Tomatoes

Yesterday, Karen and I put down red plastic mulch for our tomatoes. Studies have shown that using plastic mulch increases tomoato production, which is something I can surely support. The theory goes that the red mulch reflects a useful red color frequency back to the plant which allows for more production.

My opinion is that the majority of the reason for the increased production is that the mulch warms the soil, giving the plant a jumpstart. I know this is true because I use black plastic between some of my rows and the different in temperature on the black plastic and on the grass a few feet away is significant during a sunny day.

But, if the the only reason for the increased production in tomtato plants was the heating of the soil, then black plastic should show the same increase as the red plastic, right? Well, not quite. The red showed a little more than the other colors meaning that the reflecting of the red light frequncy is the reason for the increased prodution, or the red plastic heats the soil more than other colors or some other reason is at work.

Whatever the reason, we laid down the red plastic for the benefit of warming the soil, for the hope of increased production and, most importantly, to keep the weeds down.

Today, Karen and I planted 125 tomoato plants. I am growning six varieties of mostly heirloom tomatoes. Valencia, an orange tomato, will be the first to be ready to harvest, hopefully sometime in July.

Karen and I added compost and organic fertilizer to each hole before planting each tomato. One tip when planting tomoatoes is to plant them deep. The tomato will send out roots along the length of it's stem if it is buried. This will allow for a deeper and stronger root system. The deeper the roots, the further underground the plant can draw water, allowing it to flourish. Just be sure to remove the leaves on the lower part of the stem.

I have experimented with lots of different kind of tomoato supports and found the good old fashioned bamboo stake to do the best job. But, hammering 125 bamboo stakes into the ground is certainly a job that will tire out your shoulder.