Tomato Companion Cold Crops, Anyone ?

[Gardeneer]

Our spring-like weather probably arrives late Feb - early March.
Normal tomato plant out starts around mid April.
I I plant 8 to 10 inch size tomato seedlings , spaced at about 30", there will be a lot of space between them, at least until May 15. So here is a window of time approximately 90 days when I can utilize some of that vacant space. As it get warmer , most of those cool crops will be done and gone.
I am thinking about planting things like chard, spinach , lettuce, cilantro, bush peas, ...
But before I do that I have to condition ( till, level ..)my garden and draw a lay out plan/sketch. I might do this in a smaller scale

What do you think ? any ideas as what to plant ?
I will post our Feb, Mar, Apr. average temperatures in another post.

BTW: I have constructed a cold frame that I can use to germinate the cold crops seeds in it and then plant out.

[AlittleSalt]

If I understand your question right -

I plant onions between the tomato plants. I figure out where I am going to plant tomatoes and plant onions in-between sometime around now - mid February.

This is a helpful companion planting link http://www.ufseeds.com/Vegetable-Com...ing-Chart.html

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

If I understand your question right -

I plant onions between the tomato plants. I figure out where I am going to plant tomatoes and plant onions in-between sometime around now - mid February.

This is a helpful companion planting link http://www.ufseeds.com/Vegetable-Com...ing-Chart.html

Thanks Robert.
I am trying to find plants/veggies that have a short life cycle in cooler weather.

I like the idea of onions. You can harvest, cure and keep fo a good while.
How long onions will be there before harvest ? When do you harvest them ?
Do you start them from seed or buy bunch of plants ? What variety of onions do well in your location ? I have learned that growing onion is not as easy as one might think. The timing and variety has to be right.
My concern is not about compatibility. Because those plant won't be there all season long.

[jtjmartin]

I plant lettuce/spinach behind my tomatoes. They get full sun while the tomato plants are small and the weather is cool. By the time the weather gets hot, the tomatoes shade the lettuce.

Jeff

[bitterwort]

I often plant lettuce as a first crop in the area immediately surrounding where I will be planting a tomato--but I've learned that I have to remember to add more fertilizer, especially nitrogen, to replace what the lettuce takes out. By the time the tomatoes get going, I'll have eaten the lettuce (or it's decided to bolt and needs to come out anyway).

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Thanks Robert.
I am trying to find plants/veggies that have a short life cycle in cooler weather.

I like the idea of onions. You can harvest, cure and keep fo a good while.
How long onions will be there before harvest ? When do you harvest them ?
Do you start them from seed or buy bunch of plants ? What variety of onions do well in your location ? I have learned that growing onion is not as easy as one might think. The timing and variety has to be right.
My concern is not about compatibility. Because those plant won't be there all season long.

I have read online that onions are not easy to grow too.

Edit: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/bulb-onions You should have onion sets available in stores near you now.

For your first year of growing them, I would recommend buying onion sets. They are very easy to set out and grow. You can grow from seed, but that is done in a tray in a hot house or inside your home, and started about three months before it's time to plant them out. That's why I recommend buying onion sets this year.

Optimally, you want a good loose friable soil, but I've read that they can grow in clay too - I haven't tried that.

How many days until harvest depends on which varieties you buy. Here, I plant Texas 1015Y in late January up to mid February. They are ready to harvest in late May / June.

The tomato plants will shade them once the tomato plants have grown larger. Onions that get less sun do not grow as big as the ones planted in full sun.

Onions also like higher nitrogen fertilizers, but 10-10-10 works too.

This isn't advise from me - it's just something I read - One way to fertilize onions (That I have not tried) is to dig a furrow about 4 inches deep, put in some fertilizer and then an inch or so of soil and then plant your onion sets. I'm going to try this method this year. If it works, I'll let others know and if it doesn't - it doesn't.

[Gardeneer]

Thank you Bw, Jeff and Robert. Appreciate your input.

As promised, I give you a weather background. Here is our statistical temperatures:

February >>> 34f L to 58f H

March >>>> 40f L to 66f H

April >>>>> 48f L to 74f H

Now these are statistical numbers. It can be as much as 15 degrees plus or minus on H/L. But to me it is a good indicator of spring like weather to grow all kinds of cold crops on the open space around tomatoes.

OK. Today I will put the final touches on my cold frame. I,ll post a picture when done.
BTW : Today's high will reach 73F , per forecast. That makes me itchy.

[agee12]

Radishes, the seeds are very cheap and they are fast growers and easy to grow in cool weather, they grew during warm and hot weather for me as well. The caveat is that the plant will definitely grow but the radishes themselves, while edible, may not be great quality in terms of looks because if tomatoes are the priority you will be watering and fertilizing to suit the tomatoes and may end up with warped radishes. Carrots, not an exotic variety but something like Chantenay, can be a companion but they were not easy to grow for me.

ETA:
Are you doing crop rotation? If so you may need to research the plants to see how it fits into that scheme.

[Gardeneer]

Thanks Agee12.

I water my tomatoes individually , just around the stem. And I do not intend to plant anything too close. So watering is not and issue with me.

This is my first season with brand new garden. No crop rotation.
Yes, radishes and cilantro are fast growing and in my climate they have a very short windo of life cycle, before they bolt.

[maxjohnson]

I can send you a pound of crimson clover seeds. Although I don't think you have any cows.

[oakley]

This has me thinking. I've always put a nice row of carrots down the middle of my main tomato bed....but not harvested until the Fall as they sit shaded and grow slow in the heat.
I should try early Spring radish and cilantro way ahead of the tomatoes...maybe some head lettuce as they all bolt when it gets hot. Pull, then start the carrots for the Fall.

Or get some carrots in earlier. Hmmmm

[agee12]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Thanks Agee12.

I water my tomatoes individually , just around the stem. And I do not intend to plant anything too close. So watering is not and issue with me.

This is my first season with brand new garden. No crop rotation.
Yes, radishes and cilantro are fast growing and in my climate they have a very short windo of life cycle, before they bolt.

Hmmm, that is interesting about the bolting. I planted early scarlet globe radishes in July in Georgia, I got the seeds at Walmart for $.20 a pack with lots of seeds in the pack. They got very leafy and the radishes were warped but they did not bolt - they did not flower or produce seeds. In the end they served as a kind of a trap crop for the plants they were "companioned" with. I planted them with a couple of my tomato plants but also planted with my cucumber since herbs are not considered a good companion for cucumbers.

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

I can send you a pound of crimson clover seeds. Although I don't think you have any cows.

Where did you get these seeds? Coincidentally I am considering getting some clover seeds and other seeds for my compost pile. I am still researching it but if I understand it, clover, mustard and peas can be used to enhance the soil/compost as a green manure, you basically plant it, let it grow and then kill it and let it decompose in the compost or garden bed.

ETA:

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

Amazon.

Thanks!

[maxjohnson]

Originally Posted by agee12

Where did you get these seeds? Coincidentally I am considering getting some clover seeds and other seeds for my compost pile. I am still researching it but if I understand it, clover, mustard and peas can be used to enhance the soil/compost as a green manure, you basically plant it, let it grow and then kill it and let it decompose in the compost or garden bed.

Amazon.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

I can send you a pound of crimson clover seeds. Although I don't think you have any cows.

Max , thank you but that is too much trouble. One pound is a lot of clover seeds. Maybe one ounce will do. I will look around to find a seed store.

[jmsieglaff]

I think your plan is spot on. Your Feb and March sound like my April progression and your April sounds like my early/mid May. The stuff you're thinking of growing should do well in those temps.