.

Mold
An over-watered vegetable garden might turn moldy. If you see mold or moss growing on the surface of the soil, or mold growing on your plants, chances are that you are giving your vegetable garden too much water.

Yellowing or Spotted Leaves
When a vegetable garden is over-watered, plant leaves may fall off after turning light green or yellow, or they may become yellow or mottled. Weak, spindly growth also can occur.

Rotting Stems or Roots
If you notice stems or roots that are soft and rotten, this is a good sign that a vegetable garden has too much water in the soil.

Wet Soil
A very clear sign that your vegetable garden is getting too much water is wet or soggy soil. Many vegetables--tomatoes for example--like to have their roots in soil that is consistently moist. But your vegetable garden should never be wet or soggy.

I am going to check my little guys out this afternoon and see if there is any signs of water damage. I will follow this post with another focused on how to deal with water damage and how to minimise loss.

Thanks for stopping by,

Elizabeth

Last Year

The Lakehouse is starting a blog to keep a log of our garden experiments and progress...I hope it leads to community envolvement and even becomes a source of information for those in our area looking for answers to the same questions...

Please enjoy these pictures of our garden last year (2009) as we begin our journey into summer 2010! Stay tuned for pictures of the layout change and expansions we have done this year...SO exciting!!

Happy Gardening!

Post By: Elizabeth