Adequate Spacing

ARgardener · May 2, 2017

I'm following Dick Raymond's Summer Garden Plan this summer. He has 18 tomatoes (caged or staked) in one row, giving each just shy of 2' spacing.

Now I'm wondering, is this adequate? I'm growing all open pollinated/ heirloom. I've made cages out of 6' high field fencing. There would be 2-3" between the closest points of the cage (it's a circle, remember).

What are your thoughts? Too close? Doable? Would I need to prune to 2-3 main stems if I went with this spacing set up?

Gardeneer · May 2, 2017

The spacing you referred to ( shy of 2 ft ) is OK with sturdy 6ft cages .
If your cages are say 20" in diameter you won't have access between the cages ( you already have said that ), unless you are planting in rows with 3-4 ft spacing.

ARgardener · May 2, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

The spacing you referred to ( shy of 2 ft ) is OK with sturdy 6ft cages .
If your cages are say 20" in diameter you won't have access between the cages ( you already have said that ), unless you are planting in rows with 3-4 ft spacing.

There's plenty of spacing on either side of the one tomato row, so reaching between the cages is no worry.

Father'sDaughter · May 2, 2017

I stake and prune to two stems with "just shy of 2' spacing" between my plants and they do okay as long as I provide them plenty of nutrients given the high number of root systems sharing such close quarters. Maintaining good air flow is also a concern, but as you'll have a single row it shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep each plant confined to it's cage and don't let it get too crowded within the cage.

UFXEFU · May 4, 2017

Over the years I've tried just about every imaginable spacing and found that 3 ft between plants and 4 ft between rows works best for tomatoes.

Bob

sic transit gloria · May 5, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by UFXEFU

Over the years I've tried just about every imaginable spacing and found that 3 ft between plants and 4 ft between rows works best for tomatoes.

Bob

Agreed.

Spartanburg123 · May 5, 2017

I went pretty tight this year, as I didn't have much yard to till up. Mine are 20-24 inches apart, which is closer than I would like, but I should be able to squeeze through there. For seed saving, I will bag blossoms. Does anyone have a recommendation about what kind of bags to use? Mesh with a drawstring?

Spartanburg123 · May 5, 2017

I went pretty tight this year, as I didn't have much yard to till up. Mine are 20-24 inches apart, which is closer than I would like, but I should be able to squeeze through there. For seed saving, I will bag blossoms. Does anyone have a recommendation about what kind of bags to use? Mesh with a drawstring?

Country Breeze · May 5, 2017

As others have said, it shouldn't be an issues with proper support and pruning.

I'm growing my heirlooms on 16" spacing this year, with a fence to grow vertically.

SteveP · May 5, 2017

I cage and stake my tomatoes and using 24" between plants and 36" between rows last year I had to crawl between the rows to pick. Didn't like it. So this year I went with 36" and 42" this year and will see how it works out. I find myself trying little tweaks every year trying to improve on the previous years problems. I am getting to old to belly crawl through the dirt.

Gardeneer · May 5, 2017

Plant spacing has 2 side : One is what the plant needs and require. That is minimum root to provide for plants root system and uptake of nutrients and moisture. The other side of spacing concerns the gardener. More space offers a lot of convenience to the gardener. Where is tight spacing requiere a lot more like support and pruning.
Look at it this way: Any tomato can be grown successfully in 10 to 12 gallon container. That is less than 2 cubic foot of soil volume. A space of 2ft x 2ft and 18" deep will have 6 cu-ft of soil volume.

Spartanburg123 · May 6, 2017

Close enough Gardeneer- it's 9.42 cubic feet.

That's a LOT of soil. I'm 20 inches apart. So my volume would be 6.5 cubic ft. of soil. Which is plenty

imp · May 6, 2017

Adequate air flow is important as well as what the roots should have as far as soil spacing. Diseases in your area will be harder to control on tightly spaced plants.

There are a lot of variables in choosing how much space per plant.

Cole_Robbie · May 6, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by imp

There are a lot of variables in choosing how much space per plant.

I agree. Soil quality is one of them. The curse of success in improving soil is that plants get bigger, requiring more support and spacing.

I do battle with whiteflies every summer, and I am pruning plants much more closely this year. I want the spray to be able to penetrate the plant better, and give the whiteflies less places to hide.

Worth1 · May 6, 2017

If a person has the room I would suggest for an un-pruned plant in a cage at the very least a foot to two feet between (cages) not plant main stems.
This is relative to how big around the person is going to be that works in the garden.

Four to even five or six feet diameter cage dead center around the plants at six feet you have only four feet of space left.
What this does is allow a person to move in and around the plants with little difficulty.
By allowing this it will make a person more prone to take better care of the plants.
Thus you have bigger better plants with more production overriding the greedy grower that tries to pack as many plants in a space as they can.
It also segregates any plants that may come down with something and allow you to get rid of it before it transmits it to another plant.
Even if you really have to pack the plants in closer in the rows you really need this extra space between rows.
Your choice.
But at least in long rows leave a space every now and then to get into the next row without walking the whole row to do so.
You simply do not want a jungle you have to cut your way through to do any work.

Worth

May 2, 2017	#1
ARgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: steamy southern Arkansas Posts: 155	Adequate Spacing I'm following Dick Raymond's Summer Garden Plan this summer. He has 18 tomatoes (caged or staked) in one row, giving each just shy of 2' spacing. Now I'm wondering, is this adequate? I'm growing all open pollinated/ heirloom. I've made cages out of 6' high field fencing. There would be 2-3" between the closest points of the cage (it's a circle, remember). What are your thoughts? Too close? Doable? Would I need to prune to 2-3 main stems if I went with this spacing set up?

May 2, 2017	#2
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	The spacing you referred to ( shy of 2 ft ) is OK with sturdy 6ft cages . If your cages are say 20" in diameter you won't have access between the cages ( you already have said that ), unless you are planting in rows with 3-4 ft spacing. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

May 5, 2017	#11
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	Plant spacing has 2 side : One is what the plant needs and require. That is minimum root to provide for plants root system and uptake of nutrients and moisture. The other side of spacing concerns the gardener. More space offers a lot of convenience to the gardener. Where is tight spacing requiere a lot more like support and pruning. Look at it this way: Any tomato can be grown successfully in 10 to 12 gallon container. That is less than 2 cubic foot of soil volume. A space of 2ft x 2ft and 18" deep will have 6 cu-ft of soil volume. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

May 2, 2017	#4
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I stake and prune to two stems with "just shy of 2' spacing" between my plants and they do okay as long as I provide them plenty of nutrients given the high number of root systems sharing such close quarters. Maintaining good air flow is also a concern, but as you'll have a single row it shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep each plant confined to it's cage and don't let it get too crowded within the cage.

May 4, 2017	#5
UFXEFU Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Gloster, Lousiana 71030 Zone 8a Posts: 253	Over the years I've tried just about every imaginable spacing and found that 3 ft between plants and 4 ft between rows works best for tomatoes. Bob

May 5, 2017	#8
Spartanburg123 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Spartanburg, SC Posts: 1,262	I went pretty tight this year, as I didn't have much yard to till up. Mine are 20-24 inches apart, which is closer than I would like, but I should be able to squeeze through there. For seed saving, I will bag blossoms. Does anyone have a recommendation about what kind of bags to use? Mesh with a drawstring?

May 5, 2017	#9
Country Breeze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: On The Mason Dixon Posts: 93	As others have said, it shouldn't be an issues with proper support and pruning. I'm growing my heirlooms on 16" spacing this year, with a fence to grow vertically.

May 5, 2017	#10
SteveP Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 1,398	I cage and stake my tomatoes and using 24" between plants and 36" between rows last year I had to crawl between the rows to pick. Didn't like it. So this year I went with 36" and 42" this year and will see how it works out. I find myself trying little tweaks every year trying to improve on the previous years problems. I am getting to old to belly crawl through the dirt.

May 6, 2017	#12
Spartanburg123 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Spartanburg, SC Posts: 1,262	Close enough Gardeneer- it's 9.42 cubic feet. That's a LOT of soil. I'm 20 inches apart. So my volume would be 6.5 cubic ft. of soil. Which is plenty

May 6, 2017	#13
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	Adequate air flow is important as well as what the roots should have as far as soil spacing. Diseases in your area will be harder to control on tightly spaced plants. There are a lot of variables in choosing how much space per plant.

May 6, 2017	#15
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	If a person has the room I would suggest for an un-pruned plant in a cage at the very least a foot to two feet between (cages) not plant main stems. This is relative to how big around the person is going to be that works in the garden. Four to even five or six feet diameter cage dead center around the plants at six feet you have only four feet of space left. What this does is allow a person to move in and around the plants with little difficulty. By allowing this it will make a person more prone to take better care of the plants. Thus you have bigger better plants with more production overriding the greedy grower that tries to pack as many plants in a space as they can. It also segregates any plants that may come down with something and allow you to get rid of it before it transmits it to another plant. Even if you really have to pack the plants in closer in the rows you really need this extra space between rows. Your choice. But at least in long rows leave a space every now and then to get into the next row without walking the whole row to do so. You simply do not want a jungle you have to cut your way through to do any work. Worth