Trying to look like I know what I'm doing

[Cole_Robbie]

I got the first of my three rows of plants in the new high tunnel. My goal is to have early tomatoes to sell at the farmer's market. I just put the plastic on a few days ago. The end wall plastic is not attached yet. It's only 17 plants over about a 44 foot row, but it was a ridiculous amount of work. I had to start with unworked ground, and the only equipment I have is a front-tine tiller. Each raised bed is amounting to several hours of tilling to break into the clay. I think I have vibrated the fingerprints off my hands.

For fertilizer I used some Schultz all purpose tomato and vegetable, greensand, and some high-P bat guano all worked into the bed. Each plant was in a gallon container, which is why they are so big. Each hole got a pinch of osmocote and two "success tabs" from fungi.com which is a new experiment for me. There's also a drip line, and I plan on injecting fertilizer as needed. I have a bag of cow manure compost and a big bag of cotton burr compost, but I am scared to use them for fear of herbicide or throwing off my micro elements.

The varieties also represent a lot of experimentation. So far, they include Orange Blossom, Taxi, Polbig, an older commercial cherry BHN968, Bush Early Girl, Glacier, Sibirski Skorospelyi, Beaver Lodge, Pilgrim, Homesweet, Terrenzo and Debut.

They are all supposed to be compact determinates, but I plan to run at least one 3-string horizontal trellis about 3 feet off the ground for support. I can add another if they keep growing.