Talk about late planting tomatoes in MD! But May had chilly nights (and predictions for warmer nights ahead so I delayed). Then in early June, I kept staying up late and getting up late so I kept thinking "tomorrow". Last week, we hadn't had rain in 6 weeks and the soil was very hard (but they kept predicting rain).
I finally stopped messing around on Tuesday and watered the area until it was damn near mud (so the water got down a foot at least). Then waited 2 days for the water to soak all around and leave the soil digable but "crumbly". Thursday, I planted.
Now, when I plant tomatoes, I try to do it right...
1. Tilled the soil 6" deep to get everything loose and raked off the grassy weeds.
2. Cut several lengths of 4' wide black mesh fabric (weed suppressor but water-permeable) and held them down with bricks.
3. Put my 24' wide x 5' high concrete remesh cages on the fabric and poked a hole in the center of each to mark where the tomatoes would go. Removed the cages. Cut a 4" "X" at each hole. Marked the spot of each X.
4. Folded back the fabric and dug a 12" wide and deep hole at each spot, leaving the soil in place. Sprinkled organic fertilizer on each spot. Turned the soil over a few times to mix it in well.
5. Put the fabric back in place and used a bulb planter to remove a cylinder of soil 12" deep, saving the soil in 2 buckets.
6. The bed can hold 11 tomatoes in 3 rows (4-4-3). This year, I had Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Striped German, Black Krim, and Pineapple. I set them at holes randomly.
7. Wearing knee pads (my knees are not great these days), I got down on them and went to work setting them in the holes as deep as I could (tomatoes will grow roots from buried stems). Back-filled with scoops of soil from the buckets.
8. Stuck 3' stakes next to each tomato and held them up with plastic clips. The clips have a small end to grab onto the stake and a larger opening to hold the seedling. It all took about 4 hours...
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No pic of the newly-planted ones today. They are a bit frazzled from the process and don't look good yet. Pushing them out of the cell-packs, handling them for planting, and then straightening them gently to attack them to the stakes is stressful. They will recover in a few days as their roots discover the joy of new soil to grow into and they discover the fertilizer.
But here is a picture from last year and they will look about the same in a few days...
My tomatoes are all heirlooms. They aren't as productive as hybrids, but WOW do they taste better!
I used to plant the "best" hybrids available (like Celebrity and Big Beef). About 25 years ago, I bought a Brandywine and a Cherokee Purple seedling at a farmer's market. When I tasted the 1st ripe tomato of each, I simply pulled up the hybrids and forgot about growing them again forever. LOL!
So I plant more of them and get as many ripe fruits as fewer hybrids, but it is worth it. And I still have a few more seedlings (and cages). I'll find somewhere to plant the rest tomorrow. You really can't have too many great-tasting tomatoes.
