Old Gal, New Tricks

Adaptability is key to getting on in this life. I've learned that lesson a lot the last two years since my husband of 25 years took a hike. This year for example, I've tried two new farming methods and they both worked pretty well. Here's the first of the two.

I've raised tomatoes forever. Usually I set out the plants and let them sprawl. Some years I've staked them, sort of, and one or twice I've tried cages, but the end result is usually sprawl because I like to grow indeterminate varieties the just grow on and on, more like vines than anything else.

This past spring however I thought I'd trellis my tomato plants as I'd seen some California growers do and see if I could overcome the slugs and rot that I've so often experienced when the fruit inevitably lays on the ground. I had a 20 foot length of left over woven wire fence this spring and some old metal fence posts. With the help of my handy fence post slammer  I installed the fence in the garden. I'd also saved a bag full of old run knee high stockings that make great tomato ties.

I set out 20 Rutgers tomato plants I'd grown from seed indoors this past spring. I like Rutgers as a good all purpose tomato for fresh eating and canning. It's an heirloom variety that my grandfather grew. I also have had good success with some of the hybrids like Burpee's Better Boy and Big Boy, but this year I just went with Rutgers.

The plants grew fast and I tied them to the fence with the old knee high stockings as soon as they were tall enough to reach - that was in early June. Throughout July I wove the tomato vines through the woven wire and kept tying them to the fence. By the third week in July I was harvesting a tomato here and there. The fruits were up off the ground and had no blemishes - other than a bit of core brought on by the excessive heat of July!

Now in August I have a living wall of tomato plants hanging with fruit! I am harvesting baskets of tomatoes, making sauce, leather, and tomato preserves - and eating them fresh every day!  The fruits are still blemish free and there is no waste. I like this method very much and have already planned where the tomato fence will go next year.