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  • From: EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Tomato Cages, Varieties
  • Date: Sat, 03 May 2008 14:44:47 -0400



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





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