How to produce big harvest organic tomatoes
April 20, 2009
Tomato tower trellis
There are two ways of supporting organic tomato vines which produce good results. The first is tying the vines to trellises or stakes. The second is allowing them to run on the ground. In some locations where the weather is hot and humid it’s probably best to tie them to trellises or stakes.
Some sort of support needs to be provided for the tomatoes to run on. You can do this by simply driving a stake close to the plant. Then one to three stalks can be wrapped around the stake with strips of rag. This will train the vine to climb the stake.
The post needs to be strong and at least five feet high. For most crops at least three stalks should be left untied. Your next task is to trim back the shoots every few days since they constantly start growing in all directions. This allows the strength of the roots to go into the fruit growing along the main stems.
An easier way for the casual gardener is to create a low fence along the row of plants. Leave most of the sprouting branches and tie them up to the wire which form the rails of the fence. Although this method and trimming back vines appeals to many gardeners, it does call for a great deal of work and attention when you have other crops that need work. To properly tie up and trim just a dozen organic tomato plants is no small task on hot midsummer days.
Experiences in several different states has shown that under normal conditions there are no bad results and some advantages to letting tomatoes run on the ground. As branches begin to grow out and fall to the ground, thoroughly till the plot three to four inches deep. Then sprinkle a good organic compost around them to form a mulch and let the organic tomato vines run freely while moving the branches so that they don’t interfere with each other.
