Tomato plant spacing!

[tedln]

The recommended spacing for tomatoes has always seemed to be 18" to 24" apart. I've almost always planted very crowded believing I get greater production from a given space.

I planted some heirloom varieties this year including the Sudduth strain of the Brandywine tomato. The Brandywine tomato has enjoyed the reputation of having an outstanding taste, but also has the reputation among many gardeners of being a very low producer. I've always believed that when growing conditions are optimal, some tomato varieties have a genetic predisposition to either be a low producer or high producer. The Brandywine seems to fit in the low producer category.

I planted my Brandywine tomatoes this year in clumps of four, three, two, and single plant. Since my desire is to maximize production from a specific space, my hope is that each clump of plants will produce a multiple number of fruit compared to the single plants. I'm pretty sure I won't get the exact multiple of the single plants production in each clump, but even if I only double production by clumping, it will be interesting.

Ted

[rainbowgardener]

I love it when people do the experiments!. Let us know how it works out.

[GardenJester]

hmmm... just how crowded do you plant it Ted? 9", 12" apart? seem to me there might be some prunning required with packing them so close together.

[tedln]

hmmm... just how crowded do you plant it Ted? 9", 12" apart? seem to me there might be some prunning required with packing them so close together.

I never prune my tomatoes. I need all the foliage I can get to protect the tomatoes from the sun and therefore prevent sun scald. We don't have enough humidity to cause disease and we usually have enough wind to keep the dense foliage dry.

In my tomato cages, I've always planted my hybrids about 6" apart in groups of three in a triangular fashion. I've always had good results.

The Brandywines are planted about three inches apart outside of cages.

Ted

[jmoore]

I always get good ideas from Ted.

I've got several started tomato plants that are going in tonight or tomorrow. Based on the regular 18-24" spacing, I'd have to get rid of a few of them. There are two in the ground already at 24" spacing. So I may have to crowed a few together and see how they do compared to the others. I'd hate to have to dump my scrawny little started plants because they aren't "optimally" spaced.

[Dixana]

My tomatoes last year were only 8 or so inches apart and they did phenominally despite the extremely humid weather and lack of rain.
I'm probably going to plant them pretty close again becuase of my lack of space.

[tedln]

I never recommend that other gardeners do what I do. While producing fruit is always one of my goals, my primary goal is always to have fun and see what will work for me. I always have a few "experiments" going on in my garden just to see what will happen. My experiments are not really scientific because I don't usually have the room to have "controls" or comparisons to the norm to compare to. In simple terms, I just enjoy messing around in the garden. On growing crowded, I've always done it. When I was a container gardener, it was a required method. Today, it is by choice. I recently learned my method is an old method and has a name. I don't remember what the name is, but it is in French and I think AppleStar or Cynthia told me what it means. Maybe she will remember the name.

Ted

[tedln]

jmoore,

Sorry to hear you have more tomato plants than you need. I have a couple of Brandywine plants that I badly want to give away. Some excess plants I have no problem disposing of. These Brandywines are simply beautiful. While most of my germinated plants are less than six inches tall. The Brandywines are almost twenty inches tall and heavy with foliage. Even if they never produce a tomato, they will be fun to watch as they grow. I keep watering them in their germination pots and they keep growing. I guess I will have to bite the bullet and get rid of them. I don't really want to go back to container gardening, but I may have to in order to save these plants.

Ted

[jmoore]

Ted, my little Better Boys are only about 4" tall and spindly (I don't think the soil I used was too great or I did something obviously wrong in the seed starting process). So I could easily swap one of them out for a nice big Brandywine. They would be ahead of my tom's so hopefully they would produce sooner as well.

Another option is to put them on craigslist in the free section. I'm sure someone around would love to have them.

And this is only my second year gardening. So I'm taking any and all ideas from whatever sources I can get.

[tedln]

I would love to give these two plants to you. Coffee at Dennys or you can come to my place? If it's my place, I will give directions in a pm..

Keep in mind the Better Boys you planted will grow and they will produce. Thats why I grow them as my insurance tomato. It takes real determination to kill a Better Boy plant.

These beautiful Brandywine plants may never produce a tomato. Thats just the reputation they have. I will know by the end of summer if they are producers or just decoration.

Ted

[jmoore]

Ted, you are Denton Co correct? If so, I will be coming through on Sat and/or Sun afternoon sometime going back and forth to my hunting lease. I can meet you somewhere or stop by your place and pick them up.

I'll put them to good use. I've got a perfect spot for one of them and I'll give the other to my brother. He said he'd love to have another tomato plant. He does all of his stuff in containers on his patio.

Fingers crossed for them to produce.

[tedln]

I think we are just barely over the Denton county line in Cooke county on one of the fingers that stick out into the North side of Lake Ray Roberts. I know the school district is still Denton County, but law enforcement is Cooke county.

I will pm you directions. Let me know what you want to do a little ahead of time so we can be around the place. The wife likes to shop and I have to carry the money for her sometimes.

Ted