To What Extremes Have YOU Gone To Plant More Tomatoes?

[Tania]

Let me just say that this year I am also putting tomato plants on the staircase - 2 plants on each step.

I call it 'my tomato staircase garden'.

that's in addition to all the tomatoes growing in the deck and in the container garden.

[PaulF]

Sounds like "Stairway to Heaven."

[eatmoreyeah]

This year I planted far to many varieties and far to many of each. Close to 300 seedlings in total. I always give away a lot to friends and family and I still had a good bit left and no more room in the main garden patch. For me it's hard to throw away a heathy plant that I nurtured from seed, so I needed to find room for the last 30+ mater plants.

As you can see in the first picture, I planted them outside of our pool house, which just so happens to be my wife's rose beds.

The second picture is looking out of our pool house which is nearly all picture windows that overlook the rose beds and citrus trees with the pool just beyond that. At first when the plants were relatively small and nice and neat (like in the pictures) it wasn't to bad. However, now the plants are mature and range in size from 8 feet for the indeterminates and 4 or 5 feet for the determinates. Needless to say, they've created a nice big hedge that prevents you from seeing the roses and pool while you're in the pool house, or on the swing or siitting in the chaise lounge chairs!

So yeah, I'd considered that pretty extreme, but oh well!

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by eatmoreyeah

ut oh well!

How are you going to pick these? I can't get my hand through the wire for my peas so I have to pick from each side, but yours is circular and no way pick from "each side" or to get the tomato back though the wire even if you can get your hand through there....just wondering.

[Redbaron]

I sometimes plant in what I call my graveyard. All the left overs and various other culls and volunteers that didn't make the grade get planted very late in whatever is left of the garden. This year it was over 60 plants in ~ 3' X 10' area.

Most are going to die or are so stunted they don't produce, (hence the name) but whatever lives will make a tomato jungle. I wont do anything to them except spray Bt if the hornworms come....and wade through to pick anything that happens to ripen. Some years I get quite a haul from the graveyard. Other years nothing. I look at it as simply a green manure cover crop because weeds don't stand a chance with the tomatoes growing that thick. And if it happens to make a few tomatoes too? All the better. Last year was a good year and one particular cherry grew 20 feet long, which I didn't even know until I pulled everything after the frost. It didn't need staked because it climbed over everything else! It wasn't even planted till late June! The year before that I had several huge beefsteaks, probably 50 pounds of them all get hit by frost while still green. I got like 2 that ripened the rest of the way inside. Did manage to eat so many fried green tomatoes my ears turn green!

[dice]

Let me just say that this year I am also putting tomato plants on the staircase - 2 plants on each step.

Hmmm, I have stairs, on the south end of the deck. I have been
only growing ornamentals, a basil, and occasionally a pot of chives
there.

How silly.