Wednesday, May 14, 2014

our favorite tomato varieties and tomato spacing trick

 

this weekend we planted tomatoes. 48 tomato plants to be exact. hello, canned tomato sauce & salsa! 


we planted four varieties - cherokee purple, sungolds, celebrity and brandywine. those are among our favorites for eating & canning. they also grow well here in the south. what are your favorite tomato varieties?


with a daunting task like an evening of planting tomatoes, a helpful little trick is always nice. 
our garden is on the smaller size so we like to maximize our bounty with precise spacing. my husband came up with a fun idea i thought i'd share with you today.


we planted our tomatoes exactly 2 ft. apart. this allows our homemade tomato cages to fit perfectly while providing enough space for our tomatoes to grow. using a piece of dried bamboo, a tape measurer & pruning shears, we cut a piece of bamboo exactly 2 ft. long. we then used this measuring (bamboo) stick to measure the spacing between each plant. 


 instead of worrying about getting your measuring tape or yard stick out each time you plant, simply place the measuring stick at the base of your tomato plant that has already been planted. at the end of the stick, plant your next tomato. it's easy peasy & a great activity for the youngins in the garden!

happy planting!
- natalie

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your spacing trick. I grew some black russian tomatoes last year and loved them so am growing them again this year. I am also going to try cuore di bue this year, it's supposed to be creamy so will use them for soup and sauces.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely spacing trick, thank you. Your tomato plants are so big! Did you start your seeds indoors or purchase transplants?

    ReplyDelete