Taking a few tips from Charles Wilber...

[Thawley]

This is only my third season of tomato growing. Or growing anything for that matter...

I've read a few books, scoured the web (tomatoville.com is my favorite resource by far) and chatted with the local farm supply owner. All in the search for tips and wisdom on a hobby I previously new nothing about. Among the books gifted to me from my Amazon wish-list this year – thanks Honey – was Charles H. Wilber's How to Grow World Record Tomatoes.

There's no motivation on my part to challenge Wilber's record-setting tomato heights or yields. But he had some serious growing mojo in his day so it worthwhile to see what the man had to say about tomato growing...

A few of his tips/opinions stood out enough that I though I'd give them a try this season:

• using staw-bale "blocks" as mulch
• using a drilled PVC pipe watering system
• using organic compost as a soil amendment/fertilizer

From day-one, I've used paper mulch. Not because I though it was best – but because I had it... The bed between my house and driveway is about 30" wide. Nearly a perfect fit for the 36" rolls of contractor's paper I had left over from another project. I just roll it out, weight it down on the edges and cut crosses in it for every plant. Its worked well to keep down the weeds, but it gets pretty ratty toward the middle or end of the season. Be interesting to see how the straw-bale approach compares.

I liked the drilled PVC watering method as soon as I read it. The emitter-hose drip irrigation system I've been using is a pain. I hate all the wire staples it takes to keep that stuff straight. Don't like the barb connectors. And its expensive. (I'm a tool guy with a drill press – so 20' sections of 1/2" PVC for $3.50 seems like a bargain to me...) The water pressure here was a bit much for Mr. Wilber's recommended 3/32" holes. So I ended up using a single 3/16" restrictor in the supply line to drop the pressure – but it seems worth the effort.

Finally, I'm giving up on Miracle Grow and am going to try organic. It's not that I got religion and turned vegan or anything. I'm just beginning to see the value in thinking about my soil beyond the immediate season... Organic compost makes sense to me even if my OH–major neighbor says it'll never work as well on such a small scale as mine.

Anyway – that's the plan for this year. I'd be interested to hear if others have thoughts or experiences with any of Wilber's methods...