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market-farming - RE: Tomato Support?

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  • From: "Wiediger, Alison" <awiediger AT Hart.k12.ky.us>
  • To: 'market farming' <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Tomato Support?
  • Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 09:20:48 -0600


We tried a method we liked last year, and will expand it this year. We used
6' steel fence posts, in the middle of a 4' bed, about 10-12' apart, with
the end posts slanted like a deadman. We used high-tensile fencing wire, 1
strand at the top, with a strainer in the middle to tighten it. Then we
used twine down from the wire to the tomatoes planted on both sides. The
tomatoes were minimally suckered, and trained to two leaders up the twine.
It might not work for a really aggressive non-determinate, but worked well
for most of our plants.

On transporting, we never pack more than two layers deep if the tomatoes are
ripe. But, we have collected, at our local grocery store, the boxes they
get hydroponic tomatoes in, and they have individual rounded sections for
each tomato - a terrific way to transport those wonderful, tasty, but
fragile heirlooms in a ripe state.

Alison Wiediger
Au Naturel Farm
Smiths Grove, KY

> ----------
> From: John Swartz[SMTP:random AT palas.com]
> Reply To: market farming
> Sent: Monday, January 24, 2000 7:00 PM
> To: market farming
> Subject: Tomato Support?
>
> Greetings,
>
> With a new list like this it's always a little difficult to decide whether
>
> a question or comment is on topic or not. If this is inappropriate let me
>
> know... thanks.
>
> We've grown tomatoes for market for several years now, but haven't really
> found a *good* way of supporting them. We've tried not supporting them
> (low labor input but, low fruit output, sunscald, definitely not the way
> to
> go), staking, string trellises, post and lintels made of 2X2. This year
> we're considering cages. I had been planning to make the cages out of
> woven wire fencing, but then read somewhere that people were using hog
> panels (!?!) Anybody doing that? If so, how do you roll that stuff up?
> It's pretty stiff.
>
> We've also had problems with transporting the tomatoes without bruising
> them. I'm considering lining the crates etc. with bubble wrap... Any
> ideas there?
>
> Again, I hope I'm not off topic, and I'm really looking forward to
> following this group.
>
> John Swartz
> Copper Pig Farm
> Center Square, Indiana, USA
>
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