Hi All,
I currently have 3 heirloom (indeterminate) plants in a cedar box on my patio in NYC. My plants are about a foot taller than my 6' cedar stakes, and growing like weeds still. Any suggestions for further support?
My current ideas are to build a trellis around the top of my plants, on top of my current stakes, so the plants can lay down. Other thought is just a longer cedar pole (as my hardware store has nothing longer than 6' garden stakes) - alhough I am concerned with the amount the plants are swaying already.
I also heard that it is ok to just let the tops fall down.
Anyone else have this problem? And if so, what are suggested solutions?
Thanks,
Tom
-
Tomatah-Luver
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 12:19 pm
- Location: Roscoe Twsp Illinois
Heirlooms can take over your garden. One local community garden kept 6 feet of space between each plant, and some varieties still encroached onto their neighbor's territory.
Currently, I'm growing several varieties, Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Chocolate, and Grandpa Charlie, with 3 feet between each plant, because I'm so very cheap on space in my garden, I like to squeeze as much in as possible. I plan to start chopping branches and doing severe pruning of the plants in the hopes this will encourage larger fruits to grow on existing branches.
My way may not be what you are looking for, but you may find that you have to take some drastic solutions to over-growing plants (sorry, I know this may be hard to take). If you let your tomato plants drag on the ground, you may find that they get diseased more easily because of the dark and wetter conditions--the plants want air and light to survive.
If you were growing modern varieties, I'd go with the "grow them up on a trellis" treatment. But with heirlooms, it all depends on the varieties and how leggy they get. Even with normal pruning, some varieties I've grown in the past (and seen grown at community garden) will not give much fruit for all the vines they produce.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do. Sometimes we have to give up to get something with plants! Let me know which heirlooms you are growing, we can exchange tips on the growing conditions and the results. I'm in central Northern Illinois.
Currently, I'm growing several varieties, Cherokee Purple, Cherokee Chocolate, and Grandpa Charlie, with 3 feet between each plant, because I'm so very cheap on space in my garden, I like to squeeze as much in as possible. I plan to start chopping branches and doing severe pruning of the plants in the hopes this will encourage larger fruits to grow on existing branches.
My way may not be what you are looking for, but you may find that you have to take some drastic solutions to over-growing plants (sorry, I know this may be hard to take). If you let your tomato plants drag on the ground, you may find that they get diseased more easily because of the dark and wetter conditions--the plants want air and light to survive.
If you were growing modern varieties, I'd go with the "grow them up on a trellis" treatment. But with heirlooms, it all depends on the varieties and how leggy they get. Even with normal pruning, some varieties I've grown in the past (and seen grown at community garden) will not give much fruit for all the vines they produce.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do. Sometimes we have to give up to get something with plants! Let me know which heirlooms you are growing, we can exchange tips on the growing conditions and the results. I'm in central Northern Illinois.
Hi Tom,
When my tomatos start out growing their cages and drooping on the ground, I tie them up.
I tear old shirts into wide, soft strips, loop it under the tomato branch and then tie the other end around part of the cage to pull the branch up a foot or so.
Might be harder for you because the problem with your tomatos is height over the stake.
But you're patio probably has a ceiling, right? Loop the cloth under the branch and tack the other end of the cloth to the ceiling.
When my tomatos start out growing their cages and drooping on the ground, I tie them up.
I tear old shirts into wide, soft strips, loop it under the tomato branch and then tie the other end around part of the cage to pull the branch up a foot or so.
Might be harder for you because the problem with your tomatos is height over the stake.
But you're patio probably has a ceiling, right? Loop the cloth under the branch and tack the other end of the cloth to the ceiling.