A line of 29 Taxi with no paying customers.

[DoubleDogFarm]

So what do you do?

Saturdays Farmers Market was buzzing with people, but half the sales of the week before. Came home with a truck load of plants. That's it no more, the tomatoes and squash are going into the garden or compost. Time to start the fall seedlings.

Here's a crazy experiment. I dug a 20ft trench and planted 29 Taxi tomatoes in it. Taxi are determinate, but I will be supporting with posts and string anyway.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/GardenJuly3rd2011006.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/GardenJuly3rd2011005.jpg[/img]

After backfilling, I top dressed with aged horse manure.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/GardenJuly3rd2011009.jpg[/img]

Then I broadcast Early Wonder Tall Top beets over the whole bed and covered with a fine compost. The top layer is Cedar Grove compost.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/GardenJuly3rd2011015.jpg[/img]

So what do you think? Am I heading for a tangled, diseased ridden mess?

Eric

[shadylane]

If they are coming from a reliable garden sorce, you will be fine.. I tend to worry about buying potted plants and introducing them into the garden soil. Could be bring home their bugs and disease. I don't like those surprises
You seem to have given them plenty of TLC.

[gardenbean]

Sorry to hear you didn't sell your plants, that's a bummer! From the looks of the plants they appear quite healthy. Maybe people think you can't start tomatoes in July

I don't know if you will have a mess with the beets and tomatoes together, but I think the way you planted your toamtoes is awesome and got me to thinking why didn't I grow mine that way instead of containers.

This year I have both in container and in the ground and so far my ones in the ground are doing quite well with lots of tomatoes on the plants.

What is Cedar Grove compost. Is that pine/wood chips stuff? I thought when you use a wood/pine compost that it can change the ph in your garden soil, well that's what I read some where.
A little knowledge can very dangerous to me

[DoubleDogFarm]

gardenbean,

Cedar Grove is a brand name. https://www.cedar-grove.com/products/compost.asp

I'm more concerned with the spacing. I usually plant my tomatoes 3ft apart, not 6".

The rest of the tomatoes will be kicked to the curb with a free sign.

Eric

[applestar]

Are you planning to prune to single vine?

Sorry your seedling success turned into disappointment. Still, the silver lining is that you've developed a couple of new techniques this spring that will let you do more next spring.

Did you have popular sellers that you ran out of this spring? Maybe it's just a question of adjusting inventory.

You'll have piles of yellow tomatoes to sell at the market later on too.
Are you selling processed goods too? I don't remember... Because yellow sauce and yellow pizza would be a novelty. Oh! Also consider yellow tomato jam. I made some from sweet grape toms last year -- just sugar and lemon juice with pectin, not the spicy chutney kind, and it tasted like strawberry jam.

[gardenbean]

gardenbean,

Cedar Grove is a brand name. https://www.cedar-grove.com/products/compost.asp

I'm more concerned with the spacing. I usually plant my tomatoes 3ft apart, not 6".

The rest of the tomatoes will be kicked to the curb with a free sign.

Eric

Geez, I overlooked the spacing One of the signs of being a newbie gardener
With that being said, I sure hate to see those tomato plants getting kick to the curb Insteaad of doing that, maybe you give them away or if that isnt possible why don't you put them in the compost? I know a gardner like yourself has got to have a compost pile

[gardenbean]

Are you planning to prune to single vine?

Sorry your seedling success turned into disappointment. Still, the silver lining is that you've developed a couple of new techniques this spring that will let you do more next spring.

Did you have popular sellers that you ran out of this spring? Maybe it's just a question of adjusting inventory.

You'll have piles of yellow tomatoes to sell at the market later on too.
Are you selling processed goods too? I don't remember... Because yellow sauce and yellow pizza would be a novelty. Oh! Also consider yellow tomato jam. I made some from sweet grape toms last year -- just sugar and lemon juice with pectin, not the spicy chutney kind, and it tasted like strawberry jam.

Applestar, that yellow sause thing with the pizza and such really sounds like a yummy. I am suprised it hasn't shown up at the farmers markets. At least at mine it hasn't but it's still early in the season so who knows

[DoubleDogFarm]

If they are coming from a reliable garden source, you will be fine.. I tend to worry about buying potted plants and introducing them into the garden soil. Could be bring home their bugs and disease. I don't like those surprises
You seem to have given them plenty of TLC.

shadylane, Sorry to have mislead you. These are my own tomatoes that didn't sell. Brought them home and did a mass planting. I think I have over 150 tomato plants in the garden now.

I thought when you use a wood/pine compost that it can change the Ph in your garden soil, well that's what I read some where.

gardenbean, I keep hearing this, but I feel the Ph and nitrogen loss is very minute, when applied to the surface. I try not to mix much wood chips into the soil. If I do, it would be in the Fall only.

When I said kick them to the curb ( we don't have curbs) I meant the end of the road with a free sign. I went into town, looks like some have disappeared already.

Apple,

This is / was my third year and every year I've tweaked inventory. Each year seems a little different. Popularity changes. Golden Nugget, Stupice, Sun Gold, Italian Roma are just a few of the favorites. The problem is many vendors cover the favorites.

Value added is a good way to go, but I don't have a commercial kitchen. I have heard that Washington may allow the use of home kitchen again. Fingers crossed. I think it would be fun to have a line of DOUBLE DOG farm, salsas, sauces, relishes and jams. Dare you to try.

I didn't think I wanted to sell produce this year. Maybe I'll be forced to. Depends on the harvest.

Eric

[gardenbean]

I think it would be fun to have a line of DOUBLE DOG farm, salsas, sauces, relishes and jams.

Double Dog dare yea!