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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Robert Walton wrote:
> > Finally, I think there's the concentric rings plan of growing
> > tomatoes..I started it one year, and the tornado that came ripping
> > through dropped a huge 1000 pound limb onto the arrangement.. :(
> and mess around with some poles and stuff.
>
> What is the concentric rings plan?


It's not a concentric ring of tomatoes, it's just one ring, but if you 
picture the setup from above, I guess you would see more than one 
circle.  It's really simple, and you could even do this in a straight 
line, but basically loosen the soil (till or double dig) over a large 
area, say 5 or 6 feet in diameter.  In the middle, you put compost, 
manure, fertilizer or whatever mulch you have to act as a food bank for 
the plant.  Around that, you put up a tall circle fence, which holds all 
the compost, mulch and goodies in place, then you plant your tomatoes on 
the outside of the fence.  I have seen people dig their irrigation 
trench inside the fence, and I have seen it outside the fence.  To me, 
it makes more sense to put a small, 2-3 inch deep trench inside the 
fence so you draw the tomato roots towards the food supply, but it would 
be a smaller circumference circle which would eliminate water loss. 
This is really just side dressing from a circle perspective.  Anyway, 
you tie your toms to the fence as normal and they will vine around and 
cover the  whole thing.  The trench is a great way to water as it puts 
the least amount of water in the right place with no waste, minimal 
evaporation, and it never touches the leaves.  The moisture helps the 
compost to break down, too.  You don't want a huge compost pile that you 
would have to turn, you want compost that is either 'done' or almost 
done, and you want to add whatever amendments you like (bone meal, epsom 
salts, egg shells, what have you), and then cover the whole pile with 
mulch.  You cover the whole area with mulch, inside and outside the 
fence, to keep down weeds and hold in moisture.
If you did this in a row setting, you would just till up a 3 or 4 foot 
wide row, put your trench slightly towards one side, put a fence down 
the middle, and pile your food bank on the side of the fence with the 
trench, plant on the other side, and cover the whole thing with mulch.

If you have great soil where you can dig down 2 feet with no rocks and 
you got a nice loam, then forget the above method, but if you live where 
there is only a foot or less of topsoil and then rocks or hard clay, 
then this method might be a good alternative because tomatoes have such 
an extensive root system and are heavy feeders.

Bev

--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky