Help Needed - Row Design

greenthumbomaha · May 13, 2013

Please help order my plantings. I have a new plot in the shared garden. It is West- East 50 feet and North-South 25 feet, with the soaker hose attachment on the west side and road on the east side. Row spacing will run W-E at 4'. Thinking of 3.5 ' between plants so I can get in easily to maintain. Cages are the 14.5 " square from Gurneys from last year. I staked out 7 rows today. Thanks to this community, I have an amazing variety to try this year. The northernmost row will be for mysteries. What would be the best order ( tallest to shortest)? Should the super late varieties be in a row to themselves? I have a half plot to the west for other vegetables. I appreciate the insight of the experienced growers!

Abe Lincoln
Akers West
Amish Gold
Amish Paste
Aunt Ruby
Azores Red

Bequin
Berkely Tie Die
Big Red
Black Krim
Bosque Blue

Chapman
Cherokee Purple
Dr. Lyle

Earls Faux
Evas Purple Ball
Grannys Heart
Great White
Goose Creek
Guker’s

Irish Pink
Kelloggs Breakfast
Kosovo
Little Lucky

Opalka
Pink Berkely Tie Die
Pink Caspian
Prudens Purple

Red & Black Boar
Red Penna
Rutgers
Seek No Further Love Apple
Summer Cider
Stump of The World
Super Sauce
Terhune
Thessaloniki
Trophy

barkeater · May 13, 2013

GTO,

The most important thing is the tomatoes don't shade each other, so having your rows run east-west, which you're doing is best. Next you want the shortest tomatoes in the front (southernmost) row and the tallest in the back (northernmost) row.

NorthTom · May 13, 2013

I can only comment on the 2 on your list that I have grown.

Opalka is a fairly large plant, and has incredibly dense foliage for me when I grow it, so I always put it in a position at the back of my greenhouse so it doesn't shade many other plants.

Kosovo is also fairly large, but much less dense than Opalka.

greenthumbomaha · May 13, 2013

Well thank you. There is a start. I had envisioned all the rows starting with the tallest on the wast side, tapering down to the east side. Its good to get different perspectives on arrangement. most of these are new to me too, so I am trying to compile info on their height. I thought I had started too many multiples, but friends are finding them fascinating too.

May 13, 2013	#1
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	Help Needed - Row Design Please help order my plantings. I have a new plot in the shared garden. It is West- East 50 feet and North-South 25 feet, with the soaker hose attachment on the west side and road on the east side. Row spacing will run W-E at 4'. Thinking of 3.5 ' between plants so I can get in easily to maintain. Cages are the 14.5 " square from Gurneys from last year. I staked out 7 rows today. Thanks to this community, I have an amazing variety to try this year. The northernmost row will be for mysteries. What would be the best order ( tallest to shortest)? Should the super late varieties be in a row to themselves? I have a half plot to the west for other vegetables. I appreciate the insight of the experienced growers! Abe Lincoln Akers West Amish Gold Amish Paste Aunt Ruby Azores Red Bequin Berkely Tie Die Big Red Black Krim Bosque Blue Chapman Cherokee Purple Dr. Lyle Earls Faux Evas Purple Ball Grannys Heart Great White Goose Creek Guker’s Irish Pink Kelloggs Breakfast Kosovo Little Lucky Opalka Pink Berkely Tie Die Pink Caspian Prudens Purple Red & Black Boar Red Penna Rutgers Seek No Further Love Apple Summer Cider Stump of The World Super Sauce Terhune Thessaloniki Trophy Last edited by greenthumbomaha; May 13, 2013 at 03:09 AM. Reason: Removed cherries which will be grown in home garden

May 13, 2013	#2
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	GTO, The most important thing is the tomatoes don't shade each other, so having your rows run east-west, which you're doing is best. Next you want the shortest tomatoes in the front (southernmost) row and the tallest in the back (northernmost) row. __________________ barkeater

May 13, 2013	#3
NorthTom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Alberta Canada 3a Posts: 24	I can only comment on the 2 on your list that I have grown. Opalka is a fairly large plant, and has incredibly dense foliage for me when I grow it, so I always put it in a position at the back of my greenhouse so it doesn't shade many other plants. Kosovo is also fairly large, but much less dense than Opalka.