Perhaps it was divine intervention or just years of trials and tribulations. I’m not even sure where I originally acquired some of the information that I have about gardening.
After unsuccessfully starting multiple varieties, my wife would always complain that I planted my tomatoes too deep. But I just kept digging a hole and wrapping the long “leggy” vine around inside the hole.
The furry stems of the tomato plant will become roots if you put the stem underground. Planting tomatoes deep into the ground and burying the stem creates a plant that is too big to tie up. We probably average 5-inch diameter tomatoes. We started using traditional stakes, then bamboo poles, but had little luck.
Last year I started growing my tomatoes differently, after careful consideration of their growth habits. Instead of transplanting multiple times into increasingly larger pots, I used one pot. I put a little seed starting mix in the bottom, planted my seeds and covered lightly.
Then, after sprouting, I thinned them to one or two per container and added soil up to the cotyledon leaves. It’s much easier to add soil to the existing container than to constantly transplant into a bigger pot. I imagine that there is less stress on the plant too.
Plus, if you realize, you can bury the stems and move the tiny plant to the center so it’s not growing against the wall. However, you can position your tiny tomato plant wherever you want it while improving the root structure.
I’ll repeat the process as they get bigger and become “leggy” under the lights. And at some point, I add my magic potion.
Gene Logsdon once said that organic gardeners are the craziest people in the world. If they thought there was a chance of eradicating a bug problem in their garden, by wearing two left shoes… they would. Most people stick to conventional store-bought items like fertilizer, potting mix and seeds — and rely on chemicals to do the rest.
I would do the same, but the cantankerous side of me forces me to do things differently. I try things for the sake of trying.
Again, I’m not sure where the idea came from. I know that Almanzo’s dad used milk to grow a prize pumpkin. But one day I tried adding some milk, diluted with water, to my tomatoes. The result is a priceless all you can eat tomato smorgasbord. I now must secure tomatoes to a metal T-post. Every few weeks or so, I add some fresh milk diluted in water.
Milk provides calcium and phosphorus, along with many other minerals. Eventually, after much success, I applied it to my peppers. After re-reading Laura Wilder’s Farmer Boy, I began applying it to my winter squash too. Again, I had more than I could ever imagine eating and the vines just kept growing more fruits.
One year, I planted every variety of tomato that sounded delicious in the description. Seed Savers sells heirloom seeds and has a tomato tasting contest. Although some are delicious, like the historic Cherokee purple, they are unreliable producers. But after growing dozens of varieties, we’ve really settled on an old traditional Italian, costuloto genovese, as well as the San Marzano, and finally the Amish paste. If you’ve not had the opportunity to taste these tomatoes, let me know… I’m happy to share.
